阅读理解

For Jason, the youngest of the three Hardman children, Ellsinore was wonderful, but it wasn’t perfect. Something very important was missing—books. There had been libraries at his father’s last duty station, and Jason had used them all regularly. But the library nearest to Ellsinore was in Monoroe, six miles away, and it had a rule that limited him to borrowing three books a week.

Jason was then ten years old, and he mentioned the problem to his mother, Linda Hardman. She knew of several boxes of books kept in Ellsinore’s last library, which had closed several years before for short of money.“Why don’t you look through those old books and see if there are any you can use?” she suggested.

As Jason began sorting through the books, he became excited. The books were old but in good condition. And suddenly an idea hit him. There were enough books to start a library.

So he went to his father.“ I want to start a library and I need your help,” he said.

About a week later, Jason’s father led him to the Mayor of the town. The Mayor listened to Jason very carefully and promised to consider his plan before making a decision.

A month went by. Jason heard nothing about his plan from the Mayor. He soon found the Mayor’s phone number and each night after supper he would pick up the phone and call the Mayor. After weeks of nightly calls, the Mayor began to think that building a library was not just a passing idea for the boy. He then agreed to offer help.

1.How many people were there in Jason’s family?

A.Three.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.Four.

C.Five.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.Six.

2.Ellsinore was the name of __________.

A.a place　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.a person

C.a library　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.Jason’s

3.What was Jason’s problem?

A.The nearest library was too small for him.

B.He did not know where to borrow books.

C.He was limited to reading three books a week.

D.He could not get enough books to read from the library.

4.How did Jason find the Mayor’s phone number?

A.His parents helped him.

B.He found the number in the Mayor’s office.

C.The Mayor told him.

D.The writer of the story did not tell us.

5.What does“a passing idea”mean in the passage?

A.An idea which a child usually had.

B.An idea which has something to do with a certain place.

C.An idea which will soon disappear.

D.An idea which a person had in the past.

阅读理解

Consulates(领事馆) exist to help citizens abroad to help themselves. Every year millions of people go abroad for pleasure or profit. There are consular officers ready to do what they can to help if people get into difficulties, but for all sorts of reasons there are limits to what they can do. Most times things go well for travelers abroad but occasionally things go wrong.

So, whether you are an experienced traveler or a first timer, going by yourself, with the family or a group there are things you should do before you go. Think about money and tickets well in advance. Take enough money including enough to pay your return fare, and hold on to it. Better still, buy return tickets in the first place. In an emergency a consul (领事) will contact relatives or friends and ask them to help you with money or tickets. But there’s no law that says a consul has to lend you money and if he eventually does (and it will have to be repaid) he will want to be satisfied first that you really do have no money and there is no one else you know who can help.

It is also important to take out proper insurance for everything from car breakdowns to loss of life. A consul cannot pay your medical or any other bills, nor can he do the work of local travel representatives or motoring organizations.

1.What is the author trying to do in the text?

A. To inform people about laws abroad.

B. To describe an international problem.

C. To explain how to visit a consulate.

D. To give advice about consulates.

2.Why would somebody read the text?

A. To know how to contact a consul.

B. To find out how to make a complaint.

C. To know when to contact a consul.

D. To find out where a consul lives.

3.Travelers should try and buy a return ticket in case they__________.

A. become short of money

B. get into difficulties

C. lose their documents

D. become seriously ill

4.You can borrow money from a consul if you__________.

A. need to stay abroad longer

B. have to help a relative

C. have no other financial(资金) means

D. need to have your car repaired

5.Which of the following notices would you see in a Consular Office?

CONSULAR OFFICE

In an emergency you may contact your consul. He may give you advice but you should not rely on being given financial help.

Jim

A

CONSULAR OFFICE

In an emergency you may contact this office. Your consul can always help with hospital and dental costs.

Jim

B

CONSULAR OFFICE

You may contact your consul if you have run out of money. He will arrange for you to receive help if you cannot pay your bills.　　 

Jim

C

CONSULAR OFFICE

Your consul is here to help you. If you can has broken down or you are experiencing travel difficulties of any kind, contact your consul.

Jim

D

阅读理解

A study of a university in Shanghai had found that many of the students there are using a quote（引语）from the Italian poet Dante as a kind of motto. The study of Fudan University, one of China’s top universities, of 489 students, found that 82 had chosen Dante’s “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto, out of 278 people who said they had a motto. This was followed by “Believe yourself” and “Self-improvement without stop”.

Students also expressed a common hope for greater understanding and care and said they were always ready to give a hand to those in need.

Some researchers think that mottoes can play an important part in children’s growth and they say that a good motto can help children develop a better character.

1.The study shows __________.

A. what poems are popular

B.how many students like the motto “Believe yourself”

C.which university should have mottoes

D.the majority of the students like to choose their favorite mottoes

2.Of the students asked,__________ students have mottoes.

A.about 57%　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.about 16%

C.about 78%　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.about 8%

3.The motto“Self-improvement without stop”shares the similar meaning with__________.

A.growing by oneself continuously

B.making oneself better and perfect continuously

C.going on to improve rapidly

D.becoming better without having a break

4.The best title for the passage should be __________.

A.Students and Poet

B.Mottoes and Learning

C.Mottoes and Character Developing

D.Understanding Care

5.What do we know from the passage?

A.The students want to be understood and cared and are willing to help.

B.The students want to understand themselves deeper with a motto chosen.

C.The students need help and care greatly.

D.The students believe they understand mottoes better than others.

阅读理解

To protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to inspect all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and inspected. Your bag was among those selected for inspection.

During the inspection, your bag and its contents may have been searched for items forbidden by law such as fireworks, fuels, gun powder, etc. At the completion of the inspection, the contents were returned to your bag, which was resealed（重新封口）with a “special” lock.

If the TSA screener was unable to open your bag for inspection because it was locked, the screener may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, and has taken care to reseal your bag upon completion of inspection. However, TSA is not liable for damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution（预防措施）.

For packing tips and other suggestions that may assist you during your next trip, visit:

WWW.TSATravelTips.us

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact（联系）the Transportation Security Administration Consumer Response Center:

Phone: toll-free at (866) 289-9673

E-mail:TellTSA@tas.dot.gov

*Section 110(b)of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001,49,U.S.C.§44901(c)-(e)

1.This leaflet(宣传单) is trying to __________.

A. introduce one of the security acts

B.persuade people to contact TSA

C.inform people of baggage inspection 

D.warn against the damage of locking the baggage

2.The leaflet is most probably provided by TSA to those who __________.

A.refused to check in their baggage

B.had their baggage selected for inspection

C.kept some damaged items in their baggage

D.left their baggage unlocked

3.What is the meaning of “liable” as it is used in the text?

A.responsible by law 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.permitted by law

C.suitable by law 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.prepared by law

4.Which of the following items is probably allowed in the checked baggage?

5.According to the passage, in which place may you find the leaflet?

A.Airport.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.Railway station.

C.Harbor.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.All of the above.

阅读理解

Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $0.9 each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $90 million. That was the second largest lottery jackpot(积累奖金)in history.

More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing. Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80.The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million. But that little chance certainly didn’t affect ticket sales. In the last few days before the drawing, tickets were selling at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second.

Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action. Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people. It allows them to dream about wealth they’ll probably never have.

But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized(合法化的)gambling. Some critics(批评家)note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets. There are also many addicts(成瘾者)who take the game seriously. They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets. Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.

Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice(恶习),under the name of social progress.

No matter whether you regard state lotteries right or not, you cannot refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans.

1.The main idea of the passage is that__________.

A.lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them

B.playing a lottery is just like investing in the stock market

C.a lot of people buy lottery tickets, but lotteries cause disagreement

D.lotteries are just legalized vice

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Politicians like lotteries because they don’t have to pay extra tax.

B.The popularity of lotteries in America actually is social progress.

C.Some critics don’t like lotteries because many poor people waste their money on them.

D.People love the lottery because it is a stock market.

3.In just one hour in the last few days, the Pennsylvania lottery sold tickets totaling__________.

A.$ 1.62 million　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.$90 million

C.$9.6 million　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.$87 million

4.People who are addicted to playing lotteries should __________.

A. join a club　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.kick the habit

C.win the Pennsylvania　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.save every cent

5.What do you think the profits from lotteries are usually used for?

