阅读理解

　　Metals usually occur (发生,出现) in nature as minerals(矿石). At present, about 80 different metals are known to man. But with so many metals to choose from the question arises: which metal shall we use? Is there any metal that is “best for everything”? Of course not. For example, iron is strong but it rusts easily, while gold, one of the first metals found by man, does not rust at all. Should we use gold, therefore, to build fences? Imagine the cost of a fence made of gold! It’s important to consider the cost and the supply (提供)of a metal. Also, when we choose a metal for a certain job, we examine its physical properties. Is it strong enough to be used as a support for a bridge? Can it he used in a telephone to conduct (传导) electncity? Is it light enough to be used in an air plane wing? Can it he drawn out to make a fine wire? We also examine its chemical properties. Will it resist acid (酸) ? Is it too active to use? Is it easy to combine [ (使)结合] with other elements? Each use must be studied carefully. Then we can choose the right kind of metal, or combinations(结合)of metals.

　　The metals used for constructing buildings, cars, planes and ships must he strong and easy to form by casing, machining, and cutting. These metals are called structural(生锈)metals. The two most important structural (结构的) metals are iron (steel) and aluminum. Aluminum, which is much lighter than iron, has made possible the modem aviation (航空) industry.

　　Very few of the metal things we use in industry and every day life are made of a single pure metal. Most of them are combinations of metals called alloys (合金). Alloys are formed when two or more metals are melted together and allowed to cool and harden. It has been known for a long time that when some metals are combined in this way, the alloy takes on new physical properties (性质). The use of alloy makes it possible to manufacture (制造) many articles which must have special properties. Nowadays, if an inventor cannot find a metal that suits his purpose, he tries to have a new alloy made that will. The search for new alloys is going on all the time.

1．Metals are usually ________.

[　　]

A．best for everything

B．made use of in daily life in pure forms

C．found in nature as minerals

D．in the same quality

2．________ According to the text, uses of metals depend on their ________.

[　　]

3．The properties most important to a structural are its ________.

[　　]

A．lightness and activity

B．electric conductivity and heat conductivity

C．strength and easiness of shaping

D．resistance to acids and capability of being bent

4．A combination of two or more metals is called ________.

[　　]

5．The characteristic of alloy is ________.

[　　]

A．new chemical properties

B．new physical properties

C．special ways of formation

D．rarity

阅读理解

　　Meteorites (陨石) are lumps of rock and iron that hit Earth from outer space. Some of them are almost solid iron. We don’t know for sure, but the first iron that men used for tools and weapons might have come from meteorites. Iron is much heavier than most rooks. Early man would have noticed this.

　　It is thought that the centre of Earth is almost all iron, like the meteorites. But iron found on Earth’s surface is mixed with other things. Rock with lots of iron in it is called iron ore (铁矿石).

　　Iron ore is found in many places on Earth. There is much of it in Canada, but there’s a lot more of it in the United States—near Lake Superior (苏比利尔湖). Ships carry iron ore across Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes to steel mills in such cities as Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Detroit.

　　Steel is iron that has something called carbon in it. The carbon helps make the steel very hard. At first, steel was made by hammering heated iron on an anvil (铁砧) with a little carbon dust. Then a hundred years ago, Henry Bessemer in England and William Kelly in America discovered a better way of making steel. They made it in a big container called a crucible (坩埚). They loaded the crucible with hot melted iron and carbon and had air blown through it from the bottom. A few years later a still better way of making steel was discovered. It was called the open-hearth method (平炉炼钢法). And a lot of steel is still made in this way.

　　For making certain special kinds of steel, where the heat and the chemicals must be measured very carefully, an electric furnace is used. Recently, still another way of making steel was discovered. This is really an improvement on the openhearth way. Oxygen gas is blown into the hot melted iron at the top of the giant furnace.

　　Most steel is carbon steel. This is the kind of steel that is used in making such things as bridges, automobiles, boilers, ships, and railroad tracks.

1．Which of the following statements would the author be able to agree?

[　　]

A．We know for sure that the first iron used comes from me teorites.

B．It is doubtful that the first iron used comes from meteorites.

C．It seems likely that the first iron used comes from meteorites.

D．We have no idea that the first iron used comes from meteorites.

2．Iron on earth’s surface exists in ________.

[　　]

3．The best way of steel making mentioned in the passage is ________.

[　　]

A．by hammering heated iron on anvil with carbon dust

B．by loading a crucible with hot melted iron and carbon and having air blown through it from the bottom

C．the open-hearth mehod

D．the top-blown oxygen method

4．An electric furnace is needed for making a special kind of steel because ________.

