Philo Farnsworth was a man who made it possible for one of the most important communication devices — television to be created. Philo was born on August 19th, 1906, near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah. He attended a very small school near his family’s farm. He did very well in school. He asked his teacher for special help in science. The teacher began helping Philo learn a great deal more than most young students could understand.

One night, Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air. Anyone with a device that could receive this electronic information could watch the pictures and hear the sound. The magazine story said some of the world’s best scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures.

14-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong and that mechanical devices would never work. He decided that such a device would have to be electronic. Philo knew electrons could be made to move extremely fast. All he would have to do was to find a way to make electrons do the work.

Very quickly Philo had an idea for such a receiver. It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons. Philo called it “light in a bottle”.

Several days later, Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture pictures. He drew a plan for it, which he gave his teacher. Philo’s drawing seemed very simple, but it clearly showed the information needed to build a television. In fact, all television equipment today still uses Philo’s early idea.

Philo Farnsworth was only 14 years old then. He knew no one would listen to a child. In fact, experts say that probably only ten scientists in the world at that time could have understood his idea.

On September 7th, 1927, Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver. In another room was the first television camera. Philo had invented the special camera tube earlier that year.

The image produced on the receiver was not very clear, but the device worked. In1930, the United States government gave Philo patent documents. These would protect his invention from being copied by others.

56. Before he was 14 years old, _______________.

A. Philo had formed the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air

B. Philo had learned a great deal in science from his father

C. Philo had helped his parents on their family’s farm

D. Philo had had a very strong interest in science

57. How did Philo get the idea of inventing a television?

A. By learning from his science teacher.

B. By reading a story about the idea in a magazine.

C. By thinking hard himself.

D. By using his knowledge about electrons.

58. Philo referred to “ _________ ” when he called something “light in a bottle”.

A. a container sending pictures and sound through the air

B. a light box with a line of electrons in a bottle

C. a receiver that held light and sent it on a line of electrons

D. a way to make electrons send pictures

59. We can infer from the passage that _________________.

A. without his teacher’s help, he would never have become interested in science

B. he made the first working television receiver and the first television camera himself

C. Philo’s early ideas about the television could not be understood by most people of that time

D. his invention was recognized and protected immediately he made it

60. In the passage, the author mainly tells us _______________.

A. that Philo Farnsworth was a great inventor

B. when and where the television was invented

C. who made it possible to create television

D. how Philo Farnsworth invented the television

The end of my sophomore year was approaching．Mom called me at the dorm one evening during the last week of May．My summer break would be spent with grandma and grandpa, helping out around their farm．The arrangement made good sense to all the family．I wasn’t fully convinced of that myself but guessed it was just one summer．Next year would be my little brother’s turn．

I arrived late that afternoon．Grandma had fixed more food than the three of us could possibly eat．She loved me entirely too much．The next morning, Grandpa fixed breakfast for the two of us． He told me Grandma had tired herself out yesterday and was going to rest in bed a little longer．I made a mental note to myself to not ask her to do things for me while I was there．I was there to help, not be a burden．

       Weeks passed．I gradually settled into a routine of daily work with Grandpa．In the evenings I usually read or talked with Grandma．She never grew tired of hearing about college or anything I was involved in．She told me stories about her childhood, family and the early years after she and Grandpa had married．

       The last Saturday in June, Grandpa suggested going fishing．We hadn’t expected what we saw when we got to the pond that morning: One of the swans was dead．Grandpa had given the pair of swans to Grandma on their 50th anniversary．“Why don’t we see about buying another one,” I suggested, hoping the situation could somehow be righted．Grandpa thought for a few moments before answering．

       He finally said, “no．．．it’s not that easy, Bruce．You see, swans mate for life．” He raised his finger to point, holding the fishing pole in his other hand．“There’s nothing we can do for the one that’s left．He has to work it out for himself．”

A few days later, we drove by the pond while doing our morning check on the cows．We found the other swan lying near the same spot we had found the first one．It, too, was dead．

       The month of July started with me and Grandpa putting up a new stretch of fence．Then July 12 came．That was the day Grandma passed away．Grandma had died suddenly that morning of a stroke．By the afternoon, my parents were there．The old house was soon crowded with relatives and Grandpa’s friends．

       The funeral was held the next day．Grandpa had insisted on having it as soon as possible．On the second day after the funeral, Grandpa announced at the breakfast table, “This is a working farm． We have a lot of things to do．The rest of you should get back to your own lives．” Most of the family had already left, but this was Grandpa’s way of telling the rest it was time for them to go home．My parents were the last to leave after lunch．

       Grandpa was not a man who could outwardly express his grief around others, and we all worried about him．The rest of the summer flowed by．We stayed busy working．I thought there was something different about Grandpa but couldn’t quite put my finger on it．

       September was nearing, and part of me did not want to leave．I thought of skipping the fall semester and staying around a few more months．When I mentioned it, grandpa quickly told me that my place was back at college．

The day finally came for me to pack my car and leave. I shock his hand and chanced a hug. As Idrove down the driveway, I saw him in the rearview mirror．He waved to me and then walked to the pasture gate to start the morning livestock check．

       Mom called me at school on a stormy October day to tell me Grandpa had died．A neighbor had stopped by that morning for coffee and found him in the kitchen．He died of a stroke, the same as Grandma．At that moment, I understood what he’d clumsily tried to explain to me about the swan on that morning we fished together by the pond．

55．We can learn from Paragraph 1 that            ．

       A．Bruce regarded working on the farm as a rare chance

       B．Bruce longed to enjoy himself freely on the farm

       C．the brothers took turns to attend their grandparents

       D．Bruce was not happy with his parents’ arrangement

56．What did the writer think at the sight of the first dead swan?

