I HEAR America beeping(嘟嘟响)．
Beep，says my cellophane when it gets a text message．
Beep，says my microwave oven when my sandwich is warmed up．
Sometimes I long for a natural sound：a bird singing，dog barking，children laughing， anything to drown out the maddening beeps that have become the soundtrack(配乐)to modern life．
My cellophane? It isn’t enough that its ring tone offerings seem to stretch from “annoymg” toextremely “annoying”． It also has to beep whenever someone texts messages me．
The microwave? A bell rings when it's finished heating my food．But is that enough? No．If I don’t rush to it right away, it starts beeping，like an impatient child tugging(用力拉) at my sleeve(袖子)．
The smoke detector(探测器) is the worst offender．When its batteries are in need of replacement，it 1ets out a series of chirps．The things that don’t beep buzz(嗡嗡响)．And for some reason，beeping and buzzing is beneath them，they clear their throats and perform a symphony． Like my TV, each time I turn it on, it performs an aria(咏叹调)：La di da di dum．Salutions! Here I am! Same thing when I turn it off: La di da di dum．Good bye, kind sir! Until the next time
But at 1east I know where each of these sounds is coming from．That isn’t always the case．For weeks, my wife and I were awoken in the night by a beeping．There，in the stillness， we went through the possible suspects．Could we have a text message? Could it be any of the devices(装置)able to make a sound? Curling iron, rice cooker, smoke detector, TV set，clock radio．．．
The only way to tell was to chase the sound down ，but no sooner would we pull on our bathrobes than the beeping would stop. We didn’t hear it every night but often enough that we would climb into bed wondering whether our sleep would be interrupted by that maddening sound，that beep．
Finally,early one morning，my wife found it：in the study,under a desk，a big plastic cube that was plugged into the wall．It was an uninterruptible power supply that we’d inherited(继承)from my wife’s mother．We’d never known it was capable of speech．
I think it just wanted someone to talk to.
14．What does the writer truly mean by saying“I hear America beeping”?
A．American people like devices that beep．
B．Americans are crazy about sending text messages．
C．In modern society people are dependant on technology．
D．The soundtrack to modern life is no longer natural．
15．Why couldn’t the author and his wife find the source of the noise in their house in the beginning?
A．There were too many devices for them to check．
B．They were unwilling to get up at midnight．
C．They had never known that thing could beep too．
D．The noise didn’t come every day．
16．After reading this passage，we can probably tell the author ．
A．enjoys being surrounded by beeps B．has a touch of humor in his writing
C．tries to avoid using anything that beeps
D．understands the beeping is designed to be user-friendly
Three wishes
A man and his wife were very poor. They kept hoping for new clothes and good food. The man enjoyed eating, and he especially liked cakes. One night an old woman came to their house and told them she would let them have three wishes. They could wish for anything they wanted.
The man had just finished eating a piece of bread for his dinner, but he was still hungry. He said, “I wish I had a big cake!”
Suddenly a cake appeared on his plate.
“You fool!” His wife cried. “You could have wished for a house full of wonderful food, but you wished for a cake. I wish that cake was on the end of your foolish nose! ”
Immediately the cake stuck to the end of his nose.
Then the man and his wife started blaming each other. “It’s your fault!” she man cried. “No, it’s your fault!” she answered. What could they do? The cake was still stuck to the husband’s nose.
“Oh!” the wife cried. “I wish none of this had ever happened!”
Immediately the cake was gone, and the man was saying, “I’m still hungry. How I wish I had some cakes! ”
But of course nothing happened.The man quarreled with his wife because ___.
| A．he always enjoyed eating |
| B．his wife hoped that he asked for a house |
| C．the cake stuck to the end of his nose according to his wife’s wish. |
| D．he didn’t want anything except cakes |
The wrong statement of the following is ___.
| A．the man made his wishes before dinner |
| B．the wife made two wishes, which worked |
| C．the wife wanted her husband to wish for more than a big cake |
| D．the man wished that the cake were not on his nose |
Why did the old woman not satisfy the man’s wish when he said he was still hungry and wanted some cakes?
| A．Because the old lady was angry with them |
| B．Because this was the fourth wish. |
| C．Because the man had made this wish before. |
| D．Because the cake had been gone. |
This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers(young people aged from13~19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected—much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual(个人). Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize(批评)American schools,” he said. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”This year ________teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.
| A．twenty-three hundred |
| B．thirteen hundred |
| C．over three thousand |
| D．less than two thousand |
The whole exchange programme is mainly to__________.
| A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America |
| B．send students in America to travel in Germany |
| C．let students learn something about other countries |
| D．have teenagers learn new languages |
Fred and Mike agree that__________.
| A．America food tasted better than German food |
| B．German schools were harder than American schools |
| C．Americans and Germans were both friendly |
| D．There were more cars on the streets in America |
What is particular in American schools is that________.
| A．there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings |
| B．there are a lot of after-school activities |
| C．students usually take fourteen subjects in all |
| D．students go out side to enjoy themselves in a car |
Which of the following is not true according to this passage?