A.The politicians get the money and put into their own pockets.

B.People who buy lotteries can share the profits equally.

C.The government spends them on education and taking care of the old.

D.They are used to treat the many addicts.

阅读理解

An old Indian story says that the game of chess（国际象棋）was invented by Sissa Ben, Prime Minister of King Shirham. As soon as the invention was finished he gave it to the king, who was glad and asked him what he would like to have in return. To the king’s surprise, what Sissa wanted seemed very little. “Your Majesty,” said the minister, kneeling in front of the king. “I want nothing but some wheat. Please put a grain of wheat on the first square of the chessboard（棋盘）,two on the second, four on the third, eight on the fourth…and so on, doubling the number for each following square, give me enough grains to cover the 64 squares of the chessboard.”

“You don’t ask for much, my honest servant. You might have asked for gold or money,” said the king and then ordered a bag of wheat brought to the palace.

But when the counting began, with one gain for the first square, two for the second, four for the third, and so on, the bag was emptied before the 20th square. More bags were brought, but the number of grain needed for the following squares increased so rapidly that the king soon realized that he was not able to keep his promise even with all the crops in the whole India! In fact, he would have needed 8 466 744 073 709 511 615grains, which would be as much as that they would produce in about 2 000 years!

Now the king found himself deep in debt to his minister .He had either to face the terrible trouble all his life or to cut off Sissa’s head, which, it is said, he finally chose.

1.This story tells us _____________ .

A. how cruel the king was

B.how clever the minister was

C.Sissa was a famous mathematician

D.how the game of chess came into being

2.According to the story, the game of chess was invented by an _____________.

A. American Indian

B.ancient Indian official

C.Indian king

D.Indian officer

3.The king was glad to know that Sissa only wanted some wheat because _____________ .

A. wheat was not expensive

B.it didn’t seem much

C.Sissa was honest to him

D.both A and B

4.A bag of wheat was enough for _____________.

A.19 squares

B.one third of the squares

C.the first 19 squares

D.20 squares

5.The following pictures show a part of the chessboard. Which one can correctly show the way in which Sissa had the grains of wheat put on it?

阅读理解

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated（估计）worth of more than $40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat （功绩）for Gates. Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues, Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids”.

So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations, he says, has proven to be an essential（本质的，实质的）method in helping poor countries to be financially successful.” National borders allow inequalities,” said Gates: “We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them.”

Gates said that both his parents set an example for him as a child. His father, William H.Gates, was the head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the United Way. As he gathered his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.However, Gates, 47, began to question his ability to wait that long. “It seemed there was a real time urgency（紧急）,” Gates said. “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”

1.Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to _____________.

A. improve the health of population in America alone

B.improve the health of population all over the world

C.avoid leaving his children too much money

D.spare the American government the burden of health care

2.Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is _____________.

A.to set up more foundations for them

B.to aid them with natural resources

C.to put more effort into the health issues in them

D.to help them take a more global view

3.It can be learned from the text that Bill Gates thinks _____________.

A. Americans should care about people in other countries

B.Americans should treat fellow citizens well

C.Americans should devote themselves to certain projects

D.Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune

4.Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of _____________.

A. his weakening health condition

B.his parents’ suggestions

C.his great success in business

D.his concern for suffering people

5.The underlined word “channel” probably has a similar meaning as it is used in sentence “_____________”.

A. Try to channel your abilities into something useful

B.We ought to channel this street so that water can flow away easily

C.Ships must follow the channel into the port

D.Which channel will you be broadcasting tonight

阅读理解

SYDNEY: As they sat sharing sweets beside a swimming pool in 1999,Shane Gould and Jessicah Schipper were simply getting along well, chatting about sport, life and “anything else that came up”.

Yet in Sydney next month, they will meet again by the pool, and for a short time the friends will race against each other in the 50-meter butterfly in the Australian championships at Homebush Bay.

Gould, now a 47-year-old mother of four, has announced she will be making a return to élite（顶级的）competition swim, having set a qualifying time of 30.32 seconds in winning gold at last year’s United States Masters championships. Her comeback comes 32 years after she won three golds at the Munich Olympics.

