阅读理解

　　Sabine Island, near Greenland, was first discovered by the British geographer Sir Edward Saltine in 1823, but an 1869 map showed it was actually a quarter of a mile farther west than its discoverer had mapped. This interested Alfred Wegener, a young geographer working in Greenland in 1910. He thought the error was too great to be explained.

　　Wegener himself took measurements and found that since 1869 the island had moved another five-eighth of a mile. After checking the position of other Arctic landmasses, he concluded that all of them were drifting westward at different speeds.

　　From this finding，Wegener developed his floating continent theory. He imagined an original super-continent making up the infant(未成年的)earth, finally the mass broke up into several pieces--the present continents. The continents do seem to fit together like pieces of a puzzle, and what's more, some of the mountain ranges(山脉)of different continents line up rather well, as if the landmasses were at one time connected. However. believable as Wegener's argument appeared, many geographers refused to accept it. Exactly how the continents were formed is still a leading mystery in geography, though today many geographers are returning to the continental drift theory.

1．Sabine Island was first discovered and mapped by _____.

[　　]

A．the map makers of 1869

B．geographers of Greenland

C．a British geographer

D．Alfred Wegener

2．Wegener's discovery led him to conclude that _____.

[　　]

A．both the two earlier maps were in error

B．the Arctic landmasses were slowly drifting westward

C．all the continents were drifting slowly away from one another

D．Sabine Island was one part of Greenland

3．From the passage we can conclude that _____.

[　　]

A．Wegener liked to make things for granted

B．Wegener had a true scientific attitude

C．how the continents were formed is found out

D．the continental drift theory needs further testing

阅读理解

　　Exceptional(异常的)children are different in some significant way from others of the same age. For these children to develop to their full adult potential, their education must be adapted to those differences.

　　Although we focus on the needs of exceptional children, we find ourselves describing their environment as well. While the leading actor on the stage captures our attention, we are aware of the importance of the supporting players and the scenery of the play itself．Both the family and the society in which exceptional children live are often the key to their growth and devel0Dment. And it is in the public schools that we find the full expression of society's understanding--the knowledge, hopes and fears that are passed on to the next generation.

　　Education in any society is a mirror of that society. In that mirror we can see the strength, the weaknesses, the hopes, the prejudices(偏见), and the central values of the culture itself. The great interest in exceptional children shown in public education over the past three decades indicates the strong feeling in our society that all citizens, whatever their special conditions, deserve the opportunity to fully develop their capacities.“All men are created equal.”We have heard it many times, but it still has important meaning for education in a democratic society. Although the phrase was used by this country's founders to denote equality before the law, it has also been interpreted to mean equality of opportunity. That concept implies educational opportunity for all children--the right of each child to receive help in learning to the limits of his or her capacity, whether their capacity be small or great. Recent court decisions have confirmed the right of all children--disabled or not--to an appropriate education，and have ordered that public schools take the necessary steps to provide education. In response, schools are modifying their programs, adapting instruction to children who are exceptional, to those who can not profit substantially from regular programs.

1．In Paragraph 2, the author cites the example of the leading actor on the stage to show _____.

[　　]

A．the growth of exceptional children has much to do with their family and the society

B．exceptional children are more influenced by their families than normal children are

C．exceptional children are the key interest of the family and society

D．the needs of the society weigh much heavier than the needs of the exceptional children

2．The reason that the exceptional children receive so much concern in education is that _____.

[　　]

A．they are expected to be leaders of the society

B．they might become a burden of the society

C．they should fully develop their potentials

D．disabled children deserve special consideration

3．This passage mainly deals with _____.

[　　]

A．the differences of children in their learning capacities

B．the definition of exceptional children in modern society

C．the special educational programs for exceptional children

D．the necessity of adapting education to exceptional children

4．From this passage we learn that the educational concern for exceptional children _____.

[　　]

A．is now enjoying legal support

B．disagrees with the tradition of the country

C．is clearly stated by the country's founders

D．will exert great influence over court decisions

阅读理解

　　With the start of BBC World service Television, millions of viewers in Asia and America can now watch the Corporations news coverage, as well as listen to it.

　　And of course in Britain listeners and viewers can tune in to two BBC television channels, five BBC national radio services and dozens of local radio stations. They are brought sport, comedy, drama, music, news and current affairs, education, religion, parliamentary coverage, children's programmes and films for an annual licence fee of 83 per household.

　　It is a remarkable record, stretching back over 70 years--yet the BBC's future is now in doubt. The Corporation will survive as a publicly-funded broadcasting organization, at least for the time being, but its role, its size and its programmes are now the subject of a nation-wide debate in Britain.

　　The debate w3s launched by the Government, which invited anyone with an opinion of the BBC--including ordinary listeners and viewers--to say what was good or bad about the Corporation, and even whether they thought it was worth keeping. The reason for its inquiry is that the BBC's royal charter runs out in 1996 and it must decide whether to keep the organization as it is, or to make changes.

　　Defenders of the Corporation--of whom there are many--are fond of quoting the American slogan“If it ain't broke, don't fix it”. The BBC“ain't broke”, they say, by which they mean it is not broken(as distinct from the word‘broke’, meaning having no money), so why bother to change it?

　　Yet the BBC will have to change，because the broadcasting world around it is changing. The commercial TV channels--ITV and channel 4--were required by the Thatcher Government's Broadcasting Act to become more commercial, competing with each other for advertisers, and cutting costs and jobs. But it is the arrival of new satellite channels--funded partly by advertising and partly by viewers subscriptions--which will bring about the biggest changes in the long term.

1．The world famous BBC now faces _____.

[　　]

A．the problem of news coverage

B．an uncertain prospect

C．inquiries by the general public

D．shrinkage of audience

2．In the passage, which of the following about the BBC is NOT mentioned as the key issue?

[　　]

A．Extension of its TV service to Far East.

B．Programs as the subject of a nation-wide debate.

C．Potentials for further international co-operation.

D．Its existence as a broadcasting organization.

3．The BBC's“royal charter”in Paragraph 4 stands for _____.

[　　]

A．the financial support from the royal family

B．the privileges granted by the Queen

C．a contract with the Queen

D．a unique relationship with the royal family

4．The foremost reason why the BBC has to readjust itself is no other than _____.

[　　]

A．the emergence of commercial TV channels

B．the enforcement of Broadcasting Act by the government

C．the urgent necessity to reduce costs and jobs

D．the challenge of new satellite channels

阅读理解

　　Decision-thinking is not unlike poker(扑克牌)--it often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think and what you think they think you think. The mental process(过程) is similar. Naturally, this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are, by any standards，good thinkers.

　　The great mathematician John Von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory. In particular, he showed that all games fall into two classes: there are what he called games of‘perfect information’, games like chess where the players can't hide anything or play tricks, they don't win by chance, but by means of logic and skills. Then there are games of‘imperfect information’, like poker, in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another.

　　One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of perfect information. Quite the reverse, business, politics, life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information. Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors(因素) which would even puzzle(困惑) best poker players. But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance, and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess, not poker.

1．The subject discussed in this text is _____.

[　　]

A．the process of reaching decisions

B．the value of information in winning games

C．the secret of making good business plans

D．the difference between poker and chess

2．An important factor in game of imperfect information is _____.

[　　]

A．rules　　　　 B．luck

C．time　　　　　D．idea

3．Which of the following can be used in place of“Quite the reverse”?

[　　]

A．Quite right.　　　　B．Just the opposite.

C．Most unlikely.　　　D．True enough.

4．In the writer's opinion, when making business decisions one should _____.

[　　]

A．put perfect information before imperfect information

B．regard business as a game of chess

C．accept the existence of unknown factors

D．mix known and unknown factors

阅读理解

　　As I travel across China, I hope to learn as much as I can about the Chinese people, your history, and your dreams for the future and I hope to help the Chinese people understand more of America's history, the lessons the American people have drawn from it, and the dreams we hold for the 21st century.

　　I believe both Chinese and Americans aspire(立志，有愿望) to many of the same things--to provide for our families, to teach our children, to build our communities, to protect our earth, to shape our own futures, and pass brighter possibilities on to our children.

　　There may be those here and back in America who wonder whether closer ties and deeper friendship between America and China are good. Clearly, the answer is yes. We have a powerful ability to help each other grow. We can learn much from each other. And as two great nations, we have a special responsibility to the future of the world. The steps we take over the next week can lead to far greater strides for our people in the years ahead.

　　Here in this city of your magnificent history, we must always remember that we, too, are ancestors(祖先). Someday our children and their children will ask if we did all we could to build just societies and a more peaceful world. Let our monument be their judgment that we did that. Let our progress include all people, with all their differences, moving toward a common destiny.

　　Let us give new meaning to the words written in the ancient Book of Rites, what you call the Li Shi: When the great way is followed, all under heaven will be equal.

1．It becomes clear from the passage that _____.

[　　]

A．both China and America are the most powerful countries in the world

B．both China and America should do something for the future of the world

C．both China and America are great countries with a long history

D．both China and America can provide their children with good education

2．Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

[　　]

A．America will encourage their children to learn the Chinese history.

B．The speaker is in the city with the magnificent Chinese history.

C．Both Chinese and Americans share some desires and interests.

D．The speaker wants Chinese to understand more of American history.

3．The underlined word“here”used in Paragraph 3 refers to“_____”.

[　　]

A．in the city　　　　　　　B．on the platform

C．at the ceremony(仪式)　　D．in China

4．It can be inferred that the person who made the speech is a _____.

