First I looked at some of the   6   discoveries. One of the earliest discoveries, the famous experiment that proved that bodies of different  7   fall at the same speed, was made by Galileo when he was 26. Madam Curie started her research that  8   to the Nobel Prize when she was 28. Einstein was 26 when he published his world-changing theory of relativity. Well,  9   of that. Yet I  10   if those“best years”were true in other  11   .

Then how about the field of   12   ? Surely it needs the wisdom of age to make a good leader. Perhaps it  13   ,but look when these people  14   their career. Winston Churchill was elected to the House of Commons at the age of 26. Abraham Lincoln  15   the life of a country lawyer and was elected to government. At what age? Twenty-six.

But why  16   best years some after thirty? After thirty, I  17   ,most people do not want to take risks or try   18   ways. Then I thought of people like Shakespeare and Picasso. The former was writing wonderful works at the ripe age of fifty, while the latter was  19   trying new ways of painting when he was ninety!

Perhaps there is still  20   for me.

1. A. invention　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. discovery

C. experiment　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. progress

2. A. mind　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. idea

C. attention　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. thought

3. A. As　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Being

C. However　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Beyond

4. A. Everybody　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Somebody

C. Nobody　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Whoever

5. A. names　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. ages

C. addresses　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. oldest

6. A. modern　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. scientific

C. last　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 &n

bsp;  D. oldest

7. A. heights 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. sizes

C. weights　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. things

8. A. led　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　    B. meant

C. stuck　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. referred

9. A. plenty　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　    　　   B. enough

C. much　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　     D. none

10. A. believed　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　    B. trusted

C. wondered　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. asked

11.A. fields　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　    B. countries

C. courses　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. ages

12. A. agriculture　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　    B. politics

C. industry　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　        D. society

13.A. is　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　    B. will

C. has　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　    D. does

14. A. finished　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      B. went

C. started　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　      D. failed

15. A. devoted　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       　　   B. gave up

C. began　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       D. led

16. A. don’t　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　    B. the

C. can   &n
b
sp;　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       D. not

17. A. say　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       B. know

C. guess　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　        D. agree

18. A. other　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　    B. new

C. best　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. their

19.A. always　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    　　    B. still

C. seldom　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. enjoying

20. A. discovery　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　    B. problem

C. wish　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　     D. hope

　　Last week I was watching the evening news on television. The news was about a prize for some scientific discovery. I forgot what it was. The announcer, his name was Ralph Story, said something that caught my attention. “All great discoveries,” he said, “are made by people between the ages of twenty-four and thirty.” Being a little over thirty myself I wanted to disagree with him. Nobody wants to think that he is past the age of making any discovery. The next day I happened to be in the public library and spent several hours looking up the ages of famous people and their discoveries. Ralph was right.

　　First I looked at some of the scientific discoveries. One of the earliest discoveries, the famous experiment that proved that bodies of different weights fall at the same speed, was made by Galileo when he was twenty-six. Madame Curie started her research that led to a Nobel Prize when she was twenty-eight. Einstein was twenty-six when he published his world-changing theory of relativity. Well, enough of that. Yet I wondered if those “best years” were true in other fields.

　　Then how about the field of politics? Surely it took the wisdom of age to make a good leader. Perhaps it does, but look when these people started their careers. Winston Churchill was elected to the House of Commons at the age of twenty-six. Abraham Lincoln gave up the life of a country lawyer and was elected to the government at what age? Twenty-six!

　　But why don't best years come after thirty? After thirty, I guess, most people do not want to take risks or try new ways. Then I thought of people like Shakespeare and Picasso. The former was writing wonderful works at the ripe age of fifty, while the latter was still trying new ways of painting when he was ninety! Perhaps there is still hope for me.

(1) What did the writer do to prove Ralph was wrong?

[　　]

A．He compared scientific discoveries by young people.

B．He went to the bookstore to buy a lot of books.

C．He searched for useful information in books.

D．He looked at some discoveries by old people.

(2) After his research, the writer ________.

[　　]

A．believed what Ralph said and became uneasy

B．argued more forcefully with the TV announcer

C．was sure that he was right to disagree with Ralph

D．doubted more strongly about Ralph's words

(3) How did the writer most probably feel in the end?

[　　]

(4) What can we draw from the passage?

