阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　It is foolish to dream of reversing history. We cannot pass laws forbidding science and technology. The computing machines are here, and they will not merely stay, they will grow bigger, faster, and more useful every year. They will grow because engineers want to build them, scientists want to use them, industrialists want to employ them, soldiers want to enlist them in new weapon systems, and politicians want their help in the processes of government.

　　In short, they will flourish because they enables us to finish tasks that could never before have been undertaken, no matter how many unskilled laborers we might have set to work. Computers will continue to am amplify our intelligence for just the same reason that engines continue to amplify our muscles. The question we must ask is not whether we shall have computers or not have computers, but rather, since we are going to have them, how can we make the most humane and intelligent use of them?

1．The underlined word “amplify”, as used in the second paragraph means “________”

[　　]

2．The author thinks the computer is an extension of our intellects. What, then is used as an extension of our physical power?

[　　]

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

[　　]

A．We should know the idea that we cannot escape facts.

B．We must take advantage of the help science offers in our quest.

C．The computer can finish the task in a short time that many people cannot.

D．We must stop production of computers which will be used for new weapons.

4．This passage mainly talks about

[　　]

A．science has made wonderful progress in recent years

B．machines can do the work of many unskilled laborers

C．man must use scientific progress for a better world

D．it is foolish to ignore (忽视) the help science can give to man

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　From 1950 to 1980, the so－called “Green Revolution” swept the world．World food production doubled with the introduction of a new method of agriculture. It brought about new types of grain like wheat and corn, and the wide use of chemical fertilizers and farm machinery. These factors were the cause of the early, great success of this “revolution”. However, the Green Revolution methods no longer appear to be so successful. Though the population continues to grow, food production has failed to keep up with it.

　　There are a number of reasons for this. One reason lies in the cost of the new farming methods. The new kinds of seed produce much more than traditional (传统的) seed, but only under certain conditions. In order to produce as much as possible, farmers must use large amounts of expensive chemical fertilizers. They also need to use expensive insecticides (杀虫剂) since the new grains are more easily damaged by insects. Expensive watering systems are also necessary for these grains, especially in drier areas. Many farmers cannot afford to buy all the chemicals and equipments.

　　Another reason for lower production is that farmers must use more and more chemicals to keep producing the same amount of food. Many farmers cannot afford to buy more, and so production drops. These chemicals have other effects(影响)that are expensive in the long run. They flow into the ground water, causing pollution and health problems. As people learn about these problems, they try to limit the use of chemicals.

　　Finally, the Green Revolution has brought about social problems that have effects on food production. The difficulty lies in the cost of the new agricultural methods. Only the larger landowners can afford the high costs. With the money they make, the large landowners then buy land from the smaller farmers. This way, the large landowners become ever richer and the number of landless poor people increases. Social problems naturally increase in this situation.

　　Clearly, it is time to question the methods of the Green Revolution. Governments and farmers need to look at the long－term effects. They need to find new methods that will better meet the needs of the world's hungry people and will also cause less harm.

1．Chemical fertilizers and insecticides ________.

[　　]

A．destroy watering systems

B．are both expensive and damaging

C．hardly have any effect on people

D．are not always necessary with the new types of grain

2．In some places, the new farming methods have ________.

[　　]

A．increased the differences between rich and poor

B．encouraged small farmers to produce more

C．increased the size of the middle class

D．made large landowners less rich

3．We can infer from this passage that traditional farming methods were ________.

[　　]

A．more expensive

B．the cause of many social problems

C．preferred by the large landowners

D．less damaging to people and the environment

4．The Green Revolution methods are ________.

[　　]

A．damaging only to farmers

B．often unproductive and destructive

C．the most productive that we know

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

In early days, those who had overseas business which they believed should be discussed personally, took a ship and set out across the briny deep. Once abroad, they transacted their affairs, engaging in commercial and social matters or conducting governmental business. Today ships and passengers continue to sail the seven seas, and airplanes soar overhead. But above them all, words speed through the sky－telephone conversations separated by thousands of miles.

1．The text is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．early travel abroad

B．the telephone today

C．overseas talk yesterday and today

D．the importance of person－to－person conversations

2．According to the passage the underlined phrase “the briny deep” means ________.

[　　]

3．The best central thought is that ________.

[　　]

A．overseas telephone service today is ruling out all need for overseas travel

B．nothing can take the place of person－to－person conversations in setting business, social, and governmental problems

C．many conversations, which once required overseas travel, can now be conducted by telephone

D．even with modern overseas telephone service, people continue to travel abroad by ship or by plane

阅读理解

　　Babies love chocolate and sometimes they also eat the paper around it. My cat enjoys a meal of good, thick paper, old letters, for example. She doesn't like newspapers very much.

　　Of course, the best paper comes from wood. Wood comes from trees, and trees are plants. Vegetables and fruit are plants too, and we eat a lot of them. So can we also eat wood and paper?

　　Scientists say: “All food comes in some way from plants.” Well, is that true? Animas eat grass and grow fat. Then we eat their meat. Little fish eat little sea-plants; then bigger fish swim along and eat the…Chicken eat bits of grass and give us…Think for a minute. What food does not come from plants in some way?

　　Scientists can do wonderful things with plants. They can make food just like meat and cheese. And they can make it without the help of animals. It is very good food too. Now they have begun to say: “We make out paper from wood. We can also make food from wood. The next thing is not very difficult.” What is the next thing? Perhaps it is-food from paper Scientists say: “We can turn paper into food. It will be good, cheap food too; cheaper than meat or fish or eggs.”

　　So please keep your old books and letters. Don't feed them to your cat. One day, soon, they will be on your plate. There is nothing like a good story for breakfast.

1．What does the best paper come form?

[　　]

2．We can infer from the passage that ________ don't come from plants in some way.

[　　]

3．What is the main idea of this passage?

[　　]

A．All food comes from plants in come way.

B．it will not be long before food can be made from paper.

C．Scientists can do wonderful things with plants.

D．Scientists can make food without the help of animals.

4．The writer asks us to keep our old books and letters because ________.

[　　]

A．they are useful for reading

B．they may be used to feed cats

C．we can make food from them soon

D．we can read them before meals

阅读理解

　　I live in a big city. It's noisy and dirty and I get very tried. At the weekends I like to leave the city and get some fresh air and a good rest. A few weeks ago I decided to see my parents. I was really looking forward to it.

　　My parents live a long way away. I went to see them with James, a friend, and we drove down on Friday night. In the middle of the trip it began to rain. The roads became very wet and it was difficult to drive. We arrived home just after midnight, feeling exhausted. The next morning it was still raining. James took his car to the local garage which was very good.

　　In the afternoon the weather improved. We wanted to go for a drive. My parents lent us their car. That was no good. Their car didn't work! We rang the garage. “Oh, no.” they said, “your car won't be ready till tomorrow.” So it wasn't possible to go for a drive. We decided to play a word game. When we didn't agree about a word we looked for a dictionary. It wasn't there. Suddenly my mother remembered. “I lent it to your sister. She took it with her when she left.” The word game wasn't any good without a dictionary.

　　On Sunday my mother dropped a suitcase on her foot and we had to hire a taxi to take her to hospital. When James and I drove back we got stuck in a traffic jam(交通阻塞). Next time I want to have a rest. I'll stay in the city!

1．My parents live ________.

[　　]

2．We arrived ________.

[　　]

A．in the afternoon

B．on Sunday morning

C．in the middle of the night

D．right now

3．On Saturday afternoon the weather was ________.

[　　]

4．My weekend was ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　A businessman lost his wallet. There was plenty of money in it. So he makes a promise, “If someone finds my wallet and returns it to me, I'll give half the money to him.” A dustman found the wallet in a dustbin. He sent it back to the loser. But the businessman changed his mind.

　　“There was still a diamond ring in my wallet,” said the loser. “I won't gave half the money in my wallet to you until you return it to me!”

　　“I've never seen a diamond ring in the wallet,” said the dustman.

　　They began to quarrel. The businessman refused to do what he had said. The dustman became angry and took him before a judge.

　　After the judge heard what had happened to them, he said to the businessman, “I'm sure you are an honest man. It's true that you have lost a wallet in which there was a diamond ring. But it's also clear that there is only a lot of money in this wallet. I don't think it's yours. Wait for some time. Perhaps someone will be able to return your wallet to you!”

　　Then the judge turned to the dustman and said, “Take the wallet home. If the loser doesn't go to get it back in three days, it will belong to you!”

1．The dustman found the wallet and ________.

[　　]

A．sent it to its owner

B．sent it to the police

C．handed to the judge

D．kept it himself

2．Which of the following is true according to the story?

[　　]

A．The dustman kept the diamond ring himself.

B．The businessman kept his word.

C．The businessman changed his mind.

D．There was a diamond ring in the wallet.

3．Having heard what had happened, the judge ________.

[　　]

A．took the side of the businessman

B．made a wise decision

C．took pity on the loser

D．didn't know what to do

4．The purpose of this passage is to ________.

[　　]

A．warn people not to cheat others

B．make people think

C．praise the clever judge

D．tell us a funny story

阅读理解

　　Tens of Thousands of couples across the United States are racing to get marred by April 30. This is the result of a new law that makes illegal(非法的) immigrants(移民) legal if they marry by then.

　　The law has sent marriage rising by 50 percent to 300 this year in immigrant-rich Los Angeles, Houston and New York. The new law, passed in the last days of the Clinton administration(任期), contains a large number of measures to help immigrants and their loved ones become legal.

　　Critics say it also brings many marriage fraud(诈骗). A key aspect allows immigrants to look for houses while remaining in the USA-if they are married to a citizen or legal resident and hand in applications by April 30After the date, applicants will have to return to their native countries to deal with their paperwork-a requirement that could take as long as 10 years.

　　Demand for marriage licenses in Manhattan this year jumped from 100 a day to more than 300. The Los Angeles County registrar(户籍员)-recorder's office supplied 12,997 marriage license during January and February, a 59 percent increase over last year.

　　Critics say the new law encourages false marriage. There are a lot of marriage frauds as people rush to make use of this window. In the past cases citizens or legal residents were paid US 10,000 or more to marry illegal immigrants in which immigration is concluded may be investigated for as long as two years after the vows.

　　“It's not worth the risk to attempt an illegal marriage,” says INS spokesman Bill Strassberger.

1．Couples race to get married so that ________.

[　　]

A．this can show their worship for the God

B．they can become American citizens

C．they can find true love there

D．they can find good places to pray

2．If a person misses the deadline(截止日期), he will ________.

[　　]

A．be put into prison as an illegal immigrant

B．find a proper job for him to do

C．be give a good beating by the local police

D．be forced to go back to his or her homeland

3．In the author's eyes, those couples who race to get married are ________.

[　　]

4．The underlined words “this window” probably refer to ________.

[　　]

A．the new law

B．the marriage full of love

C．the window of the Los Angeles County registrar recorder's office

D．the US government

阅读理解

　　For many people, one of the pleasures of traveling abroad is buying the arts and crafts of a foreign culture. English tourists in Hong Kong, for example, like Chinese arts and crafts because they think they are exotic. Even things as common as a pair of chopsticks a mah-jong set or a name stamp, are popular items for visiting tourists. They are typical examples of Chinese culture which make attractive ornaments(装饰品) for the home and good presents for friends.

　　So when Philip Wong and his sister Anna left school and tock over their father's tourist shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, they were not surprised to find that many tourists were interested in these small, relatively inexpensive goods. “Even so, we found that business was not really very good. We had a lot of competition and only made a small profit on most of the items we sold,” said Philip. “Then Anna had the idea of selling arts and crafts from other countries as well!”

　　The pair went on a shopping trip around the Southeast Asian area, making contracts in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. They bought jewelry, clothes and art work in all these countries and displayed them in a special section of their shop. They were surprised to see how popular these goods were-not only among foreign tourists, but also with local people.

　　Now they have opened a new shop in North Point which sells goods from many more countries, including some in European and South America. The shop is specially with Hong Kong people such as businessmen, who travel abroad a lot, but never have the time to buy gifts while they are away. “Actually some of our customers just want to impress their friends by pretending that they have actually visited the country,” added Anna with a smile.

1．What does the underlined word “exotic” in the first paragraph mean?

[　　]

A．Strange and unusual.

B．Common and popular.

C．Pretty and attractive.

D．Strange but usual.

2．Why did Philip say they cold make little money from their business?

[　　]

A．Because there are too many traders in their business field.