[　　]

A．it is easy to operate

B．it meets the requirements of careful measurement of its heat and chemicals

C．it is an improvement on the open-hearth way

D．it can improve the quality of ordinary steel materials

5．According to this passage, by adding carbon to the melted iron, one can make steel ________.

[　　]

A．very springy or magnetic

B．rust resistive

C．very strong

D．Both A and B

阅读理解

　　Some radio signals are reflected when they meet solid objects; for example, television signals are reflected when they meet walls and houses, or when they meet an aircraft in the sky. The picture is not clear when the signals are reflected like this. When a plane is flying near the house, the picture on the television screen sometimes dances about in a very troublesome (讨厌的) way.

　　These reflections, which led Watt to the science of radar, are now used a great deal. Radar instruments (仪器) can show the direction and the distance of aircraft. The signals are reflected only when the instrument points at the aircraft; this shows the direction. How do we find the distance?

　　Electromagnetic (电磁的) waves travel at a speed of 186, 300 miles per second. We know when the signal is sent out; we notice when it comes back. The signal takes a small fraction (小部分) of a second to go and return, but this time is known. So we know the distance from the ground to the plane.

　　Radar is very important to ships on the sea. In most big ships, a radar instrument is always watching the sea on all sides. It transmits (发射) a beam [(光线的)束] of radar waves and turns round all the time. If any other ship reflects the signal, a white spot is shown on a screen on board.

　　Big aircraft also use radar. The instrument finds other aircraft in the sky. A man’s eye is not good enough to do this because it cannot see far enough, but the radar beam can see for many miles.

　　A big plane flies at about 600 miles per hour, which is ten miles per minute. If two jet planes are flying towards each other, they are twenty miles nearer together after a minute has passed. This is dangerous unless the pilots know the facts and the radar instruments show them the facts.

1．What is necessary for the reflection of a radio signal is the ________ of an object.

[　　]

2．It can be inferred that Watt got the idea of his invention of radar from ________.

[　　]

A．the science of radar

B．shooting stars

C．the reflection of a radio signal

D．none of these

3．By the use of radar we can know ________.

[　　]

A．the distance of a solid object far away

B．everything we want to see

C．the direction of a far-away object

D．Both A and C.

4．The speed of electromagnetic waves is ________.

[　　]

A．600 miles per second

B．more than 180 thousand miles per second

C．about 18 thousand miles per second

D．none of the above

5．When a radar instrumant spots something, we can see, according to the author, ________ on its screen.

[　　]

A．some electromagnetic waves

B．a beam of light

C．a white spot

D．some numbers

阅读理解

　　Tom, a 13-year-old boy, was a student at a junior high school in Ohio. He was not a good student. He did not behave well at school. He talked in class, and he was often late. His teachers told him, “Go to the principal’s office.”

　　John Lazares was the principal at Tom’s school. Tom went to Mr. Lazares’s office. First Mr. Lazares disciplined (训导，惩罚) Tom. He told him, “You have to stay at school an extra hour tomorrow.” Then Mr. Lazares tried to talk to Tom. Tom didn’t pay much attention. “He’ll be hack in my office soon,” Mr. Lazares thought. He told Tom, ”If your teachers send you to my office again, I’m going to call your mother. I’m going to say,“The teachers are having problems with your son. Please come to school. I want you to go to classes with him.”

　　Suddenly Tom sat up in his chair. “Oh, no!” he said.“Don’t do that! I don’t want my mother at school ! I’ll be good. I promise.”

　　Later, Mr. Lazares thought about Tom’s words: “I don’t want my mother at school.” “Hmm,” Mr. Lazares thought. “Maybe I have a new way to discipline students.”

　　A few days later, another boy was in Mr. Lazares’s office. The boy was not behaving well in class. Mr. Lazares telephoned the boy’s parents.“If you come to school with your son, I won’t suspend (使停课) him,” he said. The boy’s father came to school and went with his son to every class. Other students stared at the boy and his father. The boy was embarrassed (使困窘). After that, he behaved better. He didn’t want his father to come to school again. Other students behaved better, too. They thought,“I don’t want my parents to come to school!”

　　That year about 60 parents came to school with children who didn’t behave well. The next year only a few parents had to come to school. The students were behaving better.

1．When the Principal tried to talk to Tom, Tom was ________.

[　　]

2．When the Principal told Tom that his mother would be invited to the classes with him, he was ________.

[　　]

3．When another boy’s father went to classes with him, the boy was ________.

