It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently. My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.

On the road to the harbor we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbor itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big humps(脊背) in the distance.

On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it — there aren’t any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.

The little baby whale — actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡) and waves. “She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, some-times rising from the water right beside us to breathe — and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.

In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.

The author says “I’m so glad I did.” (in Para.2) because __________.

A. he spent the weekend with his family

B. be witnessed the whole process of fishing

C. he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea

D. he experienced the rescue of the whales

The harbor survived the storm owing to __________.

A. the long coast line                         B. the shape of the harbor    

C. the arms of the bay                         D. the still water in the channel

The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________.

A. the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction

B. she had stayed in the polluted water for too long

C. the whirlpools she had made were not big enough

D. she had no other whales around to turn to for help

What is the theme of the story?

A. It’s vital to protect the environment

B. Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness

C. Fishing provides excitement for children

D. It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals

A recent trend(趋势) in Californian restaurants shows new eating habits among those people out to have an interesting dining experience. Appetizers(开胃品)seem to be the name of the games as diners turn away from the more traditional three-course meal in favor of smaller snacks served in various types of restaurants, bars and cafes. In this way, in the course of an evening out, you might go to a restaurant for a tasty dish to eat at one end of town, to a bar with some live music at the other end, then for a coffee, and finally back to the restaurant for a further appetizer.

Reasons for this trend are the fact that so many different types of restaurants have been set up recently, each with their own particular type of food and special atmosphere, together with the increased specialty in the type of snacks being offered. Gone are the cheese sticks of the old days, when appetizers were not really taken seriously. Some favorite snacks of the moment are slices of hot pizza, creamy fish-based dishes and crispy cakes and so on.

Prices for appetizers are not equal to a full meal; however, their new popularity has meant that they are by no means as cheap as they used to be. Certainly, for that special occasion, a meal in a nice restaurant, complete with the piano performance, is hard to beat. However, if we see this trend for “butterfly eating”---moving around several different places in one evening continues, then all the traditional style restaurants may well have to provide their own appetizer bars as well!

How are the eating habits of the Californians changing?

       A. People are dining out less.

       B. Californian restaurants are becoming less popular.

       C. Most people eat less than they used to.

       D. A full restaurant meal is less popular.

All the places that serve appetizers   _   .

       A. have much the same menu      

B. have their own particular characteristics

       C. have a bar with live music      

D. are located at the end of the town

 If you go out for an evening of appetizers, you are likely to       _.

       A. need a car or take a bus or other transport

       B. be bored with some kinds of snacks

       C. spend more time for a full meal than you would

       D. eat too much meat

Appetizers used to be seen as        .

       A. relatively important B. a full meal

       C. a cheap meal            D. an expensive meal

In July 19阅读理解upiter,the largest planet in our solar system,was struck by 21 pieces of a comet (彗星).When the fragments (碎片) landed in the southern part of the giant planet,the explosions were watched by scientists here on earth.But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?

The year is 2094.It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth.Most of it will miss our planet,but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth.The news has caused panic.

On 17July,a fragment four kilometers wide enters the Earth's atmosphere with a huge explosion.About half of the fragment is destroyed.But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound.The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads.The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometres an hour.Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.

Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth,but the north won't escape for long.Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions.As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust,temperatures around the world fall to almost zero.Crops are ruined.Wars break out as countries fight for food.A year later civilization has collapsed.No more than 10 million people have survived.

Could it really happen?In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth.The dinosaurs (恐龙) were on the Earth for over 160 million years.Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared.Many scientists believe

that the Earth was hit by a space fragment.The dinosaurs couldn't survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct.Will we meet the same end?

1.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author's description of the disaster in 2094?

A.The whole world becomes extremely cold.

B.All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed.

C.The whole mankind becomes extinct.

D.The visit of the comet results in wars.

2.Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passage?

A.Because they could only live in the warm climate.

B.Because they once dominated the earth.

C.Because their extinction indicates future disasters.

D.Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age.

3.In writing the passage,the author intends to  _______.

A.give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future

B.prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed

C.tell the historical development of the Earth

D.warn of a possible disaster in the future

4.It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n)________.

A.horror storyB.news reportC.research paperD.article of popular science

One of the most widely accepted, commonly repeated assumptions (假设) in our culture is that if you exercise, you will lose weight. I exercise all the time, but I still have gut fat that hangs over my belt when I sit. Why isn’t all the exercise getting rid of it?

