In 1956 CBS and the Los Angeles Turf Club (Santa Anita) asked for the lease（租出）on the Ocean Park Pier and they proposed to build a $ 10,000,000 sea theme park to compete with Disneyland. They closed the pier after Labor Day, hired the best amusement park designers and Hollywood special effects experts and began to design new attractions for the theme park. More than 80 special effects men, scenic designers and artists worked for more than a year on the project.

　　They like Disney, found corporate sponsors（赞助商）to share the expenses of some of the exhibits. To save money they rebuilt existing buildings and joined six of the old attractions into the design; the roller coaster merry-go-round, Toonerville Fun House, Glass House, twin diving bells, and Strat-o-liner ride. They called the new park Pacific Ocean Park.

　　The 28 acre park was decorated throughout in a sea-green and white art modern look. Its entrance set among fountains, sculptures（雕塑）and large sea horse and clam（蛤）shell decorated frieze（建筑物上端的带状装饰）, set the mood for the wonders within. The ticket booth in Neptune's Courtyard was set under a six legged concrete starfish（海星）covering. Plastic bubbles and sea horses decorated its top. All day admission was ninety cents for adults; less for children. This included entry to the park, Neptune's Kingdom, the Sea Circus and the Westinghouse Enchanted Forest exhibit. Other rides and attractions were at additional costs.

　　Opening day on Saturday July 28,1958 drew 20,000 curious people and dozens of Hollywood celebrities（名人）. Sunday's 37,262 paying customers brought traffic jams to the area. During the first six days it outperformed Disneyland in attracting customers.

(1) Pacific Ocean Park was built

[　　]

A．only to enjoy the tourists because most people like the sea

B．by CBS and the Los Angeles Turf Club because they wanted to make money by renting it

C．to make more profit by competing with Disneyland

D．because CBS and the Los Angeles Turf Club wanted to cooperate with each other

(2) The underlined word“corporate”means

[　　]

(3) Which is TRUE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．They employed various experts to work on it but didn't succeed at first.

B．They pulled down a lot of old buildings because money was never a problem to them.

C．They decorated the park in a sea-blue and white color.

D．They attracted more customers than Disneyland since its opening after a week.

(4) When you visit the Pacific Ocean Park, ________.

[　　]

A．You must take a lot of money because the admission ticket is expensive

B．You will be free to visit most places in the park for nothing

C．You will be deeply impressed by the beautiful design in or outside the park

　　Long before any recorded human history in Yellowstone, a massive（巨大的）volcanic eruption spat out a great amount of ash that covered all of the western U.S. , much of the Midwest, northern Mexico and some areas of the eastern Pacific. The eruption lowered that of Mt.St. Helens in 1980 and left a hole 30 miles wide by 45 miles long.

　　That climactic event occurred about 640,000 years ago, and was one of many processes that shaped Yellowstone National Park—a region once said to be“the place where hell bubbles（起泡）up.”Geothermal（地热的）wonders, such as Old Faithful, are evidence of one of the world's largest active volcanoes. These exciting features puzzled the park's earliest visitors, and helped lead to the creation of the world's first national park.

　　Fur trappers'（捕获者）fantastic tales of cauldrons（大锅炉）of bubbling mud and roaring geysers（间歇泉）sending steaming feathers skyward made their way back east. Several expeditions were sent to look into it, opening the West to further exploration and exploitation. In 1871, Ferdinand Hayden led an expedition that included artist Thomas Moran and photographer William H．Jackson. They brought back images that helped convince（使信服）. Congress that the area known as Yellowstone needed to be protected and preserved.

　　In 1872, President Ulysses S.Grant signed a law declaring that Yellowstone would forever be“devoted and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”

(1) This passage mainly tells us about

[　　]

A．How Yellowstone park got its name

B．How Yellowstone park became a public park

C．When Yellowstone park had a volcanic eruption

D．Why Yellowstone park became a public park

(2) A massive volcanic“eruption”in the passage means

[　　]

(3) It can be concluded from the passage that

[　　]

A．The U.S. agreed to make it a national park as soon as the eruption happened

B．The U.S. government found it a good way to make a profit by making it a public park

C．Many people did a lot before the congress agreed to make it a national park

D．It became a public park so that the government could win again in the coming election

(4) Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．The volcanic eruption made the Mt．St．Helens appeared lower than before.

