In my family, it was always important to place blame when anything bad happened.

“Who did this?” my mother would scream about a dirty kitchen.

“This is all your fault, Katharine, ”my father would insist when the cat got out or the dishwasher broke.

From the time we were little, my sister, brothers and I told on each other. We set a place for blame at the dinner table.

But the Whites didn’t worry about who had done what. They picked up the pieces and moved on with their lives. The beauty of this was driven home to me the summer Jane died.

In July, the White sisters and I decided to take a car trip from their home in Florida to New York. The two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, were college students, and the youngest, Amy, had recently turned sixteen. Proud of having a new driver's license（驾照），Amy was excited about practicing her driving on the trip. She showed off her license to everyone she met.

The big sisters shared the driving of Sarah’s new car during the first part of the trip, but when they reached less crowded areas, they let Amy take over. Somewhere in South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to eat. After lunch, Amy got behind the wheel. She came to a crossroads with a stop sign. Whether she was nervous or just didn’t see the sign no one would ever know, but Amy continued into the crossroads without stopping. The driver of a large truck, unable to stop in time, ran into our car.

Jane was killed immediately.

I was slightly injured. The most difficult thing that I’ve ever done was to call the Whites to tell them about the accident and that Jane had died. Painful as it was for me to lose a good friend, I knew that it was far worse for them to lose a child.

When Mr. and Mrs. White arrived at the hospital, they found their two daughters sharing a room. Sarah had a few cuts on the head; Amy’s leg was broken. They hugged us all and cried tears of sadness and of joy at seeing their daughters. They wiped away the girls' tears and made a few jokes at Amy as she learned to use her crutches（拐杖）.

To both of their daughters, and especially to Amy, over and over they simply said, “We’re so glad that you’re alive.”

I was astonished. No blame. No accusations.

Later, I asked the Whites why they never talked about the fact that Amy was driving and had run a stop sign.

Mrs. White said, “Jane’s gone, and we miss her terribly. Nothing we say or do will ever bring her back. But Amy has her whole life ahead of her. How can she lead a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister's death?”

They were right. Amy graduated from the University of California and got married several years ago. She works as a teacher of learning-disabled students. She’s also a mother of two little girls of her own, the oldest named Jane.

1. The author of the passage is ________________.

A. Mrs. White’s niece

B. Jane’s school friend

C. the Whites’ cousin

D. Sarah’s friend from college

2. How did the author’s parents differ from the Whites?

A. The author’s parents were less caring.

B. The author’s parents were less loving.

C. The author’s parents were less friendly.

D. The author’s parents were less understanding.

3. How did the accident happen?

A. Amy didn’t stop at a crossroads and a truck hit their car.

B. Amy didn’t know what to do when she saw the stop sign.

C. Amy didn’t slow down so their car ran into a truck.

D. Amy didn’t get off the highway at a crossroads.

4. The accident took place in ________________.

A. Florida

B. California

C. South Carolina

D. New York

5. The Whites did not blame Amy for Jane’s death because ________________.

A. they didn’t want Amy to feel ashamed and sorry for the rest of her life

B. Amy was badly injured herself and they didn’t want to add to her pain

C. they didn’t want to blame their children in front of others

D. Amy was their youngest daughter and they loved her best

6. From the passage we can learn that ________________.

A. Amy has never recovered from the shock

B. Amy changed her job after the accident

C. Amy lost her memory after the accident

D. Amy has lived quite a normal life

In 1939, Butts happened to meet a man called Jim Brunot who showed an interest in the new game. The two men worked together on developing the game and in 1948 it was offered for sale in the United States under its new name—“Scrabble”.

At first, it didn’t sell very well. In the first year it sold just 2 250 sets and by 1951 it had only reached 8 500 sets a year.

Then, in 1952 the manager of Macy's department store in New York, Jack Strauss, happened to play “Scrabble” while he was on holiday. He thought it was a wonderful game and, when he went back to work after his holiday, he insisted that Macy's should stock（储备）the game and make an effort to call the public's attention to it.

As a result, “Scrabble” became a big success in the United States and it soon spread to Australia and then to other English-speaking countries.

1. The text is mainly about ________________.

A. “Lexico”　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. three men

C. a word game　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. Alfred Butts

2. Alfred Butts invented the game “Lexico”________________.

A. to make himself famous

B. to make spelling simpler

C. when he was out of work and looking for a job

D. when he was playing word games to pass the time

3. Who made “Scrabble” popular?

A. Alfred Butts.

B. Jack Strauss.

C. Alfred Butts and Jim Brunot.

D. Jack Strauss and Jim Brunot.

4. When did Alfred Butts first put his game on the market?

A. In 1939.

B. In 1948.

C. Before 1939.

D. Between 1939 and 1948.

“J. C. , ” he replied.

