11．Where could this passage most probably be seen?

A．On a front page of a newspaper.　　

B．In a magazine for spider specialists .

C．In a special report for farmers.　　　　

D．In a weekly magazine with a large audience.

D

　　　 A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading .It is remarkable first for what it contains ;the range of news from local crime to international politics ,from sport to business to fashion to science ,and the range of comments and special features(特写)as well, from editorial page to feature articles and interviews to criticism of books ,art ,theatre and music .A newspaper is even more remarkable for the way one reads it : never completely ,never straight through ,but always by jumping from here to there ,in and out glancing at one piece ,reading another article all the way through ,reading just a few paragraphs of the next .A good modern newspaper offers a variety to attract many different readers ,but far more than any reader is interested in .What brings this variety together in one place is its topicality(时事性),its immediate relation to what is happening in your world and your locality now .But immediacy and the speed of production that goes with it mean also that much of what appears in newspaper has no more than transient(短暂的)value. For all these reasons ,no two people really read the same paper ;what each person does is to put together out of the pages of that day’s paper ,his own selection and sequence(连续),his own newspaper. For all these reasons ,reading newspapers efficiently ,which means getting what you want from them without missing things you need but without wasting time ,demands skill and self-awareness as you modify and apply the techniques of reading.

10．Which of the following is true of a spider ?

A．A spider has six short legs and two long legs.　

B．A spider has a head ,a thorax and an abdomen .　　　　　　　

C．A spider can produce much useful silk . 　　　

D．A spider is considered to be an insect .

9．What is the passage mainly concerned with ?

A．Civilization and spiders.　　　　　　　

B．A description of spiders.

C．People’s attitudes toward spiders.　　　 　

D．People’s knowledge of spiders.

8．We can learn from the passage that 　　　　　　　.

A．thatched cottages in England have been passed down from ancient times

B．thatching is a building craft first created by the English people

C．the English people have a special liking for thatched houses

D．most thatched cottages in England are located on hillsides

C

Many people consider spiders(蜘蛛)to be disgusting(讨厌的)creatures that are potentially destructive(破坏的).However ,you may be amazed to learn that civilization(文明)as we know probably would not be able to exist were it not for spiders .People undoubtedly would die of starvation because insects such as locusts and grasshoppers would destroy grain crops were it not for spiders who eat them .There are plenty of spiders on the earth ,for example ,an acre of land may be inhibited by thousands of spiders.

Contrary to what many people believe ,a spider is not an insect .A spider has eight legs ,while an insect has six legs .In addition ,there are only two main divisions in a spider-the head and the thorax ,while an insect has a head ,thorax ,and an abdomen .A spider usually has eight simple eyes ,and has gland ,to produce strands of silk which come out of openings called spinnerets .

You also may be surprised to learn that spider silk has been used by man in such devices as astronomical telescopes ,guns and engineers ’ levels .The fibres are excellent for sighting marks .A spider silk is extremely strong and can be either dry or sticky .

There are four general types of webs which spiders can make .There are the irregular mesh web ,the orb web ,and the sheet web .A web can also be a combination of several different types .Perhaps the most lovely spider web is the orb web .Engineers believe that the orb web shows the fact that the suspension(悬)bridge actually was invented by the spider .Spiders often can make a web quite quickly ;for example ,it is possible for a spider to weave a large web in only one hour.

7．People in developing countries also live under thatch because　　　 　　.

A．thatched cottages are a big tourist attraction

B．thatched roof houses are the cheapest

C．thatch is an effective defence against the heat .

　　　 D．they like thatched houses better than other buildings

6．What do we know about thatching as a craft?

　　　 A．It is a collective activity .　　　　　　　　

B．It is practised on farms all over England.

　　　 C．It is quite different from what it used to be.

　　　 D．It is in most cases handed down among family members.

5．Which of the following remains a special feature of the English coutryside?

　　　 A．Narrow streets lined with pink or white roses.　

B．Rolling hills with pretty farm buildings.

　　　 C．Cottages with thatched roofs.　　　　　　　　　　　　　

D．Churches with cottages around them.

4．The writer is probably　　　　　 .

　　　 A．an old man 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．a French person　

C．an English person　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　 D．an American

B

The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched(草盖的)roof cottages around a church ;a drive through a narrow village street lined with thatched cottages painted pink or white ;the sight over the rolling hills of a pretty collection of thatched farm buildings-these are still common sights in parts of England .Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside.

Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts practiced in the British Isles. Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings ,it was once used for castles and churches ,too.

Thatching is a solitary (独自的)craft ,which often runs in families .The craft of thatching as it is practiced today has changed very little since the Middle Ages .Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today ,keeping and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses .Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but because they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.

In fact ,if we look at developing countries ,over half the world lives under thatch ,but they all do it in different ways .People in developing countries are often unwinlling to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings .However, they may lack the money to allow them to get the necessary materials .Their temporary(暂时的)mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months .Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years ,and is an effective defence against the heat .

3．According to the passage ,the driver thought what he had done as　 　　　　　.

　　　 A．law-abiding　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．law-breaking

　　　 C．something to be proud of　　　　　　　　　 D．something to be ashamed of

2．The chief reason that the driver dared to drive through the red light was that　 　　　　　.

　　　 A．he found there was no cross traffic there and then

　　　 B．he thought it a shame to be controlled by a machine

　　　 C．he knew no others would see him at this hour

　　　 D．he didn’t trust any brainless machine