There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California,the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle, a big city, on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco, also on the Pacific coast, are larger than Seattle. Henry's cousin, Susan, lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington D. C. It is the capital, but it is much smaller than New York.

1.How many states are there in the U. S. A ?

2.Which state is the largest in population?

3.Which state is the smallest in population?

4.Which of the following is true?

5.Why is Washington D. C. the most important American city?

Because _________.

A. it is the largest city                   B. it is the largest in population

C. it is the most beautiful city       D. it is the capital of the United States

On June 5, 1981 the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, U.S. announced the presence of a rare, infectious disease in five American homosexuals(同性恋). Soon doctors were finding similar cases all over the country and the world. The AIDS epidemic(流行病)had officially begun. By 1983 it was clear that AIDS had spread around the world. More than twenty years later, AIDS has left twenty-six million dead and another forty million infected.  AIDS has become the worst medical disaster ever experienced by mankind.

Hundreds of young people between the ages of 20 and 45 died each week during the early years of the U.S. AIDS. More than 600,000 cases of AIDS have been reported since 1981 in the United States, and it is estimated that there may be as many as 900,000 Americans infected with HIV.

Though the rate of HIV infections continues to increase in the United States, the number of AIDS cases has fallen sharply since 1996, when antiretroviral drugs came onto the market. Unfortunately, the AIDS epidemic continues today in Africa and much of Asia, where antiretroviral treatment is not available and health care is far from enough. AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, and the No. 1 cause of death due to infectious disease.

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was first separated in 1983 by a team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. That discovery made it possible to develop a test for AIDS and trace back to victims who may have died before doctors were aware of the disease.

However, scientists still don't know exactly how and where AIDS started. Finding the source of AIDS could be important in developing a vaccine(疫苗) and be important in mapping the future course of the epidemic.

It can be inferred from the passage that       

     A．antiretroviral drugs will be obtained easily all over the world

     B．the best way to stop AIDS is to develop a vaccine

     B．scientists will soon find a way to cure AIDS

     D．there will be fewer AIDS cases in the world in the future

Which areas are the most worrying places where AIDS spreads quickly? 

     A．Africa.               B．Asia.             C．The United States.               D．France.

The number of AIDS cases has greatly decreased in the United States due to the fact

     A．a team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris succeeded in separating HIV

     B．some effective medicine has been invented

     B．scientists understand AIDS better and better.

     D．The rate of HIV infections continue to rise in the United States

What's the importance of the discovery of the source of AIDS?

    A．It can be used to develop a test for AIDS.

     B．It can stop HIV forming AIDS.

     B．It can reduce the rate of death caused by AIDS.

     D．It can help develop a drug to prevent AIDS.

   On June 5, 1981 the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, U.S. announced the presence of a rare, infectious disease in five American homosexuals(同性恋). Soon doctors were finding similar cases all over the country and the world. The AIDS epidemic(流行病)had officially begun. By 1983 it was clear that AIDS had spread around the world. More than twenty years later, AIDS has left twenty-six million dead and another forty million infected.  AIDS has become the worst medical disaster ever experienced by mankind.

   Hundreds of young people between the ages of 20 and 45 died each week during the early years of the U.S. AIDS. More than 600,000 cases of AIDS have been reported since 1981 in the United States, and it is estimated that there may be as many as 900,000 Americans infected with HIV.

   Though the rate of HIV infections continues to increase in the United States, the number of AIDS cases has fallen sharply since 1996, when antiretroviral drugs came onto the market. Unfortunately, the AIDS epidemic continues today in Africa and much of Asia, where antiretroviral treatment is not available and health care is far from enough. AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, and the No. 1 cause of death due to infectious disease.

   HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was first separated in 1983 by a team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. That discovery made it possible to develop a test for AIDS and trace back to victims who may have died before doctors were aware of the disease.

   However, scientists still don't know exactly how and where AIDS started. Finding the source of AIDS could be important in developing a vaccine(疫苗) and be important in mapping the future course of the epidemic.