B．The earliest visitors were so attracted by the wonderful features that they suggested that it become a national park.

C．Yellowstone became a national park owing to the efforts of a great many people.

　　The first Disneyland in Europe was opened in France in 1992. At first it was called “Euro Disney”, but later it was renamed as“Disneyland Paris”in 1994. It is now one of the most successful Disney theme parks in the world with up to 70,000 visitors a day during the warm summer months.

　　The park has five different parts called“lands” Each land has its own unique（独特的）and exciting features. The five different lands are called Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland.

　　In Main Street USA, you can experience a typical American town of 100 years ago. There are steam trains at the railroad station, horse-drawn street cars and jazz bands in the streets. All the shops sell old-fashioned goods and the people wear old-style clothes.

　　In Adventureland, you can find Caribbean pirates（海盗）and African dancers. You can also camp with the Swiss Family Robinson in their tree house.

　　Frontierland shows the American Wild West—there is even a native American village. The most popular attraction here is the Phantom Manor which has 999 ghosts（鬼怪）! Each ghost has a secret, but you will have to go into the house to find out what they are!

　　In Fantasyland, you can meet your favourite Disney characters in their own surroundings：Sleeping Beauty in her castle, Dumbo the flying elephant in a circus（马戏团）, and Snow White in the dark forest. You can also enjoy tea with Alice and their friends in Wonderland.

　　The main attraction in Discoveryland is Space Mountain. In it you can go to the moon on an exciting roller coaster ride—the journey takes two and a half minutes!

　　After visiting the lands, you can have a meal in one of the many restaurants in the park or you can meet Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto. In Disney Village you can relax and enjoy the magical surroundings, go shopping or visit a nightclub（夜总会）.

　　We know that you will love Disneyland Paris because it has something for everyone. Book your trip of a lifetime now!

(1) Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．The story of Disneyland

B．The history of Disneyland

C．Disneyland Paris

D．Welcome to Disneyland

(2) Which of the following is NOT true about Disneyland Paris?

[　　]

A．All ghosts in Phantom Manor have secrets.

B．There are Caribbean pirates in Adventureland.

C．Main Street USA shows life in a typical American town 100 years ago.

D．Disney cartoon characters can be found in the same land.

(3) The word“renamed”in the second line means _______.

[　　]

(4) All the shops sell old-fashioned goods and the people wear old-style clothes. In this sentence,“old-fashioned”means _______.

[　　]

　　Every history has a starting point and most roller coaster historians agree that the ride's origins were the Russian Ice Slides（滑翔）. These slides first appeared during the 17th century throughout Russia. The structures were built out of lumber（木材）with a sheet of ice several inches thick covering the surface. Riders climbed the stairs tied to the back of the slide, sped down the 50 degree drop and go up the stairs of the slide that laid parallel（平行的）to the first one. It is said that Catherine the Great was a large fan of the slides and had a few built on her own property.

　　There is some disagreement as to who actually added wheels and created a rolling coaster. Robert Cartmell, who wrote the book A History of the Roller Coaster, gives the Russians belief for building the first wheeled machine… Other historians say it was the French who added wheels to the slides. It is known that by 1817 two coasters were built in France.

　　The Aerial Walk, one of the two coasters featured a heart-shaped design with two tracks that flowed in opposite directions from a central tower. They then went around the course, came together at the bottom and go up parallel. The first looping（多圈的）coaster was in Frascati Gardens in Paris, France. The hill was 43 feet high, had a 13 foot-wide loop and tested with everything under the sun before humans were allowed on. The design was simple：the rider rode down the gentle slope（斜坡）on a small cart and through a metal circle.

　　The ride ran for about twenty seasons and the pleasure railway grew old-fashioned. A Centrifugal Railway was built in the Circus Napoleon, but failed in an accident on the trial run and was quickly shut down. It was several years before a man named La Marcus Thompson created the first roller coaster in the United States and change the amusement industry forever.

(1) It is commonly agreed that the roller coaster was originally created ________.

[　　]

(2) “on her own property”in the first paragraph means ________.

[　　]

(3) Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．It was the Russians that added the wheels to the slides.

B．It was after twenty years that we began to have roller coasters like today.

C．It was the French who added the wheels to the slide.

D．It was very dangerous to take the roller coaster since its origin.

(4) This passage mainly tells us about _______.

[　　]

A．the history of roller coasters

B．the fun of roller coasters

C．who invented roller coasters

　　About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn't help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked.“So, how have you been?”And the boy--who could not have been more than seven or eight years old--replied, “Frankly, I've been feeling a little depressed lately.”

　　This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed（确认）my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn't find out we were“depressed”, that is, in low spirits, until we were in high school.

　　Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily（稳定地）in recent years. Children don't seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.

　　Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?

　　Human development depends not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves（涉及）learning the secrets of the new social positions. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages; traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.

　　In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation（诱惑）, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more attractive moving pictures.

　　Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.

(1)According to the author, feeling depressed is ________.

[　　]

A．a sure sign of a disease in a child

B．a mental state present in all humans, including children

C．something that cannot be avoided in children's early mental development

D．something that shouldn't be expected in a young child

(2)Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world ________.

[　　]

A．through connection with society

B．gradually and under guidance

C．naturally without being taught

D．by watching television

(3)According to the author, that today's children seem adultlike results from ________.

[　　]

A．the widespread influence of television

B．the poor arrangement of teaching contents

C．the fast pace of human scientific development

D．the rising standard of living

(4)What does the author think of communication through print for children? ________

[　　]

A．It enables children to gain more social information.

B．It develops children's interest in reading and writing.

C．It helps children to read and write well.

D．It can control what children are to learn.

(5)What does the author think of the change in today's children? ________

[　　]

A．He feels their adultlike behavior is so funny.

B．He thinks the change worthy of note.

C．He considers it a rapid development.

D．He seems to be satisfied with it.

　　Yorkshire, England was the setting for two great novels（小说）of the 19th century. These were Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The youngest sister, Anne, was also a gifted novelist, and her books have the same extraordinary quality as her sisters'.

　　Their father was Patrick Bronte, born in Ireland. He moved with his wife, Maria Bronte, and their six small children to Haworth in Yorkshire in 1820. Soon after, Mrs. Bronte and the two eldest children died, leaving the father to care for the remaining three girls and a boy.

　　Charlotte was born in 1816. Emily was born in 1818 and Anne in 1820. Their brother Branwell was born in 1817. Left to themselves, the children wrote and told stories and walked over the hills. They grew up largely self-educated. Branwell showed a great interest in drawing. The girls were determined to earn money for his art education. They took positions as teachers or taught children in their homes.

　　As children they had all written many stories, Charlotte, as a young girl, alone wrote 22 books, each with 60 to 100 pages of small handwriting. Therefore, they turned to writing for income. By 1847, Charlotte had written The Professor; Emily, Wuthering Heights; an Anne, Agnes Grey. After much difficulty, Anne and Emily found a publisher（出版商）, but there was no interest shown in Charlotte's book. (It was not published until 1859). However, one publisher expressed an interest in seeing more of her work. Jane Eyre was already started, and she hurriedly finished it. It was accepted at once; thus each of the sisters had a book published in 1847.

　　Jane Eyre was immediately successful; the_other_two, however, did not do so well. People did not like Wuthering Heights. They said it was too wild, too animal-like. But gradually it came to be considered one of the finest novels in the English language. Emily lived only a short while after the publication of the book, and Anne died in 1849.

　　Charlotte published Shirley in 1849, and Villette in 1853. In 1854 she married Arthur Bell Nicholls. But only a year later, she died of tuberculosis（肺结核）as her sisters had.

(1)What did the Bronte sisters want to do for Branwell Bronte? ________

[　　]

(2)We know from the text that ________.

[　　]

A．Jane Eyre was published in 1847

B．Charlotte Bronte wrote 22 books in all

C．the Bronte sisters received good education

D．Patrick Bronte helped his daughters with their writing

(3)Which of the following was published after the death of its writer? ________

[　　]

(4)The underlined words“the other two”in the 5th paragraph refer to ________.

[　　]

A．Shirley and Villette

B．The Professor and Agnes Grey

C．Agnes Grey and Wuthering Heights

D．The professor and Wuthering Heights

(5)What do we know about the Bronte sisters from the text? ________

[　　]

A．Their novels interested few publishers.