She thought he had said “Jesse”, and he had a new name.

Owens ran his first race at age 13. After high school, he went to Ohio State University. He had to work part time so as to pay for his education. As a second-year student, in the Big Ten games in 1935, he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a year later.

A week before the Big Ten meeting, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. His back hurt so much that he could not exercise all week, and he had to be helped in and out of the car that drove him to the meeting. He refused to listen to the suggestions that he gave up and said he would try, event by event. He did try, and the results are in the record book.

The stage was set for Owens’ victory at the Olympic Games in Berlin the next year, and his success would come to be regarded as not only athletic but also political. Hitler did not congratulate any of the African-American winners.

“It was all right with me, ” he said years later. “I didn’t go to Berlin to shake hands with him, anyway. ”

Having returned from Berlin, he received no telephone call from the president of his own country, either. In fact, he was not honored by the United States until 1976, four years before his death.

Owens’ Olympic victories made little difference to him. He earned his living by looking after a school playground, and accepted money to race against cars, trucks, motorcycles, and dogs.

“Sure, it bothered me, ” he said later. “But at least it was an honest living. I had to eat. ”

In time, however, his gold medals changed his life. “They have kept me alive over the years, ”he once said. “Time has stood still for me. That golden moment dies dead. ”

1. Owens got his other name “Jesse” when ________________.

A. he went to Ohio State University

B. his teacher made fun of him

C. his teacher took “J. C.” for “Jesse”

D. he won gold medals in the Big Ten meet

2. In the Big Ten meet, Owens ________________.

A. hurt himself in the back

B. succeeded in setting many records

C. tried every event but failed

D. had to give up some events

3. We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the US at that time because ________________.

A. he was not of the right race

B. he was the son of a poor farmer

C. he didn’t shake hands with Hitler

D. he didn’t talk to the US president on the phone

4. When Owens says “They have kept me alive over the years”, he means that the medals ________________.

A. have been changed for money to help him live on

B. have made him famous in the US

C. have encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life

D. have kept him busy with all kinds of jobs

5. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A. Jesse Owens, a Great American Athlete

B. Golden Moment—a Life-time Struggle

C. Making a Living as a Sportsman

D. How to Be a Successful Athlete?

While serving in the Massachusetts legislature（立法机关）, he signed a historic education bill that set up a state board of education. Without regret, he gave up his successful legal practice and political career to become the first secretary of the board. There he exercised an enormous influence during the critical period of reconstruction that brought into existence the American graded elementary school as a substitute for the older district school system. Under his leadership, the curriculum（课程）was restructured, the school year was increased to a minimum of six months, and mandatory schooling was extended to age sixteen. He was also instrumental（起作用的）in improving salaries for teachers and creating school libraries.

Mann’s ideas about school reform were developed and distributed in twelve annual reports to the state of Massachusetts that he wrote during his tenure（任期）as secretary of education. Considered quite radical at the time, the Massachusetts reforms later served as a model for the nation. Mann was recognized as the father of public education.

During his lifetime, Horace Mann worked tirelessly to extend educational opportunities to the children of poor laborers. In one of his last speeches he summed up his philosophy of education and life: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity. ”Surely, his own life was an example of that philosophy.

1. Which of the following titles would best express the main topic of the passage?

A. The Father of American Public Education

B. Philosophy of Education

C. The Massachusetts State Board of Education

D. Politics of Educational Institutions

2. Which of the following describes Horace Mann’s early life?

A. He attended school six months a year.

B. He supported his family after his father died.

C. He was an only child.

D. He had to study alone, without help.

3. Which of the following statements best represents Mann’s philosophy?

A. Think in new ways.

B. Help others.

C. Study as much as possible.

D. Work hard.

Grown-ups can hardly find children’s games exciting, and they often feel puzzled at why their kids play such simple games again and again. However, it is found that a child plays games for very important reasons. He can be a good player without having to think whether he is a popular person, and he can find himself being a useful partner to someone of whom he is ordinarily afraid. He becomes a leader when it comes to his turn. He can be confident, too, in particular games, that it is his place to give orders, to pretend to be dead, to throw a ball actually at someone, or to kiss someone he had caught.

It appears to us that when children play a game they imagine a situation under their control. Everyone knows the rules, and more importantly, everyone plays according to the rules. Those rules may be childish, but they make sure that every child has a chance to win.