31. It can be inferred from the passage that        

     A. antiretroviral drugs will be obtained easily all over the world

     B. the best way to stop AIDS is to develop a vaccine

     B. scientists will soon find a way to cure AIDS

     D. there will be fewer AIDS cases in the world in the future

32. Which areas are the most worrying places where AIDS spreads quickly?

     A. Africa.           B. Asia.              C. The United States.      D. France.

33. The number of AIDS cases has greatly decreased in the United States due to the fact

     A. a team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris succeeded in separating HIV

     B. some effective medicine has been invented

     B. scientists understand AIDS better and better.

     D. The rate of HIV infections continue to rise in the United States

34. What's the importance of the discovery of the source of AIDS?

     A. It can be used to develop a test for AIDS.

     B. It can stop HIV forming AIDS.

     B. It can reduce the rate of death caused by AIDS.

     D. It can help develop a drug to prevent AIDS.

35. When did the name of AIDS come into being?

     A. In 1983.           B. In 1981.           C. In 1996.           D. In 1994.

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life: death and taxes. Americans do not have a corner on the “death”market, but many people feel that the United States leads the world with the worst taxes.

　　Taxes consist of the money which people pay to support their government. There are generally three levels of government in the United States: federal(联邦), state, and city; therefore, there are three types of taxes.

　　Salaried people who earn more than a few thousand dollars must pay a certain percentage of their salaries to the federal government. The percentage varies (变化不同) from person to person. It depends on their salaries. The federal government has a graduated income tax, that is, the percentage of the tax (14 to 70 percent) increases as a person's income increases. With the high cost of taxes people are not very happy on April 15, when the federal taxes are due.

　　The second tax is for the state government: New York, California, North Dakota, or any of the other forty - seven states. Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government. Of course, the percentage for the state tax is lower. Other states have a sales tax, which is a percentage charged to any item (项目) which you buy in that state. For example, a person might want to buy a packet of cigarettes for twenty - five cents. If there is a sales tax of eight percent in that state, then the cost of the cigarettes is twenty - seven cents. This figure includes the sales tax. Some states use income tax in addition to sales tax to raise their revenues(收入). The state tax laws are diverse (多样) and confusing(混淆).

　　The third tax is for the city. This tax comes in two forms: property tax(people who own a home have to pay taxes on it) and excise (国产) tax, which is charged on cars in a city. The cities use these funds (资金)for education, police and fire departments, public works and municipal (市政内) buildings.

　　Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes. People always complain about taxes. They often protest that the government uses their tax dollars in the wrong way. They say that it spends too much on useless and impractical programs. Although Americans have different views on many issues (问题), they tend to agree on one subject: taxes are too high.

1．How do you understand the sentence “Americans do not have a corner on the ‘death’ market”?

[　　]

A．It means that Americans, just like all other people, must die.

B．It means that Americans do not have a secret place to keep from death in their life.

C．It means that Americans are not good at doing business in the death market.

D．It means that there is no such place as a death market in the U. S..

2．Why should the American people usually pay three types of taxes?

[　　]

A．There are three levels of governmentfederal, state and cityto support the United States.

B．There are three kinds of taxes to pay. They are graduated income tax, sales tax and property tax.

C．They earn different salaries: high, middle, and low.

D．Tax laws in different states are different.

3．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to para. 4?

[　　]

A．New York, California, and North Dakota have the same tax system.

B．Some states have an income tax but no sales tax.

C．Some states have a sales tax but no income tax.

D．Some states have both an income tax and a sales tax.

4．What does the title “Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes” imply?

[　　]

A．Americans are not satisfied with the three types of taxes.

B．The three levels of government do not use the taxes in a right way.

C．Americans complain that taxes are too high.

There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California, the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle, a big city, on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco, also on the Pacific coast, are larger than Seattle. Henry's cousin, Susan, lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington, D. C. It is the capital, but it is much smaller than New York.

1.How many states are there in the U. S. A.?

A.Five    B.Forty- Five.    C.Fifty    D.Fifteen.

2.Which state is the largest in population?

A.California.     B.Rhode-Island.　 C.Alaska      D.Los Angeles.

3.Which of the following is true?

A. The oldest states are the ones along the Pacific coast.

B. Washington is the most important and the largest city.

C. New York is the largest city in the United States.

D. Henry's cousin lives in the Seattle.

4.Why is Washington,D. C. the most important American city?

Because _________.

A. it is the largest city            　 B. it is the largest in population

C. it is the most beautiful city      D. it is the capital of the United States