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　　Do you know America's most famous woman is the Goddess of Liberty, i. e., the Statue of Liberty? It was conceived(想象，构思) in 1865 by Edouard de Laboulaye and designed by another Frenchman, Frederie Bartoldi. They wanted to honour liberty and friendship.

　　It was hoped that the monument would be completed by 1876 when America celebrated its centennial(百年庆典). Fund raising and manufacture of the statue in France went slowly. It was 1885 when the 214 crates(板条箱) containing the statue reached New York.

　　Americans were initially(起初) embarrassed(为难) for they had not raised the money to pay for the building of the base. Fund raising by popular subscription(捐款) was behind schedule. One fund raising method used was to have popular Americans write letters which were then auctioned off(拍卖). Mark Twain wrote a “tongue-in-cheek” letter suggesting that Miss Liberty didn't deserve a statue.

　　The base and statue, together 272 feet tall, were completed, in 1886. From a technical standpoint, the statue is a marvel(奇迹). The inner structure was designed by the French engineer, Alexander Eiffel. His design for the stressed copper(铜) skin of the statue anticipated(超前) many of the principles(主椽) used in modern aircraft.

　　After a century, the monument began to show signs of deterioration(变坏). Just as Frenchmen had created the Statue, so it was with renovation(更新). A Frenchman noted the decay and French and American craftsmen and contributions brought about the renewal(更新) of the Statue in time for its centennial. Liberty is still popular in France and the United States.

1．Mark Twain's letter about the Statue of Liberty ________.

[　　]

A．represented a serious question as to the need for the Statue

B．was a put-on by a humorist

C．raised a great deal of money

D．played a joke on the French

2．How many years passed away from the conception(构思) of the statue until its completion?

[　　]

3．French engineering genius is seen in the Statue of Liberty in ________.

[　　]

A．design of its base

B．design of its stressed covering

C．locating the statue without disturbing harbor traffic

D．keeping the flame lit

4．The Statue of Liberty's development embarrassed Americans in the 1880s because ________.

[　　]

A．they took so long to raise the money

B．it was clear the statue was mislocated

C．its design was tasteless

D．they felt it a waste of money to build the statue

The latest research suggests that the key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success. Instead, it’s purposeful practice. Top performers spend more hours practising their craft. It you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average language ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar qualities. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same family background, or shared the same birthday.

This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would hive her some idea of a fascinating circle who might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She’s be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly understand its inner workings.

Then she would practise writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. By practising in this way, she delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious. Automatically performed skills. By practising slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance form the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems — how do I get characters into a room—dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.

The primary quality our young writer possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine; the latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behaviour.

1.The passage mainly deals with????????? .

A. the function of I.Q. in cultivating a writer

B. the relationship between genius and success

C. the decisive factor in making a genius

D. the way of gaining some sense of distinction

2.By reading novels and writers’ stories, the girl could???????? .

A. come to understand the inner structure of writing

B. join a fascinating circle of writers someday

C. share with a novelist her likes and dislikes

D. learn from the living examples to establish a sense of security

3. In the girl’s long painstaking training process, ________.

A. her adviser forms a primary challenging force to her success

B. her writing turns into an automatic pattern of performance

C. she acquires the magic of some great achievement

D. she comes to realize she is “hard-wired” to write

4.What can be concluded from the passage?

A. A fueling ambition plays a leading role in one’s success

B. A responsible adviser is more important than the knowledge of writing.

C. As to the growth of a genius, I.Q. doesn’t matter, but just his/her effort.

D. What really matters is what you do rather than who you are.

Dropouts for Ph. D. s

Educators are seriously concerned about the high rate of dropouts among the doctor of philosophy candidates and the consequent loss of talent to a nation in need of Ph. D. s. Some have placed the dropouts loss as high as 50 percent. The extent of the loss was, however, largely a matter of expert guessing. Last week a well-rounded study was published. It was published. It was based on 22,000 questionnaires sent to former graduate students who were enrolled in 24 universities and it seemed to show many past fears to be groundless.

The dropouts rate was found to be 31 per cent, and in most cases the dropouts, while not completing the Ph. D. requirement, went on to productive work. They are not only doing well financially, but, according to the report, are not far below the income levels of those who went on to complete their doctorates.

Discussing the study last week, Dr. Tucker said the project was initiated 'because of the concern frequently expressed by graduate faculties and administrators that some of the individuals who dropped out of Ph. D. programs were capable of competing the requirement for the degree. Attrition at the Ph. D. level is also thought to be a waste of precious faculty time and a drain on university resources already being used to capacity. Some people expressed the opinion that the shortage of highly trained specialists and college teachers could be reduced by persuading the dropouts to return to graduate schools to complete the Ph. D.’

"The results of our research" Dr. Tucker concluded, "did not support these opinions."

1.    Lack of motivation was the principal reason for dropping out.

2.    Most dropouts went as far in their doctoral program as was consistent with their levels of ability or their specialties.

3.    Most dropouts are now engaged in work consistent with their education and motivation.

Nearly 75 per cent of the dropouts said there was no academic reason for their decision, but those who mentioned academic reason cited failure to pass the qualifying examination, uncompleted research and failure to pass language exams. Among the single most important personal reasons identified by dropouts for non-completion of their Ph. D. program, lack of finances was marked by 19 per cent.