[　　]

A．Some old people have also made scientific discoveries.

B．People can not make useful discoveries when old.

C．People at twenty-five or thirty are creative.

D．People can be creative at all ages but young people are better.

　　Last week I was watching the evening news on television. The news was about a prize for some scientific discovery. I forgot what it was. The announcer, his name was Ralph Story, said something that caught my attention. “All great discoveries,” he said, “are made by people between the ages of twenty-four and thirty.” Being a little over thirty myself I wanted to disagree with him. Nobody wants to think that he is past the age of making any discovery. The next day I happened to be in the public library and spent several hours looking up the ages of famous people and their discoveries. Ralph was right.

　　First I looked at some of the scientific discoveries. One of the earliest discoveries, the famous experiment that proved that bodies of different weights fall at the same speed, was made by Galileo when he was twenty-six. Madame Curie started her research that led to a Nobel Prize when she was twenty-eight. Einstein was twenty-six when he published his world-changing theory of relativity. Well, enough of that. Yet I wondered if those “best years” were true in other fields.

　　Then how about the field of politics? Surely it took the wisdom of age to make a good leader. Perhaps it does, but look when these people started their careers. Winston Churchill was elected to the House of Commons at the age of twenty-six. Abraham Lincoln gave up the life of a country lawyer and was elected to the government at what age? Twenty-six!

　　But why don't best years come after thirty? After thirty, I guess, most people do not want to take risks or try new ways. Then I thought of people like Shakespeare and Picasso. The former was writing wonderful works at the ripe age of fifty, while the latter was still trying new ways of painting when he was ninety! Perhaps there is still hope for me.

(1) What did the writer do to prove Ralph was wrong?

[　　]

A．He compared scientific discoveries by young people.

B．He went to the bookstore to buy a lot of books.

C．He searched for useful information in books.

D．He looked at some discoveries by old people.

(2) After his research, the writer ________.

[　　]

A．believed what Ralph said and became uneasy

B．argued more forcefully with the TV announcer

C．was sure that he was right to disagree with Ralph

D．doubted more strongly about Ralph's words

(3) How did the writer most probably feel in the end?

[　　]

(4) What can we draw from the passage?

[　　]

A．Some old people have also made scientific discoveries.

B．People can not make useful discoveries when old.

C．People at twenty-five or thirty are creative.

D．People can be creative at all ages but young people are better.

阅读理解。阅读下列短文，从每题所给的选项中，选出最佳答案。

　　Laura woke up feeling excited. It was her birthday. Today she thought she would get a pet of her own at last. Uncle Bob had been hinting that he would bring her one. She hoped it would be a puppy or a kitten or maybe a soft, fluffy (有绒毛的) rabbit.

　　But Laura's birthday did not turn out as she had hoped. She had certainly never expected to have a pet mouse. She did not even like mice. But that is what Uncle Bob gave her.

　　When Uncle Bob left, Laura burst into tears. She was so disappointed. “Don't be sad,” said the mother. “I think the mouse will be lots of fun. We'll teach it some tricks. Mice are very smart, you know.”

　　Mother was right. Before long, Laura found she could hardly wait to get home from school. It was such fun to watch what Ralph, her mouse, could do. He learned a lot of tricks. She and her mother built a special machine for Ralph. Here is how it worked.

　　Ralph would pull a string to open a door. Then he would go up a little adder. At the top of the ladder was a button. The button was really an electric switch. When Ralph pushed the button, a motor would start. The motor turned a wheel that pulled a string. The string pulled a dish that had food in it for Ralph, who was happy to do the trick over and over again.

(1) Why was Laura excited when she woke up?

[　　]

A．It was her birthday.

B．She had gotten a pet.

C．She wanted to teach the mouse tricks.

D．Her Uncle Bob would come to see her.

(2) Why did Laura burst into tears?

[　　]

A．She didn't want her birthday to end.

B．She didn't want Uncle Bob to leave.

C．She was disappointed with her gift.

D．She hated Uncle Bob.

(3) What caused the motor to start?

[　　]

(4) Laura was disappointed with the mouse because ________.

[　　]

A．she thought a mouse was stupid

B．she never took a mouse as a pet before

C．she was afraid of mice

D．she didn't like mice before

(5) Ralph was happy to do the trick to ________.

[　　]