阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert,seeking a million in prize money．To win,they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours．Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all,because these vehicles were missing a key part-drivers．

　　DARPA,the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields．But the Grand Challenge,as it was called,just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance．One had its brake lock up in the starting area．Another began by throwing itself onto a wall．Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles．

　　One turned upside down．One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote（远距离的）control．One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence;another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock．The “winner．”if there was any,reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long,narrow hole,and the front wheels caught on fire．

　　“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things．”says Reinhold Behringer,who helped design two of the car-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics．“Even ants（蚂蚁）can do all these tasks effortlessly．It's very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines．”

　　The robotic vehicles,though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance,had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately．Sure,that very young child,who has just only learned to walk,may not think to wipe apple juice off her face,but she already knows that when there's a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table,and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good．She is more advanced,even months old,than any machine humans have designed．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　Goods must be of proper quality,must be as described on the package and must be fit for any particular purpose made known by the seller．Those three rules used for the goods you buy can also be used for the goods you get on hire,or for the goods you get as part of a service．

　　There are also rules which deal with the standard of services you get — from,say,travel agents,shoe repairers,hairdressers and builders．These tell you what you should expect from any service you pay for．

　　A person providing a service must do so:

　　— With reasonable care and skill．You should expect a proper standard of workmanship（工艺）．A new house should have straight walls and the roof must not leak．

　　— Within a reasonable time．A shop should not take three months to repair your TV．You can always agree upon a completion time with the supplier of the service．

　　You,the customer,must pay:

　　— A reasonable charge for a service,where no price has been fixed in advance．A trader can not expect a large payment for a small job．

(1)

(2)

(3)

阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　At one time no one could travel on an English road faster than four miles an hour．That was the law until 1896．A man had to walk in front of a car which could not go faster than the man．At night the man had to carry a red lamp．

　　Once Charles Rolls brought a car from France to England,But he wanted to drive faster than four miles an hour．In order to have no trouble with the police,he had a talk with some of the police officers,who ordered their policemen to look the other way when the car came along the road．This was a good plan in the country,but not so easy to follow in the busy streets of London．

　　One night Rolls and some friends started from London on their journey to Cambridge．One of the men walked in front with the red lamp,but he walked as fast as he could．The police became very interested in walls and shop-fronts when they heard the car,and not one of them saw it．

　　They reached a hill;but what a waste of time it was to drive down the hill at four miles an hour!Rolls was getting ready to jump into the car;but then he noticed a policeman who was not looking the other way．The slow car reached him．

　　“Good evening,”said the policeman,looking at the car．

　　“Good evening,”said Rolls,holding the lamp．

　　“One of these horseless things,”said the policeman,looking at it with interest．

　　“Yes,”said Rolls,and waited．

　　“I've often wanted a ride in one;but of course policemen can't buy things like that．”He turned and looked hopefully in Rolls's face．

　　“Jump in,”said Rolls．

　　“Thanks,”said the policeman,and did so．“Now,”he said,sitting down,“you can let it go just as you like down this hill．There isn't another policeman on this road for a mile and a half．”

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　Have you ever wondered why birds sing?Maybe you thought that they were just happy．After all,you probably sing or whistle when you are happy．

　　Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy．However,they sing most of the time for a very different reason．Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory．

　　Do you know what a“territory”is?A territory is an area that an animal,usually the male,claims（声称）as its own．Only he and his family are welcome there．No other families of the same species（物种）are welcome．Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome．If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you,you might shout．Probably this would be enough to frighten him away．

　　If so,you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him．A bird does the same thing．But he expects an outsider almost any time,especially at nesting（筑巢）season．So he is screaming all the time,whether he can see an outsider or not，This screaming is what we call a bird's song,and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away．

　　Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs．

　　You can see that birds have a language all their own．Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　A couple of months ago I got an email from the JC Penney department store in the US trying to persuade people to buy the chain's new super shirt— a men's dress shirt made of“functional（功能的）material”that didn't simply prevent wrinkles（皱）,it also helped get rid of sweat and controlled smell．

　　The writer of the message declared that the big trend（趋势）in men's wear today was“performance”．Really?Men surely think about performance in all kinds of ways,but do they really connect it with their clothing?

