SixAmericansareworkingonanewhi-优题课

Our sense of hearing is one of the most important means of knowing what is going on around us. We are warned of danger by sounds. The sounds of music please us. Sound has a waste product, too, in the form of noise. Noise has been called unwanted sound. Noise is growing and it may get much worse before it gets any better.
Scientists, for several years, have been studying how noise affects people and animals and are alarmed by what they have learned.
Peace and quiet are becoming harder to find. Noise pollution is no joke. It is a threat that should be looked at carefully.
Sound is measured in units called decibels （分贝）. At a level of 140 decibels people feel pain in their ears.
Trucks, buses, motorcycles, airplanes, boats, and factories all make noise. This noise bothers not only our ears, but our minds and bodies as well.
There is a saying about "it is so noisy that you can't hear yourself think". Doctors who study noise believe that we must be able to hear ourselves think most of the time. If we don't, we may have headaches, other aches and pains, or even mental problems. Noise adds even more tension to a society which already faces too much stress.
49．The sense of hearing _______.
A．makes people feel angry
B．makes people want to dance
C．helps people to know what is happening around them
D．is something harmful to people
50．When sound is turned into noise, _______.
A．people become illB．it makes people forget the past
C．people don't know how to deal with it D．it becomes a kind of pollution
51．Why does the passage say " Peace and quiet are becoming harder to find " ?
A．Sounds of over 140 decibels are common these days.
B．There are always wars going on in the world.
C．The world is making more and more noise.
D．All kinds of machines make noises.
52．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．Scientists are warning people noise can be harmful.
B．It's possible for man to get rid of all noises.
C．Sounds under 140 decibels are not considered to be noise.
D．Society has become more lively because there is noise now.

To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century B.C.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in common used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France, and later on in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made, in a whole variety of colours.
45. According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient _______.
A. China B. Egypt C. Greece D. Rome
46. Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
A. No one exactly knows who was the inventor of the umbrella.
B. The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.
C. The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century.
D. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.
47. A strange feature(特征) of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as _______.
A. protection against rain B. a shade against the sun
C. a symbol of honour and power D. women’s decoration
48. In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain ___________.
A. during the Middle Ages B. by the eighteenth century C. in Rome D. in Greece

When he thought of the past, my grandfather would sometimes show us photographs of himself at school. They were brown and faded, and it was hard to believe that the blurred(模糊) figure of the little boy in the short trousers and socks could ever have been Grandfather. Besides, he wore a cap --- all the boys in the photographs wore caps pulled so far forward that half of their faces were obscured. When Grandfather asked us to pick him out from the group, we would surely point to the wrong boy.
On one such occasion my younger sister, aged six, burst into tears when Grandfather proudly guided her finger to the right boy. "How could that boy be you?" she cried. "He should have a beard." We were, of course, all convinced that grandfathers should have beards, preferably white and bushy, like our own grandfather's.
"I was a good scholar," Grandfather would say, wagging his beard over the photographs. "I should have been top of the class if I hadn't had to get up at six every morning to milk the cows and chop the wood, and again when I came home from school."
"But Saturdays? What did you do on Saturdays?"
"Saturdays, if it was fine, I'd be out all day in the fields with the men," replied Grandfather. "And if it was wet, I'd be helping my mother with odd jobs round the house. There wasn't much time for studying."
We all tried hard to imagine what it would have been like to have seen Grandfather getting up at crack of dawn and never, obviously, having a moment for himself. It seemed we had learnt something from what Grandfather had said about his childhood.
41. In the first paragraph of this passage, what the author really tells us is that ________ .
A. his grandfather used to wear short trousers, socks and a cap as well
B. it was difficult to tell which of the boys in the photographs was Grandfather
C. he didn't believe Grandfather wore a cap pulled forward when he was at school
D. it was fun to watch boys in the photographs wearing caps pulled forward
42. The author's sister burst into tears because________.
A. she did not get a chance to pick out Grandfather in the photographs
B. she was told which was the right boy before she herself could pick him out
C. other children did not agree with her that Grandfather should have had a beard
D. she found Grandfather in the photographs did not have a beard
43. When Grandfather said, "I should have been top of the class...", he meant ________ .
A. if he had had more time for studying, he would have been the best in his class
B. he should have spent more time studying rather than playing ball games
C. his school days should not have been so hard and miserable
D. he could have never been the best student even if he had studied still harder
44. In the last paragraph the author said, "We all tried hard to imagine..." because ________ .
A. the figures of the boys in the photographs were small and blurred
B. the children had never experienced life like that of Grandfather
C. the photographs Grandfather showed them were brown and faded
D. Grandfather failed to tell them about his childhood in detail

“Cool”is a word with many meanings．Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold．As the world has changed，the word has had many different meanings．
“Cool”can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything.When you see a famous car in the street，maybe you will say，“It's cool．”You may think，“He's so cool，”when you see your favourite footballer．
We all maximize（扩大） the meaning of“cool”．You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”．Here's an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used．A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall（瀑布）they had visited．On one student's paper was Just the one sentence，“It's so cool．”Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt．
But the story also shows a scarcity（缺乏）of words．Without “cool”，some people have no words to show the same meaning．So it is quite important to keep some credibility（可信性）．Can you think of many other words that make your life as colourful as the word “cool”？ I can．And I think they are also very cool．
66．We know that the word "cool" has had ________.
A．only one meaning B．no meanings
C．many different meanings D．the same meaning
67．In the passage，the word“express”means“________”.
A．see B．show C．know D．feel
68．If you are _______ something，you may say，“It’s cool.”
A．interested in B．angry about
C．afraid of D．unhappy with
69．The writer takes an example to show he is ________ the way the word is used．
A．pleased withB．strange to
C．worried about D．careful with
70．In the passage，the writer suggests（暗示）that the word “cool”________．
A．can be used instead of many words
B．usually means something interesting
C．can make your life colourful
D．may not be as cool as it seems

Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son's soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son's team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son's teammate, Mickey O'Donnel. With shouts of "Kick it!" echoing (回响) across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted (沸腾). O'Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome (综合症) and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, "I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!" For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, "Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!" Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, "It was a tie. Everybody won."
61. What was the score of the soccer match?
A. Two to two, equal to both the teams. B. Three to one in Mickey's team's favor.
C. Two to one in the opposite team's favor. D. Everybody won because of Mickey's goal.
62. The underlined word "hush" in paragraph 3 means
A. cheer B. cry C. laughter D. silence
63. What did the author worry about when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
A. The result of the match would fail his son.
B. His son would shout at Mickey for his goal.
C. Mickey would again hug the opposing players.
D. His son would understand Mickey's wrong goal.
64. It can be inferred(推断出) from the passage that ________.
A. both teams liked and respected Mickey
B. both teams were thankful to Mickey for his goal
C. Mickey didn't mind though his goal was wrong
D. Mickey was a kind- hearted boy and hoped everybody won
65. The purpose of the author in writing the passage is ________.
A. to tell a joke to make readers laugh
B. to suggest we should not mind losing
C. to show enjoying a game is more than winning a game
D. to present his son's fine qualities of understanding others