Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know, however, that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia.

The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn’t become popular for a while, though. This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around. But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren’t going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modern road design.

In the mid-1700s, a Frenchman came up with a new design of road — a base layer (层) of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same time, metal hubs (the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the pneumatic type (充气轮胎） in 1846.Alloy wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads (柏油路). As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster.

1.What might explain why transport wheels didn’t become popular for some time?

A. Few knew how to use transport wheels.

B. Humans carried farming tools just as well.

C. Animals were a good means of transport.

D. The existence of transport wheels was not known.

2.What do we know about road design from the passage?

A. It was easier than wheel design.

B. It improved after big changes in vehicle design.

C. It was promoted by fast-moving vehicles.

D. It provided conditions for wheel design to develop.

3.How is the last paragraph mainly developed?

A. By giving examples.                                                               B. By making comparisons.

C. By following time order.                                                        D. By making classifications.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The beginning of road design.

B. The development of transport wheels.

C. The history of public transport

D. The invention of fast-moving vehicles.

Not too long ago, our teacher, being a “tree-hugger” (as the kids call her), had us write an essay on an environmental issue . I was eager to start, but something made me stop.

“What is an environmental issue ?” one kid asked . “What if we don’t care about the environment ?” another complained. “ It’s not like it affects me .”

These comments astounded me .I have always cared about the environment and assumed that others did too. From the surprised look on my teacher’s face, I could tell she felt the same way.

In no time, I finished my essay . In my essay I wrote about logging(伐木), which is an important industry, but if we continue to cut down trees without replacing them, it will damage the environment.www.zxxk.com

There are so many things that we can do to save our world. Recycling, of course, is always a good thing, but not everyone has a recycling plant nearby ( I don’t ) . There are other ways to help the environment . Plant a tree. Don’t waste water.

I can’t stand it when a person’s excuse for not caring is “Nothing’s going to happen in my lifetime, so why should I care ?” Sure, the chances of something terrible happening are slim, but I want people to realize that if we don’t deal with it, someone will have to eventually. Do you want that to be your children ?

When my teacher told me to read my essay to my class, I was a little embarrassment because I didn’t want everyone to call me “tree- hugger”. I realize now that if being a tree-hugger means you cares about the environment, I’m a tree-hugger 100 percent. I just wish more people were too.

1.Why do the students call her teacher “tree-hugger” ?

A. She likes hugging trees.             

B. She knows a lot about trees.

C. She grew up in the country.         

D. She cares a lot about the environment.

2.The underlined word in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by ____.

A. helped      B. changed           C. shocked     D. interested

3.Paragraph 5 is mainly about ____.

A. what we can recycle                    

B. how we can save the earth

C. why we should protect the earth         

D. what damage we are doing to the earth

4.We can infer from the text that _____

A. the students don’t like the teacher

B. the teacher liked the author’s essay

C. the author is ashamed of being a tree-hugger

D. the author should have written a better essay  

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、Ｂ、Ｃ和Ｄ）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

From the time each of my children started school, I packed their lunches. And in each lunch, I  21  a note. Often written on a napkin (餐巾), it might be a thank-you for a  22  moment, a reminder of something we were happily expecting, or a bit of _23  for the coming test or sporting event.

In early grade school they_ 24  their notes. But as children grow older they becomes self-conscious(有自我意识的), and _25  he reached high school, my older son, Marc, informed me he no longer  26  my daily notes. Telling him that he no longer needed to  27  them but I still needed to write them, I  28  until the day he graduated.

Six years after high school graduation, Marc called and asked if he could move  29  for a couple of months. He had spent those years well, graduating from college,   30  two internship (实习) in Washington, D.C., and   31 , becoming a technical assistant in Sacramento.  32  short vacation visits, however, he had lived away from home. With his younger sister leaving for college, I was   33   happy to have Marc back. Since I was  34  making lunch for his younger brother, I    35  one for Marc, too. Imagine my   36  when I got a call from my 24-year-old son,   37  his lunch.

“Did I do something   38  ? Don’t you love me  39  ,Mom?” were just a few of the questions he threw at me as I 40  asked him what was wrong.

“My note, Mom,” he answered. “Where’s my note?”