B．Because their goods are not good enough.

C．Because they are not allowed to get high profit.

D．Because they don't know how to make a big profit from their business.

3．Who were surprised at the goods in a special section of the shop?

[　　]

A．Philip and Anna.

B．Tourists.

C．Philip, Anna and local residents.

D．Both travelers abroad and people in Hong Kong.

4．What do you think of some trade-men who buy some articles in Hong Kong?

[　　]

A．They want to make themselves understand that they've visited the country.

B．They have not got enough money to get them in the country they are visiting.

C．They find no time to get them while they are visiting the country.

D．Though they travel a lot, they never think they should buy some of the articles at all.

阅读理解

　　When you take a walk in any of the cities in the West, you often see a lot of people walking dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful and faithful animal in the world, the reason why people keep a dog has changed. In the old days people used to train dogs to protect themselves against attacks by other beasts. And later they came to realize that a dog was not only useful for protection but willing to obey his master. For example, when people used dogs for hunting, the dogs would not eat what was caught without permission.

　　But now people in the city need not protect themselves against attacks of animals. Why do they keep dogs, then? Some people keep dogs to protect themselves from robbery. But the most important reason is for companionship. For a child, a dog is his best friend when he has no friend to play with. For young couples, a dog is their child when they have no children. For old couples, a dog is also their child when their real children have grown up. So the main reason why people keep dogs has changed from protection to friendship.

1．According to the passage, in the old days people trained dogs ________.

[　　]

A．for protection against robbery

B．just for fun

C．for companionship

D．for protection against other animals

2．The word “companionship” may mean ________.

[　　]

3．The dogs were used to hunting because ________.

[　　]

A．they were good hunters

B．they obeyed their masters,

C．they were useful for protections

D．they did not eat other animals

4．They most important reason for people to keep dogs now is ________.

[　　]

A．they need companion

B．they like children

C．they enjoy hunting

D．they want to protect themselves

5．We can know from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．dogs can be helpful to those who need friends

B．city people always feel lonely

C．dogs can be interesting

D．they city can be a very dangerous place

阅读理解

　　He lived his whole life as a poor man. His art and talent were recognized by almost no one. He suffered from a mental illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later.

　　But after his death, he got world fame.

　　Today, Dutch artist Vincent Yan Gogh is regarded as one of the leading artists of all time. Postcards and posters of his paintings and drawings continue to sell like hot cakes.

　　Yan Gogh was the son of a pastor. He left school when he was just 15By the age of 27, ht had already tried many jobs including an art gallery salesman and a French teacher. Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art.

　　His masterpieces including portraits, sunflowers and landscapes were produced in just 10 years.

　　Yan Gogh was well-known for his ability to put his own emotions into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene. His style is marked by short, broad brushstrokes(笔画).

　　“Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use colour more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly,” he wrote in a letter to his brother, Theo, in 1888.

　　Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life. He relied heavily on support from Theo, an art dealer who lived in Paris.

　　But now his works are sold for millions of dollars. His Portrait of Dr. Cachet sold for US $ 89.5 million in 1990It is the highest price ever paid for a painting.

　　“I thins his paintings are powerful and the brilliant colors in them are attractive to people,” said Molly Anderson, a Van Gogh fan.

1．The underlined words “hot cakes” here mean ________.

[　　]

A．cakes that are cooking

B．cakes that taste hot

C．things that are popular

D．things that cost less

2．Which of the following is NOT true?

[　　]

A．Gogh killed himself in 1890

B．Gogh's painting styles are unique(独特)

C．Gogh's art was well received at his times

D．Theo, an art dealer got on well with Gogh

3．The passage suggests that ________.

[　　]

A．the author thinks highly of Gogh's painting

B．Molly Anderson knew little about Gogh's work

C．Gogh was not pleased with his work so that only sold one painting in his life

D．Gogh's interest in drawing formed at school

4．Why did the writer cite(引用) a part of a letter written by Van Gogh?

[　　]

A．To show Van Gogh's skill.

B．To show his style.

C．To show that he was an emotional person.

D．To show he was an unusual man.

5．The best title for the passage is ________.

[　　]

A．Gogh-A great artist

B．Artist's life is not easy

C．Owning Gogh's works means wealth

D．Artist's dream comes true after death