Birds use many different materials to build nests． Some birds use bits of grass． The tailor bird of Africa and India uses grass to sew leaves together． Other birds find twigs and pebbles useful．

　　Building a nest takes time and effort． But some starlings in Australia have had human help． People in Ingham, a town in northern Queensland, cut rope into short lengths． The rope was frayed and dyed in bright colors． Then the pieces were left for the starlings to find．

　　The result pleased the people as well as the birds． In one week the starlings had turned a large tree into a blaze of color．

1．Two nesting materials not named are_______．

A．grass and leaves B．twigs and pebbles C．mud and straw

2．A detail explaining the name of the tailor bird is that it________．

A．sews leaves togetherB． measures its nest carefully

C．Neither A nor B

3．Starlings were helped by the townspeople of_______．

A． India　　 B． Ingham　　 C． Africa

4． The rope supplied by the townspeople was in_______．

A．foot-long pieces B． long, solid pieces　　C．short, frayed pieces

5．The starlings gathered the rope because _________．

A． they could easily find it B．they wished to please the people

C．there were no other materials handy

6．The person who suggested the plan must have thought about________．

A．materials the birds would want　　 B．the likely result Both A and B

　　What changes are going to happen in our way of life ? According to writer Patrick Goldring, more people are going to have part-time jobs． This is going to be true for most workers． People have many interests． Full-time jobs do not allow time for these interests． People are going to have two or three different part-time jobs．

　　According to David Jenkins in his book Job Power , workers are going to have more power in their companies ． They are going to have more power over their jobs and their hours． Groups of workers and company leaders are going to meet to find answers to company problems． Some companies don’t want change． Workers are demanding it, however． What is the result of "job power" ? According to Jenkins, the result is a good feeling toward the company．

1． This reading is about jobs　　　　 ．

A． in the past B． today C． in the future D． both B and C

2． One change is going to be an increase in　　　　 ．

A． full-time jobs B． part-time jobs C． jobs for women D． jobs for men．

3． Full-time jobs do not allow time for_________．

A． lunch B． people’s interests C． work D． rest

4． Workers are going to have　　 over their jobs．

A． no power B． less power C． more power D． more consideration

5． The ideas in this reading come from 　　　　 ．

A． two writers B． a book C． the governments D． a magazine

　　People of different ages may have different personal incomes． Here is a diagram or graph in the form of a circle to show the different incomes of people of different ages in City A in 1996． Study the graph carefully and answer the following questions．

$1,249．7 Billion == 100%

1．In 1996, what was the personal income in billions of dollars, of the age group from 35-44 years?

A．180　　 B． 220　　　　C． 250　　　　D． 280

2．About how many degrees are there in the central angle of the circle given to the personal income of the age group under 25 years?

A．31B． 34　　　　C． 37D． 40

3．What is the ratio (比例) of the personal income of the group over 44 years of age to that of the age group from 35- 44 years?

A．9: 4　　　　B． 8: 5　　 C． 5:2D． 2:1

4．If total personal income in 1996 was 20% greater than it was in 1992, what was the total personal income , in 1992 , in billions of dollars?

　　A farmer who lived in a small village suffered from a terrible pain in the chest． This never seemed to get any better． The doctor in the village had treated him many times but had not been able to cure ( 医好) him． The farmer finally decided to see a doctor in the nearest town． But as he was a very careful person, he wanted to find out first how much he would have to pay this doctor． He was told that a patient had to pay three dollars for the first visit and one dollar for the second visit． The farmer thought about this for a long time, and then he went to the doctor in town．

　　As he came into the doctor's office, he said casually（随便地），“Good morning , doctor． Here I am again ．”The doctor was a little surprised． He asked the farmer a few questions, examined his chest and then took the dollar which the farmer gave him． Then with a smile the doctor said, “Well, sir． There is nothing new． Please continue to take the same medicine I gave you the first time you came to see me．”

1．The farmer decided to see the doctor in town because

A．the doctor did not ask for a lot of money．

B．the doctor's office was not too far from his village．

C．the village doctor sent him there．

D．the village doctor wasn't able to cure him．

2．The farmer was told that

A．the first patient would pay three dollars．

B．a patient would pay three dollars for each visit．

C．a patient would pay four dollars．

D．a patient would pay one dollar except when he visited the doctor for the first time．

3．The doctor was a little surprised because

A．the farmer spoke to him casually．

B．the farmer said "Good morning" to him．

C．the farmer said he was there again．

D．the farmer was not polite to him．

4．From the story we can see that

A．the farmer was not seriously ill．

B．the doctor was asking for too much．

C．the farmer was a poor man．

D．the doctor was very clever．

　　Cats are animals of habit． They like to go to sleep about the same time every day and for a certain length of time． They seem to have a natural clock inside them that tells them when to sleep．

　　Besides their regular (定时的, 正式的) sleep, cats． take naps (打盹)． Some scientists think that people should also take cat naps． The habit would do good to people's health． Cat-naps help build up energy (精力, 能量) in the body． Since cats have moods (情绪) like those of people, scientists believe that people can improve their moods and attitudes by catnapping． People might become happier and more active．

　　A lot of famous people take cat naps during the day． The naps would usually last 15 to 30 minutes． Winston Churchill took cat naps． So did a few presidents of the United States． These people were known for their energy． They were able to work long hours into the night． Napping was their secret．

　　Perhaps more people could learn from cats and take naps to feel better and live longer!

1．Cats ______

A．are asleep all day．

B．are awake all day．

C．have a regular time to sleep．

D．go to sleep when a clock strikes．

2．Some scientists believe that catnapping is _______

A． a bad habit． B． a healthy habit． C． a lazy habit． D． not necessary．

3．According to the text, cat naps could make people ______

A． happy and active　　 B． sleepy．

C． unhappy． D． tired and lazy．

4．Cat naps usually last _____

A． no more than half an hour．B． several hours．

C． just a few minutes．　　 D． quite a long time,

5．Many famous people were able to work long hours because

A．they took cat naps．　　B． they lived longer．

C．they had a secret．　　 D． they had many things to do．

　　Under proper conditions, sound waves will be reflected from a hillside or other such obstruction (障碍) ． Sound travels at the rate of about one-fifth of a mile per second． If the hill is eleven hundred feet away, it takes two seconds for the sound to travel to the hill and back． Thus, by measuring the time between a sound and its reflection (the echo) you can estimate (估算) the distance to an obstruction．

　　During World War II the British made a practical use of this principle to discover German planes on their way to bomb London long before the enemy was near the place． They use radio waves instead of sound waves, since radio waves can go through fog and clouds． The British Royal Air Force always seemed to the puzzled Germans to be lying in wait at the right time and never to be surprised． It was radio echoes more than anything else that won the battle of Britain． And it is from “ radio directing and ranging” that the word “radar (雷达) ”came into being．

1． Sound wave reflected from a hill can be used to estimate the _______．

A． height of the hill　　 B． speed and sound

C． distance to the hill　　D． the intensity (强度)of sound

2． “echo” is the _________ of sound．

A． speed　　 B． wave

C． intensity D． reflection

3． The estimate is based on the _______ ．

A． direction of the hill　　B． speed of sound

C． time between sound and its echo D． both B and C

4． Radio wave helped the English to __________ ．

A． discover German planes on their way to London

B． puzzle German pilots C． know the plan of Germans

D． know the distance between England and Germany

5． The writer seems to explain________．

A． exactly how radar works

B． why the British use radio waves in their battle

C． how the word radar came to be．

D． how radar helped the British win the Battle of Britain

阅读下列短文，并做每篇后面的题目，从四个选项中，选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。

Good afternoon. This is your captain's speaking. We have been warned of the danger of strong air turbulence(气流)ahead for the next forty miles or so. Passengers are therefore strongly asked to remain in their seats with their seat belts(安全带)on for their safety and not to use the restrooms(厕所)during that dangerous period, if at all possible. During the time young children should be firmly fastened(系紧)into their seats.

Please observe these precautions(预防措施)until the seatbelt warning sign has gone off. Lunch will be served after we have passed through the air turbulence zone. Thank you.

1．This passage is ________.

[　　]

2．The captain has asked passengers to keep their seat belts on because ________.

[　　]

A．the plane is going to land

B．the plan is going to take off

C．the air might become very tough

D．children won't run around

3．The captain asked the passengers not to ________ during this time.

[　　]

4．When will the passenger be able to bet up again?

[　　]

A．The captain says so.

B．The seat-belt sign goes off.

C．They become hungry.

D．The plane meets another turbulence.

5．The best title for this would be “________”.

[　　]

A．The Captain and the Passengers

B．Something About the Strong Air Turbulence

C．For Your Own Safety

D．Don't Move Around, and Keep Still

阅读下列短文，并做每篇后面的题目，从四个选项中，选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。

Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and she went to New York City and settled down there when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters seeking admission to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. So determined was she, that she taught school and gave music lessons to earn money for her education.