B．None of them had more than two books published.

C．None of them lived longer than 40 years old.

　　for National Geographic News

　　October 15,2003

　　China successfully launched its first manned space mission today. Carrying a single yuhangyuan, the Chinese term for astronaut, the Shenzhou 5 rocket blasted off（点火起飞）from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. It was to orbit（绕轨道而行）Earth 14 times before returning.

　　“The successful launch of Shenzhou 5 is the glory of our great motherland,” China's President Hu Jintao said after the launch was declared a success, according to Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency. “The long-cherished space dream of the Chinese nation has finally come true,”Hu Shixiang, deputy director-general of China's manned space flight program, told Xinhua.

　　China's first astronaut, 38-year-old Yang Liwei, said“I feel good,” 34 minutes after the launch at 9 a.m. local time. Yang was described as an athletic former fighter pilot who has an 8-year-old son, likes swimming and skating, and has not seen his younger brother or elder sister in three years while he prepared to become China's first man in space.

(1)The passage is most probably taken from ________ .

[　　]

(2)Which is true about Yang Liwei?

[　　]

A．He is an athletic fighter pilot.

B．He is the first astronaut in China.

C．He has an 8-year-old son who likes swimming and skating.

D．His younger brother and elder sister were too busy to see him.

(3)The best title of the passage is ________.

[　　]

A．China-- a powerful country

B．Yang Liwei--a great man

C．China's successful launch of it's first manned space mission

D．China's space research

(4)Which of the following statements is Not true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Chinese officials say China spends more than two billion US dollars each year on space research.

B．The whole nation is proud of the successful launch of its first manned space mission.

C．China successfully launched its first manned space mission on October 15.

　　Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality（理性）, but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any reasonable student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, many famous professors and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that's not what I did.

　　I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts（文科）university that doesn't even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility（灵活）and a value system to guide me in my job. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision（眼界）by communicating with people who weren't studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a wise choice. They told me I was wise and grown-up beyond my 18 years, and I believed them.

　　I headed off to the college and sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering“factories”where they didn't care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical expert and excellent humanist all in one.

　　Now I'm not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideas crashed into reality, as all noble ideas finally do. After three years of struggling to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile（协调）engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.

　　The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don't mix as easily as I supposed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult.

(1)Why did the author choose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university? ________

[　　]

A．He intended to become an engineer and humanist.

B．He intended to be a reasonable student with noble ideals.

C．He wanted to be an example of practicality and rationality.

D．He wanted to communicate with liberal-arts students

(2)According to the author, by communicating with people who study liberal arts, engineering students can ________.

[　　]

A．become noble idealists

B．broaden their knowledge

C．find a better job in the future

D．balance engineering and liberal arts

(3)When the author says“Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality, but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool”at the beginning of the passage, he actually means ________.

[　　]

A．he has failed to achieve his ideal aims

B．he is not a practical and rational student

C．his choice of attending to a small liberal-arts university is reasonable

D．his idea of combining engineering with liberal-arts is noble and wise

(4)The author suggests in this passage that ________.

[　　]

A．liberal-arts students are supposed to take engineering courses

B．technical experts with a wide vision are expected in the society

C．successful engineering students, are more welcomed in the society

D．engineering universities with liberal-arts courses are needed

　　He has lived through various dangers but time may be running out for the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.

　　On September 11, Israel（以色列）announced its decision to remove him, following several Palestinian suicide bomb attacks on Israel.“He should be punished for the killings,” an Israeli official said, “He has done nothing to stop the terrorist groups.”

　　But the decision has angered many other countries. China said that Arafat is the true leader, elected by the Palestinian people, and removing him would harm the peace in the Middle East. This idea is shared by other governments.

　　Arafat himself said,“They can kill me, but never get me out of my country.” He has spent most of his life in danger as the most important aim of Israel. But, just like a cat with nine lives, Arafat escaped every time.

　　For years he has made a practice of sleeping in a different bed each night, thinking a moving person is harder to hit. In 1985, Israel sent fighter planes to kill Arafat. The wild bombing destroyed his office in Tunis but Arafat himself was unhurt. In 1992, the aircraft in which he was flying over north Africa broke in two during a crash landing. The pilot was killed but he managed to remain alive.

