People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred in National Velvet-the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who wins first place in a famous horse race. At first, the producers of the movie told Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet. However, they waited for her for a few months as she exercised and trained—and added three inches to her height in four months! Her acting in National Velvet is still considered the best by a child actress.
Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932. Her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business reasons. When World war II started, the Taylor moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started acting in movies. After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult(成人)roles and won twice for Best Actress: Butterfield 8(1960) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? (1966)
Taylor’s fame(名声)and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to demand very high pay for her movies. In 1963, she received $1 million for her part in Cleopatra—the highest pay received by any star up to that time.
Elizabeth Taylor is a legend (传奇人物) of our time. Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, she has been lucky, she has beauty, fame and wealth. But she is also a hard worker. Taylor seldom acts in movies any more. Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others — several years ago, she founded an organization that has raised more than $40 million for research and education.
60. The producers didn’t let Taylor play the part of Velvet at first because they thought she .
A. was small in size B. was too young
C. did not play well enough D. did not show much interest
61. What Elizabeth Taylor and Velvet Brown had in common was that they were both .
A. popular all their lives B. famous actresses
C. successful when very young D. rich and kind-hearted
62. Taylor became Best Actress at the age of .
A. 12 B. 28 C. 31 D. 34
63. In her later life , Elizabeth Taylor devoted herself to .
A. doing business and helping others B. turning herself into a legend
C. collecting money for the poor D. going about research and education work
On June 15th，2012，millions of people watched as 33yearold Nik Wallenda walked across one of the world's greatest waterfalls on a tightrope（钢丝）．What made the 25－minute walk that was televised live and watched by over 13 million people worldwide even more amazing，is that it was done over the Niagara Falls－An action that had never been attempted before．
Even though Nik was wearing a harness（保护带），a safety measure provided by ABC，the television network that broadcast the event，his action to keep his balance against the strong winds made for some heart－stopping（令人担忧的） moments for the audience．
Nik，however，never slowed down for even one moment．Wearing special shoes made by his mother，he remained totally focused on the job at hand．It was only when he got to the last stretch near Canada's Table Rock that he knelt down on one knee and finally broke into a smile．Waving and blowing kisses to the cheering audience，he knew he had accomplished a great task，which most people had thought impossible．
While he described the whole experience as peaceful and relaxing，Nik said his biggest challenges came from a totally unexpected source－his 40 pound balancing pole．The balancing pole was so heavy that he could hardly carry it on the tightrope．
One would think that now that Nik has realized his lifelong dream he would be ready to hang up his “balancing pole”．However，the adventurer who already has seven Guinness World Records under his belt，is just getting started－Next up? A 5，000－foot tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon．While the one across the Niagara Falls took years of planning because he had to convince the US and Canadian officials，this one should happen in the very near future．That's because，the Florida resident has already been granted（授予） a permit by the Canyon officials．Why did so many people fix their attention on the event?
A．Because it was done by Nik Wallenda．
B．Because nobody had done it there before．
C．Because it was broadcast live by ABC．
D．Because it was impossible to do the event．What made the audience hold their breath during Nik's performance?
| A．How Nik managed to cross the Niagara Falls with safety measure． |
| B．What Nik would do when he lost his balance on the tightrope． |
| C．How Nik kept his balance against the strong winds． |
| D．How long Nik will take to finish the event． |
What was the greatest difficulty for him to face in Nik view?
| A．The supplied tightrope． |
| B．The safety belt． |
| C．The balancing pole． |
| D．The audience's noise． |
What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Nik will go on with his dream． |
| B．Nik's life dream is changing． |
| C．Permission of governments is important． |
| D．The Grand Canyon is a dream for Nik． |
Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture(潮湿)from food helps to store it, and that the easiest way to do this is to expose the food to sun and wind. In this way the North American Indians produce pemmican(dried meat ground into powder and made into cakes), the Scandinavians make stockfish and the Arabs dried dates.
All foods include water—cabbage and other leaf vegetables contains as much as 93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean meat 75% and fish, anything from 80% to 60%, depending on how fatty it is. If this water is removed, the activity of the bacteria(细菌)which cause food to go bad is checked.
