阅读理解训练

　　Right is right. Right? But is left wrong? Well, the Romans used to think so. They thought left-handed people were mistakes of nature. Latin, the language of the Romans, had many words that expressed this view (观点) .Some words we use today still have this meaning. The Latin word“dexter”means“right”. The English word “odexterous”comes from this word. It means“handy”(clever with hands), so, right, is handy. But the Latin word for left is“sinistra”. The English word“sinister”comes from this word. Sinister means“evil”(very bad). Is it fair to call right-handed people handy and left-handed people evil? Well fair or not, many languages have words that express such beliefs. In old English, the word for left means“weak”. That isn't much of an improvement over“evil”.

　　Not very long ago, children were often forced to write with their right hands. Doctors have since found that this can be very harmful. You should use the hand you were born to use.

　　People who use their left hands are just starting to get better treatment. But why did they get all these bad names in the first place? One reason may be that there are not as many left-handed people as there are right handed people. There is one left-handed person for every five right-handed ones. People who are different are often thought to be wrong. But attitudes (态度) do seem to be changing. Fairminded right-handed people are finally starting to give left-handed people a hand.

1．The passage leads us to believe that when one writes ________.

[　　]

A．he can use his right hand only

B．he can use his left hand only

C．he can use either his left hand or his right hand

D．he shouldn't use his left hand

2．Which of the following is true to the passage?

[　　]

A．Odexterous comes from old English.

B．The Latin word for left is sinister.

C．The word for left in old English is a little better than that in Latin.

D．The word evil for left comes from Latin.

3．Left-handed people today are ________.

[　　]

A．just as weak as left-handed people of the past

B．being treated better than those in the past

C．thought to be strange

D．being taught to use their right hands

4．“Fair-minded right-handed people are finally starting to give left-handed people a hand”means that they are ________.

[　　]

A．persuading them

B．teaching them how to use their right hands

C．starting to give them a chance and help them out

D．shaking hands with them

5．What's the main idea of the passage?

[　　]

A．Many languages have words that express the idea that left is bad.

B．Majorities often get good treatment.

C．Throughout the history, left-handed people have been treated poorly.

D．There are a lot of differences between left-handed people and right-handed people.

阅读理解　　 

　　Some people do not like anything to be out of place, they are never late for work; they return their books to the library on time; they remember people's birthday and they pay their bills as soon as they arrive. Mr Dodds is such a person.

　　Mr Dodds works in a bank, and lives alone. The only family he has were in the next town: his sister lives there with her husband, and her son, Mark. Mr Dodds does not see his sister, or his family, from one year to the next, but he sends them Christmas cards, and he has not forgotten one of Mark's seventeen birthdays. Last week Mr Dodds had quite a surprise. He drove home from the bank at the usual time and drove neither too slowly nor too fast; he parked his car where he always parked it, out of the way of other cars, and he went inside to make his evening meal. At once, there was a knock at the door. Mr Dodds opened the door to find a policeman standing at the door.

　　“What have I done wrong?”Mr Dodds asked himself.“Have I driven on the wrong side of the road? Has there been some trouble at the bank? Have I forgotten to pay an important bill?”

　　“Hello, Uncle”said the policeman,“My name's Mark.”

1．Mr Dodds sees his sister ________.

[　　]

2．Mr Dodds ________.

[　　]

A．has forgotten more than one Mark's birthday

B．has not sent Mark anything on his seventeenth birthday

C．always sends a Christmas card on Mark's birthday

D．always sends Mark something on his birthday

3．When he heard a knock at the door, he was ________.

[　　]

4．Mr Dodds was surprised that ________.

[　　]

A．a policeman visited him

B．Mark came to see him

C．he had forgotten Mark's birthday

D．someone was knocking at the door

5．Which of the following best describes the writer's attitude towards Mr Dodds? ________.

[　　]

A．Mr Dodds always insists on his opinion

B．Mr Dodds is not strict in his work

C．Mr Dodds never makes a mistake

D．Mr Dodds does not care about others

阅读理解

　　Life gets noisier every day and very few people can be free from noise of some sort or another. It doesn't matter where you live in the middle of a modem city, or a faraway village the chances are that you'll be disturbed (烦扰) by jet aeroplanes, transistor radios, oil-powered engines, etc. We seem to be getting used to noise, too. Some people feel quite lonely without background music while they're working.

　　Scientific tests have shown that total silence can be a very frightening experience for a human being. However, some people enjoy listening to pop music which is very loud, and this can do harm to their eardrums (耳鼓) . The noise level in some discos is far above the usual safety level for heavy industrial areas.

