阅读理解 Many people will remember the flight of the space shuttle Challenger ,in June, 1993. The achi——青夏教育精英家教网—

阅读理解

　　Many people will remember the flight of the space shuttle(航天飞机) Challenger ,in June, 1993. The achievement of Sally Ride, America's first woman astronaut to fly into apace, made this flight especially memorable. Students from two Camden, New Jersey, high schools, however, are probably to remember Norma rather than Sally whenever they think about the flight. Norma didn't travel alone. She brought about 100 companions along with her. Norma was an ant, a queen art who, with her subject, made up the first and colony(群体) travel into space. The ants were part of a science experiment designed by the students to teat the effects of weightlessness on insects.

　　The equipment designed by the students for their colony functioned perfectly throughout the long space trip. The young scientists and their teachers were very sad to find that their insect astronauts had all died at some point before the container was returned to the school and opened. The problem did not occur in space, but on the ground after Challenger-had landed. The container remained in the desert for nearly a week before the ant colony was removed. The hot dry desert sir dried out the colony's container and the ants died from lack of moisture(水分) .

　　The project was termed a success because it did provide useful information. Students will continue their efforts to find out exactly what went wrong. They will try to prevent the same difficulties from recurring on future missions. They don't want to be discouraged either by the death of the ants or by the $ 10,000 shuttle fare they will have to pay to send the next colony of ants into space.

1．The story is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．Sally Ride's first ride

B．space equipment for insects

C．a apace experiment with ants

D．going to school in New Jersey

2．The project wasn't a failure because ________.

[　　]

A．important things were learned

B．dead ants are better

C．everything went as expected

D．students wrote about it

3．The ants died because ________.

[　　]

A．weightlessness harmed them

B．space caused too much pain

C．no one fed them in space

D．they dried out in the desert

4．On the next space trip, ants ________.

[　　]

A．will be sent without people

B．should not he left in the desert

C．will have to pay double fare

D．will escape the trip completely

阅读理解

　　At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents(文件) because they could be stored electronically. But for all the leads that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.

　　It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the computers start working overtime. “I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down. ”says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organisation.

　　Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech itself, which sees printing as one of its moat promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small business print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to paint even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line email, even if they are nowhere rear a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet, the greater demand for printers.

　　Does all this mean environmental concerns(环境问题) have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. “I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling (回收利用).”said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both aides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.

1．The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ________.

[　　]

A．the rapid development of small businesses

B．the opening up of new market

C．the printing of high quality copies

D．the increased use of the Internet

2．Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ________.

[　　]

A．to encourage printing more quality documents

B．to develop new printers using recycled paper

C．to find new materials for making paper

D．to plant more fast-growing trees

3．Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because ________.

[　　]

A．people are concerned about the environment

B．printers in many offices ate working overtime

C．small companies need more hard copies

D．they see a growing market for printers

4．What would be the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．Computers and Printers

B．E-mail and the Business World

C．Internet Revolution and Environment

D．Modem Technology and New Markets

阅读理解

　　A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading. It's remarkable first for what it contains: the range of news fin local crime to international politics, from sports to business to fashion to science, and the range of comment 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 modem 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 appeals in a newspaper has no more than transient(短暂的) value. For all these reasons, not 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, 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.

1．A modem newspaper is remarkable for all the following except its ________.

[　　]

A．wide coverage

B．uniform style

C．speed in reporting news

D．popularity

2．According to the passage, the reason why no two people really read the “same newspaper” is that ________.

[　　]

A．people scan for the news they are interested in

B．different people prefer different newspapers

C．people are rarely interested in the same kind of news

D．people have different views about what a good newspaper is

3．It can be concluded from the passage that newspaper readers ________.

[　　]

A．apply reading techniques skillfully

B．jump from one newspaper to another

C．appreciate the variety of a newspaper

D．usually read a newspaper selectively

4．The best title for this passage would be ________.

[　　]

A．The Importance of Newspaper Topically

B．The Characteristics of a Good Newspaper

C．The Variety of a Good Newspaper

D．Some Suggestions on How to Read a Newspaper

阅读理解

　　Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills (读写能力) . With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence(自信心) , according to Inter-mountain Therapy Animals(ITA) in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs ( READ) .