It’s a question many of us could ask. More than 45 million Americans now belong to a health club, up from 23 million in 1993. We spend some $19 billion a year on gym memberships. Of course, some people join and never go. Still, as one major study — the Minnesota Heart Survey — found, more of us at least say we exercise regularly.

And yet obesity (肥胖) figures have risen sharply in the same period: a third of Americans are obese, and another third count as overweight by the Federal Government’s definition. Yes, it’s entirely possible that those of us who regularly go to the gym would weigh even more if we exercised less. But like many other people, I get hungry after I exercise, so I often eat more on the days I work out than on the days I don’t. Could exercise actually be keeping me from losing weight?

The popular belief that exercise is essential for weight control is actually fairly new. As recently as the 1960s, doctors routinely advised against too much exercise, particularly for older adults who could injure themselves. Today doctors encourage even their oldest patients to exercise, which is sound advice for many reasons: People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases — those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer and many other illnesses. But the past few years of obesity research show that the role of exercise in weight loss has been wildly over-evaluated.

“In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless,” says Eric Ravussin, exercise researcher at Louisiana State University. Many recent studies have found that exercise isn’t as important in helping people lose weight as you hear so regularly in gym advertisements or on shows like The Biggest Loser — or, for that matter, from magazines like this one.

The basic problem is that while it’s true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can make one hungry. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate (使无效) the weight-loss benefits we just gained. Exercise, in other words, isn’t necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.

From the passage we learn that ____.

A. some Americans join a health club but never go there  

B. the number of overweight people has doubled since 1993

C. more than 45 million Americans now go to the gym regularly

D. Americans waste too much money each year on sports

According to the passage, exercise ____.

A. has long been believed to be good for older adults

B. is not properly advertised as an effective way to lose weight

C. was first recognized as an effective way to lose weight in the 1960s

D. is less effective in preventing heart disease than what doctors believe

According to the writer, people might gain weight because ____.

A. they have the habit of going to the gym regularly

B. they eat the same food when they do not exercise

C. they exercise less than required by doctors

D. they eat more after they exercise

What may be the best title for this passage?

A. Overweight Is Not Good for Your Health

B. Exercise Won’t Make You Thin 

C. Gym Is Part of American Lifestyle      

D. Obesity Is a Social Problem in America        

I had this exchange with my 6-year-old last week．

       Him: Mom, we have to start buying Danimals．

       Me: Why?

       Him: So, I can bring it to |school for lunch．It's yogurt ．

       Me: Why do you want it so badly?

       Him: Because Danimals i|s giving away five fantastic Caribbean vacations．

       I had to explain that there was little chance that he would win a vacation．It's a strategy used to encourage kids to beg for artificially-colored （人工着色的） yogurt that costs a lot．

       Marketing follows my kids —and yours—wherever they go ．It comes via TV commercials． Store displays and websites are also constantly selling at our kids ．But the most powerful means in kids" lives is the presence of licensed characters on every product imaginable．

       Children can begin their day in character clothing．There's even character -themed wall paint available．A breakfast in a character bowl can be followed by a character toothbrush and character toothpaste（牙膏）, character soap and shampoo, and a character wash cloth and towel ．Then, they can put on character clothing and character shoes．Check that, character clock on the wall: Is it time for characier-shaped fruit snacks yet?

       Surround kids with enough of the characters and they'll come to believe they need them．Most of us, of course, don't buy all those items．But say no to four products out of five and your home can still get filled with these tiny items encouraging brand loyalty （品牌忠诚）

       At this time of year, parents buy licensed school supplies．With so much marketing around us, it can be tough to stop the tide．

       "One thing that helps parents'is that they can talk to other parents about, this kind of thing," Linn suggested ．"If you decide you want to buck this, it helps to find other people who will do the same thing ．That way, if your child says．"Everyone's doing it," you can really have a sense of whether everyone is．" |

From the dialogue between the author and the son, we can infer that ____-

       A．the son likes drinking yogurt a lot．

       B．buying Danimals may win a free tour

       C．the son's school encourages kids to eat yogurt

       D．Danimals in the most popular yogurt among kids．

We can learn from th^ passage that     '

       A．character bowls increase kids' appetite．

       B．character-themed wall paint is expensive

       C．household goods are becoming the target of advertisers．

       D．Linn considered character-themed products a foolish marketing strategy．

The underlined word "buck" in the last paragraph probably means _____．

       A．support        B．resist           C．advertise            D．learn

What does the passage mainly tell us ?  ．

       A．Marketing is affecting kids all the time．

       B．Most kids now don't have a happy childhood,

       C．Kids like buying licensed school supplies a lot.

       D．Licensed character produce are doing great harm to kids.