1. What is true about children when they play games?

A. They can stop playing any time they like.

B. They can test their personal abilities.

C. They want to pick a better team.

D. They don’t need rules.

2. To become a leader in a game the child has to__________.

A. play well

B. wait for his turn

C. be confident in himself

D. be popular among his playmates

3. What do we know about grown-ups?

A. They are not interested in games.

B. They find children’s games too easy.

C. They don’t need a reason to play games.

D. They don’t understand children’s games.

4. Why does a child like playing games?

A. Because he can be someone other than himself.

B. Because he can become popular among friends.

C. Because he finds he is always lucky in games.

D. Because he likes the place where he plays a game.

5. The writer believes that__________.

A. children should make better rules for their games

B. children should invite grown-ups to play with them

C. children’ s games can do them a lot of good

D. children play games without reasons

    Other fighting skills were developed for defense against stronger enemies. One story goes that long ago some people of South India practiced a form of fighting that required more skill than strength. They made use of strength and the carelessおmovements of the enemies to defeat themお. In this way an expert with nothing in hand couldお easily defeat several enemies with spears in hand.

    It is said that this kind of fighting skill was first introduced to Shaolin Temple in Henan Province in China. After studying and copying the fighting movements of certain animals, these people in the temple made great improvement on the Indians’ skill. In each country some changes were made. As a result，there are now lots of different fighting skills and techniques like the Chinese Taiji Quan，the Japanese Judo(柔道)and many others.

    Today，the system of fighting bare—fisted in Asia has spread out over the world. Fortunately, only a few people，like members of the police force and the army，use this skill to fight their enemies when necessary. Most of these skills are now sports and people do themおjust for fun.

    1. Someone thought that wrestling and boxing were probably started in ancient　　　　  .

    A. China and India

    B. Greece and England，

    C. Rome and Greece

    D. England and China

2. The people of South India practiced a form of fighting that needed　　    .

    A. either skill or strength

    B. neither strength nor skill

    C. more skill than strength

    D. no strength or skill

3. The people of Shaolin Temple improved on the Indian way of fighting by　　   .

    A. learning from the Japanese judo

    B. copying the fighting movements of some animals

    C. adding the Chinese Taiji Quan

    D. practicing fighting with one another

4. Nowadays，most of the people learn the skills of fighting bare-fisted to　　 .

    A. build up physical strength and enjoy themselves

    B. fight with others

    C. defend against stronger enemies

    D. make fun of others

Sports teachers of other countries liked De Coubertin’s ideas. So in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens (雅典)，Greece. Since then the Olympics have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars.

The modern games have many foot races and field sports programmes. The longest race in the games is called marathon.

Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch(火炬)through many nations towards the stadium(运动场)where the games will be held. These sportsmen are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner. When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special(专门的)basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin.

The Olympic flame(火焰)burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace.

1. Before 1896 French schools didn’t teach__________.

A. math　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. history

C. sports　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. physics

2. De Coubertin__________.

A. was the first man to start the Olympic Games

B. helped start the modern Olympic Games

C. believed that sports were less important than studies

D. failed to begin the modern Olympic Games

3. According to this passage, the third modern Olympic Games should have been held in__________.

A. 1915　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. 1924　　

C. 1896　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. 1904

4.“Marathon”in this passage is__________.

A. a foot race　

B. a jumping contest(比赛)

C. field sports　

D. a boxing(拳击)match

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The Olympic Games don’t begin until the basin of oil catches fire.

B. The torch is carried from runner to runner through many countries.

C. Runners who carry the torch can be men or women.

D. After the start of the Olympics, the Olympic flame is put out.

Have you ever seen a piece of recycled paper? About one third of all the paper products made each year are made from waste paper. For example, recycled paper is usually used to make paper sacks. Recycling paper, such as newspapers, reduces the number of trees that must be cut each year to make new paper.

Each person wastes a lot of solid waste. In the United States, the average is eight kilograms of waste each person each day. Most of the waste is garbage and rubbish. Finding places to dispose of solid wastes is a major problem.

In many cities, solid wastes are collected and the rubbish is burned in incinerator plants. Air pollution control devices are used to prevent pollution. Heat produced in the burning may be used to generate electricity. Waste that is not burned is taken to a dump. One kind of dump for the disposal of solid wastes is a sanitary landfill. This method involves burying the wastes and bulldozing soil over them. Parks, baseball fields, airports, and other developments may be built on completely filled landfills.

Recycling solid wastes decreases our need for methods of disposal. The metal in broken cars can be recycled and made into new steel. Worn-out rubber tires can be turned into new ones and used again. Plastics and other rubber products can be recycled. Metal cans and glass bottles can also be recycled. Increased recycling can help meet the increased demand for natural resources.