Fruit is sun-dried in Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, and also in California, South Africa and Australia. Various methods are used, but in general, the fruit is spread out on trays in drying yards in the hot sun.
Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically. The method of such dehydration(脱水)is to put food in chambers through which hot air is blown at temperatures of about 110℃ at entry to about 43℃ at exit. This is the usual method for drying such things as vegetables, minced(切碎的)meat, and fish.
Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food packed in cans or frozen, and they do not need to be stored in special conditions. For these reasons they are invaluable to the climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storage space. They are also popular with housewives because it takes so little time to cook them. Usually it is just a case of replacing the dried-out moisture with boiling water.According to the text, the open-air method of drying food.
| A．is the one most commonly used today |
| B．was invented by the American Indians |
| C．has been known for hundreds of years |
| D．tends to be unhealthy |
Bacteria which cause food to go bad.
| A．cannot live in sunlight |
| B．are killed by drying |
| C．are in no way dependent on the water contained |
| D．have their activity greatly reduced by drying |
Today vegetables are most commonly dried .
| A．on hot and sunny days | B．in hot-air chambers |
| C．in the sun and wind | D．using the open tray method |
Housewives like dried foods because they .
| A．are quick to prepare |
| B．taste better than fresh foods |
| C．can be packed in a case |
| D．look fresh when cooked |
At one time no one could travel on an English road faster than four miles an hour. That was the law until 1896. A man had to walk in front of a car which could not go faster than the man. At night the man had to carry a red lamp.
Once Charles Rolls brought a car from France to England, but he wanted to drive faster than four miles an hour. In order to have no trouble with the police, he had a talk with some of the police officers, who ordered their policemen to look the other way when the car came along the road. This was a good plan in the country, but not so easy to follow in the busy streets of London.
One night Rolls and some friends started from London on their journey to Cambridge. One of the men walked in front with the red lamp, but he walked as fast as he could. The police became very interested in walls and shop-fronts when they heard the car and not one of them saw it.
They reached a hill, but what a waste of time it was to drive down the hill at four miles an hour! Rolls was getting ready to jump into the car, but then he noticed a policeman who was not looking the other way. The slow car reached him.
“Good evening,” said the policeman, looking at the car.
“Good evening,” said Rolls, holding the lamp.
“One of these horseless things,” said the policeman, looking at it with interest.
“Yes,” said Rolls, and waited.
“I’ve often wanted a ride in one, but of course policemen can’t buy things like that.” He turned and looked hopefully in Rolls’s face.
“Jump in,” said Rolls.
“Thanks,” said the policeman, and did so. “Now,” he said, sitting down, “You can let it go just as you like down this hill. There isn’t another policeman on this road for a mile and a half.”The policemen were told “to look the other way” so that _______.
| A．they could watch the car coming from the other direction |
| B．Rolls’s car could go faster than four miles an hour |
| C．they could make sure no one was in the way |
| D．the car would not hit them on the road |
In what way did the policemen carry out the order from their officers?
| A．They greeted Rolls when the car came along. |
| B．They walked in front of the car with a red lamp. |
| C．They pretended to be attracted by something else. |
| D．They stood on duty every 1.5 miles along the road. |
The policeman who said “Good evening” to Rolls wanted to _______.
| A．teach Rolls a lesson |
| B．take a free ride home |
| C．have a talk with Rolls |
| D．have a car ride experience |
After the policeman jumped into the car, Rolls _______.
| A．dared not drive the car faster than he was allowed to |
| B．could drive as fast as he wished within a certain distance |
| C．could drive on any road he liked for the rest of the journey |
| D．drove his car as fast as he could down the hill to Cambridge |
One thinks of princes and presidents as some of the most powerful people in the world; however, governments, elected or otherwise, sometimes have had to struggle with the financial powerhouses called tycoons. The word tycoon is relatively new to the English language. It is Chinese in origin but was given as a title to some Japanese generals. The term was brought to the United States, in the late nineteenth century, where it eventually was used to refer to magnates who acquired immense fortunes from sugar and cattle, coal and oil, rubber and steel, and railroads. Some people called these tycoons “capitals of industry” and praised them for their contributions to U.S. wealth and international reputation. Others criticized them as cruel “robber barons”, who would stop at nothing in pursuit of personal wealth.
