Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.
Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast（盛宴）. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.In time, other colonies（殖民地）began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed（宣布）the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October.
1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated .
A. in spring B. summer C. in autumn D. in winter
2. The first to celebrate thanksgiving were .
A. some people from England B. the American Indians
C. Sarah Josepha Hale D. Governor Bradford
3. We can infer from the passage that New England must be .
A. in the U. S. A. B. in Great Britain
C. in Canada D. on some island off the Atlantic
4. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Thanksgiving Day used to be a holiday to celebrate a good harvest.
B. Abraham Lincoln was not the first to decide on thanksgiving celebrations.
C. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to express the American and Indian people’s thanks to God.
D. There’s little difference between the American way and the Canadian way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
5. The passage mainly tells us .
A. how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U. S. A.
B. how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated
C. that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday
D. how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places
E
In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue (烤肉) restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity (一致性), for the brothers had developed a strict routine (程序) for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks’ sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers’ fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise (特许经营) other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate (复制) the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches (拱门).
Today McDonald’s is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald’s had over $ l billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising success stories in modern American business history.
72. This passage mainly talks about _______.
A. the development of fast food services
B. how McDonald’s became a billion-dollar business
C. the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald
D. Ray Kroc’s business talent
73. Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except _______.
A. a drive-in B. a theater C. a cinema D. a barbecue restaurant
74. We may infer from this passage that _______.
A. Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their idea to Kroc.
B. the place the McDonalds chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in
C. forty years ago there were lots of fast-food restaurants
D. Ray Kroc was a good businessman
75. The passage suggests that _______.
A. creativity is an important element of business success
B. Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers
C. Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc
D. California is the best place to go into business
D
Cost of American Wars
| War name |
Cost of the war |
Cost as a percent of annual GDP |
| Revolutionary War |
US $ 2.2 billion (in 2002 dollars) |
63% |
| War of 1812 |
US $ 1.1 billion |
13% |
| Mexican War |
US $ 1.6 billion |
3% |
| Civil War |
US $ 62 billion |
104% |
| Spanish American War |
US $ 9.6 billion |
3% |
| World War I |
US $ 190. 6 billion |
24% |
| World War II |
US $ 2.9 trillion |
103% |
| Korean War |
US $ 335.9 billion |
15% |
| Vietnam War |
US $ 494.3 billion |
12% |
| First Gulf War |
US $ 76.1 billion |
1% |
Notes: ① GDP → 国民生产总值
② 1 billion =" 1,000,000,000" ③1 trillion = 1,000,000,000,000
69. Which wars cost more than a year’s worth of the GDP?
A. First Gulf War and World War I B. The Civil War and World War II
C. World War II and Revolutionary War D. Mexican War and Civil War
70. The American annual gross domestic product in 1951 was _________.
A. 2.239 trillion B.2.9 trillion C. 3, 25 trillion D. 76.1 billion
71. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Mexican War cost more than War of 1812.
B. First Gulf War cost the least in term of the percentage of the annual of GDP.
C. World War II cost more than Korean War.
D. Mexican War cost as much money as Spanish American War.
C
The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated (估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.
In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate (足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.
The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.
65. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. The Difficulties of Learning English B. International Communications
C. The Standard Varieties of English D. English as a World Language
66. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English.
B. There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world.
C. It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English.
D. People learn English for a variety of reasons.
67. What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?
A. The ability to read a newspaper.
B. It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation.
C. Being a multilingual.
D. Being a native speaker.
68. What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?
A. Those geographically close to the United States.
B. Those interested in the culture of the United States.
C. Former colonies of Great Britain.
D. Countries where international conferences are held.
B
After the American Revolution won in 1787, the new government in the U.S.A. had to choose a capital city. The thirteen states quarreled about this. So the government decided to build a completely new capital. The land on the River Potomac was given the name District of Columbia (D.C). The new Capital was built on the north bank of the river. It was named after George Washington, the president of the U.S.A.
Washington D. C., a government city, is an important cultural (文化) center as well as a big tourist (游览) center.
Most capital cities have simply grown from small cities. Washington, however was planned as the capital of a great nation. It was designed by a French artist who first made a study of many capital cities of Europe. In general, his plan followed the plan of the beautiful French city of Versailles (凡尔赛).
61. When the new capital was built , America was made up of ____ states.
A. thirteen B. thirty C. fifty D. fifteen
62. Washington D.C. is the name of _______.
A. an American president B. America’s capital
C. a famous river D. a beautiful garden city
63. According to the passage we can conclude that America’s capital_____.
A. lies in the center on the country B. came from a small city
C. was built by French workers D. lies on the River Potomac
64. According to the passage we can infer that Washington D.C. is the center of America’s ______.
A. economy (经济), sports and culture B. culture, traveling and sports
C. politics, culture and traveling D. politics, culture and economy
三
、阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
请阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选题，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
A
Every student can learn rope jumping.
You can jump alone or with your classmate. You can also help turn a long rope for many others to jump over, one at a time. If you jump alone, you will need a short rope and it will be just enough for your height. Try ropes of different lengths until you find a right one for your size.
A rope should be turned slowly. It must also he turned high enough to let you jump freely and safely. Turning the rope freely and safely needs careful timing. In rope jumping, timing means turning the rope slowly enough for you to jump over at the right time without its striking your feet.
When you jump rope, your heart beats faster and your face has a healthy color. But if you jump too many times at first, you will get fired. You must learn when to stop for a rest before you jump again, If you practice, you can increase the number of limes you jumpers without resting.
56. This passage is about _______.
A. a game B. a rope C. rope jumpers D. careful timing
57. How many people can join in rope jumping?
A. One alone. B. Two. C. One or more. D. Two or more.
58. The word “one” in the last sentence of the first paragraph means _______.
A. man B. rope C. thing D. size
59. Before you do rope jumping, you must _______.
A. fined a good player B. tries whether the rope will be right for you
C. stops to rest for an hour D. tries whether the rope will be strong enough
60. Which of the following is true?
A. A rope must be turned as slowly as possible.
B. A rope must be turned as high as possible.
C. People can do rope jumping without resting.
D. Careful timing is needed to turn a rope.