By recycling resources, people imitate nature. Elements important to life are naturally recycled. Nothing lasts forever. Wood decays, iron rusts, and concrete are worn away by wind and rain. All natural resources used by people eventually go back into the air, water, and earth.

1. What is the main cause of the increased waste according to the passage?

A. Expansion of cities.

B. Development of the paper-making industry.

C. Increased population.

D. Lack of recycling methods.

2. According to the passage, recycling paper is important because _______.

A. better paper sacks can be made out of waste paper

B. the prices of new paper are very high

C. trees are no longer available in the developed countries

D. more trees on the earth can be saved

3. A big problem of solid waste disposal is that _______.

A. solid wastes are poisonous

B. it is difficult to find places to dispose of solid wastes

C. the disposal process is too backward

D. we don’t have enough manpower to dispose of solid wastes

4. Which of the following can not be called recycling?

A. Making new paper from used paper.

B. Using worn-out rubber tires to make new ones.

C. Burying metal cans and glass bottles.

D. Producing new steel from metal in broken cars.

5. What is the writer’s attitude towards recycling?

A. The writer thinks that recycling is necessary and important.

B. The writer thinks it no use recycling.

C. The writer doubts whether recycling is useful to people.

D. The writer thinks that it is a waste of time and money recycling.

Computer criminals(罪犯)don't use guns. And even if they are caught, it is hard to punish them because there is often no proof. A computer cannot remember who used it. It simply does what it is told. The head teller at a New York City bank used a computer to steal more than one and a half billion dollars in just four years. No one noticed this because he moved the money from one account(账户)to another. Each time a person he had robbed questioned the balance in his account, the teller said it was a computer mistake, then replaced the missing money from someone else’s account. This man was caught only because he was a gambler(赌徒).

Some workers use the computer’s power to punish their bosses they consider unfair. Recently, a large company fired its computer record assistant for reasons that were connected with her personal life rather than her job. She was given thirty days notice. In those thirty days, she robbed out all the company’s computerized records.

Most computer criminals have been common workers. Now police wonder if this is “the tip of iceberg”. As one official says, “I have the feeling that there is more crime out there than we are catching. What we are seeing now is all so poorly done. I wonder what the real experts are doing the ones who really know a computer works. ”

1. This passage is mainly about______.

A. computer crimes

B. stealing through computers

C. computer mistakes

D. punishment through computers

2. Business in many banks is declared to be safe because______.

A. paperwork is no longer needed

B. computers are honest

C. people are forbidden to work there

D. it is done through computers

3. The bank teller covered up his crimes______.

A. because no one had questioned him

B. because he had stolen money through computers

C. by lying money through computers

D. by lying to the police

4. The assistant robbed out all the computerized records______.

A. after she was dismissed

B. because she had been done wrong

C. by chance

D. because the company decided to dismiss her

5. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that______.

A. most of the computer criminals have been caught

B. computer experts are helping the police

C. computer criminals are difficult to catch because the police know little about computers

D. computer criminals are difficult to catch because they are computer experts

Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems inhibited, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a comer; no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to an overseas visitor, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage shake hands with all the passengers.” Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspect.

In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gestures. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than any other nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a men commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. Whereas a more emotional men might describe her as “an excellent jewel”, “extremely beautiful”, “precious”, the Englishman will taffy state “Um, she's all right”. An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “It's not bad, you know,” or on seeing very unusual scenery he might convey his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.” The overseas visitor must not be disappointed  by this apparent lack of interest and involvement; he must realize that “all right”, “not bad”, and "nice", very often  have the sense of “first-class”, “excellent”, “beautiful”. This special use of language, particularly common in England, is known as restrained statement.

　　  1. If one doesn't want to be suspected in public, he had better

　　　　  A. behave relaxed　　　　　　　　 B. shake hands with all people he meets

　　　　  C. talk with others　　　　　　  D. keep quiet

　　  2. The word “inhibited” (Para. 2) most nearly means——.

　　　　  A. friendly　　　　　　　　　　  B. polite

　　　　  C. afraid　　　　　　　　　　    D. restrained (拘谨的)

　　  3. According to the passage, the Englishman——.

　　　　  A. has less feeling than other nationalities

　　　　  B. has emotions as deep as any other nationalities

　　　　  C. expresses emotion by use of his language

　　　　  D. likes to have a joke with foreign visitors

　　  4. An Englishman's saying “all right” usually has the sense of——.

　　　　  A. not bad　　　　　　　　 　　 B. quite right

　　　　  C. fairly good　　　　　　　　  D. very good