　　The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the ides. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache. ”said Lisa Myron, manager of the children's department.

　　Last November the two groups started“Dog Day Afternoon ”in the children's department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed ”book at the last class.

　　The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.

1．What is mainly discussed in the text?

[　　]

A．Children's reading difficulties.

B．Advantages of raising dogs.

C．Service in a public library.

D．A special reading program.

2．Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think ________.

[　　]

A．loge are young children's best friends

B．children can play with dogs while reading

C．dogs can provide encouragement for shy children

D．children and dogs understand each other

3．By saying “The Salt Lake City Public library is sold on the idea” , the writer means the library ________.

[　　]

A．uses dogs to attract children

B．accepts the idea put forward by ITA

C．has opened a children's department

D．has decided to train some dogs

4．A “pawgraphed ” book is most probably ________.

[　　]

A．a book used in Saturday classes

B．a book written by the children

C．a prize for the children

D．a gift from parents

阅读理解

　　Memphis is the largest city in the southern state of Tennessee, USA. The Mississippi River flows along the west side of the city. Memphis is the chief center of business, industry and transportation in Tennessee. Six hundred fifty thousand people live in the city. More than one million people live in the area. Like marry other American cities, Memphis has bad racial(种族的) problems. About 48% of the city's population is African American . In 1968 , city workers who collected waste went on strike. Most of the workers were black. The famous civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Junior went to Memphis to support the workers. On April 4th, King was murdered in Memphis by James Earl Ray. After Mr. King's death, the city worked to improve living conditions for black people. In 1991, voters elected W . E . Herenton the city's first black mayor. The same year. Memphis opened the National Civil Rights Museum. It was built next to the place where Martin Luther King was killed. Many people visit the museum w learn about the history of the American civil rifts movement. Today, people from across the United States and around the world visit Memphis. Tourism has become a major industry.

1．There are around ________ African Americana living in Memphis.

[　　]

2．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Martin Luther King was killed in Memphis in 1968 by James Earl Ray.

B．W.E. Herenton was elected the first black mayor of the United States in 1991.

C．Memphis opened the Civil Rights Museum in 1991.

D．Martin Lather King was murdered in Memphis.

3．Why do people visit the National Civil Rights Museum?

[　　]

A．To see Martin Luther King.

B．To learn about the history of the American civil rights movement.

C．To elect their mayor.

D．To learn about the history of the city.

4．The title for the passage can be “________” .

[　　]

A．National Civil Rights Museum

B．A Black Mayor

C．Memphis

D．The Fight Against Slavery

阅读理解

　　Elephants don't forget—at least, female(雌性) elephants don't.

　　Elephant families are matriarchal . And the social knowledge gained by the oldest females is the key to the family group's survival (生存) , according to a study published in April by Karen MeComb, a biologist at Sussex University in England.

　　Elephants announce their presence by making a deep, long sound, a practice referred to as contact calling(联络呼叫) . An unfamiliar call may mean that the elephant from outside the family is nearby. A stranger can cause trouble, interrupting feeding or disturbing the young. So an elephant matriarch signals the family to gather around her: then they all lift their trunks in the sir to smell the unfamiliar caller. False alarms can disturb the group and take time and energy away from learning, so survival may depend in part on getting it right.

　　Working with Cynthia Moss, who founded the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya 30 years ago, McComb tested the social knowledge of 21 Amboseli elephant families with matriarchs 27 to 67 years old. She played recordings of contact calls to each family and found that the oldest matriarchs were much better at picking out unfamiliar calls. In fact, a group with a matriarch in her fifties was several hundred times more likely to form into a group upon hearing an unfamiliar contact call than when hearing a familiar call. However, families with younger matriarchs were less than twice as likely to gather together upon hearing an unfamiliar contact call as compared with a familiar call . And they gathered together a lot. Moreover, the social knowledge of older matriarchs translated into favorable results: Families with older matriarchs produced more baby elephants in each female reproductive year.