21. A. carried         B. found            C. included      D. held

22. A. difficult        B. special           C. comfortable    D. separate

23. A. congratulation   B. improvement       C. explanation     D. encouragement

24. A. loved           B. answered         C. wrote         D. examined

25. A. lately          B. by the way       C. by the time     D. gradually

26. A. received        B. understood       C. enjoyed        D. collected

27. A. copy           B. read             C. take           D. send

28. A. held up         B. gave up         C. followed        D. continued

29. A. out            B. home             C. to college       D. to Sacramento

30. A. organizing      B. planning         C. comparing       D. completing

31. A. hopefully       B. finally          C. particularly     D. certainly

32. A. Because of      B. Instead of       C. Except for       D. As for

33. A. especially       B. immediately     C. equally        D. generally

34. A. once            B. again            C. still           D. even

35. A. packed         B. fetched          C. bought          D. filled

36. A. fear            B. surprise         C. anger        D. disappointment

37. A. waiting for     B. worrying about  C. caring for         D. asking about

38. A. wrong          B. funny            C. strange          D. smart

39. A. any more       B. enough           C. once more        D. better

40. A. interestingly    B. bitterly        C. politely        D. laughingly

Self—employed private doctors who charge a fee each patient’s visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most doctors have contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital，which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities (operation room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or a government agency. Others are operated by religious orders (教会)or other non—profit groups.

Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried doctors may work as hospital staff (员工)members, or residents, who are often still in training . They may teach in medical schools, or be hired by corporations to care for their workers to work for the government’s Public Health Service.

Doctors are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $100,000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Doctors list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a doctor in the United States. Most would—be doctors first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $20,000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Then they attend medical school for four years. Tuition(学费)alone can more than $10,000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young doctors are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency(实习阶段) in hospital, the first year as an assistant. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.

Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several doctors will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These doctors also take care of each other’s patients in emergencies.

Doctors work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite practiced many times, still involve risk. It is understandable that doctors want to be well—paid for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.

According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by         .

       A．a church .com  B．a corporation    C．a city D．a state 

The expenses for becoming a doctor are mainly spent on           .

       A．schooling and retraining  B．practice in a hospital

       C．facilities he or she uses    D．education he or she receives

Sometimes several doctors set up a group medical practice mainly because       .

       A．it’s difficult for one doctor to take care of too many patients

       B．they can take turns to work for long hours

       C．facilities may be too much of burden for one doctor to shoulder

       D．no one wants to take too much responsibility

The statement that fully expresses the author’s view towards US doctors’ payment is that     .

       A．they deserve a very good payment for their expensive education and their responsibility

       B．it is reasonable for doctors to have a large income because their work is dangerous

       C．doctors should be better paid because they work long hours in bad conditions

       D．doctors have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well paid

完形填空

It was a cold winter day that Sunday．The parking lot to the _16_ was filling up quickly．I noticed, as I got out of my car, fellow church members were __17_ among themselves as they walked in the church．As I got _18__, I saw a man leaning up against the wall outside the church．He was almost lying down _19__ he was asleep．His hat was _20_ down so you could not see his face．He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too _21_ for his feet, with holes all over them and his toes _22_ out．I guessed this man was _23_ and asleep, so I walked on _24_ through the doors of the church．We all talked for a few minutes, and someone  25_ the man lying outside．People whispered but no one took _26_ to ask him to come in, 27_ me．A few moments later church began．We were all waiting for the Preacher （牧师） to take his _28_ and to give us the Word, __29_ the doors to the church opened．In _30_ the man walking down the church with his head down．People gasped（喘息）and whispered and made _31_ ．He made his way down the church and up onto the pulpit （讲坛） where he took off his hat and coat．My heart _32_ ．

There stood our preacher… he was the “homeless man”．The preacher took his Bible （圣经） and  33_ it on his stand．

“_34_ , I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today．If you _35_ people by their appearance, you have no time to love them．”

16．A．school      B．lecture      C．park  D．church

17．A．arguing    B．whispering       C．stating      D．speaking

18．A．closer       B．clearer      C．lower       D．farther

19．A．even though     B．so that      C．as if  D．even if

20．A．dragged    B．pulled       C．dropped    D．pushed

21．A．big    B．bad   C．ugly  D．small

22．A．reached    B．went  C．stuck D．ran

23．A．homeless  B．helpless    C．hopeless    D．careless

24．A．out    B．by     C．across       D．from

25．A．invited     B．mentioned C．took  D．called

26．A．pleasure    B．measure    C．courage    D．trouble

27．A．except      B．besides     C．without     D．including

28．A．turn  B．place．     C．time  D．seat

29．A．when B．before      C．as      D．after

30．A．rushed      B．hurried     C．came D．entered

31．A．decision    B．choices     C．faces D．jokes

32．A．sank  B．fell    C．broke       D．failed

33．A．threw       B．set     C．laid   D．folded

34．A．Brothers   B．Folks C．Supporters       D．Members

35．A．judge       B．hate   C．treat  D．test