Popeye the Sailor first became a popular cartoon in the 1930s. The sailor in that cartoon ate lots of spinach to make himself strong. People watched him,and they began to buy and eat a lot more spinach. Popeye helped sell 33 percent more spinach than before!  Spinach became a necessary part of many people’s diets. Even some childten who hated the taste began to eat the vegetable.

　　Many people thought that the iron in spinach made Popeye strong,but this is not true. Spinach does not have any more iron than any other green vegetables.

People only thought spinach had a lot of iron because the people who studied the food made a mistake. In the 1890s,a group of people studied what was inside vegetables. This group said that spinach had ten times more iron than it did. The group wrote the number wrong,and everyone accepted it.

　　Today,we know that the little iron there is in spinach cannot make a difference in how strong a person is. However,spinach does have something else which the body needs—folic acid.

　　It is interesting to point out that folic acid can help make a person strong. Maybe it was really the folic acid that made Popeye strong all along.

　　1．A good title for this reading passage is________.

　　A．Popeye the Sailor

　　B．The Truth about Spinach

　　C．A Mistake with Numbers

　　D．Folic Acid Makes You Strong

　　2．Why did many people eat spinach after they saw Popeye the Sailor?

　　A．They thought spinach made them strong.

　　B．They thought Popeye was funny.

　　C．Spinach had a lot of iron.

　　D．People liked folic acid.

　　3．A research group told people that spinach________.

　　A．made Popeye strong

　　B．was a green vegetable

　　C．had less iron than other green vegetables

　　D．had more iron than other green vegetables

　　4．The reading passage says that perhaps Popeye got his strength from________.

　　A．iron 

　　B．folic acid

　　C．spinach 

　　D．exercise

　　5．Folic acid is________.

　　A．something in food

　　B．a vegetable

　　C．dangerous

　　D．a certain kind of spinach

    Later, on the dance floor, I asked my husband why it had taken him so long to get my message. “What do you mean?” he asked, “I put off the story as soon as you kicked me.”

    “But I kicked you twice, and it still took you a while to stop!”

    Suddenly we realized what had happened and returned to our table. The boss smiled and said, “Don’t worry. After the second one I thought it wasn’t for me, so I passed it along.”

1. The writer kicked her husband because_______________.

A. she didn’t like him

B. she didn’t like the story

C, the story told by Michael was not interesting

D. her husband was telling a story that he had told before

2. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The writer kicked the boss.　　　　　　    B. The boss kicked Michael.

C. The boss was kicked twice.　　　　　　   D. Michael was kicked twice.

3. They all chuckled because_________________.

A. they kicked each other

B. they were all satisfied with the dinner

C. they all thought each of them had done an interesting thing

D. they changed the subject in the end

4. It took Michael so long to stop his story because_______________.

A. he wanted to finish the whole story

B. he didn’t understand at once why he was kicked

C. the two light kicks given by his wife couldn’t stop him

D. he got a kick only after a long while

Although there are no state controlled survival courses (生存课程) in Britain or the United States, there are various independent organizations offering similar activities.

Students can take part in outdoor training courses through university clubs and societies. Anyone can register (登记) with such groups, which then organize courses, training and trips for all members.

One of the most popular outdoor training progammes in both the US and Britain, is Outward Bound (户外训练). It was founded in 1941 in Wales and attracts hundreds of thousands of adventurous types each year.

The courses are intended to broaden minds through experiences that build confidence, self-esteem (自尊) and character. As well as specialist courses such as canoeing, leadership skills and sailing, participants(参加者) can take part in week long adventure training camps which include a host of sports and survival training education skills.

Michael Williams, an American student, took part in an Outward Bound course last year. He said: “We learned lots of first aid skills, lots of natural history, lots of environmental facts, and participated in a wildlife preservation(保护野生动物) programme. Beyond that, my favorite skills learned were sailing and rock climbing.”

Courses can last up to 40 days and are open to anyone over the age of 14. Students must be in general good health, but do not need to be experienced in outdoor-sports. There is no selection process; everyone is welcome, although new participants are advised to pick a course matching their physical capacity.

According to the leaders, such adventures are “an awaking, and exploration into the unknown.” Outward Bound believes that participants will “use mind and body traveling some of the Earth’s roughest wilderness area.”

1. The advantage of the training courses is that participants can ____.

A. make friends with each other   B. visit some places of interest

C. experience different adventures  D. learn how wonderful nature is

2. In an Outward Bound course last year, the most exciting experience Michael Williams had was _____.

A. learning first aid skills　　　　 B. collecting facts of environment

C. rock climbing and sailing　　  　　   D. preserving wildlife

3. What’s the writer’s purpose to write this passage?

A. To persuade readers to take part in the training courses.

B. To tell readers the danger of this training courses.

C. To describe the wonders of the world for readers.

D. To introduce the training course to readers.

The goal is to offer electronic(电子的) versions of more than 10,000 children’s books in at least 100 languages.

Project developers have been working with children to design easy ways to search the collection and read the books. An image of each page appears on the computer. Users can also print copies on paper.

