Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard. 

   “I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast. 

   “And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”

   George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse. 

   Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.

   Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his formal rival(竞争对手). Perhaps he missed him? 

   George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading. 

   “Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.” 

1.George and Richard were ______ at school.

A. roommates     B. good friends    C. competitors    D. booksellers

2.How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

 A. He envied Richard’s marriage.

 B. He thought of Richard from time to time.

 C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.

 D. He was guilty of Richard’s death.

3.George got information about Richard from ______.

 A. a dictionary collector in Australia

B. the latter’s rivals Dylans

 C. a rare first edition of a dictionary

D. the wrapping paper of a book

4.What happened to George and Richard in the end?

 A. Both George and Richard became millionaires.

 B. Both of them realized their original ambitions.

 C. George established a successful business while Richard was missing.

 D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.

United States President George W. Bush is expected to issue a directive in the next few weeks. It will give the US Air Force a green light for the development of space weapons, US media reported last week.
This would potentially start a new global arms race, some experts have warned.
To keep that from happening, last Wednesday the White House explained that it was not considering putting weapons in space. It said it was making a shift in US space policy to allow for protection of satellites.
But some defense analysts and arms control advocates argue that the policy will pave the way for the US to put both defensive and offensive  weapons in space.
“No one should be fooled,” said Theresa Hitchens, an American weapons expert.
The US is now restricted by a 1996 directive  signed by President Bill Clinton. Plans for space weapons were vetoed by the Clinton cabinet. The directive emphasized the peaceful use of space , in agreement with almost unanimous global opinion.
The US military has placed importance on space and has sent up numberous satellites for troop communications and to provide intelligence and data to guide bombs to their targets.
The US Air Force wants to develop space- based weapons that could strike targets anywhere in the world within 90 minutes of receiving the order to open fire.
These new weapons under development cover a wide range. They include hunter- killer satellites and orbiting weapons. And they use lasers, radio waves, or even dense metal tubes, known as “ Rods from God”, dropped from space to do the damage.
There are many barriers to the setting up of this kind of program, experts say.
First is the coast. It is estimated that the budget may be US1 trillion .
The technical difficulties of developing reliable space weapons are also a problem.
And, the program will draw strong criticism from around the world. Experts worry about starting a space arms race

1. 1.

   Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      US Military Plans
   2. B.
      The Global Arms Race
   3. C.
      A Comparison between Two Presidents
   4. D.
      President George W. Bush and the World Peace
2. 2.

   According to this passage, which of the following is NOT true?

   1. A.
      President George W. Bush supports space weapon development
   2. B.
      The space weapon program will threaten world peace
   3. C.
      Clinton government was poorer than Bush government
   4. D.
      The US space weapon project is very expensive
3. 3.

   After reading this passage, it can be inferred that “___________ “

   1. A.
      George W. Bush’s directive to be issued will be against global opinions
   2. B.
      The White House is right in explaining that US new space policy aims to protect satellites
   3. C.
      US government has little difficulty in developing new space weapons
   4. D.
      President George W. Bush and Bill Clinton share a lot in common
4. 4.

   The author’s attitude towards the coming space weapon development is _______

   1. A.
      optimistic
   2. B.
      critical
   3. C.
      excited
   4. D.
      indifferent

Growing up on a tobacco farm, Emma Avery was used to hard times. When she was seven, her family’s farmhouse burned to the ground. Her father made a temporary (临时的) shelter, where eight people had to sleep in two beds. As soon as Emma and her four brothers and two sisters were big enough, they were out in the fields.

     Emma would find her comfort in school, even as a C student, thanks to one teacher. When she moved on to middle school, Emma was alarmingly far behind her classmates. She kept her head down, trying not to be noticed, struggling to catch up, and feeling like an outsider.

     Then one day, when Emma was 16, a teacher named Mr. Potts changed everything. Looking his students in the eye, Mr. Potts said, "Being a C student does not mean you do not have a valuable contribution to make. Some of you have to work in the fields in the evening and do not have time to study. But if you do your best, you have a gift to give."