　　One recent report about noise and concentration (专心) suggests that although a lot of people say that noise disturbs their concentration, what really influences their concentration or what really influences their ability to concentrate is a change in the level of noise. It goes on to say that a background noise which doesn't change too much (music, for example) may even help people to concentrate.

1．According to this passage, the noise pollution ________.

[　　]

A．has become the worst in the countryside

B．has become better in big cities

C．has spread from cities to villages

D．has been controlled in modern cities

2．What does background music refer to? ________

[　　]

A．Music played while people are working.

B．Music played in the backyard.

C．Noise that continues while you're listening to other noises.

D．Music used to help people to concentrate.

3．Some people have their hearing harmed ________.

[　　]

4．Which of the following isn't included among the things causing noise?________

[　　]

5．Scientists have discovered that what prevents people from concentrating on something is ________.

[　　]

A．all kinds of noise

B．great changes in the level of noise

C．background noise

D．popular music

阅读理解训练

　　Mrs Matthews lived in a small town where there was one jeweller's shop. It also took in watch repairs, although it had to send them off to London for the work to be done, as there was not enough business to keep an expert watch repairer occupied.

　　When Mrs Matthews's old father died, she inherited his gold watch, which had belonged to his father and grandfather before him. It was big and heavy and worth a lot of money, but it was broken, so Mrs Matthews took it to be repaired.

　　The man in the jeweller's shop was very interested to see such an unusual watch, and when he had examined its insides, he said he could certainly have it repaired for her. “It'll last a long time once that's been done.”he said. He wrote out a ticket and gave it to Mrs Matthews saying. “Please bring this when you come to pick up the watch. But it might take a bit of time, because it isn't a modem watch.”

　　But Mrs Matthews had a lot of things to think about after her father died. She had to arrange to deal with the various affairs after her father's death.

　　The result was that she completely forgot about the watch that she had taken in for repair, and about the ticket for it, which she had put away in a drawer to keep it safe.

　　Then, while she was looking through some old drawers one day, she found the ticket for the watch repair.

　　She thought back, suddenly she remembered.“My father's gold watch! Didn't I pick it up? When did I take it in?”She looked at the ticket.

　　“How old's this ticket?” she said to herself. It was five years old.

　　Mrs Matthews had heard that shops could sell things that people had left with them if they didn't pick them up and pay for them before a certain time. “But the watch might still be there,”she thought.“I'll go and see if I can get it back. It might have been sold, but I hope not.”

　　She took the ticket to the jeweller's and the shopkeeper looked at it and then went to look for the watch without saying a word.

　　“That's good,”Mrs Matthews thought.“He didn't seem to mind about the date.”

　　The man came back after a few minutes and said,“It won't be ready until Friday.”

1．Who was the watch repairer according to the text?

[　　]

A．Mrs Matthews

B．One jeweller's shop

C．The hired expert watch repairer

D．Some watch repairer in London

2．In the sentence“She inherited his gold watch”, the underlined word “inherited”is closest in meaning to “________”

[　　]

3．In the shop owner's opinion, if the watch has been repaired, what will happen to it?

[　　]

A．It can keep its time for long

B．It is an old watch that can't go fast

C．It can last five years

D．The passage doesn't tell us

4．Five years later, ________.

[　　]

A．the gold watch was sold

B．Mrs Matthews decided to find the ticket in the drawer

C．the jeweller couldn't see the date on the ticket clearly

D．the gold watch was not yet repaired

5．Which title would best fit in with the present passage?

[　　]

A．Mrs Matthews' Death Affairs

B．Such“Fast Work”

C．The Story of Mrs Matthews

D．The History of the Gold Watch

阅读理解

　　Carlos Al Mabal was born in Manila in 1950, and at the ago of two weeks he was taken by his father, a musician, to the United States by sea. He spent his first ten years in the American south-land where he attended school. Between the ages of 10 and 18, he travelled in the south and Western Atlantic areas, lived in Florida and graduated from his school in 1968. Early in his life he had great interest in musical instruments, and in 1965, he learned to play the piano and quickly became an expert on it. Since his graduation from Florida State University in 1973, he has been a famous pianist. He is not married, saying that his music should come first.

1．Carlos Al Mabal was born in ________.

[　　]

2．When Carlos was still a ________, he was taken by ship to America by his father.

[　　]

3．He probably began to like musical instruments ________.

[　　]

A．when he spent his childhood in the American south-land

B．when he was 15 years old

C．shortly after he was taken to the United States

D．since he graduated from his school

4．According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

[　　]

A．Carlos's parents had only stayed in Asia for a period of time.

