Joy Mangano was 33 and divorced（离婚）, had three kids under age 7, and was hardly keeping up payments on her small two-bedroom home by working extra weekend hours as a waitress.

　　“Sometimes I would lie in bed and think. I don’t know how I’m going to pay the bills,” Mangano said.

　　But she had a gift for seeing the obvious. She knew how hard it was to mop the floor. “I was tired of bending down, putting my hands in dirty water and wringing（拧）out a mop.” Mangano says. “So, I thought: There’s going to be a better way.”

　　How about a “self wringing” mop? She designed a special tool that could be twisted（转动）in two directions while not making hands wet and dirty. She set out to sell it, first only a few at flea markets（跳蚤市场）.

　　Then Mangano met with the media. But would couch potatoes（泡在电视机前的人）buy a mop? The experts on shopping TV were less than certain. They gave it a try, and it failed. Mangano was sure it would sell if they’d let her do the on-camera demonstration.

　　QVC took a chance on her. “I got onstage and the phones went crazy. We sold every mop in minutes.”

　　Today she’s the president of Ingenious Designs, a multimillion-dollar company, and one of the stars of the Home Shopping Network. Talking about her household inventions is “as natural for me as it is for parents to talk about their children”.

　　Today one of her favorite products is Huggable Hangers. The thin, space-saving inventions are the most successful gadget（器具）ever sold on HSN, with 100 million hanging out there in closets across the country. Of course, you couldn’t possibly sell hangers on TV.

(1)What would be the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．There is going to be a better way

B．A woman invented the self-wringing mop

C．An ordinary woman sells her invention on TV

D．Women can all achieve remarkable success

(2)What does the underlined sentence “the phones went crazy” (in Paragraph 6) mean?

[　　]

A．Many people made calls to say they were mad.

B．There were lots of calls to order the new mop.

C．Many people were mad to see me on TV.

D．The telephone broke down at my home.

(3)Which is the correct order of the following events?

a．Mangano invented the most popular Huggable Hangers.

b．Mangano was tired of mopping the floor.

c．Mangano designed a self-wringing mop.

d．Mangano was ever worried about how to pay the bills.

e．Mangano did an on-camera demonstration to sell her mops.

[　　]

(4)What conclusion can be made from the story?

[　　]

A．Women can invent household tools because they often do housework.

B．Mangano treated her household inventions as she treated her children.

C．Mangano used to lie in bed and think of how to invent household tools.

D．One can make life better through work though it is sometimes hard.

Carnival does not take place only in Louisiana. There are many celebrations around the world.

　 In Brazil, the celebration is supposed to go on from the Saturday before Mardi Gras(四旬斋前的最后一天)to Mardi Gras Day, but in some Brazilian cities the celebration can last seven or eight days. Just like New Orleans, not many important things are decided in Brazil from New Year’s Day to Mardi Gras Day because everyone is preparing for or celebrating carnival. Most Brazilian parades have a subject, which could be political and historical. The parades had to have a subject related to Brazil until 1996. Some cities in Brazil do not have a street carnival but they might have an indoor ball.

　 Bolivia has carnival parades for children and then more parades for adults. The children dress up in costumes and march in the streets. The adults make traditional dance groups and dance in the streets. But the main part of Bolivia’s carnival is getting wet. Almost everyone gets wet from water balloons and water buckets. In Oruru, Bolivia, their carnival is held in the last ten days of the carnival season. People there participate in crafts and dancing, but their main carnival event is a ceremonial parade that lasts for twenty hours and parades for four kilometers. Over 20,000 dancers are involved as well as 10,000 musicians. This parade attracts at least 400,000 people.

　 The carnival in Venice, Italy is often regarded as the most carefully prepared carnival and lasts the ten days before Lent (四旬斋). Many events are held in the canals including shows, concerts, dances, and water processions(队列). The official ending to the celebration is the ball held in St. Mark’s Square.

(　 )1. What’s the best title of the passage?

　 　A. Carnivals around the world. B. History of carnival. C. Customs of carnival. D. Carnival parades.

(　 )2. From the passage we learn that in Brazil　　　　 .

　 　A. all urban residents celebrate carnival for a week

B. people prepare for or celebrate carnival after Mardi Gras Day

C. the parades should have a subject related to Brazil　　　　　 D. not all cities have a street carnival

(　 )3. The most important feature of the celebration of carnival in Bolivia is that 　　　 .