     The teacher’s words made Emma believe she could do well, and she worked harder. In the end she won a scholarship to St. Paul’s College, graduated with a degree in elementary education in 1967, and got a job in the public-school system. Then, at George Washington University, she received a master’s in education in 1970, and afterwards in the same year she married Ron Smothers.

     Over the next six years, Emma taught in public schools in Miami. In 1976, after saving $10,000, she opened her first restaurant in Los Angeles. Eventually Emma stopped teaching, and her business expanded (扩展) to six restaurants.

     In gratitude (感激) for what she has been able to achieve, Emma donates a lot. She has no idea how much money she’s given away. She says, "Those I want to help are the C students who just need help, direction and confidence."

1.The first paragraph serves to show that Emma ______.

A．was poor and had no time to study          B．was born on a tobacco farm C．was sad to lose her house D．was kind enough to help support the family

2.From the text we learn that Emma ______.  

A．won a scholarship to George Washington University                 B．was unsuccessful as a businesswoman C．was thankful to Mr. Potts             D．disliked teaching, and gave up the job

3.From the second paragraph we can infer that Emma was ______.

A．unintelligent       B．unconfident        C．hard-working       D．Considerate

4.The text mainly wants to tell us ______.

A．confidence is the first step to success        B．memory of the past is the teacher of the future C．something attempted, something done       D．nothing is impossible to a willing heart

The famous British inventor George Stephenson was born in 1781 and died in 1848. One of his__16__important inventions was the train.  He _17__his first train when he was forty-four years old. When he was experimenting with the __18__engine on the train, he met with __19__from the government, the newspapers and the gentlemen in the country. They said that the noise and the smoke would __20__ cows, horses and sheep, that the _21__ would burst or that the hot coals from it would __22_ their houses. At that time, __23__people believed what they said.
George Stephenson __24__the people that the train could go on small _25_, could pull carriages __26_goods and passengers and there was __27__to them. It was a very __28__ matter for him to __29__ them believe. However, after _30_, he was able to do it; and the first train that __31__by Stephenson himself __32_ what he had said.
The first day _33_the people along the way _34_the noises of the train __35__ and saw it running quickly to them, they ran back home as quickly as they could and closed their doors tightly, for they thought it a genius(妖怪).They did not dare to come out until it had passed.

 On a Friday night ,a poor young violinist was playing his violin at the entrance of the subway station .The music was so great that people      down to listen and put some money into his hat .

The next day ,the violinist came to the entrance again. He put down his hat as usual. Beside the hat ,there was a piece of paper with some      on it .It said ,“A George Sang has put an important thing into my hat by       .Welcome to claim (认领) it .”Soon the people were all attracted by the words and         what it could be .After a while a man rushed through the crowd, took the violinist’s shoulders and said ,“I knew you would         come here.” The violinist asked, “Did you     something ?“Lottery（彩票）.” The violinist took out a lottery ticket with Sang ’ name on it .Sang took it and danced happily.

Sang was an office worker. He bought the lottery and        a prize of $ 500,000. But when he gave $ 50 to the violinist for his wonderful music , the lottery ticket was thrown in, too. The violinist was a college student . That morning ,he was going to      to Vienna for higher education. However, when he found the ticket ,he cancelled the flight and           to the entrance.

Later someone asked the violinist why he didn’t take the lottery ticket to pay tuition（学费）. He said,“Although I don’t have much money ,I live happily .If I lose       , I won’t be happy forever.

1.A. went          B. slowed         C. turned      D .fell

2.A. music         B. money         C. words       D. tickets

3.A. chance        B. hand           C. choice      D. mistake

4.A. asked         B. felt            C. wondered    D. knew

5.A. certainly      B. never          C. always      D. exactly

6.A. get           B. lose            C. want        D. buy

7.A. held          B. kept           C. lost          D. won

8.A .walk          B. fly            C. ride          D. run

9.A. returned       B. reached        C. pointed       D. jumped

10.A. name         B. lottery         C. honesty       D. money