[　　]

4．The effect of the Principle’s new way to discipline students is ________.

[　　]

A．more and more students were sent to the principal’s office

B．more and more students were sent to the school by their parents

C．more and more parents came to the school to attend the class together with their children

D．more and more students conducted themselves better

5．From the passage we can infer that ________.

[　　]

A．Tom likes to have his mother attend the class together with him

B．almost all the students don’t want their parents to go to school with them

C．the parents are more capable than the teachers on disciplining the students

D．the Principal pass the school’s responsibility to the parents

阅读理解

　　Before any period of exercise it is well worth spending two or three minutes warming up with a series of simple stretching exercise. This not only helps your joints (关节) to move easily but also prepares all your muscle groups for more energetic activity. It is rather like a cat stretching itself before it springs into action. Here are four movements to do in an easy and unhurried way, gently stretching each action without forcing it. Repeat each movement ten times, breathing normally througouht.

　　Ⅰ．Standing with your feet apart, push both arms out straight in front of you, fingertips touching. Raise them above your head, then down to the sides pushing each arm backwards at the same time.

　　Ⅱ．Standing with your feet apart, and hands on hips (臀部). Tip your head back and look straight up to the ceiling. Roll your head round slowly to face. the right, then the floor, then the left, and finally up at the ceiling again. Repeat in the other direction.

　　Ⅲ．Standing with your feet apart and hands on your sides, learn first to the right and then to the left, sliding the handdown the side of the leg.

　　Ⅳ．Standing feet apart and arms out straight in front, with your eyes fixed on your right hands, as far as it will go. Return it to the front and repeat with the left arm.

I. How should these exercise be carried out?

[　　]

A．With pauses, taking 10 breaths between each one.

B．Continuously for two or three minutes.

C．Steadily and slowly, breathing calmly.

D．As energetically as possible.

2．The first set of pictures show you how to do exercise ________.

[　　]

3．Doing exercise Ⅱ mainly trains the joints of your ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　The first mammals (哺乳动物) appeared about 150,000,000 years ago, but the evolution (进化) of the main kinds found today has chiefly happened in the last 70,000,000 years. Some of the early mammals rather like the tarsiers (跗猴) of the East Indies today, are believed to have lived in trees and so become good at using their hands and eyes, and their brains developed rapidly. Some became the first monkeys. The others, perhaps, evolved (进化) directly into the first apes (猿) , creatures with brains, keen eyes, and skillful hands. Now fossils (化石) are being found which seem to link these first apes with the most primitive (远古的) human fossils: the “near man”who lived less than 1,000,000 years ago. Human beings are certainly not descended (遗传) from apes such as the chimpanzee (黑猩猩)or gorilla (大猩猩), but scientists believe that these apes and people had ancestors (祖先) in common, which would be described as apes if they still existed.

　　That evolution which has happened is something few scientists can doubt. How it has happened is something that still is discussed. Most biologists now believe that Charles Darwin got very near the truth in his theory of evolution by natural selection. He pointed out that living things vary. They differ in speed, in strength, in all sorts of small ways, and many of these differences are inherited (遗传而得), that is, they are passed on to later generations. He also pointed out that an intense (剧烈) struggle for existence is always going on. In this struggle it is the fittest that survive and the fittest are those that are best adapted (使适应) to the life they lead. So creatures which possess variations (变异) that favour survival live and reproduce their kind and those which do not have these variations die out. In this way the favourable variations will, according to Darwin, gradually appear in all those animals.

　　Darwin first thought of this theory in about 1840, but he went on patiently collecting evidence for nearly twenty years.

1．The apes are good at using hands and eyes because ________.

[　　]

A．they and the human beings had ancestors in common

B．their ancestor were tarsiers

C．they lived on the trees

D．they were the “near man”

2．The ancestor of man is ________.

[　　]

3．Now fossils are being found which seem to link the first apes with ________.

[　　]

4．As for the evolution,________.

[　　]

A．many scientists know how it happened

B．few scientists doubt it

C．it was discovered by Charles Darwin

D．it only happened to human beings

5．Which of the following statements is NOT the essence of Darwin’s theory of evolution?

[　　]

A．Living things vary.

B．The differences between living things are inherited.

C．Living things are in intense struggle with each other.

D．The fittest survive.

阅读理解

　　When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying, “We have to go to work now.” You’re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work”they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

　　Stage schools often act as agencies (代理机构) to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

　　A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children would not settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

　　Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

　　The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don’t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

1．People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they’re talking to ________.