　　What is so unbelievable is that he always remains calm in great danger.

　　Israeli tanks and planes attacked his office building in Ramallah in December, 2001. When they saw the attackers coming, Arafat's bodyguards ignored his orders to stay still and carried him to safety underground. Seconds later. several bombs were dropped nearby. Though safe, his bodyguards were so frightened that they were wet in sweat.

　　But, Arafat, with Israeli tanks only 200 meters away, showed no fear at all. He stayed in the damaged office, talking by phone with foreign leaders in hope of preventing further attacks from Israel.

　　All these experiences have made him a beloved leader to his people and an enemy to some others.

　　But has he used up the last of his nine lives? Only time will tell.

(1)Which of the following statements cannot be used to describe Arafat?

[　　]

A．He went to visit a few foreign countries last year.

B．He is not afraid of death in face of his enemy.

C．His office used to be in Tunis.

D．He remained alive during an air crash in 1992.

(2)According to the passage, which statement is true? ________

[　　]

A．In 1992, Arafat's plane crashed in south Africa.

B．Israeli officers thought Arafat himself sent the terrorist groups to Israel.

C．China is the only country against Israel's decision of removing Arafat.

D．Being Palestinian leader, Arafat would rather die in his own country than be driven away from his people.

(3)What did the author mean by saying“just like a cat has nine lives”when he talked about Arafat? ________

[　　]

A．Arafat is as clever as a cat.

B．Arafat can live as long as a cat.

C．Arafat can stay alive after accidents or disasters as if he has nine lives.

D．Arafat should have died for at least 8 times.

(4)The underlined word“ignore”can be replaced by ________.

[　　]

A．obey the instructions

B．take no notice of

C．pay much attention to

D．give out orders

(5)What's the writer's attitude towards Arafat's future, judging from the last sentence of the passage? ________

[　　]

　　When I was twenty seven years old, I was a clerk in San Francisco, and an expert at stock（股票）. I was content with the prospect（前景）.

　　One day I ventured in a small boat too far, and was carried out to sea．Just at nightfall, when hope was about gone, I was picked up by a small brig（双桅船）which was bound for London. When I stepped ashore in London my clothes were ragged and shabby, and I had only a dollar in my pocket.

　　About ten o'clock on the following morning, thirsty and hungry, I was dragging myself along Portland Place, when a child that was passing, towed （牵着）by a nurse-maid, threw a luscious（甘甜的）big pear--minus one bite--into the gutter（排水沟）. I stopped, of course, and fastened my desiring eye on that muddy treasure. My mouth watered for it, my stomach craved（恳求）it, my whole being begged for it. But every time I made a move to get it some passing eye detected my purpose, and of course I straightened up then, and looked indifferent（无关紧要的）, and pretended that I hadn't been thinking about the pear at all. This same thing kept happening and happening, and I couldn't get the pear. I was just getting desperate（不顾一切的）enough to brave all the shame, and to seize it, when a window behind me was raised, and a gentleman spoke out of it, saying,

　　“Step in here, please.”

　　I was admitted by a well-dressed flunkey（仆役）, and shown into a sumptuous（华丽的）room where a couple of elderly gentlemen were sitting. They sent away the servant. and made me sit down. They had just finished their breakfast, and the sight of the remains of it almost overpowered me. I could hardly keep my wits together in the presence of that food, but as I was not asked to sample it, I had to bear my trouble as best I could.

(1)When the author was twenty-seven-years old, he worked as a clerk ________ .

[　　]

(2）He got to London because ________ .

[　　]

A．he wanted to be an expert at stock

B．he wanted to find a couple of elderly gentlemen

C．his small boat turned over and he was saved by a ship which would sail for London

D．he liked adventure and wanted to go to London to travel

（3）The underlined word“treasure”in the third paragraph means ________ .

[　　]

A．a store of gold, silver jewels

B．a very valuable and important object

C．a very useful and important thing

D．a big pear--minus one bite

（4）The last sentence“I could hardly keep my wits together in the presence of that ________ food…”means ________ .

[　　]

A．I have no ability to say things that are clever and amusing facing that food

B．I was so hungry that I would almost lose my mind facing that food

C．I didn't control my feeling facing that food

D．I was completely concentrated on the food and really wanted to eat it