As an indication of how well the dropouts were doing, a chart showed 2% in humanities were receiving $ 20,000 and more annually while none of the Ph. D. 's with that background reached this figure. The Ph. D. 's shone in the $ 7,500 to $ 15,000 bracket with 78% at that level against 50% for the dropouts. This may also be an indication of the fact that top salaries in the academic fields, where Ph. D. 's tend to rise to the highest salaries, are still lagging behind other fields.

As to the possibility of getting dropouts back on campus, the outlook was glum. The main condition which would have to prevail for at least 25 % of the dropouts who might consider returning to graduate school would be to guarantee that they would retain their present level of income and in some cases their present job.

The author states that many educators feel that            

[A] steps should be taken to get the dropouts back to campus.

[B] the dropouts should return to a lower quality school to continue their study.

[C] the Ph. D. holder is generally a better adjusted person than the dropout.

[D] The high dropouts rate is largely attributable to the lack of stimulation on the part of faculty members.

  Research has shown that          

[A] Dropouts are substantially below Ph. D. 's in financial attainment.

[B] the incentive factor is a minor one in regard to pursuing Ph. D. studies.

[C] The Ph. D. candidate is likely to change his field of specialization if he drops out.

[D] about one-third of those who start Ph. D. work do not complete the work to earn the degree.

  Meeting foreign language requirements for the Ph. D.

[A] is the most frequent reason for dropping out.

[B] is more difficult for the science candidate than for the humanities candidate.

[C] is an essential part of many Ph. D. programs.

[D] does not vary in difficulty among universities.

  After reading the article, one would refrain from concluding that          

[A] optimism reigns in regard to getting Ph. D. dropouts to return to their pursuit of the degree.

[B] a Ph. D. dropout, by and large, does not have what it takes to learn the degree.

[C] colleges and universities employ a substantial number of Ph. D. dropouts.

[D] Ph. D. 's are not earning what they deserve in nonacademic positions.

  It can be inferred that the high rate of dropouts lies in            

[A] salary for Ph. D. too low.

[B] academic requirement too high.

[C] salary for dropouts too high.

[D] 1000 positions.

Some scientists say that animals in the ocean are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings. The noise that affect sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.

Decibels（分贝）measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety-five would have the same effect.

Some scientists have proposed setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales.

A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that loud noises can seriously injure some animals. The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales’ ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected.

Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds object to a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.

Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists suspect that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.

1.According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?

A. The man-made noises.

B. The noises made by themselves.

C. The sound of earthquakes.

D. The sound of the ice-breaking.

2.As to the influence of noises on whales, which of the following statements is true?

A. They are deaf to noises.

B. Noises at a certain level may hurt them.

C. They are easily confused by noises.

D. Noises will limit their ability to reproduce.

3. We can know from the passage that many scientists think that the noise limit of one hundred twenty decibels would______.

A. prevent them from doing their research work

B. benefit them a lot in their research work

C. do good to their health

D. increase the industrial output

4.According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?

A. They will try their best to decrease noise.

B. They will work hard to cut down noise pollution.

C. They will study the effect of different noises.

D. They will protect animals from harmful noises.

Once upon a time there lived an old man in a nice cottage with a large garden. The old man was seen   41  his flowers all the time. They were so well-tended that every passer-by could not but   42  for a glance.

One day a young man went by the garden. He gazed at the splendid garden, lost in admiration at the beauty of the scenery. Then, suddenly he   43  the old gardener was blind.   44  , the young man asked, “Why are you busy tending these flowers every day which you can’t  45  in fact?” The old man smiled and answered that “ I can tell you 46  reasons. First I was a   47  when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can’t see these flowers, yet I can  48 them. Third，I can smell sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s   49 .

“Me? But you don’t know me,” responded the young man   50  .

“Yeah, it’s   51  that I don’t know you. But I know everyone knows flowers and would never turn them down. I know the beauty of my garden will get many people into a good mood(心情). In the meantime, it also   52  a chance to me to have a word with you here and to enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”

The old man’s  53  astonished me. The blind man grows flowers and serves them as a link of minds so as to make everybody enjoy the sunshine in spring. Isn’t it one kind of happiness？

I believe every flower has   54  with which they can see the kindness of the man’s heart. The blind man grows flowers in his heart. Though   55 to see the beauty of blossoming, he surely can hear the voice of it, I suppose.

1.                A．loving          B．watering        C．tending   D．planting

2.                A．stop           B．stay            C．live  D．run

3.                A．realized        B．noticed         C．felt  D．thought

4.                A．Excited         B．Frightened      C．Shocked  D．Satisfied

5.                A．feel           B．see            C．hear D．eat

6.                A．one           B．two            C．three D．four

7.                A．gardener       B．teacher         C．farmer   D．painter

8.                A．taste           B．plant           C．touch    D．appreciate

9.                A．it             B．me            C．them D．you

10.               A．with pleasure    B．in surprise      C．with hope  D．in anger

11.               A．true           B．possible        C．a pity D．a shame

12.               A．introduces      B．offers          C．stands D．leaves

13.               A．words          B．behavior        C．story D．attitudes

14.               A．ears           B．soul           C．eyes  D．heart

15.               A．refusing        B．trying          C．pretending D．failing