B．Carlos began to receive his school education in his early teens.

C．At the age of 15 , Carlos learned to play the piano and soon proved to be a quick learner.

D．Like his father, Carlos wants to devote himself to music.

5．Which of the following shows correctly the growth of Carlos?

A．Carlos finished school in Florida.

B．Carlos spent his fist 10 years in the American south - land.

C．Carlos succeeded in making his mark as a pianist.

D．Carlos was taken to America from Manila.

E．Carlos graduated from Florida State University.

F．Carlos learned to play the piano.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　American Space Agency officials say the new space shuttle (航天飞机) Columbia will be nearly for its next flight in only sixty days. The Columbia landed on Saturday in California after a successful five-day flight. Space officials said preparations for the next flight must be done quickly because of the two-month delay before the shuttle's first flight Engine problems caused the delay of the space flight. But officials say Columbia worked very well during last week's flight.

1．This passage is ________.

[　　]

A．a short story.

B．a piece of news.

C．a report made by the American officials

D．an article about space science

2．________ caused the delay of the Columbia's s first flight.

[　　]

A．The bad weather

B．Some officials

C．The Space Agency had changed the plan

D．That something was wrong with the shuttle.

3．Which of the following statements is not true?

[　　]

A．The Columbia's first flight was not successful

B．If all goes as planned, the Columbia will fly in two months.

C．The Columbia stayed in space for five days.

D．One of the bases of American Space Agency is in California.

4．The Columbia must have been launched (发射) ________.

[　　]

5．An“engine”must be ________.

[　　]

A．a person who is in charge of the flight

B．a kind of machine that gives power or makes things move

C．a place where the shuttle lands

D．something that is carried by the Shuttle

阅读理解训练

　　Mr. Luk: You must understand that this is not easy work and the hours are long. You may have to do shift (轮班) work and work beyond the usual time too. You should start from the very beginning.

　　David: Will I be trained here?

　　Mr. Luk: Partly. If you pass our tests, you will be able to go to technical school classes twice a week. The tests are held after you have been here for two months. Then we can check if you are suitable for the job.

　　David: That's fine. I'll make sure that I pass.

　　Mr. Luk: All right. I'll give you a chance. My secretary will tell you whom to see when you start. You can start work on the first of next month. Is that all right?

　　David: Yes, and thank you very much indeed.

1．Why did David go to see Mr. Luk?

[　　]

A．He had mad about him in a newspaper

B．He had applied for a job in Mr. Luk's company.

C．He wanted to ask Mr. Luk if there were any jobs in his company.

D．He wanted to tell Mr. Luk about his family.

2．How did David feel about news of the tests?

[　　]

A．He thought he would be able to avoid talking them.

B．He did not seem worried about them.

C．He was worried at first but he soon became sure of himself.

D．He did not understand what Mr. Luk meant.

3．Mr. Luk did NOT warn David that ________.

[　　]

A．he might have to work beyond the usual time

B．he would have to pass tests

C．he would have to learn to drive

D．the job was not easy

4．The talk between Mr. Luk and David took place ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　In 1896,17-year-old Einstein went to Zurich to study physics. There he met a girl from Hungaria. They studied in the same class and the same interest in physics brought the two together and they became good friends. Before long, they fell in love with each other. In 1903, when Einstein was 24, he married Marits, who was 4 years older than he.

　　After their marriage, Einstein devoted himself to the research of the great theory. To give her husband more help, Marits gave up her own work, and became a good wife and assistant. She tried her best to encourage him whenever possible. she was sure that her husband would succeed. They often discussed the theory while walking outside or sitting together in the room. They even did that in their letters when one of them was away from home.

　　In 1914, the Einsteins moved to Berlin and settled down there. At that time, Einstein's theory proved to be correct and he had became famous all over the world. Marits was very proud of her husband with his success. But it was not long before the First World War broke out. Marits as well as her two sons, who were on holidays in Switzerland, couldn't come back to Berlin any longer. The war not only stopped Einstein's work but also broke up the warm, happy family. In 1919, Einstein and Marits had to get divorced. (离婚)

1．Why did Einstein and Marits get divorced?

[　　]

A．They didn't love each other any longer.

B．Einstein only cared about his research.

C．The war stopped Marits from coming back to Einstein.

D．The passage doesn't tell us the reason.

2．We can learn from the passage that Marits ________.

[　　]

A．greatly helped Einstein in the research

B．was the real discoverer of the theory

C．did little to help Einstein with his theory

D．supported Einstein but helped him little

3．The author of this passage intended to tell us that ________.