Officials say the project has been designed for two main groups of users. The first is children between the ages of three and thirteen, along with their teachers and parents.

The second group is researchers in the area of children’s literature. The books chosen for the collection are meant to help children understand the world in which they live.

Literature is one way to teach young people about new ideas. The idea behind the collection is that an interesting story not only helps children understand who they are, but may also influences their desire to explore the world.

Project organizers say they have chosen books that show the similarities and differences in ways of life around the world. The aim is to create a greater understanding of other people’s cultures and beliefs. The International Children’s Digital Library is also an attempt to use technology to strengthen libraries around the world.

The digital library is a project of the University of Maryland and the Internet Archive(档案馆). The Internet Archive is building an electronic library of Internet sites and other digital collections as a cultural record.

The Children’s Library project is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Library of Congress and other organizations are also involved. The first materials appeared in 2002.

The goal is to have all 10,000 books online in 2007. So far, the collection contains more than 500 books.

1. What might be the most suitable title of the text?

A. International Children’s Digital Library.

B. How to Find Children’s Books on Internet

C. Aims of International Children’s Digital Library.

D. Organizers of International Children’s Digital Library.

2. The underlined word “charge” in the first paragraph means ___.

A. a spoken or written statement　　 B. the price asked for a service

C. a rushing forceful attack　　　　 D. a person or thing for which is responsible

3. The purpose of setting up the International Children’s Digital Library is to ___.

A. improve children’s grades

B. offer children electronic books

C. teach children how to find information through computers

D. help children learn foreign languages themselves

4. How many books can you find in the International Children’s Digital Library so far?

A. 10,000    B. less than 500　　 C. 1,000　　  D. more than 500

The ground can soak up water like a sponge. If you could see this groundwater, it wouldn’t look like a lake or river. The groundwater is mixed with the rocks and sand that lie in layers below the Earth’s surface.

Groundwater moves along in very slow motion. How slow? Maybe 1.5 kilometers in one century. Some of this water has been underground for thousands of years. And once groundwater is pumped out of the ground, it may take hundreds of years for other water to take its place.

1. In which order does water go around the earth?

a. Fall down as rain or snow

b. Heated up by the sun on lakes, oceans and other wet places

c. Cool off high in the sky

d. From clouds

e. Change into a vapor

A. d,a,c,b,e　　　　 B. b,e,c,d,a　　　　　　　　　　　　  C. c,a,e,b,d　　　　 D. b,c,e,d,a

2. The phrase soak up in the second paragraph means__________.

A. draw in　　　　  B. throw in　　　　　　　　　　　　  C. keep up　　　　 D. set up

3. The underground seems to __________.

A. to be just below the Earth’s surface

B. to be pure water like that in a lake or river

C. to exist in rocks and sand

D. to flow along like rivers or streams

These are two important questions that many people are asking today. Some people think that men might be able to solve both problems at the same time. They suggest using garbage as an energy source.

For a long time people buried garbage or dumped it on empty land. Now, empty land is scarce. But more and more garbage is produced each year. But garbage can be a good fuel to use. The things in garbage do not look like coal, petroleum, or natural gas, but they are chemically similar to these fossil fuels. As we use up our fossil—fuel supplies, we might be able to use garbage as an energy source.

Burning garbage is not a new idea. Some cities in Europe and the US have been burning garbage for years. The heat that is produced by burning garbage is used to boil water. The steam that is produced is used to make electricity or to heat nearby buildings. In Paris, France, some power plants burn almost 2 million metric tons of the city’s garbage each year. The amount of energy produced is about the same as would be produced by burning almost a half million barrels of oil.

But there are problems in using garbage as a fuel. Garbage that burns easily, such as food scrapes and paper, must be separated from metals, glass, and other materials that do not burn easily. This separation process is normally costly. Another problem is that burning garbage can pollute the air.

Our fossil fuel supplies are limited. Burning garbage might be one kind of energy source that we can use to help meet our energy needs. This method could also reduce the amount of garbage piling up on the earth.

1. What two problems can be solved by burning garbage?

A. The shortage of energy; Air pollution.

B. The shortage of energy; The shortage of empty land for holding garbage.

C. Air pollution; The shortage of empty land for holding garbage.

D. Air pollution; The garbage of fossil fuel.

2. Which of the following is NOT a result of burning garbage?

A. The heat produced is used to boil water.

B. The steam produced is used to make electricity.

C. The garbage burned is turned into fossil fuels.

D. The steam produced is used to heat buildings.

3. According to the passage, which of the following four groups of garbage is ready for burning?

A. Food scraps and metals. 　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. Paper and glass.

C. Metals and glass.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　        D. Food scraps and paper.

4. Which of the following methods of exposition is not used in the passage?

A. Questions and answers.　　　　　　　　　　   B. Figures.

C. Examples.　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. Analogy.

On the northern shore, a big rock comes straight up from the ground. It is called the rock of Gibraltar. It has been standing there for a very long time. Armies have fought battles to take it. Storms at sea never washed it away. The rock of Gibraltar has not changed. But its name has changed.

