For hundreds of years, artists have used cartoons to criticize bad rulers or landowners. As early as the 19th century, people produced and read books of drawings. In many ways, they were similar to modern comics（漫画）. They contained stories of naughty children and playful animals. The owl and the elephant were usually wise animals, ready to give advice. The lion and tiger were brave. The fox and wolf were cunning, greedy and dangerous.
A century ago, an American newspaper published the first-color comic strip. It was so popular that sales of the newspaper, Morning Journal, increased quickly. Since then, newspapers throughout the world have included comic strips.
In modern time, comics are popular in China, Japan, the USA and almost everywhere. Not even video games or CD-ROMs have reduced their popularity. Names such as Snoopy, Woodstock and Garfield are well known in dozens of countries. The Peanuts comic strip appears in over 2,000 newspapers and in more than 25 languages.
Perhaps one day, you may like to create your own comic strip and become a millionaire. First, you must think of a good plot. It should be funny, exciting or interesting in some way. It should have plenty of action. Moreover, the language must be realistic and simple. The words should suit the characters in your story.
Furthermore, the characters in your story must be clear to readers. They should be obviously good or bad. In many comic strips—especially those showing crime of adventure—there should also be a hero or heroine. This will attract the reader to keep on reading the story.
1. Which of the following is NOT the name of a cartoon character?
A. Snoopy B. Garfield C. Peanuts D. Woodstock
2. We can know from the first paraphaph that rulers ________.
A. asked the artists to draw cartoons B. probably did not like cartoons about them.
C. often drew cartoons many years ago. D. used cartoons to give people advice.
3. According to the passage, what makes a popular and successful comic strip?
A. Good plot B. suitable language C. clear characters D. All of above
4. The underlined word “plot” is similar in meaning to ______.
A. places B. stories C. events D. characters
Two magazines recently listed the best cities to live in. Here are two of the cities listed as “the world’s best.”
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA The city has comfortable weather all year round (15°C to 26°C ). Housing is not very expensive in San Jose. Also, many of the city’s older neighborhoods are very beautiful and have small hotels and cafés(咖啡馆). Beautiful mountains are around the city. You can visit them easily from San Jose. So lots of people go sightseeing there every year. But air pollution is a problem in the city center.
HONG KONG, CHINA This lively city—once a small fishing village—is today an international business center. It is an interesting mix of East and West, old and new. Modern tall buildings are next to small temples (庙宇). Popular nightclubs are close to traditional teahouses. Busy people fill the streets at all hours of the day. But outside the city, there are parks for walking or relaxing. Hong Kong is famous for its wonderful native dishes. There’s also food from Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia. However, this small city has a large population. Nearly seven million people live in Hong Kong! That’s why housing is often very expensive. Traffic and air pollution are also a problem.
56. Which of the following is not mentioned about San Jose?
A. The weather. B. The mountains. C. The air. D. The traffic.
57. What makes Hong Kong the world’s best according to this passage?
A. The lively city and the wonderful dishes. B. The beautiful mountains and the lively city.
C. The expensive housing and the food. D. The city and the people.
58. The writer thinks housing in Hong Kong is expensive because .
A. it was a small fishing village B. it is a mix of East and West
C. it is famous for its wonderful food D. there are too many people in the city
59. What do the two cities have in common?
A. They both have beautiful mountains. B. They both have a large population.
C. Air pollution is a problem in both. D. They are both crowded.
60. From the passage, we can know that .
A. San Jose and Hong Kong are the only two cities of the world’s best
B. San Jose has more natural sights than Hong Kong does
C. the weather in both cities is fine
D. Hong Kong is the more popular city of the two
How old is “old”? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago，you were old at 35.At the beginning of the 20 th century，the average life span（平均寿命）was 45. In 1950，70-year-olds were really old.Today，a healthy 70-year-old is still thought young.
So，how old is old? The answer is one you’ve heard many times，from all kinds of people.“You are as old（or young）as you feel.”Your age simply tells you how many years you have lived.Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.
“Nobody grows old by living a number of years.” wrote a writer.“People grow old when they don’t have their ideals.”
People shouldn’t have the wrong ideas about aging.Sometimes，older minds can be as bright as young minds.Alice Brophy once said，“It makes me unhappy when people say，‘You look young for your age。’ What does that mean?
You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”
53.The meaning of the underlined word “aging” is “ ”
A．growing old B. staying young C. keeping healthy D. feeling unhappy
54.Which question is NOT answered in the passage?
A. Can older people be as bright as young people?
B. What tells you how well you’ve lived?
C. How old is “old”?
D. what is the average life span today?
55.The passage is mainly about __________ .
A. the average life span B. aging
C. the 20th century D. older people and young people
PDAs are very useful．They are like small computers．You can put a lot of information into them． For example．you can put in telephone numbers and e-mail addresses．Many people use PDAs to remember important dates．Some of these super machines can even send and receive e-mails．
PDAs are small and convenient．A few years ago，they were expensive．Now，they are cheap．Many people use them at work and at school．People can carry PDAs in their shirt pockets．
But，it’s important to be careful．These little machines are easy to lose．People put so much important information into their PDAs．It’s really terrible to lose them．
50．What is the main idea of the article?
