A qualified doctor who rarely practiced but instead devoted his life to writing. He once said: “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my lover.” Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, was a great playwright and one of the masters of the modern short story.

When Chekhov entered the Moscow University Medical School in 1879, he started to publish hundreds of comic short stories to support his family. After he graduated, he wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper.

As a writer he was extremely fast, often producing a short story in an hour or less. Chekhov’s medical and science experience can be seen through the indifference(冷漠) many of his characters show to tragic events. In 1892, he became a full time writer and published some of his most memorable stories.

Chekhov often wrote about the sufferings of life in small town Russia. Tragic events control his characters who are filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair.

It is often said that nothing happens in Chekhov’s stories and plays. He made up for this with his exciting technique for developing drama within his characters. Chekhov’s work combined the calm attitude of a scientist and doctor with the sensitivity(敏感) of an artist.

Some of Chekhov's works were translated into Chinese as early as the 1940s. One of his famous stories, The Man in a Shell, about a school teacher’s extraordinarily orderly life, was selected as a text for Chinese senior students.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov ________.

A. had a lawful lover      B. was an illegal writer

C. used to be a lawyer     D. was a competent doctor

In 1880, Chekhov ________.

A. became a full-time writer

B. studied medicine in Moscow University

C. practiced medicine in his hometown

D. published his most memorable stories

Which of the following adjectives can’t be used to describe Chekhov?

A. Sensitive.                           B. Cool.

C. Quick-minded.                       D. Warm-hearted.

Which of the following is the right order of the events?

a. became a doctor

b. became a full time writer

c. started to publish comic short stories

d. wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper.

e. entered the Moscow University Medical School

A. e→c→a→d→b  B. d→a→b→c→e  C. e→c→b→a→d   D. a→e→c→b→d

The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.

Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.

Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.

The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business

To raise money for the idea, he toured the city’s private companies which fund new business and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint’s directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ??500,000 to MyHabs and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop’s business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.

Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.

For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhabs team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior (外部的) advertising space. 

The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonbury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.

11. “Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents _______.

  A. economically desirable  B. favorable to the environment

  C. for holding music performances1   D. designed for disaster relief

12. Mr. Dunlop established his business        .

  A. independently with an interest-free loan from Mint

  B. with the approval of the City’s administration

  C. in partnership with a finance group

  D. with the help of a Japanese architect

13. It is implied in the passage that _______.

  A. the weather in the UK is changeable in summer 

  B. most performances at British festivals are given in the open air

  C. the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored

D. cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users.

14. The passage is mainly concerned with        .

A. an attempt at developing recyclable tents

B. some efforts at making full use of cardboards

C. an unusual success of a graduation project

D. the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals

15. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Don’t Use Tents Again

B. The Advantages of Tents

C. How to Produce Tents

D. The Development of Recyclable Tents

Marie Curie was a Polish physicist and chemist who lived between 1867-1934. Together with her husband, Pierre, she discovered two new elements (radium and polonium, two radioactive elements that they extracted chemically from pitchblende ore) and studied the x-rays they emitted. She found that the harmful properties of x-rays were able to kill tumors. By the end of World War I, Marie Curie was probably the most famous woman in the world. She had made a conscious decision, however, not to patent methods of processing radium or its medical applications.

Marie Curie was born November 7, 1867 in Poland and died on July 4, 1934. Her co-discovery with her husband Pierre Curie of the radioactive elements radium and polonium represents one of the best known stories in modern science for which they were recognized in 1901 with the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1911, Marie Curie was honored with a second Nobel prize, this time in chemistry, to honor her for successfully isolating pure radium and determining radium's atomic weight.

As a child, Marie Curie amazed people with her great memory. She learned to read when she was only four years old. Her father was a professor of science and the instruments that he kept in a glass case fascinated Marie. She dreamed of becoming a scientist, but that would not be easy. Her family became very poor, and at the age of 18, Marie became a governess. She helped pay for her sister to study in Paris. Later, her sister helped Marie with her education. In 1891, Marie attended the Sorbonne University in Paris where she met and married Pierre Curie, a well-known physicist.

 Marie Curie contributed greatly to our understanding of radioactivity and the effects of x-rays. She received two Nobel prizes for her brilliant work, but died of leukemia, caused by her repeated exposure to radioactive material.

What is the main idea of the passage?

To give us a general introduction to Madame Curie.

To show us how Madame Curie discovered radium.

To tell us how Madame Curie developed as a scientist.

To tell us how Madame Curie received two Nobel Prizes.

Madame Curie was given the Nobel Prize in chemistry because_________.

she discovered radium

she separated pure radium and calculated its atomic weight

she discovered polonium

she didn’t patent methods of processing radium

Which of the following statements about Madame Curie is Not True?

Madame Curie made great contributions to medical science.

Madame Curie was very smart and ambitious when she was a child.

Madame Curie received two Nobel Prizes in physics.

Madame Curie’s husband helped her a lot in her research.

4. We can infer from the third paragraph that_________.

①Madame Curie got married when she was at college.