[　　]

A．attend a stage school

B．are going to the theatre

C．have got some work to do

D．love singing and dancing

2．In the writer’s opinion, a good stage school should ________.

[　　]

A．produce star performers

B．help pupils improve their study skills

C．train pupils in language and performing arts

D．provide a general education and stage training

3．Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

[　　]

A．He thinks highly of what they have to offer.

B．He favors an early start in the training of performing arts.

C．He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

D．He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

阅读理解

　　The following account is taken from a newspaper several years ago.

　　Are American youngsters as physically fit as the Russian youngsters? No, says the President’s council (委员会) on Physical Fitness and Sports. To prove it, the council has arranged for 20 000 Americans to take a fitness test given yearly in Russian schools; in exchange, the Russian Committee on Physical Culture and Sport will try the council’s test on an equal number of Russian youth. The experiment started earlier this month in Sgunde, California, where 250 students aged seven to seventeen sweated (流汗) through the Russian test.

　　Fitness Council Chairman George Alien expects that Americans will look bad compared with Russian students, who exercise an hour daily. He hopes the test will make the U. S. put physical education hack in the school system, an hour a day, five days a week.

1．Which of the following statements is correct?

[　　]

A．The American youth were as physically fit as the Russian youngsters.

B．The U. S. government arranged for a number of American students to take a fitness test in Russian schools.

C．The Russian students were given a fitness test every year.

D．The Russian students were less healthy than the American youngster.

2．Which of the following is right?

[　　]

A．The U. S. government will ask the students to do more exercise.

B．At that time the Russian did better in physical culture than U. S.

C．The conclusion that the American officials drew is not reasonable.

D．Now physical culture in Russia is far better than the U. S.

3．The Russian test was ________.

[　　]

A．easy for American students to get through

B．interesting and exciting

C．especially designed for American students

D．not easy enough for American students to get through

阅读理解

　　Monday, the second day of the week, means literally “day of the moon”. Here in Britain, it’s generally the least popular of days because for most people it means to return to school or work after the weekend break. Often this prospect is viewed with a lack of enthusiasm, a sad feeling that’s sometimes referred to as“Monday morning blues.”

　　Sometimes the blues may be caused by too much weekend drinking; and formerly if workmen over-indulged needed Monday as holiday, this was humorously known as “Keeping ST. Monday”, as Monday was hoped to be a saint’s day to be observed. Some one who can’t afford to keep ST. Monday is the housewife, for traditionally Monday was—and to some extent is棥—wash day”, the proper day for doing the laundry.

　　However, the day is not all blues and work. It has some redeeming features—that is, if you can believe folk rhymes, it’s a good day on which to be ham. “Monday’s child is fair a face,” says one traditional rhyme, while another promised optimistically that if you get married on Monday, you will be wealthy.

1．How do you understand “Monday morning blues”?

[　　]

A．It’s poplar because people can return to work.

B．It’s popular as a saint’s day.

C．People feel sad because they had to return to work and studies after weekend break.

D．People feel enthusiastic after too much weekend drinking.

2．Monday is enjoyable to the following people except ________.

[　　]

A．housewives

B．people who set their weddings on

C．women to give birth to their babies

D．workmen who get drunk and want a day off

阅读理解

　　The following true story captured our heart. It happened several years ago in the Pairs opera house. A famous singer had been contradicted to sing and ticket sales were booming. In fact, the night of the concert found the house packed and every ticket sold. The feeling of anticipation and excitement was in the air as the house manager took the stage and said, “ Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your enthusiastic support. I am afraid that due to illness, the man whom you’ve all come to hear will not be performing, tonight. However, we have found a suitable substitute, we hope will provide you with comparable entertainment.” The crowd groaned in disappointment and failed to hear the announcer mention the stand-in’s name. The environment turned from excitement to frustration.

　　The stand-in performer gave the performance everything he had. When he had finished, there was nothing but an uncomfortable silence. No one applauded. Suddenly, from the balcony, a little boy stood up and shouted, “Daddy, I think you are wonderful!” The crowd broke into thunderous applause.

　　We all need people in our lives who are willing to stand up once in a while and say, “I think you are wonderful.”

1．Which is not the right meaning of the word “stand-in”?

[　　]

A．It refers to the boy’s father in the story.

B．It refers to the person who generally sings at the back of the stage.

C．It refers to the man who took the place of the famous singer in our story.

D．It refers to the singer who couldn’t quite satisfy the crowd in the story.

2．Which title do you think is the most suitable for the story?

[　　]

A．My Lovely Daddy

B．A Disappointed Concert

C．A Stand-in in Frustration

D．You’re Wonderful