Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American.When he died in 1931，Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him.One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout.All electric power would be shut off in homes，streets，and factories.Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them.Electric power was too important to the country.Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion.A blackout was out of the question.

　 On the day of Edison’s funeral，many people silently dimmed their lights.In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen’s fingertips.

1.This selection says that Thomas Edison　　　　 .

　 A.was the only important American inventor

　 B.received the first American patent

　 C.received more patents than any other American

　 D.was the first American inventor

2.People decided to honor Edison when　　　　 .

　 A.he made the first electric light

　 B.electric power was 100 years

　 C.the country realized electricity’s importance

　 D.he died in 1931

3.The suggested plan was to　　　　 .

　 A.turn off the lights in factories and schools

　 B.observe a few minutes of total silence

　 C.dim all electric lights

　 D.shut off all electricity for a short time

4.Americans fully realized what Edison’s inventions meant when they　　　　 .

　 A.heard of his death

　 B.heard of the plan to honor him

　 C.first used electric power

　 D.tried to carry out the plan

5.The plan was never carried out because　　　　 .

　 A.not everyone wanted to honor Edison

　 B.it was too difficult

　 C.electric power was too important to the country

　 D.it honored only one of Edison’s inventions

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a meeting in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. In their rush, with tickets, one of these salesmen happened to kick over a table which held a display of baskets of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their boarding.

All but one stopped, took a deep breath and experienced a twinge（刺痛）of sorrow for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his friends to go on without him, waved goodbye, and told one of them to call his wife when they arrived and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to where the apple stand had been overturned. He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her face. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become damaged; then he set them aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take the $20 for the damage we did.” He continued, “I’m sorry for what we did and hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”

She nodded with her tears. As the salesman started to walk away, the blind girl called out to him, “Mr. ...”. He stopped, and turned back. She continued, “Thank you very much”.

1.These salesmen were hurrying because they ________.

2.Which of the following is the correct order of what the salesman did?

a. He made an apology to the blind girl.

b. He told his friends to go on without him.

c. He experienced a twinge of sorrow.

d. He returned to the fallen apple stand.

e. He paid the girl $20 for the damage.

3.Which of the following can describe the salesman? 

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

Andy Tomas is proof of the typical case that life-changing disaster awaits the drunken driver.

“A lot of teachers say, ‘Don’t drink,’ but I’m not going to say that, because I know that students are going to do it,” Andy says. “I just say, ‘Don’t get in a car.’”

As an 18-year-old, he could be a classmate or a friend, and that familiarity adds to the power of his words. He has spoken to more than 2500 high school students so far, and he has noticed their unusual silence.

One year ago, Andy, having been with friends drinking, lost control of his car and was thrown into trees 20 feet away. He was found covered in blood, with many bones broken. He was diagnosed with a severe brain injury and remained in an unconscious state and on life support for nearly three weeks. His skull was opened to reduce pressure on his brain.

At Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, Doctor Erin Leahy initially found Andy unable to move the right side of his body. But by the end of his six-week stay, he was able to walk out of the building. Leahy called that an inspiration and a surprise.

Yet Andy’s recovery is incomplete. Brain and muscular therapy(治疗) has helped him regain movement in his right arm, but he still struggles with right hand.

In the process of recovery, Andy has thought deeply about what happened and why, and decided to share his story. Encouraged by his doctor, he began to attending meetings, delivering speeches.

He said he was nervous at first, but has grown used to the spotlight. “I feel like I know how to talk to people.” He said. And his recovery and visible injury help him draw serious attention from students.

Drunk driving, he tells students, is like playing gambles. “You might do it a bunch of times, but something is going to happen.”

Now his days are all about the therapy, work and going to the gym. Mentally, he says, “ I’m a lot happier in my life.”

What’s the main purpose of the author?

       A. Warn students about the danger of drinking.

       B. Tell readers the danger of driving a car.

       C. Advise people not to drive a car after drinking.

       D. Show readers Andy’s amazing recovery experience.

Why does the author say Andy’s story is powerful as an 18-year-old boy?

       A. Because his family supported him and cared for him carefully.

       B. Because he is just like one of our classmates or friends.

       C. Because doctors and family never gave him up.[

       D. Because his classmates and friends are familiar with him.

What does the underlined sentence mean?

       A. Drunk driving will be fined a lot of money eventually.

       B. Drunk driving will eventually have a serious accident.

       C. Drunk driving is as adventurous and thrilled as gamble.

       D. Drunk driving is banned even if you are an experienced driver.

What happened to Andy after the accident?

       A. He made a full recovery and returned to his normal life.

       B. He recovered quite well at an unbelievable speed.

       C. He became more experienced and eager for more adventures.

       D. He shared his stories with others to warn them not to try drunk driving.

B
Yes. It’s really happening. This is the last weekend that Washington D.C.’s beloved giant panda, Tai Shan (aka Butterstick), has resided at the National Zoo. Born in Washtington D.C. four and a half years ago, Tai Shan is leaving for China on February 4 to become part of a breeding(培育) program that will help support panda populations in the wild. We’ve known it was coming: He’s the property of China and his departure was part of an agreement made long before he stole our hearts. And while acknowledging that he will be helping the breed (there are only about 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild), we can’t help but be sad to see him go. He’s been an international concern from the moment he was born on July 9, 2005, thanks in part to the popularity of the PandaCam, which cameraed his every roly-poly(不倒翁似的) move.
The National Zoo is hosting a huge send-off celebration this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to say goodbye to Tai Shan, gathering their team of vets, nutritionists, reproduction specialists, and other scientists to share their knowledge about pandas. The Chinese Embassy will present dance and music presentations, kids will be able to write cards for Tai Shan, and in the most brilliant display we’ve seen in a while, Land O’Lakes will host a photo gallery of favorite images of Tai Shan from the past few years. “When Tai Shan was born,” the Zoo explains in its press release, “...he was about the size of a stick of butter. This earned him the affectionate nickname ‘Butterstick.’” .
Happily, Tai Shan will be departing in style. According to the Washington Post, FedEx has offered to donate the transportation and he’ll be leaving in a 777 FedEx aircraft next week that’s fitted with his own logo on the side. There’ll be “only eight people on board, including a doctor, as well as a panda member of the opposite sex...and more than 50 pounds of his favorite food available on demand,” says the Post. Not a bad way to travel 8,642 miles, even if it is in a crate(板条箱).
So goodbye, Butterstick, safe travels, and may you lead a long and fruitful life in China!
46. We can infer from the passage that the author most probably is ________.
A. an American    B. a Chinese     C. a foreign tourist  D. a young writer
47. Why must the National Zoo send Tai Shan to China on February 4?
A. Because he’s the property of China.
B. Because his mother was stolen from China.
C. Because it’s the first part of a breeding program.
D. Because it’s bound and required by the agreement.
48. By saying “long before he stole our hearts” (in paragraph 1), the author means “long before______”.
A. he made us heartbroken     B. he made us lose heart
C. we fell in love with him      D. we felt disappointed with him
49. The send-off celebration will include the following activities except ______.
A. sharing knowledge about pandas       B. dance and music presentations
C. a photo gallery of images of Tai Shan    D. collecting nicknames for Tai Shan
50. Which of the following statements is True?
A. The number of pandas in the world is now sharply decreasing.
B. FedEx will fly Tai Shan to China in a Boeing 777 aircraft for free.
C. Washington Post is a branch company of FedEx’s in the US.
D. Tai Shan is to be accompanied on board only by eight people.

Sparrow is a fast-food chain with 200 restaurants. Some years ago, the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company. Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining, the chain was generally in an unhealthy state. With more and more fast-food concepts reaching the market, the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention. And to make matters worse, its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.

Sparrow failed to grow for another two years. Until a new CEO, Carl Pearson, decided to build up its market share. He did a survey, which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain, while customers of other fast-food chains were unwilling to turn away from them. Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.

Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand. The chain’s owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy’s restaurants. Pearson resisted, arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun. Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time. Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success, rather than customers’ speeding power. Finally, the owner accepted his idea.

The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast-food industry. The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original sons performed by a variety of stars. Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product, the intension was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.

Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image. For example, he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover. (营业额)

These efforts paid off, and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast-food chains in the regions where it operated.

1.Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?

A. The number of its customers was declining

B. It was in need of financial support

C. Its customers found the food unhealthy

D. Most of its restaurants were closed

2.What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. Customers of Sparrow restaurants

B. Sparrow restaurants

C. other fast-food chains

D. Customers of other fast-food chains

3.For what purpose did Pearson start the advertising campaign?

A. To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow

B. To lean about customers; spending power.

C. To meet the challenge from Marcy’s restaurants.

D. To build a good relationship with the public

4.What was Pearson’s achievement as a CEO?

A. He made Sparrow much more competitive

B. He managed to pay off Sparrow’s debts.

C. He helped Sparrow take over a company

D. He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees