Can trees talk?Yes, but not in words．Scientists have reason to believe that trees do communicate(交际)with each other．Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things．First a willow tree attacked in the woods by caterpillars(毛虫)changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them．Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special smell-a signal(信号)causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty．
Communication, of course, doesn’t need to be in words．We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands．We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements．Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar(花蜜)for honey．So why shouldn’t trees have ways of sending message?
(1)
It can be concluded from the passage that caterpillars do not feed on leaves that ________．
[ ]
A．
are lying on the ground
B．
have an unpleasant taste
C．
bees don’t like
D．
have an unfamiliar shape
(2)
The willow tree described in the passage protected itself by ________．
[ ]
A．
growing more branches
B．
communicating with birds and bees
C．
changing its leaf chemistry
D．
shaking caterpillars off
(3)
According to the passage, the willow tree was able to communicate with other trees by ________．
[ ]
A．
waving its branches
B．
giving off a special smell
C．
dropping its leaves
D．
changing the colour of its trunk
(4)
According to this passage, bees communicate by ________．
[ ]
A．
making special movement
B．
touching one another
C．
smelling one another
D．
making unusual sound
(5)
The author believes that the incident described in the passage ________．
[ ]
A．
cannot be taken seriously
B．
should no longer be permitted
C．
must be checked more thoroughly
D．
seems completely reasonable
阅读理解
O．Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories．His real name was William Sydney Porter．He was born in North Carolina in 1862．As a young boy he lived an exciting life．He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know．When he was about 20 years old, O．Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs．He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O．Henry was believed to have stolen it．Because of that, he was sent to prison．During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories．After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing．He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there．People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise．
(1)
In which order did O．Henry do the following things?
a．Lived in New York．
b．Worked in a bank．
c．Travelled to Texas．
d．Was put in prison．
e．Had a newspaper Job．
f．Learned to write stories．
[ ]
A．
e．c．f．b．d．a
B．
c．e．b．d．f．a
C．
e．b．d．c．a．f．
D．
c．b．e．d．a f．
(2)
People enjoyed reading O．Henry’s stories because
[ ]
A．
they had surprise endings
B．
they were easy to understand
C．
they showed his love for the poor
D．
they were about New York City
(3)
O．Henry went to prison because ________．
[ ]
A．
people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper
B．
he broke the law by not using his own name
C．
he wanted to write stories about prisoners
D．
people thought he had taken money that was not his
(4)
What do we know about O．Henry before he began writing?
[ ]
A．
He was well-educated．
B．
He was not serious about his work．
C．
He was devoted to the poor．
D．
He was very good at learning．
(5)
Where did O．Henry get most material for his short stories?
[ ]
A．
His life inside the prison．
B．
The newspaper articles he wrote．
C．
The city and people of New York．
D．
His exciting early life as a boy．
阅读理解
Mr．Grey was the manager of a small office in London．He lived in the country, and came up to work by train．He liked walking from the station to his office unless it was raining, because it gave him some exercise．
One morning he was walking along the street when a stranger stopped him and said to him,“You may not remember me, sir, but seven years ago I came to London without a penny in my pockets, I stopped you in this street and asked you to lend me some money, and you lent me £
5, because you said you were willing to take a chance so as to give a man a start on the way to success．”
Mr Grey thought for a few minutes and then said,“Yes, I remember you．Go on with your story!”“Well,”answered the stranger,“are you still willing to take a chance?”
(1)
How did Mr．Grey get to his office?
[ ]
A．
He went up to work by train．
B．
He walked to his office．
C．
He went to his office on foot unless it rained．
D．
He usually took a train to the station and then walked to his office if the weather was fine．
(2)
Mr Grey liked walking to his office because ________．
[ ]
A．
he couldn’t afford the buses
B．
he wanted to save money
C．
he wanted to keep in good health
D．
he could do some exercises on the way
(3)
Mr．Grey had been willing to lend money to a stranger in order to ________
[ ]
A．
give him a start in life
B．
help him on the way to success
C．
make him rich
D．
gain more money
(4)
One morning the stranger recognized Mr．Grey, and ________
[ ]
A．
wanted to return Mr．Grey the money
B．
again asked Mr．Grey for money
C．
would like to make friends with him
D．
told Mr．Grey that he had been successful since then
(5)
In the second paragraph,“…take a chance”means ________．
[ ]
A．
Mr．Gray happened to meet a stranger
B．
Mr．Grey had a chance to help a stranger
C．
Mr．Grey helped a stranger by chance
D．
Mr．Grey took the risk that the stranger would not give back the money which he lent him
阅读理解
Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh．The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21．Hundreds more are missing or feared dead．
The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhakfi as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country．The government has since banned all ferries and other boats from traveling at night during the April-May stormy season．One of the ferries，MV Mitali，was carrying far more people than it was supposed to．About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300，police said．The second ferry carried about 100 passengers．
“The number of deaths is certain to rise．”said an official in charge of the rescue work．“No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived．”Ferries in Bangladesh don’t always keep passenger lists，making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board．Besides the ferry accidents，at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes．falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats．Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh，as are boating accidents．Ferry disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people．Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures, too many passengers in boats and not enough checks on weather conditions．Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh．It is a country covered by about 230 rivers．Some 20,000 ferries use the nation’s Waterways every year．And many of them are dangerously overcrowded．Since 1977, more than 3,000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents．
(1)
________ people have been found dead in the two ferry disasters．
[ ]
A．
Over 130
B．
At least 40
C．
About 400
D．
Over 3，000
(2)
The two ferry disasters occurred ________．
[ ]
A．
at noon
B．
in the morning
C．
at night．
D．
In the afternoon．
(3)
