Australia is famous for its beautiful beaches. And Australian people love swimming and going to the beach. But it wasn’t always that way.

       Different Climate, Different Habits

       When Europeans first invaded Australia, the only people here who were good at swimming were the Aboriginal people. The Europeans came from climates where it was too cold to swim. However the warm climate of Australia soon changed their attitude to swimming. At first, only men swam. They swam without any clothes on—there were no women to see them.

       Cover up!

       By the 1880 and 1890s visiting the beach was very fashionable. People wore everyday street clothes—much more than people wear at the beach today.

       In those days people believed they should cover their most body so it would not be seen by the opposite sex. Special bathing costumes were designed for women. This costumes used a lot of cloth and were very heavy when wet, making it difficult to swim.

       Laws Made and Laws Changed

       The government decided to stop men swimming naked. It passed a law which forbade bathing between 6 am and 7 am. But in 1903, the laws changed; people could swim in the daytime, but they had to wear neck-to-knee costumes.

       The Shrinking Costume

       As time passed, swimming costumes became smaller and more convenient.

       At first men and women were covered from neck to knee. Then arms became bare. Then more of the legs were uncovered. Each new change was regarded by many as shocking and rude and people wrote letters to the newspapers complaining about the new costume. Nowadays some people go to special “nude beaches” to swim naked.

       However, most people cover their bodies more than they did ten years ago—not because they think bare skin is shocking—but to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

Which of the following statements about the climate of Australia is TRUE?

       A. It made European settlers think differently about swimming.

       B. It changed European settlers’ swimming costume.

       C. It made European settlers feel much hotter.

       D. It made European settlers have to swim naked.

What should swimmers do during the late 19^th century?

       A. They should hide when they meet a person of the opposite sex.

       B. They should cover their body to avoid being seen by the opposite sex.

       C. They should wear many heavy clothes on beaches.

       D. They should wear special wet costumes designed for them.

What does the underlined sentence mean?

       A. People were surprised by each new change and criticized it.

       B. People were amazed by each new change and praise it.

       C. Only newspapers were in favor of each new change.

       D. Only newspapers thought poorly of each new change.

What can we conclude from the last paragraph?

       A. People worry about getting skin cancer from too much sun.

       B. People protected their swimming costumes from too much sun.

       C. People are greatly shocked by the nude beaches.

       D. People think it rude to swim with the smaller costumes.

From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．

   Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．

   The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to prevent his enemies from walking in ．

   Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．

   During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．During days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．

   When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's"Mona Lisa"is the best known painting in the museum today．

   In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．

On the whole，this passage is mainly about____.??? ．

?A．an art museum called the Louvre

?B．an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci

?C．a king of France named Francis I

?D．the best known painting in Louvre

Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？

?A．It helps people remember who the King of France is．

?B．It keeps people out of the palaces．

?C．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art．

?D．It helps people to know who is the greatest artist．

From the passage we know that _____．

?A．it is not possible for treasures to be stolen

?B．old forts always make the best museums

?C．great art should be shared with all the people

?D．king Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort

In the third paragraph the word"moat"probably means_____．

?A．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies

?B．a long and deep ditch（沟） dug round a castle and was usually filled with water

?C．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought

?D．a long and high wall around castle

Methods of training animals have changed greatly in recent years. Zoo keepers have always had problems getting the animals to leave their cages in order for the cages to be cleaned, and also training them to move indoors when appropriate. Another problem was that many of the large animals became listless and bored. In the last twenty years, scientists have done research on dolphins and whales, training them to obey commands. The scientists found they could get animals to obey by rewarding them with food and affection when they responded correctly.?

Proper training allows the animals to receive the care they need. It was very difficult to get untrained animals, especially the larger ones, to stay still when they needed medical attention. Now they can be trained, on command, to remain still and even to allow blood samples to be taken and shots administered. All this is accomplished through positive reinforcement, without the use of any force. Affection training, as this process is called, has been used with great success on a wide variety of zoo animals. Animal behavior experts have taught zoo keepers to train bears, tigers, monkeys, and many other species to behave in a way that provides for better animal-keeper interaction. This training also keeps the animals from becoming bored and inactive.?

Although some people proclaim(谴责) that this training is inhumance and cruel to animals, results have shown that captive(猎获的)animals who previously were not doing well flourish under the new training procedures.?

The word “listless” means _______.

A. countless　B. obedient

C. inactive      D. mysterious?

Which of the following is valid conclusion based on this passage?

A. It is safe to pet any animal.　?

B. Many animals respond favorably to rewards and affection.?

C. Animals in the wild can be trained.?

D. Animals should not be kept in zoos.?

The writer's purpose is to _______.

A. persuade people not to feed animals in the zoo?

B. show how easy it is to train animals?

C. explain method of training animals through rewards?

D. criticize zoo keepers?

Which of the following is an opinion??

A. Zoo keepers had problems in getting animals to leave their cages.?

B. Training is cruel to animals.?

C. Animals obey commands if they are trained to do so.?

D. Many animals can be trained, on commands, to remain still.

Everyone would like to be a millionaire , a person with a lot of money, but can you imagine having over $30 million and only being 20 years old? Britney Spears from Kentwood, a small town in Louisiana, is only 20 years old. She is a world famous film star with not only $30 million but also a $2 million house in LA. At her young age, she can look after her family financially (经济上) all her life. This year is a big year for Britney. She is now on a 31-day tour of the US and every concert is a sell-out. That means she plays in front of a crowd of around 18,000 people every time. It’s a tiring schedule but brings her a lot. When touring, she goes to bed around 1 a.m. and then has a lie-in until 1 p.m. the next day. Her philosophy (人生观) is to take care of the body and relax but always make sure you work hard and have fun.

Spears is not pleased with only touring and selling nearly 40 million records so she decided to step into the movie business and try a bit of acting. She made an appearance in “Austin Power 3” this year and she is filming a teenage light play that will come out in March 2003. In this movie, she has a starring role.

For Britney, acting is another way to express herself and she is enthusiastic (热心的) about it all. If her movies are successful, her money in the bank is sure to grow by another few million dollars but she does it for the love, not the money, as she herself tells the reporters .

We can infer (推断) from the text that most millionaires are __________.

   A. older than 20     B. around 20     C. in their 30s     D. in their 40s

The underlined word “you” in the first paragraph refers to __________.

   A. a person in general                  B. a special person

   C. Britney Spears                     D. a person interested in money

Which of the following is not true according to the text?

   A. Though young, Britney can support her family now.

   B. While touring, Britney sleeps about 12 hours a day.

   C. The teenage comedy movie was based on Britney’s own story.

   D. Britney will be even richer with her movies successful.

According to Britney Spears, she works __________.

   A. to be a great actress   B. for the enjoyment   C. for money    D. to be more famous

There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

     I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

     It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

     From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

     The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

     I looked forward to the return journey.

The author expected the train trip to be________ .

    A. adventurous     B. pleasant     C. exciting    D. dull

What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?

    A. The friendly country people.          B. The mountains along the way.

    C. The crowds of people in the streets.   D. The simple lunch served on the train.

Which of the following words can best take the place of the word "relish" in the second paragraph?

    A. choose         B. enjoy            C. prepare for     D. carry on

Where was the writer going?

    A. Johore Baru     B. The Causeway.    C. Butterworth    D. Singapore

What can we learn from the story?

    A. Comfort in traveling by train.        B. Pleasure of living in the country.

 C. Reading gives people delight.       D. Smiles brighten people up.