       A．Another swan should be bought in place of the dead one．

       B．The other was bound to die since swans mate for life．

       C．Grandma would be in deep sorrow over its death．

       D．The living can do nothing for the dead．

57．Grandpa quickly dismissed the family after the funeral because            ．

       A．he wanted to carry on with his farm work

       B．he tended to deal with grief in life by himself

       C．he didn’t want his normal life disturbed

       D．he took for granted the matter of life and death

58．By “I couldn’t put my fingers on it”, the writer means that            ．

       A．I could do nothing to help him out of grief

       B．I was so busy that I couldn’t give a hand to Grandpa

       C．I couldn’t tell exactly what was different about my Grandpa

       D．I stayed busy working and couldn’t keep Grandpa’s company

59．Which of the following best describes Grandpa’s character?

       A．Outgoing, clumsy and considerate．             B．Loyal, considerate and independent．

       C．Talkative, clumsy and independent．            D．Romantic, outgoing and loyal．

60．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

       A．Mate For Life         B．Unforgettable Summer Break

       C．Death of Swans      D．Everlasting Love Story

听力理解

　　第一节　听下面5段对话, 每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C、三个选项中选出最佳选项．听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题．每段对话仅读一遍．

1．What’s Steven’s problem?

[　　]

A．He can't drive himself.

B．He can’t decide how to go.

C．He likes traveling by train.

2．When will the stranger catch the next bus?

[　　]

A．2: 00.

B．2: 30.

C．2: 40.

3．What did Jack do last Thursday?

[　　]

A．Listened to his teachers in class.

B．He talked with his classmates.

C．He did some fishing.

4．Where are the two speakers having the talk?

[　　]

A．In a new house.

B．Near a new house.

C．On the phone.

5．What is Barbara going to do?

[　　]

A．Call her mother.

B．Go to the post office.

C．Call the police.

　　第二节　听下面5段对话或独白．每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置．听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间．每段对话或独白读两遍．

听第6段材料，回答第6～8题．

6．Why does Susan think Peter might be interested in the theatre group?

[　　]

A．Because he has a lot of free time.

B．Because she knows he likes acting.

C．Because he is looking for an acting job.

7．How often does the group practise?

[　　]

A．Three times a week.

B．Twice a week.

C．Once a week.

8．What worries Peter most in joining the theatre group?

[　　]

A．His schoolwork takes much of his time.

B．He has not been in a play for a long time.

C．He might not like the way the group works.

听第7段材料，回答第9～11题．

9．When does the conversation take place?

[　　]

A．In the morning.

B．In the afternoon.

C．In the evening.

10．What does the man suggest?

[　　]

A．Going to a concert.

B．Going dancing.

C．Going to a restaurant.

11．Which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．The woman agrees to go with the man.

B．The woman disagrees with the man.

C．The woman says she has a cold so she can't go.

听第8段材料，回答第12～14题．

12．Why are both the man and the woman worried?

[　　]

A．Because the woman’s brother has been writing a book.

B．Because her brother has decided to stop smoking.

C．Because her brother seems to be in poor health.

13．What should her brother have done this morning?

[　　]

A．He should have shaved.

B．He should have had breakfast.

C．He should have attended the meeting.

14．What would be the best idea according to the woman?

[　　]

A．She will have a chat with her brother.

B．She will have a chat with the dean about her brother.

C．She will have another chat with the man about her brother.

听第9段材料，回答第15～17题．

15．Who do you think are the two speakers?

[　　]

A．They are an old American woman and an old Chinese man.

B．They are an older American woman and a younger Chinese man.

C．They are a younger American woman and an older Chinese man.

16．What is the American woman's attitude towards the position of women?

[　　]

A．Women should stay at home, looking after children and keeping the house.

B．Women should work outside the home.

C．Women should work outside and share housework with men in the home.

17．Have they reached an agreement in the end?

[　　]

A．Yes, they have.

B．No, they haven’t.

C．They will talk again some time later.

听第10段材料，回答第18～20题．

18．Why did the man go to the bank?

[　　]

A．He had to pay the fine there.

B．He wanted to get small change.

C．He intended to call the traffic police.

19．How did the man feel about the police officer's final decision?

[　　]

A．Happy.

B．Sad.

C．Angry.

20．What was the police officer's attitude to the letter from the man?

[　　]

A．She believed the man came across many misfortunes.

B．She took pity on the unlucky man who had a bad day.

C．She felt it funny that the man made up such a story.

　　第三节　听下面一段独白，每段独白读三遍；第一遍听短文大意，第二遍边听边写下所缺的词或者短语，第三遍检查．

　　John was a little boy from the town who went to spend his holiday on a farm. He hadn't been to a farm before, and this was the (1) ________ time in his life that he had seen (2) ________ .

　　He wanted to see everything. The first morning he got up almost before (3) ________ to watch the farmer milk the cows. Then (4) ________. The farmer gave him a lamb and told John he must take great care of it, as its mother had died. Soon the lamb would follow John all over the farm. (5) ________ and collect the eggs. He liked the pigs too, and spent many hours (6) ________ them.

　　At last the day came when John had to go back to his home in London. That was a very unhappy day for him. He went with the farmer to see all the animals. and said good-bye to every one of them. (7) ________, though they could say nothing to him.

Finally, (8) ________. This made him (9) ________, but the farmer offered to look after the little (10) ________ himself until John could come back on another visit.