Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No card came with it Calls to the flower-shop were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged these imaginings. She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I’d delivered during the winter. As a girl, though, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.
One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation dance, and I didn’t care if I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gar-denia-lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery(神秘).My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
41． Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．A childhood Dream. B．A Mother’s Love.
C．A Graduation Party. D．A Special Birthday.
42．The mother insisted that her daughter go to the graduation dance because _________.
A．she could take care of things herself B．she hoped she would find a boyfriend
C．she wanted her to be happy and strong D．she thought education was most important
43．Who was the sender of the flower?
A．A boy the writer had run into. B．One of the writer’s neighbors.
C．One of the writer’s classmates. D．The writer’s mother.
The first reality TV show in the world was called Expedition Robinson and it was shown in Sweden in 1997. Half the population of the country watched the final event and a new kind of TV program was born. Two years later in Holland , the first series of Big Brother was filmed. Again, it was a great success and the final program was watched by 15 million people. Now more than 20 countries around the world have Big Brother or Expedition Robinson on their TV screens. The ordinary people who take part in the programs are known by millions of people in their own countries and reality TV has become big, big business.
For the TV producers, reality TV is a dream come true because many of the programs cost nothing to make. At some point, the television viewers are asked to telephone the program to vote or to apply to take part in the show. It is the cost of these telephone calls that pays for the shows. One of the most popular shows is Pop Idol. In the show a group of attractive young people are made into pop stars. TV viewers vote for their favorite person on the show. The winner makes a record and millions of copies of the record are sold. His or her pictures are published on the covers of magazines or on the front pages of newspapers, and then, they are quickly forgotten.
But not everyone is happy about reality TV. In Portugal, two TV channels got into trouble because they showed too much of the personal lives of the people in the shows. In France, reality TV is called “rubbish TV” and the TV studios of Big Brother were attacked three times in one week. In Greece, Big Brother was described as “ against human rights and civilization”. Those who take part in the reality TV shows are usually _____.
| A．common people | B．pop TV stars | C．attractive people | D．famous film stars |
Who would pay for the cost of the reality TV shows according to the passage?
| A．TV producers who make reality TV shows |
| B．TV actors who take part in reality TV shows. |
| C．TV viewers who telephone reality TV shows |
| D．TV companies which broadcast reality TV shows |
It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
| A．everyone is happy about reality TV. |
| B．reality TV will do well in many countries. |
| C．all the people in Europe are in favor of reality TV |
| D．reality TV will not be broadcast in any countries. |
The Marches were a happy family. Poverty, hard work, and even the fact that Father March was away with the Union armies could not down the spirits of Meg, Jo, Amy, and Marmee, as the March girls called their mother.
The March sisters tried to be good but had their share of faults. Pretty Meg was often displeased with the schoolchildren she taught; boyish Jo was easy to become angry; golden-haired schoolgirl Amy liked to show up; but Beth, who kept the house, was loving and gentle always.
The happy days passed and darkness came when a telegram arrived for Mrs. March. “Your husband is very ill,” it said, “come at once.” The girl tried to be brave when their mother left for the front. They waited and prayed. Little Beth got scarlet fever (猩红热) when she was taking care of the sick neighbor. She became very ill but began to recover by the time Marmee was back. When Father came home from the front and at that joyful Christmas dinner they were once more all together.
Three years later the March girls had grown into young womanhood. Meg became Mrs. Brooke, and after a few family troubles got used to her new state happily. Jo had found pleasure in her literary efforts. Amy had grown into a young lady with a talent for design and an even greater one for society. But Beth had never fully regained her health, and her family watched her with love and anxiety.
Amy was asked to go and stay in Europe with a relative of the Marches. Jo went to New York and became successful in her writing and had the satisfaction of seeing her work published there. But at home the bitterest blow was yet to fall. Beth had known for some time that she couldn’t live much longer to be with the family and in the spring time she died.
News came from Europe that Amy and Laurie, the grandson of a wealthy neighbor, had planned to be married soon. Now Jo became ever more successful in her writing and got married to Professor Bhaer and soon afterwards founded a school for boys.
And so the little women had grown up and lived happily with their children, enjoying the harvest of love and goodness that they had devoted all their lives to. The members of the March family were Father March, Mrs. March and their _______.
| A．four daughters | B．five daughters |
| C．son and four daughters | D．son and five daughters |
Who was the most successful in career (事业) among the March girls?
| A．Jo | B．Beth | C．Amy | D．Meg |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The march Family | B．The March Parents |
| C．The March Girls | D．The March Relatives |
It can be inferred from the passage that the March family had ______.
| A．both happiness and sadness | B．wealthy neighbors |
| C．more girls than boys | D．a lot of rich relatives |
The twentieth century saw greater changes than any century before: changes for the better,
changes for the worse; changes that brought a lot of benefits to human beings, changes that put man in danger. Many things caused the changes, but, in my opinion, the most important was the progress in science.
Scientific research in physics and biology has vastly broadened our views. It has given us a deeper knowledge of the structure of matter and of the universe; it has brought us a better understanding of the nature of life and of its continuous development. Technology m the application of science m has made big advances that have benefited us in nearly every part of life.