In 1849, after graduation from medical school, she decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon, but a serious eye infection forced her to give up the idea.

Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital, she also established the first medical school for women.

1．Why couldn't Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon?

[　　]

A．She couldn't get admitted to medical school.

B．She decided to further her education in Paris.

C．A serious eye illness stopped her search.

D．It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States.

2．What almost destroyed Elizabeth's chances for becoming a doctor?

[　　]

A．She was a woman.

B．She wrote too many letters.

C．She couldn't graduate from medical school.

D．She couldn't establish her hospital.

3．How many years passed between her graduation from medical school and the opening of her hospital?

[　　]

4．All of the following are “ first s ”in the life of Elizabeth Blackwell, EXCEPT ________.

[　　]

A．she became the first woman physician

B．she was the first woman surgeon

C．she and several other women founded the first hospital for women and children

D．she established the first medical school for women

5．The underlined word“seeking”in the 1st paragraph mostly means ________.

[　　]

阅读下列短文，并做每篇后面的题目，从四个选项中，选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。

William Lehmann was a writer. When he was a boy, writing came as naturally to him as walking. He enjoyed playing with words, in the same way that other boys played with a football. He wrote stories whenever he had the chance, stories that most of his teachers couldn't hope to write, with the experience of a person two of three times his age. He wrote some quite striking poems, too.

At school, William always did best in English exams in his school, but not in subjects like history. As he was never satisfied to stick to the facts, he preferred to imagine how things might have been.

At home, William was always writing. He wrote in bed; he wrote while the others were watching television, in the half darkness, he would even write at the breakfast table if his mother let him. What a quiet boy: different from others!

1．From this passage we know that ________.

[　　]

A．William was a boy to whom walking came naturally

B．William was good at history as well as English

C．writing came naturally to William when he was very young

D．William enjoyed imagining things while other boys liked playing a football

2．To William words ________.

[　　]

A．were what a football was to other boys

B．were like a game, not to be taken seriously

C．came more naturally than walking

D．came almost as naturally as playing football

3．The stories that William wrote were ________.

[　　]

A．about the experiences of someone two of three times his age

B．two of three times better than the stories that most people write

C．of the sort that most people older than William hope to write

D．of a sort that few people can write, even after year of experience of life

4．William did better in English than in history because ________.

[　　]

A．he was unable to describe how things were

B．he was not interested in history

C．he always stuck to the facts

D．he preferred to imagine how things might have been rather than to stick to the facts

5．At home, William wrote ________.

[　　]

A．about his family members

B．whenever he had the chance

C．except when he was watching the television

D．even at the breakfast table

阅读下列短文，并做每篇后面的题目。从四个选项中选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。

One day Mrs. Jones went shopping. When her husband came home in the evening, she began to tell him about a beautiful cotton dress. "I saw it in a shop this morning, " she said ,"and …"

"And you want to buy it ,"said her husband. "How much does it cost?"

"Fifteen pounds."

But the next evening, when Mr. Jones came back from work, his wife continued to speak only about the dress , and at last, after a week, he said:"Oh, buy the dress! Here is the money!" She was very happy.

But the next evening, when Mr. Jones came home and asked, "Have you got the famous dress?" She said :"No."

"Why not?" he said.

"Well, it was still in windows of the shop after a week, so I thought , nobody else wants this dress, so I don't want it either."

1．Why did Mrs. Jones tell her husband about the dress? Because ________.

[　　]

A．she enjoyed talking about dresses

B．the dress was very beautiful

C．she thought the dress was cheap

D．she liked the dress and wanted to have it

2．What did Mr. Jones think of the dress? He thought it was too ________.

[　　]

3．Why did Mr. Jones give his wife money after a week? Because ________.

[　　]

A．he began to like the dress after his wife had talked so much about it

B．at last he had got enough money for the dress

C．he wouldn't make his wife talking any about the dress

D．he wouldn't like to hear his wife talking any more about the dress

4．Mrs. Jones didn't get the dress because ________.

[　　]

A．it had been sold out

B．there was only one left

C．it had become expensive

D．she didn't think it as good as the first saw it

5．What do you think of Mrs. Jones?

[　　]

A．She talked too much about dress

B．She had no idea of her own

C．She cared too much about clothes

D．She certainly knew how to spend her money wisely