　　This finding shows how difficult it is to protect the oldest members of elephant families. As elephants age, they continue to grow larger, as do their much wanted tusks(象牙). So the older—and wiser—a Matriarch is, the greater the chance she will be killed. About 800, 000 elephants have been killed by people in the past 20 years.

1．What does the underlined word “matriarch” mean?

[　　]

A．An old member of an elephant family.

B．A female head of an elephant family.

C．A wise elephant.

D．A large elephant.

2．When do elephants form into a group?

[　　]

A．When they are feeding the young.

B．When they see a familiar elephant.

C．When they are giving birth to baby elephants.

D．When the leading elephant gives out warning.

3．The research with recordings of contact calls shows ________.

[　　]

A．how fast elephants form into groups

B．how important the age of a leading elephant is

C．how frightened elephants are when hearing a strange call

D．how frequently old elephants call other members of the family

4．The older a female elephant is , ________.

[　　]

A．the stronger she will be

B．the poorer memory she will have

C．the more useless her tusk will be

D．the more likely she will be killed

5．We can infer from the passage that elephants may ________.

[　　]

A．run into other elephant families

B．give wrong warnings to their mothers

C．run away upon hearing a strange sound

D．produce more babies by gathering together more often

阅读理解

FOREIGN EXCHANGE A CLASS OF THEIR OWN

　　* Name: Susan Lane

　　Age: 22

　　Place: Reykjavik, Iceland, 1994.

　　Cost: $ 7,000

　　Organisation: AFS

　　Experience:“I think it was a turning point in my life. I began to understand more about my own culture by experiencing another culture and seeing how other people live.”

　　* Name: Sara Small

　　Age: 23

　　Place: Crivitz, Germany, 1996.

　　Cost: $8,000

　　Organisation: EF Foundation

　　Experience: “I loved the travelling and I made a lot of friends. I found the European school system to be hard but I am fluent now in German so it was worth it. I did miss my family and friends in Australia but I would love to do it again.”

　　* Name: Leanne Smythe

　　Age: 20

　　Place: Minnesota, America, 1994.

　　Cost: $ 6,000

　　Organnisation: Southern Cross Cultural Exchange

　　Experience: “I learnt how to be really responsible. It was great to be on my own and I got on really well with the family I was with. I will definitely go back one day.”

　　* Name: David Links

　　Age: 16

　　Place: Stuttgart, Germany, 1996.

　　Cast: $ 6,000

　　Organisation: Southern Cross Cultural Exchange

　　Experience: “I wanted to try something that was very different to Australia in culture. 1n Germany everything was different but I soon got settled. The family I was with were great and I really feel as though I have a second family. ”

　　* Name: Tom Jennings

　　Age: 21

　　Place: Conflans, France, 1995.

　　Cast: $ 7,000

　　Organisation: Southern Cross Cultural Exchange

　　Experience: “There were times when it was difficult but I liked it, experiencing a different culture. You just have to play each situation as it comes. If there is one thing you learn when you are on a student-ex-change program it is how to take care of yourself.”

　　* Name: Linda Marks

　　Age: 19

　　Place: Chonburi Province, Thailand, 1994.

　　Cost: $ 3,500

　　Organisation: Rotary International

　　Experience: “It's like a roller-coaster ride, there are lots of ups and downs, but you always come back for more. I had a few problems but there was always someone to turn to and that was great . ”

1．The students who refer to both the good time and the bad time include ________.

[　　]

A．Susan Lane and Sara Small

B．Linda Marks and David Links

C．Tom Jennings and Linda Marks

D．Learns Smythe and Tom Jennings

2．The writing above would probably be ________.

[　　]

A．the records of students' activities

B．the foreign students' name cards

C．the notice about a visit to foreign countries

D．the advertisement from an international travel service

3．The student who valued learning another language is ________.

[　　]

4．How many students mention the culture difference they have experienced?

[　　]

阅读理解

　　We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.

　　Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity (机会) and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed—no examination is perfect—but to have no external(外部的) tests or exams would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in external examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency(实力) , the ideal and the purpose of each teacher.

