阅读理解

阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项

　　A person, like a commodity(商品), needs packaging. But going too far is absolutely undesirable. A little exaggeration(夸张), however, does no harm when it shows the person's unique qualities to their advantages. To show personal attractiveness in a casual and natural way, it is important for one to have a clear knowledge of oneself. A skilled packager knows how to add art to nature without any signs of embellishment(装饰), so that the person so packaged is not a commodity but a human being, lively and lovely.

　　A young person, especially a female, shining with beauty and full of life, has all the favor granted by God. Any attempt to make up would be self-defeating. Youth, however, comes and goes in a flash. Packaging for the middle-aged is primarily to hide the marks made by years. If you still enjoy life enough to keep self-confidence and work at pioneering work, you are unique in your natural qualities, and your attractiveness and grace will remain. Elderly people are beautiful if their river of life has been, through plains, mountains and jungles, running its course as it should. You have really lived your life, which now arrives at a self-satisfied stage of quietness and calmness with no interest in fame or wealth. There is no need to make use of hair dyeing. The snowcapped mountain is itself a beautiful scene of fairyland. Let your looks change from young to old in step with the natural ageing process so as to keep in harmony(和谐) with nature, for harmony itself is beauty, while the other way round will only end in unpleasantness. To be in the company of the elderly is like reading a thick book of deluxe (better quality) edition, which attracts one so much that one is unwilling to part with it.

　　As long as one finds where one stands, one knows how to package oneself, just as a commodity sets up its brand by the right packaging.

1．It can be concluded from the text that ________.

[　　]

A．people should be packed at all ages

B．people should be packed in a special way

C．elderly people also care about packing

D．proper packing makes people attractive

2．According to the author, if you want to keep in harmony with nature, you should ________.

[　　]

A．dye your hair

B．make. up at a young age

C．follow the ageing process

D．give up fame and wealth

3．For the middle-aged, attractiveness ________.

[　　]

A．hardly exists

B．is the strongest

C．comes from the inside

D．comes from the appearance

4．The underlined sentence means that elderly people ________.

[　　]

A．are usually packed like a finely-made book

B．experience a lot and have rich knowledge of life

C．do a lot of traveling and can give you much information

D．enjoy reading thick books of beautiful nature and fairylands

阅读理解

　　The Liberty Bell is one of the most famous signs of freedom for many Americans. On the bell are these words:

　　Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.

　　The Liberty Bell is more than 3 metres around. It weighs more than 940 kilograms. It was made in London, England and sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1752. City officials used the bell to celebrate the 50th anniversary(纪念日) of the founding of Pennsylvania as a British colony(殖民地). It was hung on the top of the Pennsylvania State House Building in Philadelphia. It was known then as the old State House Bell.

　　23 years later leaders from the 13 British colonies in America met in that same building and signed the Declaration of Independence(独立宣言). The Liberty Bell joined other bells in ringing out the news of that historic event. And it rang each year on that date until it cracked(破裂) in 1835. That crack is perhaps the most famous thing about the Liberty Bell today. It can be seen very clearly from the front.

　　Old stories said the crack appeared exactly 59 years after the Liberty Bell rang out for independence. It was during the funeral(葬礼) of Chief Judge of the United States John Marshall.

　　The Liberty Bell is no longer rung. It has been struck, however, on special times in history. For example, when the Allied forces(二战中的盟军) landed in France during World War Ⅱ. Special equipment broadcast the sound to all parts of the nation.

　　The Liberty Bell was kept in the building in Philadelphia from 1753 until 1976. The name of the building was changed after American independence from the Pennsylvania State House to Independence moved to its own special glass building across the street.

1．Where was the Liberty Bell made?

[　　]

2．Why was the Liberty Bell made?

[　　]

A．To proclaim(宣布) that the 13 colonies broke ties with Britain

B．To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Pennsylvania as a British colony

C．To celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the proclamation of Declaration of Independence

D．To honour John Marshall, the Chief of Judge of U. S., one of the signers of Declaration of Independence

3．How old was the Great Bell when it cracked?

[　　]

阅读理解

　　Every evening, some part of the British Commonwealth hears the chimes(和谐的音调) of Big Ben, largest of the bells in the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster. The tower is popularly called Big Ben, but it is the great bell which really is Big Ben. It is this bell which chimes out the quarter hours to the people of London. For Britons at sea or living in distant lands, the sound of Big Ben is still a link with home, for the chimes are broadcast each evening by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

　　Big Ben has been chiming out the quarter hours now for nearly half and a century. It started chiming on June 11,1859.

　　At that time, Parliament couldn't decide what to name the bell. A light-hearted member of Parliament called attention, in a speech, to the impressive hulk(巨大笨重之物)of Sir Benjamin Hall, Queen Victoria's Chief Lord of the Woods and Forests.

　　“Call it Big Ben.” said the speaker, and the name stuck.

　　Big Ben is 9 feet in diameter, 7 feet inches tall, and the thickness where the hammer strikes is 8.75 inches.

　　The clock that regulates the chiming of Big Ben keeps good time. In 1939, the Royal Astronomer made a 290-day check on the performance of the clock. He found that during this test the margin of error(误差) was less than two-tenths of a second in 24 hours on 93 days and greater than one second only on 16 of the 290 days.

　　There was an unexpected lapse(慢) on August 12, 1945, and consternation(惊慌) swept through the Ministry of Works. On that dark day, the clock was five minutes slow. A flock of starlings(欧掠鸟) had roosted(栖息) on the minute hand.

　　Notes: The British Commonwealth：英联邦

　　Palace of Westminster：英国议会大厦

　　Royal Astronomer：英国皇家天文学家

1．The year 1959 was the ________.

[　　]

A．59th anniversary of Big Ben

B．100th anniversary of Big Ben

C．last year Big Ben was heard

D．year in which Big Ben was restored

2．Big Ben was named after ________.

[　　]

A．Benjamin Disraeli

B．Benjamin Franklin

C．Sir Benjamin Hall

D．Queen Victoria's godson

3．In 1939, the Royal Astronomer found that the clock that regulates the chiming of Big Ben ________.

[　　]

A．was usually very inaccurate

B．lost 24 hours in 290 days

C．had a very small margin of error most of the time

D．no longer kept good time due to war damage

阅读理解

　　Do you know America's most famous woman is the Goddess of Liberty, i. e., the Statue of Liberty? It was conceived(想象，构思) in 1865 by Edouard de Laboulaye and designed by another Frenchman, Frederie Bartoldi. They wanted to honour liberty and friendship.

　　It was hoped that the monument would be completed by 1876 when America celebrated its centennial(百年庆典). Fund raising and manufacture of the statue in France went slowly. It was 1885 when the 214 crates(板条箱) containing the statue reached New York.

　　Americans were initially(起初) embarrassed(为难) for they had not raised the money to pay for the building of the base. Fund raising by popular subscription(捐款) was behind schedule. One fund raising method used was to have popular Americans write letters which were then auctioned off(拍卖). Mark Twain wrote a “tongue-in-cheek” letter suggesting that Miss Liberty didn't deserve a statue.

　　The base and statue, together 272 feet tall, were completed, in 1886. From a technical standpoint, the statue is a marvel(奇迹). The inner structure was designed by the French engineer, Alexander Eiffel. His design for the stressed copper(铜) skin of the statue anticipated(超前) many of the principles(主椽) used in modern aircraft.

　　After a century, the monument began to show signs of deterioration(变坏). Just as Frenchmen had created the Statue, so it was with renovation(更新). A Frenchman noted the decay and French and American craftsmen and contributions brought about the renewal(更新) of the Statue in time for its centennial. Liberty is still popular in France and the United States.

1．Mark Twain's letter about the Statue of Liberty ________.

[　　]

A．represented a serious question as to the need for the Statue

B．was a put-on by a humorist

C．raised a great deal of money

D．played a joke on the French

2．How many years passed away from the conception(构思) of the statue until its completion?

[　　]

3．French engineering genius is seen in the Statue of Liberty in ________.

[　　]

A．design of its base

B．design of its stressed covering

C．locating the statue without disturbing harbor traffic

D．keeping the flame lit

4．The Statue of Liberty's development embarrassed Americans in the 1880s because ________.