[　　]

A．scientist　　　　B．statesman

C．businessman　　D．professor

阅读理解

　　All right! Enough cookies, cola, and chips! It seems that junk food is all that the children want to eat these days. Television controls their tastes. The kids see well-known personalities eating potato chips, candy and other processed food，and they want to be like their heroes. How do they do it? They eat the same food. I wish there were more characters like old Popeye, the sailor, who ate spinach and not French fries.

　　Now I don't expect my children to eat healthy food because I like brown rice, beans, and fresh vegetables. I'm glad to cook traditional meals of meat and potatoes for them. I really can't be too upset with the kids because most adults aren't careful about what they eat. The other night, my wife and I went to a party where there was plenty to drink but very little for us to eat. They served hot dogs and hamburgers. I can't eat hot dogs, with all those preservatives, and hamburgers are filled with chemicals so that they look better. Besides the meat, they had sugar filled cookies and cake, and of course, chips. I don't want the world to change because of me, but I think people should realize that there are alternatives(选择) to eating meat. They always tell me that I probably don't get my essential(必要的) proteins. I feel better than ever and I'm sure that it's because I'm a vegetarian. I would really like to see more television advertisements which show the benefits of good, healthy, natural food.

1．According to the passage, it seems that _____.

[　　]

A．canned food is the only one that the kids enjoy most

B．the children like to have fried chicken only

C．the kids prefer to have cold drinks, not junk food

D．the children like nothing better than junk food: cookies and chips

2．Hamburgers look better _____.

[　　]

A．but taste bad

B．because they are treated with chemicals

C．and the writer expects the children to eat them

D．so the writer prefers them to hot dogs

3．The writer is a vegetarian, so people doubt very much _____.

[　　]

A．why he goes to the party

B．whether he gets enough proteins

C．whether he allows his children to eat meat

D．whether he is healthy and strong

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　On average, American kids aged 3 to 12 spent 29 hours a week in school, eight hours more than they did in 1991. They also did more household work and took part in more of such organized activities as soccer and ballet (芭蕾舞). Involvement in sports, in particular, rose by almost 50％ from 1991 to　2003: boys now spend an average of four hours a week playing sports; girls log half that time. All in all, however, children's free time dropped from 40％ of the day in 1991 to 25％.

　　“Children are affected by the same time crunch(短缺) that affects their parents,”says Sandra Hofferth, who headed the recent study of children's timetable. A chief reason, she says, is that more mothers are working outside the home. (However, children in both double-income and“male breadwinner”families spent similar amounts of time communicating with their parents, 19 hours and 22 hours respectively. In contrast, children spent only 9 hours with their single mothers.)

　　All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.“Play is the most powerful way a child explores the world and learns about himself,”says T. Berry Brazehon, professor at Harvard Medical School. Unstructured play encourages independent thinking and allows the young to develop their relationships with their peers (同龄人), but kids aged 3 to 12 spent only 12 hours a week being engaged in it.

　　The children sampled(抽样) spent a quarter of their rapidly decreasing“free time”watching televisin. But that, believe it or not, was one of the findings parents might regard as good news. If they're spending less time in front of the TV set, however, kids aren't replacing it with reading. Despite efforts to get kids more interested in books, the children spent just over an hour a week reading. Let's face it, who's got the time?

1．By mentioning“the same time crunch”(in Paragraph 2) Sandra Hofferth means _____.

[　　]

A．children have little time to play with parents

B．both parents arid children suffer from lack of free time

C．both parents and children have trouble managing their time

D．children are not taken good care of by their working parents

2．According to the author, the reason given by Sandra Hofferth for the time crunch is _____.

[　　]

A．totally true

B．quite believable

C．rather difficult to understand

D．not based on facts

3．According to the author a child develops better if _____.

[　　]

A．he has plenty of time reading and studying

B．he is free to communicate with his working parents

C．he is left to play with his peers in his own way

D．he spends more time on school activities

4．The author finds the fact that American kids _____.

[　　]

A．do less and less household work

B．are spending more and more time watching TV

C．are engaged in more and more structured activities

D．get enough attention from their working mothers

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　Queen Victoria was monarch (君王，帝王) of Great Britain from 1837 until her death in 1901. This period is often called the Victorian Age.

　　Queen Victoria was a stern (严厉的，苛刻的)and serious woman. One reason she was so serious was that she had suffered a great loss. When she was twenty years old, she married a German prince named Albert. Victoria and Albert were deeply in love, and their marriage was extremely happy. In 1861, after they had been married for twenty-one years, Albert died, leaving Queen Victoria heartbroken. For the rest of her life, the lonely Victoria mourned his loss. It was customary in those days for a widow to dress in black for a short time after the death of her husband. But Queen Victoria dressed in black for forty years. And for forty years, as another sign of her grief, she wrote many letters on white paper edged in black.

　　Even before Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria was known as a very serious woman. She had a strong sense of duty and worked very hard at all her tasks. In her diary she wrote,“I love to be employed; I hate to be idle.”She never forgot that she was Britain's queen and always acted with great dignity(尊贵；尊严). Victoria had high ideals and moral standards that sometimes made her seem stuffy(古板的). She was also very sure of herself. She always thought that she was right, and she expected everyone to agree with her.

1．Which of the following statements about Queen Victoria is NOT true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．She had great confidence about herself.

B．She ruled Great Britain for sixty years.

C．She enjoyed her marriage to a German prince.

D．She became a serious woman after her beloved husband died.

2．Queen Victoria wrote her letters on white paper edged in black because _____.

[　　]

A．she was a very stern woman

B．black was her favorite color

C．that was one way to show her feelings of sadness

D．it was a custom among monarchs of Great Britain

3．All of the following characteristics EXCEPT _____ can be used to properly describe Queen Victoria?

[　　]

A．moral　　　　　　B．lonesome

C．workaholic　　　　D．compromising(妥协的)

4．The underlined word“mourned”in Paragraph 2 means _____.

[　　]

A．felt sad or sorrowful in a social situation

B．expressed publicly one's sadness because someone has died

C．checked regularly in order to find out what was happening

D．included in group of members, ages, measurements with particular fixed limits

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，掌握其大意，然后从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。

　　Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker's Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.

　　Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.

　　Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says,“Talk to Me,”they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.

　　They don't collect money. They don't push religion. So what's the point?

　　“To see what happens,”said Liz.“We simply enjoy life with open communication.”

　　Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.

　　“It started as a crazy idea,”Liz said.“We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything.”

　　Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.

　　Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease.“That was very heavy on my mind,”Marcia said.“To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good,”she explained.

　　To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.

　　They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.

1．What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 11, 2001?

[　　]

A．Chatting with people.

B．Setting up street signs.

C．Telling stories to strangers.

D．Organizing a speaker's corner.

2．What they have been doing can be described as _____.

[　　]

A．pointless　　　　　　B．normal

C．crazy　　　　　　　D．successful

3．Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?

[　　]

A．They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B．They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C．They organized the get-together in the city park.

D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

4．What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

[　　]

A．Go in for publishing.

B．Do more television programs.

C．Continue what they are doing.

D．Spend more time reading books.

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，掌握其大意，然后从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。

　　If the world were a village of 1,000 people, it would include:

　　▲584 Asians

　　▲124 Africans

　　▲95 Eastern and Western Europeans

　　▲84 Latin Americans

　　▲55 former Soviets(including Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, and other national groups)

　　▲52 North Americans

　　▲6 Australians and New Zealanders

　　The people of the village would speak:

　　▲165 Mandarin

　　▲86 English

　　▲83 Hindu/Urdu

　　▲64 Spanish

　　▲58 Russian

　　▲37 Arabic

　　The above list covers the mother tongues of only half the village.

　　One-third of the people in the village are children, and only 60 are over the age of 65. Just under half of the married women in the village have access to modern equipments.

　　This year 28 babies will be born. Ten people will die, 3 of them for lack of food, 1 from cancer. Two of the deaths will be babies born within the year. With the 28 births and 10 deaths, the population of the village next year will be 1,018.

　　In this village of 1,000 persons, 200 people receive 75 percent of the income; another 200 receive only 2 percent of the income.

　　About one-third have access to clean, safe drinking water.

　　Of the 670 adults in the village, half can not read or write.

　　The village has a total yearly budget (预算), public and private, of over $ 3 million--$3,000 per person if it is distributed evenly. Of the total $3 million:

　　$181,000 goes to weapons and warfare

　　$159,000 to education

　　$132,000 to health care

　　These weapons are under the control of just 100 of the people. The other 900 are watching them with deep anxiety, wondering whether they can learn to get along together.

1．Which of the following is TRUE about Mandarin according to the text?

[　　]

A．Nearly one-third of Asian people speak Mandarin in the village.

B．About 8.25 per cent of the people speak Mandarin in the village.

C．About 16.5 per cent of the people speak Mandarin in the village.

D．Nearly all the Mandarin-speaking people are from Asia in the village.

2．Which of the following problems is NOT mentioned in the text?

[　　]

A．Poverty.　　　　　　B．Education.

C．Environment.　　　　D．Marriage.

3．The underlined phrase“have access to”means“_____”.

[　　]

A．use　　　　　　B．buy

C．produce　　　　D．try

4．The last sentence in the text implies that most of the people long for _____.

[　　]

A．a peaceful world　　　　　　B．good education

C．better health care　　　　　　D．a life without anxiety