Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor , he doesn’t feel really poor when he has a car.

Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to change American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today.

There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.

The second reason cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed a practical and cheap public travel system. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Now there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used often.

The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don’t like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.

Less oil has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real answer will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much oil.

1.We can learn from this passage that Americans ______.

A．spend a lot of money traveling by car        B．travel a lot in their cars

C．seldom travel by plane                   D．use public traffic often

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．In the United States even the poor own cars.

B．In the United States all the poor have no cars.

C．When an American has a car, he will never be poor.

D．An American will feel poor unless he has a car.

3.In the writer’s opinion, cars are popular in the United States mainly because ___.

A．Americans like to plan their own time

B．The United States does not have enough public transportation

C．Americans will not feel poor when they travel in their cars

D．Americans cannot move around without their own cars

4.“A nation on wheels” in the second paragraph means that _______.

A．everyone in the United States owns a car

B．the United States produces most of the cars in the world

C．cars play an important part in American’ life

D．the United States depend on car industry for its development

You are watching a film in which two men are having a fight. They hit one another hard. At the start they only fight with their fists. But soon they begin hitting one another over the heads with chairs. And so it goes on until one of the men crashes(撞击） through a window and falls thirty feet to the ground below. He is dead！Of course he isn't really dead. With any luck he isn't even hurt. Why? Because the men who fall out of high windows or jump from fast moving trains, who crash cars and run out of them even when they catch fire, are professionals. They do this for a living. These men are called stuntmen. That is to say, they perform tricks. There are two sides to their work. They actually do most of the things you see on the screen. For example, they fall from a high building. However, they do not fall on to hard ground but on to empty cardboard boxes covered with a mattress（床垫）. Again, when they hit one another with chairs, the chairs are made of soft wood and when they crash through windows, the glass is made of sugar! But although their work depends on trick of this sort, it also requires a high degree of skill and training. Often a stuntman’s success depends on careful timing. For example, when he is "blown up" in a battle scene, he has to jump out of the way of the explosion just at the right moment.
Naturally stuntmen are well paid for their work, but they lead dangerous lives. They often get seriously injured, and sometimes killed. A Norwegian stuntman, for example, skied over the edge of a cliff（悬崖）a thousand feet high. His parachute（降落伞）failed to open, and he was killed. In spite of all the risks, this is no longer a profession for men only. Men no longer dress up as women when actresses have to perform some dangerous action. For nowadays there are stuntgirls too.
【小题1】 Stuntmen are those who ______.

Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well. I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train. When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor（走廊）. In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions: “Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”
He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other way out.
I could not even into the corridor. There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way. I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
“I must get out!” I cried. Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!
“Stop!” I cried. “I want to get out!” But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.
Fear made me think quickly. In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I pulled it.
Well, a noise started above our heads. That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get out and catch my ship.
【小题1】The purpose of the author writing the first paragraph is to __________.

B

“There is nothing more rewarding than taking a pack of 40 dogs to the beach for a pack walk,” says Millan.

Cesar Millan, star of the National Geographic Channel’s show Dog whisperer and author of the best—selling book Cesar’s way, has a special gift for working with these animals.

Growing up on a farm in Mexico, Millan knew he wanted to work with dogs. His first job, at age 15, was helping a veterinarian(兽医) . He was so good at calming scared dogs and handling all kinds of situations, so people started calling him le perrero, Spanish for “the dog boy.” Since then, he has built a rewarding career around his favorite animal.

“My grandfather taught me at an early age not to work against nature,” he explains. In nature,dogs are pack animals. They form a group and follow one leader. Millan’s specialty is teaching people to be pack leaders for their dogs. Everyone in the family should lead, he says.

He says a lot of people get it backwards because they don’t realize what dogs really need. So the Dog Whisperer doesn’t just train dogs; he trains owners to understand that their pets need rules. At his Dog psychology Center in Los Angeles, California, Millan also works with dogs whose dangerous behavior has prevented them from finding homes. He teaches them to be loving, gentle pets.

Through dog whisperer, viewers can actually see the change in dogs with troublesome behavior. Some dogs go crazy when visitors arrive, for example, while some have more unusual problems.

To find the right career, Millan encourages his kids to do what they enjoy. “A lot of people don’t realize I’ve been working with dogs for more than 20 years ——long before my TV show of book. Success followed me because I was following my dream of being the best dog trainer in the world.”

60． Dog whisperer is        .

A. a best —selling book          B. a TV show

C. a dog psychology center        D. Millan’s nickname

61． Cesar Millan’s being called el perrero suggests that__________.

A. he was a successful veterinarian     B. he was popular with people

C. he liked dogs very much           D. his work was fully recognized

62． The key to Millan’s success as a dog trainer is that__________

A. he follows the habits of dogs    B. he walks dogs every day

C.he likes working with dogs      D. he makes rules for dogs

63． What advice does Millan give on his kids’ career?

A. To become the best dog trainer in the world.

B. To choose what they like and stick to it.

C. Not to work against mature.

D. Not to be influenced by others.

One of the most striking (显著) characteristics of English life is the good manners of people from all walks of life. There is little noisy behavior, and practically no loud arguing in the street. People don’t rush excitedly for seats in buses and trains, but wait in queues at bus stops in a quiet and orderly manner.

English people are naturally very polite and never tired of saying “Thank you”, “I’m sorry” and “I beg your pardon”. If you follow anyone who is entering a building or a room, he will hold the door open for you. Many foreigners have commented on the remarkable politeness of the English people.

English people don’t like showing their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situation, and ordinary people seem to keep good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties. They often see the good aspect of things.

English people don’t like any boasting or showing off in manners, dress or speech. Sometimes they conceal their knowledge; a linguist, for example, may not mention his understanding of a foreigner’s language.

An Englishman prefers his own house to an apartment in a block of flats, because he doesn’t want his activities to be overlooked by his neighbors. “An Englishman’s home is his castle.”

Many Englishmen help their wives with housework. They clean the windows on Saturday afternoon, and they often wash the dishes after supper in the evening.

Although times may have changed and cultures have changed, too, the English people still have special characteristics which set them apart from other nationalities.

Which characteristic of English people is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. Humorous.       B. Polite.     C. Modest.       D. optimistic(乐观).

The underlined word “conceal” in Para 4 can be replaced by ______.

A. show off                      B. look down upon

C. hide on purpose                D. feel proud of  

In dangerous situations, English people ______.

A. are not afraid at all              B. try to be calm and brave

C. like to play jokes on others        D. become discouraged and sad

By saying “An Englishman’s home is his castle”, the writer means ______.

A. English people are fond of living in castles       

B. English people often decorate their houses very well   

C. English people prefer to have different houses from others’     

D. English people don’t like others to know much about their family life