A. There were few outside activities in Germany.
B. Fred had his own car when he was in America.
C. Subjects seemed easy for Mike in the USA.
D. All family activities were around the individual in Germany.
Our surroundings are being polluted faster than nature and man’s present efforts cannot prevent it. Time is bringing us more people, and more people will bring us more industry, more cars, larger cities, and the growing use of man-made materials.
What can explain and solve this problem? The fact is that pollution is caused by man — by his desire for a modern way of life. We make “increasing industrialization” our chief aim. So we are often ready to offer everything: clean air, pure water, good food, our health and the future of our children. There is a constant flow of people from the countryside into the cities, eager for the benefits of our modern society. But as our technological achievements have grown in the last twenty years, pollution has become a serious problem.
Isn’t it time we stopped to ask ourselves where we are going — and why? It makes one think of the story about the airline pilot who told his passengers over the loudspeaker, “I’ve some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we’re making rapid progress at 530 miles per hour. The bad news is that we’re lost and don’t know where we’re going.” The sad fact is that this becomes a true story when spoken of our modern society. Man cannot prevent the world from being polluted mainly because ______.
| A．the population of the world is decreasing fast |
| B．people use too many man-made materials |
| C．we have more and more industry |
| D．we are producing more cars, trucks and buses |
People crowd into the cities because ______.
| A．they want very much to find well-paid jobs |
| B．they are anxious to enjoy the achievements of our society |
| C．they have become tired of their homeland |
| D．they have a strong wish to become industrial workers |
According to the passage, what does man value most?
| A．Industry. | B．Health. |
| C．Clean air. | D．The future of the children. |
The story about the airline pilot tells us that ______.
| A．man knows where the society is going |
| B．people do not welcome the rapid development of modern society |
| C．man can do little about the problem of pollution |
| D．the writer is worried about the future of our society |
What does the writer really want to say in this passage?
| A．With the development of technology, pollution has become a serious problem. |
| B．Lower the speed of development to stop pollution. |
| C．It’s time we did something to reduce pollution. |
| D．As industry is growing fast, pollution is the natural result. |
Mr and Mrs Smith had always spent their summer holidays in New Jersey in the past, staying in a small inn(旅店) at the foot of a hill. One year, however, Mr. Smith made a lot of money in his business, so they decided to go to London and stay at a really good hotel while they went touring around that famous city.
They flew to London and arrived at their hotel late one evening. They expected that they would have to go to bed hungry, because in that small inn in New Jersey, no meals were served after seven. They were therefore surprised when the man who received them in the hall asked whether they would take dinner there that night.
“Are you still serving dinner?” asked Mr Smith.
“Yes, certainly, sir,” answered the man. “We serve it until half past nine.”
“What are the times of meals then?” asked Mr Smith.
“Well, sir,” answered the man, “We serve breakfast from seven to half past eleven in the morning, lunch from twelve to three in the afternoon, tea from four to five, and dinner from six to half past nine.”
“But that hardly leaves any time for us to see the sights of London!” said Mrs Smith.Mr and Mrs Smith _________ in the past.
| A．had often stayed in a big hotel in New Jersey |
| B．had traveled to many places |
| C．had often stayed in a small inn |
| D．had made a lot of money |
They decided to go to a really good hotel because _________.
| A．it was famous |
| B．it was difficult to find a cheap hotel |
| C．it was near many interesting places |
| D．they now had enough money |
When they arrived at the hotel, they found _________.
| A．no meals were served after seven |
| B．dinner was still being served |
| C．their plane had arrived too late |
| D．they had to go to bed hungry |
When the man told them the times of meals at the hotel, Mrs Smith felt _________.
| A．disappointed | B．excited | C．delighted | D．satisfied |
Mrs. Smith _________.
| A．thought she would have plenty of time to see the sights |
| B．was afraid they would have no time to tour around London |
| C．thought the hotel was not as good as the small inn |
| D．thought the hotel was much better than the small inn for its good meals |
The first ting we do is to put an APB and this goes to all the police stations in the country.
Next we telephone the hospitals. Often the personwearelookingforhas been in an accident.
Thenwemighttryparents,friendsorrelativestheymightbewith.Wetrytofollowtheirmovementsandtofindthelastpersontheysawinlocalornationalpapers—especiallypaperstheymightread.Thereareotherthingswecando: put postersinplaces where they might be, go on television.
HereinAmericathereisamagazineinwhichtherearephotographsofmissingchildren.Thisisoftenthelasthope.Ofcourse,withnearlytwomillionmissingchildreneveryyear,wecan’tdoallthesethingsforeveryone.Wehaven’tgotthetime,orthemoney, or thepeople who work for it. Who do they look for?
| A．Criminals. |
| B．The drivers who have caused accidents. |
| C．News reports. |
| D．Missing children. |
How many ways to find the missing children are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Five. | B．Six. | C．Two. | D．Seven. |
When a person is reported to be missing, they
| A．might not know the exact reason | B．might find out the reason first |
| C．set out to look for him at once | D．first turn to the police for help |
They put photos in newspapers or put posters because they think
| A．people will tell them what will happen to the missing persons |
| B．the missing persons might come back after reading them |
| C．everyone will know the missing persons |
| D．all the people will read them |
According to the passage, when they are looking for a missing child, they
| A．can always find him |
| B．couldn’t always try every way mentioned above |
| C．just try one way or another |
| D．won’t give up until they find him |