The Greeks took the rock a long time ago. They called it Calpe. By A.D. 711 Spain had the rock for herself. Spain used it to guard the entrance to her country.

Next came the Arabs with an army of 12 000 soldiers. Their leader was Tarik Ibn Zaid. He took his army across North Africa to the rock. There his soldiers fought for three days and nights. At last they won the battle and took Calpe for themselves.

Tarik and his men were very happy, Tarik ordered a castle to be built at the top of the rock. It was completed in the 742. From there he could see the beautiful land and water below. His soldiers guarded the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.

The rock was almost as high as a mountain. So the Arabian soldiers decided to call it the Mountain of Tarik. They wanted to honor their brave leader. Now the Arabic word for Mountain is Jabal. So the place was called Jabal Tarik.

In Arabic it is called by his name, but it has been changed in many other languages. The English name is now Gibraltar. If you say both Arabic and English words you will hear some of the same sound.

Many nations and armies have taken Gibraltar since Tarik. But its name today still honors that great Arab leaser Tarik Ibn Zaid.

1. This story is about__________.

A. the Mediterranean Sea　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. the Rock of Gibraltar

C. how the Arabs got the rock 　　　　　　　　　　   D. brave man called Tarik Ibn Zaid

2. Tarik Ibn Zaid was __________.

A. the king of Spain　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. the commander of the Arabian army

C. a Greek general　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a brave Arabian soldier

3. How did Arabian army get to the rock?

A. They went across North Africa.　　　　　　　　  B. They got there through Europe.

C. They climbed the Alps.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. They sailed the Mediterranean Sea.

4. Tarik took the rock__________.

A. from the Spaniards　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. from the Arabs

C. from the Greeks　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. from the Englishmen

5. Tarik ordered castles to be built__________.

A. so that he could see the beautiful land and water below

B. to celebrate their victory

C. so that ships from far away could see it

D. to guard the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea

Before 1066,in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups. In the west-region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Wish-wash also Celtic. In the rest of the century lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic people, who spoke what we now call Anglo--Saxon(or Old English) ,a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.

But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over English. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction between upper-class French and lower class Anglo Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, eaten in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of eating.

When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more “foreign” than France because the German they see on signs and advertisement seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of the man’s ambition.

1. The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were__________.

A. Welsh and Scottish　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. Nordic and Germanic

C. Celtic and Old English　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. Anglo-Saxon and Germanic

2.Which of the following groups of words are, by inference, rooted in French?

A. President, lawyer, beef.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. President, bread, water.

C. Bread, field, sheep.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. Folk, field, cow.

3. Why does French appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to Europe?

A. Most advertisements in France appear in English.

B. They know little of the history of the English language.

C. Many French words are similar to English ones.

D. They know French better than German.

4. What is the subject discussed in the text?

A. The history of Great Britain.

B. The similarity between English and French.

C. The rule of England by William the conqueror.

D. The French influence on the English language.

If you hold eye contacts for more than 3 seconds, what are you telling another person? Much depends on the person and the situation. For instance, a man and a woman communicate interest in this manner. They typically gaze at the each other for about 3 seconds at a time, and then drop their eyes down for 3 seconds, before letting their eyes meet again. But if one man gives another man a 3-second-plus stare, he signals, “I know you”. “I’m interested in you.” or “You look peculiar and I am curious about you.” This type of stare often produces hostile feelings.

1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that__________.

A. every glance has its significance(meaning or importance) 

B. staring at a person is an expression of interest

C. a gaze longer than 3 seconds is unacceptable

D. a glance carries more meaning than words

2. If you want to be left alone on an elevator the best thing to do is__________.

A. to look into another passenger’s eyes

B. to avoid eye contacts with other passengers

C. to signal you are not a threat to anyone

D. to keep a distance from other passengers

3. By “a dimming of lights”, Erving Goffiman means __________.

A. closing one’s eyes

B. turning off the lights

C. stopping glancing at others

D. reducing gaze-time to the minimum

4. The passage mainly discusses __________.

A. the limitations of eye contacts

B. the exchange of ideas through the contacts

C. proper behavior in situations

D. the role of eye contacts in interpersonal communication

First, let’s talk about what your weekly schedule will look 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 notes 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 lectures, 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 labor 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. The main purpose of this text is __________.

A. to help the students to learn about university life

B. to persuade the students to attend lectures

C. to encourage the students to take part in discussions

D. to advise the students to choose proper majors

2. We can learn from the passage that university professors__________.

A. spend about 5 hours on lectures each week

B. must join the students in the discussion sections

C. prefer to use textbooks in their lectures

D. require the students to read beyond the textbooks

3. A discussion section does NOT include__________.

A. working under the guidance of university professors

B. talking over what the students have read about the courses

C. discussing the problems related to the students’ homework

D. raising questions about what a professor has said in a lecture

4. According to the author, science majors __________.

A. have to work harder than non-science majors

B. spend less time on their studies than non-science majors

C. consider experiments more important than discussions

D. read and write less than non-science majors