John Milton was born in 1606. His father expected him to enter the church of England, but Milton wanted to be a poet（诗人）. At twenty-nine Milton set off for a travel on the continent. He travelled in France, Switzerland and Italy, winning the friendship of many artists and scientists, including Galileo, the famous Italian scientist who suffered for his discovery in prison. In 1639, he was planning to go on his journey when the news reached him of the break between the king and Parliament（国会）, Milton returned to England immediately, and put himself into the struggle against the king, for which he had long been preparing. During the Civil War, Milton worked as the spokesman of the revolution. By the beginning of 1652, Milton had become completely blind, yet he didn't stop fighting. After the Restoration（复辟）, his books were burnt, and he himself avoided（避免）being killed because of his blindness.

　　John Milton was not only a brave revolutionary but also a great poet. His famous poem Paradise Lost（《失乐园》）was an immediate success. But, for its publication (being published), Milton received only 18 pounds. He died in 1671.

(1)“... Milton set off for a travel on the continent.”here“continent”means ________.

[　　]

(2)It was ________ who was put in prison in Italy.

[　　]

(3)During the Civil War, Milton fought _________.

[　　]

(4)Milton would have been killed if ________.

[　　]

A．he had been the spokesman of the revolution

B．his books had been burnt

C．he hadn't written the poem Paradise Lost

D．he hadn't been completely blind

(5)Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

[　　]

A．John Milton was an ordinary poet, who wasn't interested in politics.

B．John Milton spent many years travelling around the world.

C．John Milton wrote the poem Paradise Lost, which was liked by the king.

D．John Milton was a fearless revolutionary and a famous poet.

　　If you know that a company is making something that destroys the rainforests, stop buying it. This is called a boycott（抵制）.

　　In 1987, RAN led a national boycott of Burger King. Burger King was importing（进口）cheap beef from South American countries where rainforests are cut to raise cattle. During the boycott, many people stopped eating at Burger King. After sales went down, Burger King said he would stop importing beef from rainforest countries. People discovered they had the power to change things through what they bought.

　　The written word is also very powerful. Write a letter to the President of the company you are boycotting! They do pay attention to your letters. So do city officials, congress（国会）people and senators（参议员）.

　　In 1989, Scott Paper Co. wanted to use the rain-forest land in Indonesia. Scott was going to cut down the rainforest and plant eucalyptus（桉树）trees, which grow fast, to make paper products. 25000 indigenous（土生的）people would have lost their homes. RAN started a letter-writing campaign（运动）asking people to write the President of Scott Paper Co.. After receiving hundreds of letters and phone calls, Scott canceled（取消）the project. Two million acres of rain-forest were saved.

(1)The passage mainly tells about ________.

[　　]

A．why RAN led a national Boycott of Burger King

B．what a boycott is

C．what we can do to help save the rainforest

D．why we should save the rainforest

(2)Burger King stopped importing beef from rainforest countries because ________.

[　　]

A．they realized that it was wrong to destroy the rainforest

B．the price of beef went up

C．the government asked them to stop

D．people refused to eat at Burger King and the sales went down

(3)People refused to eat at Burger King because ________.

[　　]

A．the beef there was not good

B．the beef was too expensive

C．they wanted to save rainforests in southern American countries from which the beef was imported

D．the beef was imported from southern African countries

(4)How many ways are mentioned in the passage to save the rainforests?

[　　]

(5)From the last paragraph, we can guess ________.

[　　]

A．ott Paper Co. destroyed the rainforest in Indonesia

B．Scott Paper Co. wanted to use the trees in the rainforest to make paper

C．many indigenous people lost their homes

D．RAN won the letter-writing campaign and at last forced the Scott Paper Co. to give up the project

　　Mary Todd Lincoln was born into a wealthy family on December 13, 1818. Her father, Robert Smith Todd, was a storeowner（商店主）and Whig（辉格党）politician（政治家）. Her mother, Eliza Parker Todd, died when she was six. Seventeen months later her father married Elizabeth Humphreys of Frankfort, Kentucky.

　　As a young child, Mary was sent to a private（私人的）school and was well educated. At twenty-one she moved to Springfield, Illinois, to live with her sister, Elizabeth Edwards. There she met and a few years later married Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US President, who was then a lawyer. She lived happily in Springfield and supported（支持）Lincoln strongly during the election（选举）of president in 1860.

　　Mary and Lincoln had four children. Their first son, Robert Todd Lincoln, who was born at the Globe Tavern on August 1st, 1843, one year after the marriage, died in 1926. Their second son, Edward Baker Lincoln, who was also born in the Lincoln home in 1846, died at the age of 3 years and 11 months. Their third son, William Wallace Lincoln, was also born in the Lincoln home and died in 1862. Their fourth son, Thomas Tad Lincoln, who was also born in the Lincoln home in 1853 died in 1871 at the age of 18.

　　In April 1865, her husband Lincoln was shot at her side. As a result, her later life was extremely unhappy. The next 17 years held nothing but sorrow（悲痛）for her. After Tad's death in 1871, she slipped into a world of illusion（幻觉）where poverty（贫穷） and murder pursued（追杀）her. In 1875, her son, Robert Todd Lincoln, sent her to a sanitarium（疗养院）where she became sane（神志正常的）after less than a year.

　　In 1882 she passed away at her sister's home in Springfield--the same house from which she had walked as the bride（新娘）of Abraham Lincoln, 40 years before.

(1)Mary's mother died in ________.

[　　]

(2)Lincoln and Mary got married in ________.

[　　]

(3)________ of their children died at very early ages.

[　　]

(4)It seems that ________.

[　　]

A．Mary was very poor in her later life

B．Mary was seriously stricken（打击）by Lincoln's death

C．Mary had a serious heart disease

D．someone wanted to murder her too

(5)The phrase“pass away”means ________.

[　　]

　　A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders（想知道）: Can I communicate（交际）with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British English and American English? How important are these differences?

　　Certainly, there are some differences between British English and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say“in hospital”and“Have you a pen?”Americans say“in the hospital”and“Do you have a pen?”Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound the irs in words like“bird” and“hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound the irs in these words. There are differences between British English and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example,“colour”and“honour”are British;“color”and“honor”are American.

　　These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British English and American English are the same language.

(1)According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak British English might be afraid that ________.

[　　]

A．British people cannot understand him

B．American people cannot understand him

C．the grammar is too hard for him

D．the spelling is too hard for him

(2)American English and British English are different in ________.

[　　]

(3)What is NOT mentioned（提及）in the passage?

[　　]

A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English.

B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two.

C．How the differences between British English and American English came about.

D．These differences in all parts are not important.

　　Recently, a professor of philosophy in the U. S. has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day-to-day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.

　　He says our relation（关系）with others often becomes clearly definite (=not doubtful) when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money. If he does, it brings something to the friendship that seems stronger than ever before. Or it can suddenly weaken the friendship if he doesn't. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but it is not carried out in the money world; there is something less real about it.

　　Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess (own) a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires for his book.

　　Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich because you are a self-made man?

　　Answer: The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I don't know much. All I am is rich.

　　People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for a given purpose in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument（手段）rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.

(1)According to the first paragraph, people have not realized ________.

[　　]

A．how important money is in their day-to-day life

B．that money is more important than their philosophy of life

C．how one spends money shows what is important to him

D．that their understanding of life is more important than money

(2)The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some money ________.

[　　]

A．is a good way to test your friendship

B．will do harm to your friendship

C．is a good way to break off your friendship

D．will strengthen your friendship

(3)What the American professor of philosophy wants to explain in the book is that ________.

[　　]

　　Waller was a liked-by-all fellow full of fun who often went to coffee houses to tell people interesting stories, of which some even brought him money. One day, asked by an office secretary who told Waller that his boss was a never-seen-before serious man and he never even smiled, Waller would tell a most funny story.“Well, sir,”Waller said before he began the story.“What will be given in return if I succeed?”“$100,”replied the secretary.“I haven't seen him have a bright face since I worked in his office.”

　　“Then let's make it.”Waller went to the man's table and whispered to him.“Please tell your boss that the funny man Waller's ben gave birth to a baby.”

　　Three days later a letter reached Mr Waller in which were $100 and a piece of yellow paper with the words:“Mr Waller, you have succeeded. When I repeated your $100-worth sentence, my boss burst into frightening laughter, saying that whoever has managed to make him laugh during the business hours will get dismissed（解雇）!”

(1)Waller often went to coffee houses to tell people interesting stories in order to ________.

[　　]

A．make money

B．practise telling stories

C．enjoy himself

D．draw the secretary's attention

(2)“The secretary asked Waller for a most funny story because he ________.

[　　]

A．was tired of his boss's seriousness

B．tried to please his serious boss with it

C．wanted to improve his working conditions

D．wanted to see his boss' laughing face

(3)Saying“Let's make it”, Waller ________.

[　　]

A．was sure of his success

B．thought of nothing but the 100-dollar return

C．knew that his hen had really given a birth to a baby

D．wondered whether he could make the boss smile or not

(4)Which of the following ends is true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．The boss was never so strict with the secretary from then on.

B．The secretary lost his job in office.

C．The secretary dare not make his boss laugh any longer.

D．Mr Wallet was dismissed at last.

(5)The best title for the passage is ________.

[　　]

A．Things Went Opposite Wishes

B．Satisfying Both Sides

C．Killing Two Birds with One Stone

D．Either Is in His Proper Place

　　Instead of buying only fresh foods, Americans nowadays buy many more convenience foods. These are foods which are ready partly or completely prepared. Many of them are frozen, such as frozen dinner (TV dinners), heat-and-serve French fries, and frozen pizzas. There are also many canned (put in a can) convenience foods, such as ready-made spaghetti, soups, stews（炖熟的菜肴）, and vegetables.

　　Convenience foods save time and trouble. They are popular with people who are busy or who don't like to cook or wash dishes. But they often cost more than fresh, unprepared foods and may contain artificial additives (a chemical added to the food). Also, many people feel they don't taste as good as home cooked foods.

Health Food and Coops

　　In the 1960s, a“back-to-the-earth”movement was started by young people in the United States. The movement was a reaction against the harmful effects of technology. From the movement came new understanding of food and health. Many people now prefer natural and organic (chemical-free) foods to the prepared foods sold in health food stores and in food coops, which are small stores where customers help manage the store. In coops, food is usually not packaged. Customers bring their own bags and jars and scoop（汲取）their food out of boxes or baskets.

Tire Diet Craze

　　These days Americans are more and more concerned with their weight. Perhaps as many as 70 million Americans are on weight dollar business. American supermarkets sell a variety of diet foods such as diet soft drinks, diet candy, and diet salad dressings. Dieters also spend money on diet polls, exercise machines, and jogging suits（健美服）. Each year dozens of new diets are popularized. They have such names as the Miracle Diet (a supernatural event), the Nine Day Wonder Diet and the Easy 24 Hour Diet. There is even one called the Ice Cream Diet, which advises the dieters to eat only ice cream for lunch and dinner! For dieters who cannot lose weight on their own, there are many well-organized diet groups which offer help and encouragement.

(1)Generally speaking, convenience foods in America ________.

[　　]

A．are shipped from foreign countries

B．are made by farmers on farms

C．are rich and popular

D．are better than fresh ones

(2)Young people who started a“back-to-the-earth” movement ________.

[　　]

A．might be too foolish

B．should be praised for their action

C．might suffer from some disease

D．might get less money from their companies

(3)From the fourth paragraph, we can find that ________.

[　　]

A．the diet in the United States is unnecessary

B．rich American people should offer their money to the poor.

C．businessmen are getting much money from the diet craze

D．fat Americans are too foolish to take too much food

(4)What's the writer's opinion on American diets?

[　　]

A．They are all effective to people.

B．They are of no effect to people.

C．Ice Cream Diet is the best.

　　Few people now remember the sinking of the great passenger ship Titanic exactly sixty years ago. The number of people who were actually saved from her was small, and some of those have died in the years since, so that those who are still alive today can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Then you will easily understand why I have been asked to write about the sad day in 1972, Titanic, then the largest ship in the world, was thought by people at that time to be unsinkable. Yet when she hit an iceberg in thick fog in the North Atlantic Ocean, she actually disappeared in less than twenty minutes, taking nearly fifteen hundred people with her. My own life was saved by my youth. Being only a boy of fourteen, I was one of those lucky women and children who, according to custom, were allowed to get away first from the sinking ship. The selfless sailors packed some sixty of us during the ship's last minutes. More and more people, as their last hope of escaping (getting away from) death, threw themselves wildly into the sea and tried to get on aboard our boat, with the result that it finally turned over and we all found ourselves struggling for our lives in the water. But I was strong enough to swim for three hours in the icy water before a passing ship picked me up.

(1)This passage was written in ________.

[　　]

(2)The writer was asked to write the story because he ________.

[　　]

A．was now the only person alive who had seen the ship sink

B．was only a boy of fourteen when the ship sank

C．had been on the ship when it hit the iceberg

D．had felt sad when the ship sank into the sea

(3)People at that time had thought that ________.

[　　]

A．nothing could sink the ship

B．only an iceberg could sink the ship

C．nothing could sink her, but she might disappear

D．it would take longer than twenty minutes to sink her

(4)The writer's life was saved because ________.

[　　]

A．a young man helped him

B．he was young and strong

C．a small boat picked him up

D．only boys were saved.

　　During the summer holidays there will be a revised（修改过的）schedule（时刻表）of services for the students. Changes for dining-room and library service hours and for bus schedules will be posted on the wall outside of the dining-hall. Weekly film and concert schedules, which are being arranged（安排）, will be posted each Wednesday outside of the student club.

　　In the summer holidays, buses going to the town center will leave the main hall every hour on the half hour during the day. The dining-room will serve three meals a day from 7∶00 a. m. to 7∶00 p. m. during the week and two meals from noon to 7∶00 p. m. on weekends. The library will continue its usual hours during the week, but have shorter hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The weekend hours are from noon to 5∶00 p. m..

　　All students who want to use the library borrowing services must have a new summer card. This announcement will also appear in the next week's student newspaper.

(1)The main purpose of this announcement is to ________.

[　　]

A．tell students of important schedule changes

B．tell students of new bus and library services

C．show the excellent services for students

D．ask students to renew their library cards

(2)At which of the following times will the bus leave the main hall?

[　　]

A．8∶00, 9∶00, 10∶00, 11∶00.

B．8∶30, 9∶30, 10∶30, 11∶30.

C．8∶30, 9∶00, 9∶30, 10∶00.

D．9∶00, 9∶30, 11∶00, 12∶30.

(3)Times for films and concerts are not listed in this announcement because ________.

[　　]

A．they are not to be announced

B．they are hard to arrange

C．the full list is not ready

D．the full list is too long

(4)In the summer holidays, the library will have ________.

[　　]

A．no special hours

B．special hours on weekdays

C．special hours on weekends

D．special hours both on weekdays and weekends

　　Why, you may wonder, should spiders be our friends? Because they destroy so many insects, and insects including some of the greatest enemies of the human race. Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world; they would devour（吞食、毁灭）all our crops and kill our cattle, if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eating animals. We owe a lot to the birds and beats who eat insects, but all of them put together kill only a very small amount of the number destroyed by spiders. Moreover, unlike some of the insect eaters, spiders never do the least harm to us or our belongings.

　　Spiders are not insects, as many people think, nor even nearly related to them. One can tell the difference almost at a glance for a spider always has eight legs and an insect never more than six.

　　How many spiders are engaged in the work on our behalf? One authority on spiders made a research of the spiders and found that there were more than 2250000 in one acre; that is something like 6000000 spiders of different kinds on a football field. Spiders are busy for at least half the year in killing insects. It is impossible to make more than the wildest guess at how many they kill, but they are hungry creatures, not content with only three meals a day. It has been estimated that the weight of all the insects destroyed by the spiders in Britain in one year would be greater than the total weight of all human beings in the country.

(1)Spiders should be our friends, because ________.

[　　]

A．they only eat harmful insects

B．they are great insect-eating animals

C．they destroy large numbers of insects which do harm to the human race

D．their harmfulness is the least

(2)The difference between spiders and insects is that ________.

[　　]

A．insects have only six legs

B．insects only eat plants

C．spiders eat insects

D．spiders have more legs than insects

(3)One authority on spiders estimated ________.

[　　]

A．that there were more than 2250000 insects in a grass field in the south of England

B．that every football field in England had 6000000 spiders

C．the quantity of different spiders in England was very big

D．that there were 6000000 kinds of spiders on a football field

(4)In the last sentence the writer means ________.

[　　]

A．experts on spiders know exactly how much spi ders eat in one year

B．experts on spiders can only make an estimation of the weight of insects eaten by spiders

C．authority on spiders know the weight of all the people in England

D．authority on spiders know both the weight of the insects eaten by spiders and the weight of people in England