________ passengers was MV Mitali designed to carry?
[ ]
A．
500
B．
100
C．
400
D．
300
(4)
Officials attribute boating accident to ________
[ ]
A．
strong winds．
B．
bad weather conditions．
C．
the blockages of waterways．
D．
the lack of safety measures．
(5)
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the two ferry disasters?
[ ]
A．
They were overcrowded．
B．
They sank on April 21．
C．
The exact number of deaths could be easily determined．
D．
They sank somewhere near Dhaka．
阅读理解
Life is difficult．It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult．
Most do not fully see this truth．Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy．It seems to them that their difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation．
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one．Problems, depending on their nature, cause in us soreness or loneliness or regret or anger or fear．These are uncomfortable feelings, often as any kind of physical pain．And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy．
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning．
Problems are the serious test that tells success from failure．When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve, it is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn．As Benjamin Franklin said,“Those things that hurt instruct．”It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems．
(1)
From the passage, it can be inferred that ________．
[ ]
A．
nobody has problems
B．
we become stronger by facing and solving the problems of life
C．
life is difficult because our problems bring us pain
D．
people like to complain about their problems
(2)
The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ________．
[ ]
A．
save space
B．
persuade readers
C．
make readers laugh
D．
get readers’ attention
(3)
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ________．
[ ]
A．
encourage them to learn
B．
teach them to fear the pain of solving problems
C．
help them learn to deal with pain
D．
teach them how to respect for problems
(4)
The saying from Benjamin Franklin“Those things that hurt instruct”suggests that ________．
[ ]
A．
we do not learn from experience
B．
we do not learn when we are in pain
C．
pain teaches us important lessons
D．
pain cannot be avoided
(5)
The underlined word in Paragraph 3 means ________．
[ ]
A．
happiness
B．
pleasure
C．
sadness
D．
excitement
阅读理解
These people, getting ready to travel across the desert to look for a new place to live in, must water their camels．The camel driver tries to get each camel to drink as much water as possible because the little water that these people take along will be needed by themselves．
A very big camel can hold more water than some cars can hold gasoline(汽油)．That's why the camel can go for many days without having to drink．It's a good thing that camel can do this, because it may have to in the great, dry desert．
Nomads(游牧民)never keep their homes in one place very long．They're always moving．That's what Nomads are－people who wander around instead of living in one place．
Every time the Arab Nomads set out across the hot, sandy desert, it is a new adventure．They must find food for the animals, or the animals will die．
(1)
The water the camel has drunk can be enough for ________．
[ ]
A．
only one day
B．
about a month
C．
a moment
D．
some time
(2)
People who move their homes here and there are called ________．
[ ]
A．
Nomads
B．
adventures
C．
Arabs
D．
camel drivers
(3)
Camels drink as much water as possible before going to another place because ________．
[ ]
A．
they are animals
B．
they are thirsty
C．
the drivers will need water
D．
they will cross the great, waterless desert
(4)
To those who travel across the hot and sandy desert, the travel is ________．
[ ]
A．
something new
B．
hard and dangerous
C．
pleasant and exciting
D．
an interesting thing
(5)
The Nomads wander from one place to another because ________．
[ ]
A．
They are used to such a way of life
B．
they have to feed their camels
C．
They want to look for better jobs
D．
they want to train their camels
阅读理解
Scientists would like to place a huge mirror in space above the earth．It might be sixty miles wide．It would be used to catch the rays of the sun．It would direct the sun’s rays upon the earth as a child might do to make sunlight dance on the wall with a hand mirror．
Why do they want to do this?The sun’s rays could be helpful in many ways．They could light up cities by night．The warm rays could stop frosts which might come at night and hurt fruit crops．They could melt dangerous icebergs in the ocean．Perhaps they could hang cloud movements and bring rain where it is needed．
(1)
The huge mirror would ________．
[ ]
A．
stand 60 miles in height．
B．
be 60 miles from side to side
C．
cover 60 miles above the earth
D．
be 60 miles above the earth．
(2)
The strong light from the mirror could possibly ________．
[ ]
A．
hurt fruit crops
B．
set fire to cities
C．
bring longer daytime
D．
shine brighter than the moon
(3)
The huge mirror is ________．
[ ]
A．
something in a story
B．
is being made
C．
just an idea
D．
to be made soon．
阅读理解
We Americans are wasteful people, not used to saving．Early settlers, our forefathers set us an example of wasting everything, for they thought nature’s resources were so plentiful that none of them ever imagined that natural materials would be used up in time．Within a few years of the first Virginia settlement, for example, pioneers burned down their houses when they were ready to move west．They burned down their houses with only one aim to get the nails(钉子)for future use．No one ever gave a thought to the priceless hardwoods that went up in smoke．As a people we destroy many valuable things that other people save．I noticed this when I was living in Britain．I received a letter from one England’s largest banks．It was enclosed in a used envelope(信封)that had been readdressed to me．Such a practice would be unthinkable in the United States．American banks, even the smallest, always use expensive stationery(信笺)with the names of all twenty-eight vice–presidents lists on side of the page．
(1)
According to the passage, we know the writer is ________．
[ ]
A．
a Chinese
B．
a Japanese
C．
an Englishman
D．
an American
(2)
The writer thought their forefathers ________．
[ ]
A．
set a good example
B．
wasted many natural resources
C．
knew natural resources would be used up in time
D．
made the best use of natural materials
(3)
The used envelope suggests that ________．
[ ]
A．
the English look down upon the Americans
B．
the English banks are very poor
C．
the English try their best to save
D．
the English like using used envelopes
(4)
Which of the following statements is wrong?
[ ]
A．
The writer lives in Britain now．
B．
American banks use expensive stationery．
C．
Americans are not used to saving．
D．
The writer’s forefathers burned down their houses in order to get the nails．
(5)
The purpose of the passage is to ________．
[ ]
A．
wish Americans not to waste
B．
tell us the English are a good people
C．
warn Americans against saving
D．
encourage people to work hard
阅读理解
Sometimes the reader’s request is not an important one, but the newspaper which receives it usually tries to give the requested help．One reader wrote：“My two children love Secretariat, the horse that has been winning all the races．They would like to know if it would be possible to get one of Secretariat’s shoes．”
The result was that the children were sent one of the racing shoes worn by the famous horse when he won at Churchill Downs in Kentucky．
Sometimes there is a real problem to be solved．During the spring of 1973 MR FIX IT learned that a young nurse from the Philippines was near death in an American hospital thousands of miles from home．She had no relatives in the United States and no close friends．MR FIX IT located her sister in the Philippines and helped the sister get the government papers she needed in order to visit the United States．In the meantime, readers of newspaper sent money to pay for her travel．Though there were many difficulties, the young nurse managed to have sister at her side before she died．
(1)
“Secretariat”is ________．
[ ]
A．
A popular English singer
B．
a famous racing horse
C．
a splendid American film
D．
a wonderful horse shoe
(2)
What is MR FIX IT?
[ ]
A．
it’s a person who often helps others
B．
it’s a reader who often reads something new
C．
it’s a man who often asks for unimportant things
D．
it’s a great of a newspaper which is often helpful
(3)
Where was the nurse from?
[ ]
A．
Asia
B．
Africa
C．
America
D．
Europe
(4)
The word“locate”in this passage probably means ________．
[ ]
A．
know
B．
find
C．
send
D．
take
阅读理解
People are so busy these days that many people have no time to cook．This becomes a problem, because most families love home cooking!The food tastes good and warm, and a family meal brings everyone together．In some families, meals are often the only times everyone sees one another the same time．
Another reason people enjoy home cooking is that it is often a way of showing love．A parent who makes some cookies(小甜饼)is not just satisfying(满足)a child’s sweet tooth．She or he is sending a message．The message says,“I care about you enough to spend an hour making cooking hat you will eat up in 15 minutes if I let you．”
There is also something about the smell of home cooking．The smell of home cooking pleases people of all ages．It makes most of us feel good and loved- even if we are the ones doing the next time you smell a cake making, stop for a moment and pay attention to your mood(心情)．
(1)
Why do fewer people cook now?
[ ]
A．
They have no time．
B．
Many people are too busy．
C．
Many people don’t like cooking
D．
They don’t like family meals．
(2)
A parent spends an hour making cookies ________．
[ ]
A．
just to satisfy her or his child’s sweet tooth
B．
only to send a message
C．
to let a child eat up in 15 minutes
D．
often to show her or his love
(3)
The writer thinks the smell of home cooking ________．