Schipper, now a 17-year-old from Brisbane with a bright future of going to Athens for her first Olympics, yesterday recalled her time with Gould five years ago.

“I was at a national youth camp on the Gold Coast and Shane had come along to talk to us and watch us train,” Schipper explained. “It seemed as if we had long been good friends .I don’t know why. We just started talking and it went from there.”

“She had a lot to share with all of us at that camp. She told us stories about what it was like at big meets like the Olympics and what it’s like to be on an Australian team. It was really interesting.”

Next time, things will be more serious. “ I will still be swimming in the 50m butterfly at the nationals, so there is a chance that I could actually be competing against Shane Gould,” said Schipper, who burst onto the scene at last year’s national championships with second places in the 100 m and 200 m butterfly.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Stories happening in swimming competitions.

B. Two women swimmers winning Olympic golds.

C. Lessons learned from international swimming championships.

D. Friendship and competition between two swimmers.

2.Gould and Schipper are going to_____________.

A.talk about sport and life

B.go back to elite competition

C.set a qualifying time and win gold

D.take part in the same sports event

3.Gould won her three Olympic golds when she was_____________.

A.15　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.17

C.22　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.30

4.The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph probably refers to_____________.

A.the Olympics　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.the youth camp

C.the friendship　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.the Australian team

5.What Schipper said showed that she_____________.

A.was no longer Gould’s friend

B.had learned a lot from Gould

C.was not interested in Gould’s stories

D.would not like to compete against Gould

阅读理解

Whatever our differences as human beings are, we all think we’re more like the rest of the animal world than we realize. It is said that we share 40 per cent of our genetic（遗传的）structure with the simple worm.

But that fact has helped Sir John Sulston win the 2002 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Sir John is the founder of the Sanger Institute in Cambridge, which was set up in 1992 to get further understanding of the human genome（染色体组）.

To help them do this, they turned to the worm. The nematode（线虫类的）worm is one of the earliest creatures on planet earth. It is less than one millimeter long, completely transparent and spends its entire life digging holes through sand. But it still has lots to say about human life, and what can be done to make it better.

What the worm told Sir John and his colleagues were that each of cells in the human body is programmed like a computer. They grow, develop and die according to a set of instructions that are coded in our genetic make-up.

Many of the diseases that humans suffer from happen when these instructions go wrong or are not obeyed. When the cell refuses to die but carries on growing instead, this leads to cancer. Heart attacks and diseases like AIDS cause more cell deaths than normal, increasing the damage they do to the body. Sir John was the first scientist to prove the existence of programmed cell death.

1.Sir John Sulston got a Nobel Prize for Medicine because he has _____________.

A. found that human beings are similar to the worn

B.got the fact we share 40 per cent of our genetic structure with the simple worm

C.found the computer which controls each of the cells in the human body

D.proved that cell death is programmed

2.People might be seriously ill if the cells in their bodies _____________.

A.grow without being instructed

B.die regularly

C.fail to follow people’s instructions

D.develop in the human body

3.The underlined word “they”(Paragraph 5) refers to _____________.

A.cell deaths　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.diseases

C.instructions　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.cells

4.What is the subject discussed in the text?

A.The theory of programmed cell deaths.

B.A great scientist—Sir John Sulston.

C.The programmed human life.

D.Dangerous diseases.

阅读理解

Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.

Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, that is the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive (印象深刻的) as the building itself.

First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial(纪念物) to celebrate their love.

When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife’s death, his people were shocked to see that his coal-black hair had turned snow-white.

Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out. More than 20 000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653,Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains in the center under the building.

And then, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Jehan lived the rest of his days－eight years, to be exact—imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it—until he was buried next to his wife.

Today 25 000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange, sad story, those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired(激发……的灵感) its construction.

1.The first two paragraphs were written to show that _____________.

A. the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building

B.ancient Indian emperors were cruel

C.construction workers led a hard life in ancient India

D.India has some of the most famous buildings in the world

2.The Taj Mahal was first built as _____________.

A. a prison　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.a gift to Mumtaz

C.a memorial building 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.a tourist attraction

3.We learn from the text that Mumtaz probably died in _____________.

A.1626　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.1632

C.1634　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.1653