　　Without external examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them—a form of favoritism (偏袒)will replace equality. At the moment, the bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates(证书) to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of a certificate shows the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school. This defence of excellence and opportunity would disappear if external examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school's fame , unable to compete for employment with the child from the favoured school.

　　The opponents(反对者) of the examination system suggest that examinations am an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by sane computer.

　　These people are not just against school organization, but are at war with the whole idea of modem competitive society and they are using children in schools for their destructive(破坏性的) purposes. There is no reason why we should allow such people to determine the way our schools are organised when it is to the obvious disadvantage of the pupils, of the schools and of our society as a whole.

1．According to the passage, the writer thinks that ________.

[　　]

A．changing the standards could mean the end of equality

B．standards must keep changing to achieve equality

C．there would be no standards without external exams

D．we cannot have standards as examinations are not perfect

2．In the writer's opinion, what would happen if external examinations were taken away?

[　　]

A．There would be no more opportunities and no more excellence.

B．Children from poor families would not be able to change schools.

C．Going to a favoured school should be the only way to get a good job.

D．Schools for bright children would lose their fame.

3．The situation at the moment is that ________.

[　　]

A．many children who are suitable for a job have no proof of their suitability

B．a school's fame is not important, as long as a child has a certificate

C．children attending well-respected schools need not get certificates

D．a bright child doesn't need a certificate at all to get a good job

4．Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

[　　]

A．Most students from poor families can't get a good job.

B．Some people are using students to destroy our society.

C．The writer thinks it a good way to choose a job by computer.

D．The opponents of the examination want to reorganize schools.

5．The opponents would agree that ________.

[　　]

A．computers should be selected to take over many jobs

B．particular people should not be chosen for particular jobs

C．well-respected schools should be got rid of as soon as possible

D．the students are not equally treated if they take external examinations

阅读理解

　　With the world becoming smaller, marry young people make the decision to study in foreign universities. Anyone who can study abroad is fortunate; but, of course, it is not easy to make the transmition(过渡) from one culture to another. Foreigners experience different degrees of culture shock. The following suggestions have been found useful in fighting culture shock.

　　1)Keep busy. Get to know the area where you live, say hello to a neighbor in your building, and perhaps start a friendship.

　　2)Become friendly with classmates.

　　3)Do something you enjoy. Phone your family and write a letter to a friend.

　　4)Forget your English is less than perfect and feel free to ask people for information.

　　5) Be flexible(易适应的) . Laugh at the mistake you make; they are usually not serious. Flexibility and a positive attitude are important in making the transition successful and a sense of humor is a big help.

1．Which of the statements is true according to the author?

[　　]

A．Phoning family and writing to friends will make international students even more homesick.

B．Culture shock affects all foreigners in the same way.

C．A sense of humor is helpful in fighting culture shock.

D．Making friends with the natives is not necessary.

2．The main idea of the passage is that ________.

[　　]

A．culture shock can be overcome by getting to know your neighbor very well

B．many international students don't like foreign Food

C．many international students are affected by culture shock, and it can be overcome

D．culture shock is a pleasant experience

阅读理解

　　Take care about those who use the truth to deceive. When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can make a false impression. For example, someone might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery. It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”

　　This guy is a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discovered that he bought two hundred tickets, and only one was a winner. He is really a big loser! He didn't say anything that was false , but he intentionally left out important information. That's called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest. Untrustworthy candidates (候选人) in political campaigns often use this trick. Let's see that during Governor Smith's last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term One of her opponents (对手) runs an ad saying, “During Governor Smith's term, the state lost one million jobs! ” That's tore . However an honest statement would have been, “ During Governor Smith's tern, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”

　　Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It's against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth . An ad might boast (吹嘘), “Nine out of ten doctors recommend Yucky Pills to cure nose pimples. ”It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Corporation. This kind of trick happens too often. It's a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.

1．Which of the statements is true according to the article?

[　　]

A．All advertisements are lies.

B．You can't trust anyone who tells the truth.

C．The truth can be used in dishonest ways.

D．Whenever people tell the truth, they are really lying.

2．What does the underlined word“deceive” probably mean?

[　　]