②Madam Curie had a great ambition when she was young.

③Madame Curie loved teaching more than anything else.

④Madam Curie must have met a lot of difficulties to get high education.

⑤Her father had a great influence on Madam Curie’s future career.

⑥Madam Curie was very smart when she was a child

A. ①②④⑤⑥     B.②④⑤⑥    C. ②③④⑤⑥    D. ①②③④⑤

5. Which is the right order about Madam Curie according to the passage?

a. married Pierre       b. attended University       c. discovered radium  

d. determined radium’s atomic weight               e. won the Nobel Prize in physics

A. b, c, a, d, e      B. b, a, c, d, e     C. b, a, c, e, d     D. b, c, a, e, d

Do you love American country music? If you do, come to Nashville. It’s the home of American country music.

Nashville is the capital city of the state of Tennessee. Here you don’t have to go to the big auditoriums(音乐厅) to enjoy the country music. In the open air restaurants or on the streets, you can always hear the beautiful and sweet sounding folk music. All the singers are young and they play their guitars while they sing. The songs they sing are so touching(动人) that, if you listen attentively, you can feel they are singing with their souls rather than with their voices.

Shops selling music records and tapes can be found everywhere in Nashville. Many records are made by www..comfamous singers and they are sent to many countries all over the world.

The folk songs most of the singers sing come form the rural areas in the southern United States. The songs often describe those days to situations and the feeling of the country people. They often sing in praises of heroism(英雄) and true love.

1. From the passage we know Nashville is ________.

A. a village 　             B. a big city   C. a small town 　             D. a capital city

2. To enjoy the country music, you can go to ________.

A. the big auditoriums   B. the open air restaurants    C. the streets 　D. All of the above

3. According to the passage which of the following statements is not true?

A. Shops that sell music records and tapes can be found everywhere in Nashville.

B. The folk songs can impress you deeply

C. Not all records are made by famous singers

D. The folk songs only sing in praises of heroism and true love.

4. The passage is mainly about ________.

A. Nashville 　B. American young people   C. pop singers 　       D. the country music

The United States became a rich industrial nation toward the end of 1800s. There were more goods, more services, more jobs, and a higher standard of living. There was more of everything, including problems. One problem was monopoly, that is, to be the only seller of a certain line of products or a service. In some cases, several companies that manufactured the same product would agree not to compete with one another. They would all agree to charge the same price. These arrangements made it impossible for customers to shop around for lower prices for certain products.

Some people decided that huge corporations had too much power and controlled too many markets. Because of their wealth and power, they could see to it that governments passed laws favorable to them. Many people believed that monopoly and price fixing were bad for customers and bad for the country so that they should be broken up.

Finally the national government and some states passed laws that placed limits on corporations and big companies. These laws made it illegal for companies to make agreements to charge only a certain price. Later on the national government forced monopoly to be broken up.

Such laws and government action didn’t entirely do away with monopolies. Nor did they stop the growth of huge corporations. But they did show that American people had decided that some of the changes that had occurred were harmful. (from www.nmet168.com)

1. The underlined word “monopoly” in the first paragraph most probably means ________.

A. the production of certain kinds of goods  B. complete control and possession of trade

C. a big corporation of company             D. an agreement on prices

2. Because of the agreements between big companies ________.

A. people had to buy things at certain shops  B. the prices of their goods were much lower

C. customers had no choice but to buy      D. there were fewer markets in some states

3. According to the laws, companies ________.

A. were not allowed to control the markets

B. could not force the customers to buy their products

C. should have fixed prices for their products

D. must produce the same kind of goods for the same markets

4. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A. Big companies could not influence the government.

B. A large number of markets were controlled by big companies.

C. Many Americans were worried about the changes in their country.

D. Some of the laws were in favor of customers.

阅读下面短文, 掌握其大意, 然后从1—10各题所给的A、B、C和D项中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

It moved without a ripple, a moon – white circle under the surface, and in a few seconds it was as far away as it had been when he had first seen it. Then it   1   the top of the water. Jonsai gasped (took a breath).

It was a turtle. (海龟)

Jonsai rubbed his eyes, thinking that the sun had   2   them. It was not unusual to find turtles feeding near the edge of the coral (珊瑚). But this was not an ordinary turtle. It stayed there on the surface, as   3   as foam (泡沫) or bone or sun – dried coral, shining like oyster shell. The turtle stayed still for some time. So did the boy. Leaning forward, he stared without moving, disbelief giving way to a small   4  . He even dared not move for a short while. There was   5   as a white turtle. His   6   moved first. Tonight the men would return from the pig hunt. Samu and Aesake would be at the dinner with the men. He, Jonsai, would have to   7   with the women and children. But what would happen if, at the height of the dinner, Jonsai brought forward a gift for Chief Vueti, something he had never   8   before, a present that would make him the   9   of every chief on the island? His heart beat fast, but steady now, as he paddled closer, moving   10   like a thief. He must try his best to catch the turtle.