[　　]

A．Einstein suffered a great deal in his life.

B．the bitter suffering was the mother of success.

C．Marits should be respected as greatly as Einstein.

D．We should remember Marits when talking about the theory.

4．What do we know about Marits from this passage? ________.

[　　]

A．She was an outstanding woman.

B．She was a great scientist.

C．She lost too much for her husband.

D．She loved the theory more than her husband.

5．The passage mainly tells us ________.

[　　]

A．the connection of Marits with the famous Theory of Relativity.

B．the friendship and cooperation (合作) between Marits and Einstein.

C．the contribution that Einstein and Marits made to the science.

D．the reason why Albert Einstein could become so famous.

阅读理解

　　The Erie Canal was the first important national waterway built in the Us. It crossed New York from Buffalo on Lake Erie to Troy and Albany on the Hudson River. It joined the entire Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal served as a route over which industrial goods could flow into the West, and materials could pour into the East. The Erie Canal helped New York develop into the nation's largest city.

　　The building of the Canal was paid for entirely by the state of New York. It cost $7,143,789, but it soon gained its price many times over. Between 1825, when the canal was opened, and 1882, when toll charges were stopped, the state collected $121,461,891.

　　For a hundred years before the Erie was built, people had been talking about a canal which could join the great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The man who planned the Erie Canal and carried the plan through was De Witt Clinton. Those who were against the canal laughingly called it “Clinton's Ditch”. Clinton talked and wrote about the canal and drew up plans for it. He and Gouvenneur Moms went to Washington in 1812 to ask for help for the canal, but they were unsuccessful.

　　Clinton became governor of New York in 1817, and shortly afterwards, on July 4th, 1817, broke ground for the canal in Rome, N,Y. the first part of the canal was completed in 1820. As the canal grew, towns along its course developed fast. The length of this canal is 363 miles.

1．We can see that the Erie canal ________.

[　　]

A．joined the great Lakes together

B．crossed New York from north to south

C．played an important part in developing New York city

D．was the first waterway built in the US

2．It can be inferred that ________ into the Atlantic Ocean.

[　　]

A．the great Lakes flows

B．the Hudson River flows

C．the Lake Erie flows

D．the Erie Canal flows

3．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．The Erie Canal brought profits of over $114,000,000.

B．It's 363 miles from the Great lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

C．The West was more advanced than the East when the canal was built

D．Many other states helped New York build the canal

4．Which of the following is true, according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Clinton broke ground for the canal at both ends.

B．Clinton started building the canal before he became governor

C．All parts of the canal were completed at the same time.

D．Construction of the canal took eight years.

阅读理解训练

　　In 1955, a man named Raymond Kroc entered a partnership with two brothers named McDonald. They operated a popular restaurant in California which sold food that was easy to prepare and serve quickly. Hamburgers, French fries, and cold drinks were the main foods on the limited menu. Kroc opened similar eating places under the same name “McDonald's”, and they were an instant success. He later took over the company and today it is one of the most famous and successful “fast-food” chains in America and the world.

　　Why was his idea so successful? Probably the most important reason was that his timing was right. In the 1950s, most married women stayed home to keep house and take care of their children. During the 1960s, the movement for equality (平等) between men and women and an economy (经济) that needed more families to have two money-earners resulted in many women returning to the workplace. This meant that they had less time and energy to do housework, so they depended more on fast-food restaurants.

　　Single parents also have little time to spend in the kitchen. People living alone because of divorce (离婚) or a preference for a “single lifestyle” also depend on this type of food, since cooking for one is often more trouble than it is worth.

　　Fast food is not part of the diet of all Americans. Another of the 1960s was called back-to-nature movement. More and more Americans based their diets on natural foods. This preference for natural foods continues to this day. These products can now be found not only in the special health food store but also in many supermarkets.

1．The passage is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．how and why “McDonald's” became successful

B．the effect social and economic changes have on people's eating habits

C．why Americans prefer natural food

D．American eating habits

2．Which of the following was not a reason for Raymond Kroc's success?

[　　]

A．His partnership with the McDonald brothers.

B．A changing economy.

C．The back-to-nature movement.

D．Women's liberation movement.

3．We can infer from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．natural foods are still popular today

B．many married women in America returned to work in the 1960s

C．McDonald's fast food is popular all over the world

D．divorce caused people to change their eating habits

4．Which of the following is wrong?

[　　]

A．Not all American people like fast food

B．Before the 1960s, women usually stayed at home

C．fast foods are more popular than natural foods in America

D．Raymond Kroc became the owner of McDonald's