Below are descriptions of six famous states in the U. S.

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is the most populous U.S. state and was admitted as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east. Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually. The California Gold Rush happened in San Francisco and there is also a famous Silicon Valley. Hollywood exists in Los Angeles, making it the center of entertainment. “The Golden State” has long been a popular designation for California and was made the official State Nickname in 1968.

Florida is a state in the southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Miami is the largest metropolitan area in the southeastern United States.The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. Its economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation. Florida is also known for its amusement parks, the production of oranges, and the Kennedy Space Center. Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports.

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896. Utah is the most religiously homogeneous state in the Union. Approximately 63% of Utahans are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS, which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life. The state is a center of transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, and a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation.

Texas is the second most populous and the second-largest of the 50 states in the United States of America. Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former independent republic and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal today. The term "six flags over Texas" came from the several nations that had ruled over the territory. In 1845 it joined the United States as the 28th state. One Texas industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle. Due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy.

Virginia, is a U.S. state located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there. It is unique in how it treats cities and counties equally, manages local roads, and prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. Virginia's economy has many sectors: agriculture in the Shenandoah Valley; federal agencies in Northern Virginia, including the headquarters of the Department of Defense and CIA; and military facilities in Hampton Roads, the site of the region's main seaport. Virginia's public schools and many colleges and universities have contributed to growing media and technology sectors. As a result, computer chips have become the state's leading export.

Kentucky, is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. In 1792 it became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on the bluegrass found in many of its pastures because of the fertile soil. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources, including the world's longest cave system, Mammoth Cave National Park, the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United States, and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River.Kentucky is also home to the highest per capita number of deer and turkey in the United States.

1. Which state is called the “golden state” and why?

A．California, because of the gold rush.

B．Texas, because of the stars there.

C．Virginia, because of a famous mother there.

D．Kentucky, because of the famous “KFC” there.

2.The famous writer of “The Old Man and the Sea” once lived in____.

A．Virginia           B．Texas             C．California          D．Florida

3. How is the correct time order for different states to join the U.S.?

A．California – Utah—Texas – Kentucky

B．Kentucky–Texas – California – Utah

C．Kentucky–California – Texas —Utah

D．California –Kentucky—Texas –Utah

4. Which of the following match is WRONG?

A．Cowboys in Texas.

B．Utah and religions.

C．Hollywood in Virginia.

D．Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is essential to one's life. Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip.

But for many people, the thought of food as the first thing in the morning is never a pleasure. So in spite of all the efforts, they still take no breakfast. Between 1977 and 1983, the latest year for which figures could be obtained, the number of people who didn’t have breakfast increased by 33%—from 8.8 million to 11.7 million—according to the Chicago-based Market Research Corporation of America.

For those who dislike eating breakfast, however, there is some good news. Several studies in the last few years have shown that, for grown-ups especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting breakfast. “Going without breakfast does not affect work,” said Arnold E. Bender, former professor of nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London, “nor does giving people breakfast improve work.”

Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better work is surprisingly inadequate, and most of the recent work involves children, not grown-ups. “The literature,” says one researcher,  Dr Earnest Polite at the University of Texas, “is poor.”

1.The main idea of the passage is that _______.

2.For those who do not take breakfast, the good news is that _______.

3.The underlined part “nor does giving people breakfast improve work” means  _______.

4.The word "literature" in the last sentence refers to _______.

5.What is implied but not stated by the author is that _______.

Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is one of life essentials. Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have all been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip.
But for many people the thought of food first in the morning is by no means a pleasure. So despite all the efforts, they still take no breakfast. During the past ten years the number of people who didn’t have breakfast, have increased by 33 percent.
For those who feel pain of guilt about not eating breakfast, however, there is some good news. Several studies in the last few years indicate that, for adults especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting breakfast. “Going without breakfast does not affect performance,” said Arrold E. Bender, former professor of the nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London, “nor does giving people breakfast improve performance.”
Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better performance is surprisingly not enough, and most of the recent works are about adults, not children, “The literature”, says one researcher, Dr. Erresto at the University of Texas, “is poor”.
68. For those who do not take breakfast, the good news is that _______.
A. several studies have been done in the past few years
B. not having breakfast does no harm to one’performance
C. studies have been specially on adults
D. eating little in the morning is good for health
69.“…nor does giving people breakfast improve performance” means ______.
A. anyone without breakfast does improve his performance
B. not giving people breakfast improve performance
C. having breakfast does not improve performance, either
D. people having breakfast do improve their performance
70. The word “literature” in the last sentence refers to _______.
A. poems, plays, etc.                       B. written works on a particular subject
C. the famous works in history                 D. the modern stories of America
71. What is implied but NOT stated by the author is that _______.
A. breakfast does not affect performance
B. Dr. Erresto is engaged in research work at the University of Texas
C. not eating breakfast might affect the health of children
D. Professor Bender once taught nutrition in London

There was once a blind man, who did a lot of traveling alone. He was making his first trip to Texas and happened to be seated next to a Texan on the flight.

The Texan spent a lot of time telling him how everything was bigger and better in Texas. After the blind man reached his destination, a large resort (度假) hotel, he was very excited about being in Texas.

The long trip had worn him out a little so he decided to stop at the bar for a small soda and a light snack before going up to his room to sleep.

When the waitress set down his drink, it was in a huge cup. “Wow, I had heard everything in Texas is bigger,” he told her.

“That’s right,” she replied. The blind man ate his snack and finished his drink. After drinking such a large amount, it was natural that his next stop was to be the restroom. He asked the waitress for directions. She told him to turn left at the corner, and then take the second door on the right.

He reached the first door and continued. A few steps later he stumbled (绊倒) slightly and missed the second door and ended up going through the third door instead. Not realizing he had entered the swimming area he walked forward and immediately fell into the swimming pool.

Remembering that everything was bigger in Texas, he had his head above water and started shouting “Don’t flush(冲洗)! Don’t flush!”

1.Why was the blind man excited about being in Texas?

2. Why did the blind man enter the swimming area?

3. Why did the blind man go to the bar?

4. Why did the blind man shout out “Don’t flush! Don’t flush!”?

5.If the passage is taken from a website, which part of the website does it belong to?

Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is essential to one's life. Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip.
But for many people, the thought of food as the first thing in the morning is never a pleasure. So in spite of all the efforts, they still take no breakfast. Between 1977 and 1983, the latest year for which figures could be obtained, the number of people who didn’t have breakfast increased by 33%—from 8.8 million to 11.7 million—according to the Chicago-based Market Research Corporation of America.
For those who dislike eating breakfast, however, there is some good news. Several studies in the last few years have shown that, for grown-ups especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting breakfast. “Going without breakfast does not affect work,” said Arnold E. Bender, former professor of nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London, “nor does giving people breakfast improve work.”
Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better work is surprisingly inadequate, and most of the recent work involves children, not grown-ups. “The literature,” says one researcher,  Dr Earnest Polite at the University of Texas, “is poor.”
【小题1】The main idea of the passage is that _______.