A. discovered           B. broke           C. spoiled                 D. reached

A. brightened        B. bathed             C. burnt                    D. weakened

A. light               B. bright              C. white                    D. pretty

A. surprise              B. excitement     C. fear                      D. disappointment

A. not such thing   B. no such thing C. not such thing   D. no such a thing

A. hands          B. feet                      C. head                     D. mind

A. deal            B. stand                    C. sit                        D. wait

A. seen            B. heard                    C. found                   D. got

A. chief           B. respect                  C. envy                     D. hero

A. freely        B. suddenly               C. proudly                D. swiftly

It will be quite a long time______she is back again, so don’t be too cross with her.

A. that       B. since                C. before                      D. until

Mr Wang______an article on how to improve spoken English last month, but I don’t know whether he has finished it.

A. has written 　    　B. wrote 　    　　 C. had written 　    　D. was writing

In some urban centers, workaholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual:

They accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington D.C, for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don’t do this because they have to; they do it because they want   to.

Workaholism can be a serious problem. Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they probably don’t know how to relax.

Is workaholism always dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work well under stress. Some studies show that many workaholies have great energy and interest in life. Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment keep them busy and creative.

Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offers more than financial security. It provides people with self?confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they’re produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say,“I made that.” Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity through participation in work, they get a sense of self and individualism. In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. Perhaps some people are compulsive about their work, but their addiction seems to be a safe-even an advantageous-one.

9.The passage indicates that workaholics          .

A.just know work but nothing else

B.are willing to work hard for long hours without pay

C.find their work provide them more satisfaction and self?confidence than how much they are   paid

D.has the work with more responsibility than others

10.One of the reasons that some people are not willing to quit their jobs even in their eighties and  nineties is that       

A.they are in the need of financial security

B.they would rather work than be disturbed by domestic affairs

C.they long for a sense of identity and being accomplished

D.they may have health problems from sheer boredom

11.This passage is mainly about .

A.workaholics are usually successful people, but their lives are in a mess       

B.workaholism can lead to serious problems but it can also create a joyful life

C.people who are absorbed in their work may enjoy movies, sports and other kinds of entertainment

D.those who work even under difficult conditions may be very happy

12.It can be inferred from the passage that .        

A.in the eyes of all the common people workaholics are peculiar

B.to workaholics, work is the sole source of happiness

C.a piece of challenging work may provide the workaholics a sense of satisfaction

D.workaholics are as addicted to their job as other people are to drugs or alcohol

BROOKSVILLE — It’s the time of year again, when young bears are on their own for the first time. And that means more sightings where bears usually aren’t supposed to be.

This weekend, a 258-pound black bear took a brief tour of Brooksville, with police and firefighters chasing.

Another black bear, weighing just 100 pounds, was spotted Saturday, crossing busy U. S. 19 near a retirement community in Spring Hill. Several other bear reports have come from Citrus County.

"It is really difficult for the younger bears to find their own land around here, " said Niki Everitt, bear hot line director for the Gulf Coast Conservancy.

Brooksville’s bear first was spotted late Thursday crossing State Road 50, headed toward Tom Varn Park. Police and firefighters tracked the bear through the park and the Brooksville Quarry golf course.

The bear then wounded down the middle of Broad Street before being surrounded near Luigi’s Pizza. An official with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission came with a tranquilizer spear(加入镇静剂的矛).planning to stick the bear by hand. "The guy saw the size of the bear and figured that wasn’t a great idea, "said Capt. Frank Phillips of the Brooksville Fire Department.

Emergency officials waited until a tranquilizer gun was brought from Land O’ Lakes. The bear then got a free ride to the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area.

It is not unusual for bears to move into living areas this time of year, experts say. Mothers give their male baby bears the boot once the youngsters are 2 years old. With living areas growing, the young bears keep finding smaller and smaller areas in which they can set up their own land.

"They’ re trying to find a land of their own, where they won ‘t get beat up, " said Lt. Rip Stalvey, a game commission spokesman.

Everitt said people should not be too concerned about the recent bear sightings, since" we have never had a bear attack in Florida."

Black bears mainly eat the tender and fresh leaves of Sabal palms, as well as acorns and berries. Recent weeks of dry weather likely have reduced their food supply.

"If we don’t get some relief soon," Everitt said," we’re probably going to see a lot more of it."

1. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. Bear sightings in living areas worry people.

B. Policemen try hard to get the bears controlled.

C. People take up too much land from bears.

D. ears come out to disturb people’s lives.

2. Which is true according to the passage?

A. The 100-pound bear was caught near Luigi’s Pizza.

B The Gulf Coast Conservancy makes bears homeless.

C. Brooksville’s bear was too large to be caught by hand.

D. Bears frequently visit humans’ living areas.

3. Bear sightings can usually be expected ______.

A. in the cold season                    B. in the warm season

C. near lakes or rivers                   D. near Luigi’s Pizza

4. The underlined phrase "give their male baby bears the boot" means______.

A. make them wear the boots             B. find new homes for them

C. drive them away from home            D. keep them in safe places