The continuation of such activities in the twenty-first century will result in even greater advantages to human beings: in pure science -- a wider and deeper knowledge in all fields of learning; in applied science -- a more reasonable sharing of material benefits, and better protection of the environment.
Sadly, however, there is another side to the picture. The creativity of science has been employed in doing damage to mankind. The application of science and technology to the development and production of weapons of mass destruction has created a real danger to the continued existence of the human race on this planet. We have seen this happen in the case of nuclear weapons, Although their actual use has so far occurred only in the Second World War, the number of nuclear weapons that were produced and made ready for use was so large that if the weapons had actually been used, the result could have been the ruin of the human race, as well as of many kinds of animals.
William Shakespeare said, “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn (纱线), good and ill together.” The above brief review of the application of only one part of human activities----- science seems to prove what Shakespeare said. But does it have to be so? Must the ill always go together with the good? Are we biologically programmed for war?Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
From the fourth paragraph, we can infer that________.
| A．a great many nuclear weapons were actually used for war |
| B．a large number of nuclear weapons should have been used for war |
| C．the author is doubtful about the ruin of human beings by nuclear weapons |
| D．the author is anxious about the huge number of nuclear weapons on the earth |
The underlined word "mingled" in the last paragraph most probably means________.
| A．simple | B．mixed | C．sad | D．happy |
What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write?
| A．Further application of science to war. |
| B．More reading of William Shakespeare. |
| C．Proper use of science in the new century. |
| D．Effective ways to separate the good from the ill. |
Animals can move from place to place, but plants cannot. When an animal is under attack, it can run away or fight back.. Plants certainly cannot run away, and they lack teeth and claws. But plants can defend themselves by using both physical and chemical means.
Some plants have their own ways to keep animals away. For example, the leaves of the holly plant have sharp spines (刺) that discourage grass-eating animals. Holly leaves on lower branches have more spines than leaves on upper branches. This is because the lower leaves are easier for most animals to reach.
Some plants, such as the oak tree, have thick and hard leaves that are difficult for animals to eat. Some grasses may contain a sandy material; eating such grasses wears down the animal's teeth.
Many plants also have chemical defenses. Some plants produce chemicals that taste bitter or cause an unpleasant reaction. Some plants may fight against an attack by increasing the production of these chemicals. When a caterpillar (毛虫) bites a tobacco leaf, the leaf produces a chemical messenger. This messenger sends to the roots the information to produce more nicotine. The higher levels of nicotine discourage the caterpillar.
Many plants depend on both physical and chemical defenses. A certain plant in China, for
instance, has prickly (多刺的) leaves, and each prickle contains poisonous venom (毒液) A single experience with this kind of plant will teach an animal to stay away from it in the future.The holly plant has more spines on the lower leaves because most animals________.
| A．are not tall enough | B．like the lower leaves only |
| C．are not clever enough | D．can get the lower leaves easily |
To defend themselves, oak trees use________.
| A．chemical means | B．physical means |
| C．bitter chemicals | D．sandy materials |
How does tobacco protect itself against an attack from a caterpillar?
| A．Its leaves fight against the attack by physical means. |
| B．Its roots send a messenger to discourage the caterpillar. |
| C．Its roots increase the production of nicotine when it is attacked. |
| D．Its leaves produce poisonous sand to drive the caterpillar away. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Plants and Animals | B．How Plants Defend Themselves |
| C．Attacks and Defenses | D．How Animals Eat Plant Leaves |
The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past. The three-day event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December. It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by locals.
During the opening ceremonies, after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels transport their riders across the sands. Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship. One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turn to show off their wonderful traditional culture. Groups of men in blue and yellow play horns and beat drums as they dance in different designs. On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses dance with their hair: their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm of their dance.
The local and visiting Italian dogs are anxious to run after hares. The crowd is on its feet for the camel races. Camels and riders run far into the distance, and then return to the finish Line in front of the cheering people.
Towards the evening, there comes the grand finale of the opening day, an extremely exciting horserace. All the riders run very fast on horseback. Some riders hang off the side of their saddles. Some even ride upside down -- their legs and feet straight up in the air -- all at full speed. Others rush down the course together, men arm in arm, on different horses. On and on they went. SO fast and so wonderful!The Sahara Festival is a festival which________.
| A．has a very long history in North Africa |
| B．is held in the same place on the same day |
| C．is attended mainly by the people in the Sahara |
| D．is celebrated mostly by travelers from different countries |
Before the races begin, ________ take part in the activities during the opening ceremonies.
| A．musicians, dancers, horses and hares |
| B．camel riders, musicians, dogs and hares |
| C．horsemen, dancers, camels and dogs |
| D．musicians, officials, camels and horses |
The underlined word "finale" in the fourth paragraph most probably means the _______of the opening day.
| A．first part | B．middle | C．last part | D．whole |
This passage mainly tells readers_______.
| A．what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival |
| B．how people celebrate during the three-day Sahara Festival |
| C．what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival |
| D．how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival |