Kerry and Alice were both artists in Britain. They taught drawing and painting at Cambridge University. Although they were friends, each thought oneself to be the better painter.

One day, Kerry promised marriage to Alice. Surprised and pleased by the offer, the girl was not sure whether she would spend her future as a wife or a painter. After a moment she replied as follows, “Each of us must paint a picture. If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife. If not, please drop the question.” Then it was decided to give it the following day.

The next morning, Alice hung her picture on the gate. It showed a bunch of flowers and won high praise from everyone who passed by. In fact, a crowd collected in front of her masterpiece and fixed eyes on it.

Several hours passed. Then Kerry was seen coming along to the gate with what appeared to be a beautiful leather suitcase in his hand. When he finally stopped before Alice, the girl artist brushed like a rose and agreed to marry him without any hesitation. Why?

1．What did Alice think Kerry’s offer?

A.　　  She liked Kerry, but she didn’t expect him to promise marriage to her.

B.　　  She didn’t want to marry anybody.

C.　　  She didn’t like it at all.

D.　　 She thought the offer wasn’t polite.

2．In the sentence “If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife”。 “superior to” here means　　   .

A. not so better than　　　　　　　　 B. better than

C. so good as　　　　　　　　　　  D. as good as

3．  Which of the following is true?

A.　　  Kerry didn’t accept Alice’s suggestion.

B.　　  Kerry wasn’t sure of his painting so he dropped his offer.

C.　　  Kerry did go the next day, but he failed to take a picture

D.　　 Kerry agreed to Alice’s suggestion.

4．Alice’s picture won high praise because　　   .

A. it was true to nature

B .the flowers were red

C. it showed so large a bunch of flowers

D. people felt it strange to hang it on the gate

5．The “leather suitcase” was in fact　　   .

A. a real one

B. a painting drawn by Kerry

C. a box with a picture in it

D. made up of leather

Today many people say that women have the same chance as men in society. But this was not always so. In the past, women all over the world had to fight to get the same chance as men in education and jobs. Many people said that women should not receive much education because they would not do as well as men when they went to work..

One woman who showed that women should have the same chance was Marie, a scientist.

In the 1800s scientists knew that a metal, uranium, gave off radiation. They also knew how much radiation came from this element. But they didn’t know what this radiation was like; they wondered why and how uranium gave off radiation. Marie Curie set out to answer these questions. In one of her experiments she was studying a certain material which, she knew, contained uranium, but it gave off 4 times as much radiation as it usually does. What could explain this fact? Marie Curie thought that there must be another source of radiation in this material.

In 1898 Marie Curie set out to find out this new source of radiation, which she named “radium”. Her husband, who was also a scientist, helped her. They set up a laboratory in an old building behind a school. For four years Curies searched, doing many experiments, and one morning in 1902 Marie found the source of the radiation.

Marie Curie proved to the world that there was element that gave off radiation. And she also proved to the world that, if women are given truly equal chance, they can really help society.

1．The scientists of Marie Curie’s day knew　　   .

A. that uranium gave off radiation

B. that radium gave off radiation

C. that there was some radium in uranium

D .that uranium and radium both gave off radiation

2．The Curies found the element radium　　   .

A. with other scientists’ help

B. by asking some famous scientists

C. by doing many experiments

D .with their teachers’ help

3．In the past many people thought　　   .

A. that women must get the same chance as men in education and jobs

B. that women should receive much education

C. that women should get good jobs

D. that women could not do the work well

4．Marie Curie proved to people　　   .

A. that there was a new element uranium

B. that there was a new element radium

C. that women could do their work as well as men if they were really given the same conditions

D. both B and C

Most of us trade money for entertainment. Movies, concerts and shows are enjoyable but expensive. If you think that you can’t have a good time without spending a lot of money, read on. A little resourcefulness and a few minutes of news-paper-scanning should give you some pleasant surprises. People may be the most interesting show in a large city. Stroll through busy streets and see what everyone else is doing. You will probably see what everyone else is doing. You will probably see people from all over the world; you will certainly see people of every age, size, and shape, and you will get a free fashion show, too. Window-shopping is also a safe sport—if the stores are closed.

Check the listings in your neighborhood paper. Local colleges or schools often welcome the public to hear an interesting speaker or a good debate. The film or concert series at the local public library probably won’t cost you a penny. By sure to check commercial advertisements too. A flea market can provide hours of pleasant browsing. Perhaps you can find a free cooking or crafts demonstration in a department store.

Plan ahead for some activities. It is always more pleasant not to have people in front of you in a museum or at a zoo. You may have saved some money too, since these places often set aside one or two free admission days at slow times during the week. Pretend that you are a tourist from time to time, and get to know your city all over again including the indispensable sights that people travel miles to see. If you feel like taking an interesting walk, find a free walking tour, or plan one yourself. You will see your city in a new perspective once you know about its history or its architectural treasures. With imagination and a spirit of adventure you can quite easily find good entertainment at no cost at all.

1．Which of the follow statements is NOT true?

A. Local colleges often hold meetings to debate the issues people are interested in.

B. There are many kinds of amusements you can enjoy without spending much money.

C. You should be a tourist if you want to know more about the city you live in.

D. The film shown at the local public library is often free of charge.

2．In the sentence “you will certainly see people of every age, size, and shape…” “shape” refers to people being　　   .

A. old and young

B. fat and thin

C. tall and short

D. beautiful and ugly

3．The underlined part in Paragraph 3 means a time when　　   .

A. business is good

B. stroll is slow

C. people are slow in learning

D. business is bad

4．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Amusement at No Cost.

B. The Most Enjoyable Street Musician.

C. Movies, Concerts and Shows.

D. The Cheapest Window-shopping.

In the United States 84 colleges now accept just women. Most of them were established in the 19^th century; they were designed to offer women the education they could not receive anywhere else. At that time major universities and colleges accepted only men. In the past 20 year many young women have chosen to study at colleges that accept both men and women. As a result some women’s colleges decided to accept men students too. Other, however, refused to change. Now these schools are popular again.

  The president of Trinity College in Washington, D.C. said that by the end of the 1980s women began to recognize that studying at the same school with men did not mean women were having an equal chance to learn. The president of Smith College in Massachusetts says a women’s college permits women to choose classes and activities freely. For example, she says that in a women’s college a higher percentage of students study mathematics than in a college with both men and women.

  Educational experts say men students in the United States usually speak in class more than women students do. In a women’s college, women feel free to say what they think. Women’s schools also bring out leadership capabilities in many women. Women are represented everywhere. For example, at a women’s college every governing office is held by a woman. Recent studies reportedly show this leadership continues after college. The studies show that American women who went to women’s colleges are more likely to hold successful jobs later in life.

1．Most of women’s colleges are established　　   .

A. to give women the education they could not receive anywhere else

B. to separate women from men

C. to offer women special chances for work

D. to help women have more study opportunities

2．Some women’s colleges decided to accept men students because　　   .

A. teaching women is more difficult than teaching men

B. many young women chose to study at colleges with both men and women

C. study with men is more challenged

D. women and men can have equal chances of competition

3．From the passage we know that　　   .

A. more and more women’s colleges are being established now

B. more and more women like to study in colleges with both men and women

C. there are more women’s colleges than colleges with both men and women in the USA

D. both Trinity College and Smith College are women’s colleges

4．According to the passage, if a woman wants to hold successful jobs, she’d better　　   .

A. study in colleges with both men and women

C. study in Trinity College

B. learn from the president of Smith College

D. study in women’s colleges

The Internet is a system of electronic communication. It helps people share information, communicate with family and friends, and start businesses. But these people must have to use for a computer, and know how to use it. And they must have a connection. All of this costs money. For many poor people, a so-called “digital divide” exists. People who cannot connect to the Internet become poorer, while those who can become richer.

  The United Nations is working to solve this problem. In December, it will hold a conference in Geneva, called the World Summit(峰会)on the Information Society. Political and business leaders will come together with delegates(代表)from nongovernmental organizations, educational groups and others. They will discuss the fast growing information technology industry and its effects on the world.

  UN organizers say they hope the gathering will lead to a political declaration and action plan. The goal is to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor nations. A second conference, to examine progress, will take place in Tunisia in 2005.

  UN Secretary General Kofi Annan recently spoke to business leaders at a meeting in New York. Mister Annan urged them to take part in the World Summit on the Information Society. He told them that industry can play an important part in limiting technological differences between countries. He noted that some companies already made efforts to improve Internet skills among poor Americans. The UN Secretary General urged businesses to also look for projects in developing countries.

  Cisco Systems in San Jose, California, is one company that already does that. In 1997, Cisco began a special program to teach Internet technology skills to people around the world. Today, the Cisco Networking Academy (学院)has spread to 145 nations.

  Mister Annan says more ideas like this are needed to close the digital divide. He says information technology is not a magic(有魔力的) answer for poor nations, but it can lead to peace and development. He says news and information provided through the Internet help build trade, employment, good government and democracy around the world.

1．According to the passage, the so-called “digital divide” here mainly refers to it that　　   .

A. people in poor countries don’t know how to use computers

B. the rich countries have more money then the poor countries

C. there’s no Internet system in poor countries

D. as a result of economic factor, poor nations cannot share information technology with rich nations equally

2.  According to Kofi Annan, we can know　　   .

A. without question information technology can provide a chance for the development of the world

B. all the business leaders will look for projects in developing countries

C. all the people in rich countries have mastered Internet skills

D. poor countries can have magic power on the Internet

3．Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The World Summit on the Information Society will be good news for developing countries.

B. All the people with enough money can enjoy the Internet.

C. Perhaps there’s a long way to go for the development of poor nations.

D. The company Cisco has done a good job in teaching Internet technology skills to people around the world.

4．Which of the following can be the proper title for the passage?

A. The Poor Becomes Poorer, the Rich Richer.

B. Digital Divide in Developing Nations.

C. Meeting on Internet Technology.

D. Internet Technology in Developing Countries.

Children love to send and receive e-mails. The same with electronic greeting cards, for Valentine’s Day or many other occasions.

E-cards are available for free on the Internet. Most electronic greeting card sites give you a wide selection of choices and let you personalize your card.

Unlike with traditional printed cards, you don’t schlep(拖曳) to a card store to make your selection, you don’t fork out any money. Delivery is immediate; there’s no postage required and you are not using paper.

But the best thing about these card sites is that they animate and play music, which makes them very cool to kids.

Most electronic greeting card sites are similar in set-up. Upon entering the site, you select a category of card that interests you. The next screen shows you a series of possible card choices. By clicking on one that appeals(有感染力) to you, the card will enlarge and may animate. If there is music with the card, it will start to play.

Usually there is a place to click to see the second (inside) page of the card. The site then offers you ability to personalize the card you have selected; you may be able to change the proposal message or add to it. At some sites, you can even add voice, video or photos to the cards.

Once you have personalized the e-card, you enter the e-mail address for delivery. Your recipient(接受者)will get an e-mail telling them to go to a specific web address to view the card you have made. You may be able to send the same card to multiple recipients. The delivery can be immediate, or you can choose to have it delivered on a specific day.

Most electronic greeting card sites, like many other fields, have lots of advertising. Many make their money by enticing(诱惑) people to buy extra stuff like gift certificates to add to navigate through this commercialism(利润第一主义)and to hand in areas that are fun and appropriate for them.

1．All of the following are the advantages of electronic greeting cards except cards except that　　   .

A. you still have to pay a small sum of money to send e-cards

B. e-cards are available for free on the Internet

C. e-cards are very cool to kids because they have cartooned pictures and some music to go with it

D. the delivery of e-cards is immediate

2．What’s the main topic of the first four paragraphs?

A. The advantages of using personal computer.

B. The development of modern postal and telecommunication service.

C. The reasons why children love to send and receive e-cards.

D. The advantages and disadvantages of traditional printed cards.

3．The underlined word“available”(in Paragraph 2)means　　   .

A. Interesting　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. buyable

C. existing　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. able to be got or used

Without most people realizing it, there has been revolution in office work over the last ten years. Before that time, large computers were only used by large rich companies that could afford the investment. With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them.

The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors, or WPS as they are often called.40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast.

There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager. The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers. He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss. From a manager’s point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hours.

But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed. Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units(显示器). The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly. It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed. Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them.

Whatever the arguments for and against word processors, they are a key feature of this revolution in office practice.

1．Ten years ago, large computers were only used by large companies because       .

A. small companies did not have enough money to buy such expensive computers

B. large computers could not do the work that small companies can do today

C. large computers did not come onto the market

D. small companies did not need to use this new technology

2．According to the writer, the main progress made in office work over the last ten years is　　   .

A. the saving of time and money

B. the use of computers in big companies

C. the wide use of word processors

D. the decreasing number of secretaries

3．Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A. There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor.

B. The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors.

C. The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years.

D. Using word processors, secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses.

David Beckham was born in 1975 in London, at a place called Leytonstone. When he was a young boy, his greatest passion was in football. He played it whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he would go and watch a game with his friends. When David Beckham was 12 years old, he won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award （奖金）. This was an important step forward for this young boy, and it led him to go for a visit to a football training camp in Spain. As a boy he played for schools of Essex and also for his county team.

In 1991, he because a trainee with Manchester United. This meant that he could practice football as much as he wanted to and play for the highly successful Manchester United Youth Cup team and Under-21 team. In April, 1995 he played his first football league game against Leeds Untied. During 1995 and 1996, David became a regular member of the team and Manchester United won in both football seasons, with David scoring many goals.

His goals make him a household name. In the first game of the 1996-1997 season, he scored an surprising goal from beyond the halfway line; seeing the goalkeeper a little way out of his goal, Beckham became famous overnight. He continued to score astonishing goals, especially from free- kicks. The speed of one of his shots was timed at 157 kph. He also had the ability to make the ball go from left to right, or right to left, whenever he chose. Goalkeepers were never sure when the ball was going, and it regularly ended up in the goal.

1．Which word can “passion” in Paragraph 1?

A. success　　　　   B. interest　　　　    C. prize　　　　　　    D. skill

2．The unusually surprising way that he scored goals　　   .