　　So I was already wondering about materials when I got a shirt years ago that was said to have similar functions．I must say,I had a lot of fun pouring all kinds of things on this shirt to mess it up,but without success．

　　I have since found out that even wilder,more wonderful functions are on the edge of showing up,shoes with silver molecules to get rid of bad smell,clothing and curtains with a pleasant smell that can last years．

　　At JC Penney,the company's newly-developed trousers with special functions cost more than its regular ones but became the to,selling trousers as soon as they were introduced 18 months ago,said Tami Wolfe,director of product development of JC Penney．

　　“We're going to see this all over the place— not only in materials,but also in car applications（应用）,carpet applications,”said Ingrid Johnson,a professor of textile（纺织）development and marketing for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York．She foresees widespread consumer acceptance and demand．

　　“Somebody throws a glass of wine on you and it just rolls off-that's very,very easy to see and to understand,”she said．

　　Already,she said,the costs of using such technology are coming down because its application is growing．Right now much of the performance clothing is aimed at men's dress shirts,suits and underwear．And there's a reason:Men not only want something that looks all right,they are drawn to clothes that are easy to care for．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　WASHINGTON— After years working in financial and real estate management,61-year-old Bill Copeland retired to his version of the American dream-not full-time rest but a less-taxing job．

　　He's hardly alone．Close to two-thirds of Americans who have not yet retired say that when the time comes they will work for pay after retiring．The reason given most often has nothing to do with money-they simply want to stay busy．

　　For Copeland,after years of 60-and 80-hour work weeks,that means“only”40 hours a week at a job selling power tools and advising people on how to use them．

　　“I'm doing something I want to do,that I know about and I can help people,”said Copeland,who works in Falls Church,Virginia,at a Home Depot,a company that makes a special effort to attract older workers．

　　The political debate on the future of Social Security has fixed fresh attention on retirement and how older Americans make ends meet．As they live longer,healthier lives,work is a choice for an increasing number of old Americans．

　　In a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll,63 percent of those who have not retired said they thought they would work for pay after they retired．The reason given most often was“to stay busy,”followed by“to make ends meet”and“to have enough money for extras．”

　　People find various ways to stay in the work force-working past retirement age,cutting back to part-time,or retiring and then taking a new job— often with less stress（压力）,fewer hours and less money．For many people,retirement is not an event but a process（过程）．

　　Dernnis Bardy,a 47-year-old teacher,shares the same view with many who plan to keep working．

　　“It would be nice to have a little bit of extra money,”he said,adding,“I also want to stay active．Too many times,you see people who retire just seeming to fade away．”

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　At a three-hour hearing（意见听取会）on testing,Eva S．Moskowitz,chairwoman of the New York City Council's Education Department,said she found it troubling that under the present system,a general education student would be required to take 21 citywide and statewide tests from kindergarteno through 12th grade．She found fault with the high price charged by the companics that make the tests．She also objected to teachers' being out of the classroom for days at a time to grade the exams．

　　But she seemed most dissatisfied with what she called the test scores' slow return．She gave an example:Results for students in grades 3,5,6 and 7 who take the citywide English language arts exam in the spring at a cost of $ 1.2 million to the city will not be sent to schools until June,once the school year is over．

　　Ms．Mei,the city's senior instructional manager for testing,said that schools use a number of tests,not jhst the citywide and statewide tests,to find out how students are getting on with their studies so that proper instructions can be offered．And she said the formal tests are valuable in helping decide which students will be invited to summer school,and for instructional purposes in the next school year．

　　Ms．Moskowitz pressed Ms．Mei on the quarterly diagnostic（诊断性的）tests．Those scores are not mailed home to parents,although Ms．Mei said they could be found out on line．Ms．Moskowitz said she strongly believed parents should be able to know those scores without having to use the Internet．In answer to this,Ms．Mei said that the results had been delivered to the schools in computerized form since October,and were there for any parent who asked．