[　　]

A．they took so long to raise the money

B．it was clear the statue was mislocated

C．its design was tasteless

D．they felt it a waste of money to build the statue

阅读理解

The making of glass is a very old industry-at least 4, 500 years old. Glass has many extraordinary qualities and it is frequently being used in new ways. One of the most interesting new uses for glass is in telephone communication. Scientists have developed glass fibres as thin as human hair which are designed to carry light signals. When the light reaches the other end, it is first changed into electrical signals, which are in turn converted(转变) into sound messages. Called lightwave communication, the new system was used successfully in an experiment in Chicago in 1977. During the experiment two glass fibres were able to carry 672 conversations at the same time. The lightwave cable, containing 144 glass fibres, has the capacity(容量) to carry 50,000 conversations at the same time. The lightwave communication system has two important advantages. First the glass fibre cables are smaller and weigh less than copper(铜) cables; second, they cost less.

1．One of the extraordinary qualities of glass is that it can carry ________.

[　　]

2．Before you can hear a message on the telephone using the new system ________.

[　　]

A．the light signals have to be Changed into electrical sound

B．neither the light nor the electrical signals have to be changed in any way

C．light must first be changed into electrical signals and then into sound

D．electrical signals must first be changed into light signals and then into sound

3．According to the passage the new telephone communication system

[　　]

A．was put on experiment in 1977

B．had been put into actual use by 1977

C．had been repeatedly experimented before 1977

D．was first put into actual use in 1977

4．From the passage, you can tell that people prefer glass fibre cables to copper cables because ________.

[　　]

A．glass fibre is easier to make

B．glass fibre is less expensive

C．glass fibre is more up to date

D．glass fibre delivers messages directly

5．Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?

[　　]

A．Light signals have changed the use of glass in industry.

B．Glass fibres have reduced the cost of telephone communication.

C．Glass is very useful because it has many unusual qualities.

D．The use of glass fibres to carry telephone messages is an interesting new development.

阅读理解

　　The CBS-TV “National Drivers' Test”, showed that many US drivers have a lot to learn. Here's why.

　　CBS picked 1,799 sample drivers to take the test in TV studios in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles. More than two out of five of the drivers failed the test. And the average score was the lowest passing mark-51 points out of a possible 80.

　　Chicago drivers did best with an average of 53 points. Los Angeles drivers came next with 52 points. New York and Philadelphia drivers got 50 points-a failing score. Drivers with 50 points or less were rated “poorly informed” by the judges.

　　Here are some of the test results:

　　1．Are men drivers better informed than women ones?

　　Yes. Men averaged 52 points. Women got an average of 49.

　　2．Are older drivers better informed than younger drivers?

　　No. Drivers under 26 averaged 52 points. Drivers from 27 to 45 averaged 51, Drives over 45 failed with a 48 point average.

　　3．Does education make a difference?

　　Yes. College graduates averaged 52 points. High school graduates averaged 50. Those without, high school diplomas(结业证) got 48. And people who had taken driver education courses scored an average of 53 points three more than those who hadn't.

　　4．Does driving experience make a difference?

　　Yes. Drivers with three or more years of experience averaged 51 points. Drivers with less experience averaged 49.

　　Here are some surprising facts brought out by the test:

　　1．More than one out of three drivers did not know that a blinking red light means a full stop.

　　2．Three out of ten drivers did not know that an octagonal(eight-sided) sign means stop.

　　3．More than two out of three drivers did not know what to do when being “tailgated(追尾)”.

　　The answer: slow down, drive to the right, and let the driver behind pass.

　　The results of the test were turned over to the National Safety Council(委员会). They will help future safety planning.

1．The author's purpose is to ________.

[　　]

A．prove that men are better drivers than women

B．give you safe driving directions

C．tell you the results of a national drivers' test

D．require you to get an education

2．From the information in this article, which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．Older drivers are better informed than younger drivers.

B．Experience makes a difference among drivers.

C．Most drivers failed the test.

D．Most people don't know what a blinking red light means.

3．The test covered the following areas about drivers except ________.

[　　]

A．education

B．years of driving experience

C．sex

D．health

4．Which of the following as a group was rated “poorly informed” by the judges?

[　　]

A．Men.

B．High school graduated drivers.

C．Drivers from 27～45 years of age.

D．Drivers with 3 or more years of experience.

5．Which of the following statements is not true?

[　　]

A．Education makes no difference in the passing rate of the drivers.

B．Men are better informed than women.

C．Chicago drivers are the best informed drivers in America.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　The idea of light pollution has developed with the increase of lights in cities. In many areas, this light makes it difficult or impossible to observe stars and planets in the night sky.

　　There are a number of reasons why light pollution is important. One has become clear at the Mount Wilson Observatory(天文台) near Los Angeles, California. Today, light from Los Angeles makes the night sky above Mount Wilson very bright. It is no longer an important research center because of light pollution.

　　Light pollution threatens(威胁) to reduce the scientific value of research telescopes in other important ob servatories. They include Lick Observatory near San Jose, California and Yerkes Observatory near Chicago, Illinois.

　　Light pollution is the result of wasted energy. Bright light that shines into the sky is not being used to provide light where it is needed on Earth. Poorly designed lighting causes a great deal of light pollution. Lights that are brighter than necessary also cause light pollution.

　　Recently, two Italian astronomers(天文学家) and an American environmental scientist created a world map of the night sky. The map shows that North America, Western Europe and Japan have the greatest amount of light pollution.

　　Most people in America are surprised to find out that they are able to see our own galaxy(星系), the Milky Way(银河系), with their own eyes. But about three-fourth of Americans cannot see the Millky Way because of man-made light.

　　Objects in the night sky are resources that provide everyone with wonder. But light pollution threatens to prevent those wonderful sights from being seen.

1．Light pollution usually occurs ________.

[　　]

A．in cities

B．in the country

C．in wild areas

D．in developing countries

2．People can not see the stars in the sky because of ________.

[　　]

3．The victim(受害者) affected by the light pollution is ________.

[　　]

4．There is less light pollution in ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　I was in lodgings(寄宿处) now, on my own, but the other lodgers had streams of visitors up and down the stairs past my door. None of these disturbed me except one girl who sang softly to herself an old Russian folk song as she ran up to the room above. It was a sound of extraordinary sweetness, musical, soft, unselfconscious and happy. I began to listen out for it, jump up from my table, and throw open the door to catch a glimpse of her as she passed, but I was always too late. I asked the people upstairs who she was, and described the beautiful sounds she made. They became rather reserved and exchanged glances and hesitatingly admitted it might be Sally. I gathered she was someone special, not to be discussed in the ordinary way, and became vaguely curious to meet her. But the last thing I wanted at that stage was to get involved with anybody. I'd just come to the end of a rather painful friendship, and now I had work to do.

　　One day, I came face to face with a girl on the landing. It was certainly her; whoever made that noise would look as she did. We stood and stared at each other too long for comfort. I broke the moment and, excusing myself, moved past her because it was too like the movies. I thought for some time of that long, silent stare, and laughed. She was tall and proud-looking, with a slight, round-shouldered look that made me breathless and I didn't know why.

1．At his lodgings, the author ________.

[　　]

A．rarely had visitors

B．wished he had more visitors

C．was perpetually(永恒地) disturbed by other people's visitors

D．had too many visitors

2．Whenever the author heard the sound of the girl's voice ________.

[　　]

A．he sat listening to it

B．he felt disturbed

C．he threw down his books

D．he tried to see who it was

3．People he asked about the girl ________.

[　　]

A．told him all about her

B．didn't want to tell him much

C．didn't tell him anything

D．were angry when he mentioned her

4．The author says that he was ________.

[　　]

A．very much in love with Sally

B．curiously attracted to Sally

C．annoyed at being disturbed by Sally

D．unwilling to be involved with Sally

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Moviegoers may think history is repeating itself this weekend. The summers most anticipated film, Pear1 Harbor, which has opened recently, painstakingly recreates the Japanese attack that drew the United States into World War II. But that isn't the film's only reminder of the past. Harbor invites comparison to Titanic, the biggest hit of all time. Like Titanic, harbor heaps romance and action around a major historical event. Like Titanic, Harbor attempts to create popular global entertainment from a deadly teal life. Like Titanic, Harbor costs a pretty penny and hopes to get in even more at the box office.

　　Both Titanic and Pearl Harbor unseal(开启) their tales of love and tragedy over more than three hours. Both stories center on young passion, triangles of tension with one woman and two men: In Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio and Billy Zane compete for the love of the same woman, a high-society type played by a British actress named Kate(Winslet). In Harbor, two pilots (Ben Affelck, Josh Hartnett) fall for the same woman, a nurse played by a British actress named Kate (Beckinsale).

　　The scenes of peril(危险) also have similarities. Harbor has a shot in which soldiers cling for dear life as the battleship USS Oklahoma capsizes(倾覆). The moment is recalled of the Titanic's climactic sinking scene in which DiCaprio and Winslet hang from the ocean liner as half of the ship vertically(垂直地) plunges into the water.