A. helped him to gain many prizes for Essex

B. kept him playing for Leeds United

C. offered him the chance to join the national team

D. made him popular in many British homes

3．Which of the following shows the right order of what Beckham experienced?

a. Beckham played his first football league game.

b. Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award.

c. Beckham played for Manchester United Youth Cup team.

d. Beckham went to Spain to join a football training camp.

e. Beckham played for the schools of Essex.

A. e,  d,  a,  c,  b

B. b,  e,  d,  a,  c

C. e,  b,  a,  d,  c

D. b,  d,  e,  c,  a

4．The passage is mainly talking about　　   .

A. how Beckham became a successful football player

B. what abilities Beckham had to score so many goals

C. when Beckham became famous all over Britain

D.Why Beckham could win in football league games

Auctions(拍卖) are public sales of goods conducted by an officially approved auctioneer. He asks the crowd gathered in the auction-room to make offers or “bids”, for the various items on sale. He encourages buyers, and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods.

  Almost all goods of various qualities are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, skins, wool, tea, fruit, vegetables and wines. Auction sales are also useful for land and property, antique(古董), furniture, pictures, rare books, old china(瓷器), and works of art.

  An auction is usually advertised beforehand with a full description of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by possible buyers. If the advertisement cannot give full details，catalogues(目标)are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a “lot”, is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with lot1,and continue with lot2,lot3,and so on; he may wait until he sees certain dealers in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in .The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible.

  The auctioneer must know quite accurately the current market values of the goods he is selling, and he should be acquainted (熟悉) with regular buyers of such goods. He will not waste time by starting the bidding too low. He will also encourage the rivals among buyers to bid against each other in order to get a high price. It is largely in his advice that a seller will fix a “reserved” price, that is, a price below which the goods cannot be sold .Even the best auctioneer, however, finds itお difficult to stop a “knock-out”（连锁拍货, because dealers illegally arranged beforehand not to bid against each other, but choose one of them as the only bidder, in the hope of buying goods at very low prices. It such a “knock-out” succeeds, the real auction sale takes place privately afterwards among the dealers.

1.At what prices are auctioned goods usually sold?

A. The reserved prices fixed by sellers.

B. The prices officially approved.

C. The highest price offered by bidders.

D. The prices the dealers arranged beforehand.

2．Which of the following statements about an auctioneer is NOT true according to the passage?

A. He encourages buyers to bid higher prices.

B. He gives advice to sellers.

C. He should know the current values of the goods on sale.

D. He is a government official.

3． “A reserved price” in the last paragraph means　　   .

A. a price which an article can be sold at

B. a price below which an article cannot be sold

C. a price fixed by the local government

D. a price acceptable to possible buyers

4．Even the best auctioneer finds it hard to stop a “knock-out” because　　   .

A. dealers sometimes arranged in advance not to bid against each other

B. he is not familiar with the regular buyers

C. her does not know the values of the goods

D. he has never heard of such a thing

A Way of Life for Students

  The Internet is a way of life for US college students, with research showing them to be one of the most connected groups.

  A recent study by Harris Interactive and 360 Youth found that 93 percent of American college students visit the Internet, and this market is expected to grow from 15.2 million in 2003 to 16.4 million in 2007. That is slow but could be the result of the already high number of college Internet users.

  About 88 percent of American college students own a computer, and more than half have broadband (宽带) connections. Furthermore, 67 percent own cell phones and 36 percent use their mobile devices to visit the Internet. Study findings are that 42 percent go online mainly to communicate socially, and 72 percent of college students check emails at least once a day, with 66 percent using at least two email addresses.

The most popular online social activity is for warding messages to friends or family, with 37 percent of college students saying they do so. The study also looked beyond the Internet surfing(冲浪) habits and into the buying habits of this group, and found them responsible for more than US $210 billion in sales last year alone.

College students have learned how to spend their money, with 93 percent saying low prices were important when shopping.

The study also showed that 65 percent make loan(贷款) payments; 41 percent of freshmen have a credit card; and 79 percent of seniors have a credit card. A significant number of charges on these credit cards are likely to be for entertainment and leisure expenses.

1．College students in the US, as this passage shows,　　   .

A. waste much time visiting the Internet

B. lead an exciting life by using the Internet

C. don’t have to learn their lessons in their classrooms

D. spend too much time, in the opinion of the writer, visiting the Internet

2．We can find, from the third paragraph, that in the US　　   .

A. most college students are from rich families

B. cell phone will take the place of computers in colleges

C. mobile phones make Internet life easy for college students

D. college students can have a computer from their colleges

3．To communicate with friends, nearly half of the college students use　　   .

A. letters　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. telephones

C. text messages on mobile phones   　　　　　　　　　　　　D. emails

4．By using the Internet, college students in the US can do the following EXCEPT　　   .

A. going swimming　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. chatting with friends

C. reading newspapers　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. buying goods