　　Toward the end of the heating,to further support her central point,Ms．Moskowitz told Ms．Met,“If we're giving these tests without changing educational practices,we're spitting in the wind．”

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　Recently,two professors of the University of Nebraska made a weekly television programme in which they discussed worthwhile books．Even primary school graduates watched,listened and learned．Therefore,it is not true that ETV has not been taught in the United States．I doubt the statement that“programmes which inform and enrich the mind in a general manner are wasted in schools”．There is a need to teach directly by television if we take teaching in the broad sense of the term．

　　Direct teaching by television has been explained as a series（系列）of television lessons directly related to a particular classroom textbook to satisfy the needs of pupils and teachers in a particular subject．Each lesson will be prepared by a teacher-specialist who also knows television production techniques and uses the modern technology in a television studio to put across his subject．

　　Will such TV lessons do without the services of a classroom teacher or will they cost him his reputation（名誉）or job?No!In fact,without the classroom teacher to review the material,enlarge on it and answer questions that the students may bring up,such TV lessons would not be of very great value．

　　The children who watch ETV do so with different resuits-from very good to fair．Possibly the programs are too similar or too serious．Generally,they are not too long．Very likely,the children who benefit least are the slow learners．However,it is believed that there is a bright future for ETV inside and outside the classroom．The time may come when bigger and clearer screens will be used in the classroom,bigger and better programs will be exchanged between countries and more foreign experts will be brought in,listened to and followed by newcomers in the ETV field．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　The film starts out as a normal day at a typical American high school．Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football．

　　But there's a big surprise when the movie ends with two students going crazy in the school — shooting and killing people．

　　This is Elephant．Filmed in just 20 days,it stars real school kids．American director Gus Van Sant had no readymade lines．The student actors made up their own dialogue．Van Sant asked them to base their characters on their own lives．

　　Although it may not sound very high quality,the film won the Palmed．Or（金棕榈奖）for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes film festival in France on May 25．

　　The film is based on the shooting at a high school in the US,where two boys killed 13 people and then themselves in 1999．

　　The title of the movie refers to the old expression about a problem that's as hard to ignore（忽视）as an elephant in the house．

　　The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims and the killers．It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone— fun and friendly,or hard and lonely．

　　In many ways,the two boys,who carry out the shooting,act like ordinary kids,they joke around with one boy's mother as she serves them cakes and play the piano．

　　But,there are hints of the anger they feel inside．One of the boys is bullied at school．The other plays violent video games．But Van Sant isn't blaming their killings on either bullying or violent games．In fact,the film doesn't offer any reason why school violence happens．

　　“I didn't want to explain anything．lt's up to the audience to draw its own conclusion,”said the 51-year-old director．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　Since many of you are planning to study at a college or university in this country,you may be curious to know what you usually do in a typical week,how you can get along with your fellow students,and so on．These are the questions I want to discuss with you today．

　　First,let's talk about what your weekly schedule will took like．No matter what your major may be,you can expect to spend between four and six hours a week for each class attending lectures．Lectures are usually in Very large rooms because some courses such as introduction to sociology or economics often have as many as two or three hundred students,especially at large universities．In lectures,it's very important for you to take note on what the professor says because the information in a lecture is often different from the information in your textbooks．Also,you can expect to have exam questions based on the lectures．So it isn't enough to just read your textbooks;you have to attend lectures as well．In a typical week you will also have a couple of hours of discussion for every class you take．The discussion section is a small group meeting usually with fewer than thirty students where you can ask questions about the lecture,the reading,and the homework．In large universities,graduate students,called teaching assistants,usually direct discussion sections．

　　If your major is chemistry,or physics,or another science,you'll also have to spend several hours a week in the lab,or laboratory,doing experiments．This means that science majors spend more time in the classroom than non-science majors do．On the other hand,people who major in subjects like literature or history usually have to read and write more than science majors do．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)