A.children wearing costumes march in the streets B. adult dance groups dance in the streets

C.people participate in crafts and dancing　 D.nearly all people are sprayed with water

(　 )4. Which of the following statements shows that the author pays special attention to the carnival in Bolivia?

　 A. The time of celebrating carnival in Bolivia is mentioned.

　 B. There are details and numbers about carnival celebrations in Bolivia.

　 C. Events or performances for carnival celebrations in Bolivia are mentioned.

　D. Participants in the carnival celebration in Bolivia are mentioned.

(　 )5. Which of the following areas or countries prepares the most carefully for their carnival according to the passage?

　　A. Louisiana.　　 B. Bolivia.　　　 C. Venice.　　　 D. Brazil.

　　阅读理解：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项．

　　America is a country on the move. In unheard of numbers, people of all ages are exercising their way to better health. According to the latest figures, 59 percent of American adults exercise regularly-up 12 percent from just two years ago and more than double the figure of 25 years ago. Even non-exercisers believe they would be more attractive and confident if they were more active.

　　It is hard not to get the message. The virtues(优点) of physical fitness are shown on magazine covers, postage stamps, and television ads for everything from beauty soaps to travel books. Exercise as a part of daily life did not catch on until the late 1960s when research by military doctors began to show the health benefits of doing regular physical exercises. Growing publicity(宣传) for races held in American cities helped fuel(给……加燃料) a strong interest in the ancient sport of running. Although running has leveled off in recent years as Americans have discovered equally rewarding(值得做的)and sometimes safer forms of exercise, such as walking and swimming, running remains the most popular form of exercise.

　　As the popularity of exercise continues to mount, so does scientific evidence(证明) of its health benefits. The key to fitness is exercising the major muscle groups vigorously(强有力地) enough to approximately(大约) double the heart rate and keep it doubled for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Doing such physical exercises three times or more a week will produce considerable improvements in physical health in about three months.

1．According to the passage, what was the percentage of American adults doing regular physical exercises two years ago?

[　　]

2．Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined phrase “leveled off”?

[　　]

A．become very popular

B．stopped being popular

C．reached its lowest level in popularity

D．stopped increasing in popularity

3．It can be learnt from the passage that the health benefits of exercise ________.

[　　]

A．are yet to be proved

B．are to be further studied

C．are supported by scientific evidence

D．are self-evident

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

[　　]

A．Different Forms of Exercise

B．Exercise－The Road to Health

C．Scientific Evidence of Health Benefits

D．Running－A Popular Form of Sport

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　A shop wholly run by a robot has been set up in downtown Tokyo, capital of Japan. The shop was set up by a Japan-based company.

　　When a customer comes to the shop, he will be given a pencil and a piece of paper. When he is looking at the shelves for goods, he can write down the number of each thing he wants to buy. Then he may come to a machine, which looks like a bank ATM (Automatic Teller Machine), and press the buttons to tell the machine the numbers and some other information about the goods. The machine will soon give the customer a bill. When the customer puts money into the machine, change will be given back at once, and the words“Thank You for Coming”will appear on the screen of the machine. The robot will select the ordered goods for the customer according to computer center information.

　　The robot, as round as a bucket, is able to decide the weight and size of any goods. It wilt always take the bigger and heavier goods first before picking up the smaller and lighter ones such as cakes or biscuits. Within half a minute, the robot will make everything ready, and wait for a customer at a certain delivery place.

　　The shop is to meet the needs of the public for the so-called“silent purchase (购买)”. It means that a customer can do shopping through mail or even an international computer network without facing the shop owner. This will reduce the cost on the part of the shop, and thus lower the price of goods for the customer.

　　The robot now can deal with most goods in a fast and easy way. Only when dealing with those goods needing special care will the robot ask for help.

1．When you want to buy something in the robot shop, first you have to _____.

[　　]

A．put money into the machine

B．press the buttons of the machine and tell it what you want to buy

C．find out what you want to buy and write down the numbers on paper

D．go into the shop and select the goods you want with the help of the machine

2．In this shop, the robot can do shopping quickly at a lower price, so _____.

[　　]

A．the shop has a great future

B．customers often get false goods

C．few customers go there to buy goods

D．the shop will close down soon

3．What would be the best title for the text?

[　　]

A．May I Help you　　　　　　B．Welcome to Our Shop

C．Robot Shop　　　　　　　　D．Nobody Sells Goods in the Shop