　　In Harbor, one of its stars floats atop a piece of debris in the middle of the night, much like Winslet's character does in Titanic. And the jaw-dropping(令人瞠目结舌的，令人震惊的) action of Titanic is matched by Harbor's 40-minute recreation of Dec. 7,1941 attack on the United States' Pacific Fleet. Both films spent heavily on special effects. Harbor director, Michael Bay, fox example, says he kept salaries down so more could be spent on the visuals. Both movies event shot their ship-sinking scenes at the same location: Fox Studios Baja in Mexico.

　　Harbor's makers have even taken a Titanic-like approach to the soundtrack. The film includes one song, There You'll be, performed by country music superstar Faith Hill. Titanic, which is one of the best selling soundtracks of all time, also had only one pop song: Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On.

　　“If Harbor becomes a major moneymaker, filmmakers may comb history books searching for even more historical romance-action material,” says a critic.

1．What are the two things that the author of this article tries to compare?

[　　]

A．The attack on Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the Titanic.

B．Historical fiction movies and successful box office hits.

C．The movie Titanic and the on-show movie Pearl Harbor.

D．Sinking boats and famous actors.

2．What does the phrase “cost a pretty penny” in the first paragraph mean?

[　　]

A．To be very attractive.

B．To cost a lot.

C．To have big box office returns.

D．To require a lot of effort to accomplish.

3．It is said in the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．major historical events can never repeat themselves

B．both Titanic and Pearl Harbor are the historical reappearance

C．Pearl Harbor may have a better box office return than Titanic

D．Titanic is the most successful film in history

4．If Pearl Harbor is as successful as Titanic, which of the following movies might we see next?

[　　]

A．The Battle of Waterloo.

B．The Adventures of Mr. Bean.(憨豆先生的奇遇)

C．Space Invaders.

D．The Haunted House.(鬼屋)

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman. A man goes shopping because he needs something. His purpose is settled and decided in advance. He knows what he wants, and his objective is to find it and buy it; the price is a secondary consideration. All men simply walk into a shop and ask the assistant for what they want. If the shop has it in stock, the salesman promptly produces it, and the business of trying it on follows at once. All being well, the deal can be and often is completed in less than five minutes, with hardly any chat and to everyone's satisfaction.

　　For a man, slight problems may begin when the shop does not have what he wants, or does not have exactly what he wants. In that case the salesman, as the name implies, tries to sell the customer something else, he offers the nearest he can to the article required. No good salesman brings out such a substitute impolitely; he does so with skill: “I know this jacket is not the style you want, sir, but would you like to try it for size? It happens to be the colour you mentioned.” Few men have patience with this treatment, and the usual response is:“This is the right colour and may be the right size, but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on.”

　　Now how does a woman go about buying clothes In almost every respect she does so in the opposite way. Her shopping is not often based on need. She has never fully made up her mind what she wants, and she is only “having a look round”. She is always open to persuasion; indeed she sets great store by what the saleswoman tells her, even by what companions tell her. She will try on any number of things. Uppermost in her mind is the thought of finding something that everyone thinks suits her. Contrary(相反的) to a lot of jokes, most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes. They are always on the lockout for the unexpected bargain. Faced with a roomful of dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one rail to another, to and fro, often retracing her steps, before selecting the dresses she wants to try on. It is a laborious process, but apparently an enjoyable one. Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands.

1．What does the passage tell us about women shoppers for clothes?

[　　]

A．They welcome suggestions from anyone.

B．Women rarely consider buying cheap clothes.

C．Women often buy things without giving the matter proper thought.

D．They listen to advice but never take it.

2．What does a man do when he can not get exactly what he wants?

[　　]

A．He buys a similar thing of the colour he wants.

B．He usually does not buy anything.

C．At least two of his requirements must be met before he buys.

D．So long as the style is right, he buys the thing.

3．Many jokes make fun of women shoppers by saying that ________.

[　　]

A．they waste money on inferior(劣质的) goods

B．they should buy only the best clothes

C．they are much more sensible than men

D．they think of the price of clothes and nothing else

4．What is the most obvious difference between men and women shoppers?

[　　]

A．The fact that men do not try clothes on in a shop.

B．Women bargain for their clothes, but men do not.

C．Women stand up to shop. but men sit down.

D．The time they take over buying clothes