The early tycoons built successful businesses, often taking over smaller companies to eliminate competition. A single company that came to control an entire market was called a monopoly. Monopolies made a few families very wealthy, but they also placed a heavy financial burden on consumers and the economy at large.
As the country expanded and railroads linked the East Coast to the West Coast, local monopolies turned into national corporations called trusts. A trust is a group of companies that join together under the control of a board of trustees. Railroad trusts are an excellent example. Railroads were privately owned and operated and often monopolized various routes, setting rates as high as they desired. The financial burden this placed on passengers and businesses increased when railroads formed trusts. Farmers, for example, had no choice but to pay, as railroads were the only means they could use to get their grain to buyers. Exorbitant (过高的) goods rates put some farmers out of business.
There were even accusations that the trusts controlled government itself by buying votes and manipulating elected officials. In 1890 Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust. Act, legislation aimed at breaking the power of such trusts. The Sherman Antitrust Act focused on two main issues. First of all, it made illegal any effort to interfere with the normal conduct of interstate trade. It also made it illegal to monopolize any part of business that operates across state lines.
Over the next 60 years or so, Congress passed other antitrust laws in an effort to encourage competition and restrict the power of larger corporations. The Sherman Antitrust Act_______________.
| A．affected only the companies doing business within state lines |
| B．sought to eliminate monopolies in favor of competition in the market-place |
| C．promoted trade with a large number of nations |
| D．provides a financial advantage to the buyer |
One might infer from this passage that lower prices _________.
| A．are more likely to exist in a competitive market economy |
| B．usually can be found only in an economy based on monopolies |
| C．matter only to people who are poor and living below the poverty level |
| D．are regulated by the government |
It seems likely that many Americans____________.
| A．believed that the trusts had little influence over government |
| B．expected the wealthy magnates to share money with the poor |
| C．did little to build up American business |
| D．were worried that trusts might manipulate the government |
At one time it was the dream for many little girls to become a nurse．Today, however, America is facing its worst nurse shortage since World War I. Recently about 2, 000, 000 nurses are needed and 60 percent of all hospitals in the US have shortages large enough to threaten（=" say" that you will hurt somebody if they don't do what you want）the quality of care provided. The demand for nurses spreads widely throughout the nursing field.
What has become of these women in white? The answer lies in not one but several causes. One possibility is the fact that woman have greater career options （职业选择）. In the past, women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices: nursing or teaching. Today, more women than ever are in the work force, but their options have greatly increased. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. In fact, women today are found in nearly every field of work. Nursing has been left behind, as women move on to jobs with higher pay and greater status（地位）. A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as “merely a nurse”. Teachers may be also at fault. Many high school students are actually being steered（劝 导）away from nursing, told by teachers that they are “too bright to be a nurse”.
Americans are living longer than ever and requiring more medical attention. In fact, the number of elderly patients has almost doubled in the past twenty years. Obviously a larger population requires more nurses. AIDS and other diseases have caused more and more people to need nursing care. Usually fatal diseases mean long drawn - out hospital stay, that is to say, more nurses are needed to care for these patients. It is estimated that the demand for nurses will be doubled the supply in the coming ten years.Why is America facing its worst nurse shortage?
| A．Because the demand of nurses has been doubled. |
| B．Because more and more women prefer to be teachers and doctors. |
| C．Because women have been provided with many different jobs. |
| D．Because women no longer choose to be nurses. |
The passage tells us that high school teachers are at fault for________.
| A．not mentioning the worst nurse shortage in the US |
| B．introducing jobs with higher pay and greater status to their students |
| C．not asking the government to raise the nurses’ payment |
| D．persuading the students not to be nurses |
The author wrote this passage in order to________.
| A．describe the unequal treatment of women in the US |
| B．warn people to pay more attention to the nursing problem |
| C．tell us women’s free choice of jobs today |
| D．call on women not to be nurses |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．High school students think themselves too bright to be nurses． |
| B．Women in the US have greater career choice than those in other countries. |
| C．Of all the hospitals in the world 60 percent more nurses are badly needed. |
| D．Nursing used to be a popular job among women. |