A．PDAs are like small computers． B．PDAs are cheap．
C．You can do many things with a PDA．D．Too many people use PDAs
51．What do we learn about PDAs?
A．They are not very expensive now． B．Students do not like to use them．
C．All of them can send and receive e-mails．D．They are very large．
52．What kind of person would not use a PDA?
A．A business person．B．Someone who hates computers．
C．A student． D．A person with a busy schedule．
Ⅳ.阅读理解
He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. He was black. He died in his thirties, but he became world-famous during that short time. He grew up in the southeastern part of the United States. He studied at Morehouse College, where he met many outstanding men whose ideas he found important and exciting. There he read the writings of Thoreau, which gave him many ideas about freedom.
After he finished studying in Morehouse, he went on to study at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and Boston University. At Boston University, he met his wife, Corretta. In 1954, after he got his Ph. D. degree (哲学博士学位), he became a minister (牧师) of a small church in the South. Then he became the leader of the black people, who were poor and powerless. He gave speeches and led parades. For his ideas and actions, he was in prison for a short time.
Many years later, in Washington D.C. he spoke to a crowd of 250,000 people. He told them "I have a dream". That speech is still famous today. In 1964 he won the Nobel Peace Prize. His work was not finished when he died on April 4. 1968. Who was he? He was Martin Luther King Jr..
46. Where did Martin Luther King Jr. get the ideas of freedom?
A. In the University of Pennsylvania. B. In Harvard University.
C. In Morehouse College. D. In Boston University.
47. Why was Martin Luther King Jr. in prison?
A. Because he was a minister of a small church.
B. Because he was black and world-famous.
C. Because he gave a speech called “I have a dream”.
D. Because he often gave talks in public and organized the parades .
48. How old was Martin Luther King Jr. when he died?
A. Twenty-five years old. B. Thirty-five years old.
C. Thirty-seven years old. D. Thirty-nine years old.
49. How is Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a dream” ?
A. It is so famous that people today still remember it.
B. It was such a famous speech that he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
C. It was famous only before he died.
D. It didn’t become famous until he died.
Napoleon, as a character in Tolstoy’s War and Peace, is more than once described as having “fat little hands.’’ Nor does he “sit well or firmly on the horse.’’ He is said to be “undersized.’’ with“short legs’’ and a “round stomach”. The issue here is not the accuracy of Tolstoy’s description — it seems not that far off from historical accounts but his choice of facts：Other things that could be said of the man are not said. We are meant to understand the difference of a warring commander in the body of a fat little Frenchman. Tolstoy’s Napoleon could be any man wandering in the streets and putting a little of powdered tobacco up his nose — and that is the point.
It is a way the novelist uses to show the moral nature of a character. And it turns out that, as Tolstoy has it, Napoleon is a crazy man. In a scene in Book Three of War and Peace, the wars having reached the critical year of 1812, Napoleon receives a representative from the Tsar(沙皇), who has come with peace terms. Napoleon is very angry：Doesn’t he have more army? He, not the Tsar, is the one to make the terms. He will destroy all of Europe if his army is stopped. “That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!” he shouts. And then, Tolstoy writes, Napoleon “walked silently several times up and down the room, his fat shoulders moving quickly.’’
Still later, after reviewing his army amid cheering crowds, Napoleon invites the shaken Russian to dinner. “He raised his hand to the Russian’s … face,” Tolstoy writes, and “taking him by the ear pulled it gently ….” To have one’s ear pulled by the Emperor was considered the greatest honor and mark of favor at the French court. “Well, well, why don’t you say anything?’’ said he, as if it was ridiculous in his presence to respect any one but himself, Napoleon.
Tolstoy did his research, but the composition is his own.
51. Tolstoy’s description of Napoleon in War and Peace is ____ _______ ____.
A. far from the historical facts B. based on the Russian history
C. based on his selection of facts D. not related to historical details
52. Napoleon was angry when receiving the Russian representative because _________.
A. he thought he should be the one to make the peace terms
B. the Tsar's peace terms were hard to accept
C. the Russians stopped his military movement
D. he didn’t have any more army to fight with
53. What did Napoleon expect the Russian representative to do?
A. To walk out of the room in anger. B. To show agreement with him.
C. To say something about the Tsar. D. To express his admiration.
54. Tolstoy intended to present Napoleon as a man who is _____ ______ ____.
A. ill-mannered in dealing with foreign guests
B. fond of showing off his iron will
C. determined in destroying all of Europe
D. crazy for power and respect
55. What does the last sentence of the passage imply?
A. A writer doesn’t have to be faithful to his findings.
B. A writer may write about a hero in his own way.
C. A writer may not be responsible for what he writes.
D. A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings.