February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor (皇帝) decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
72. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?
A. Because there were few women in his country at that time.
B. Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers.
C. Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people.
D. Because he wanted to control the birth rate.
73. Valentine was put into prison because _______.
A. he killed one of the soldiers B. he stole a lot of food
C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order D. he didn’t want to be a soldier
74. The last paragraph mainly tells us _______.
A. students in China send cards to their teachers B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now
75. The best title for this passage should be _______.
A. Valentine’s Day B. A Brave Priest
C. Valentine’s Day in China D. A Romantic Man
My teenage son Karl became withdrawn(孤僻) after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. In this way he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and asked God for help. "Please God, I can't do anything more for my son. I'm at the end of my rope. I'm giving the whole thing up to you."
I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. "I want to talk to you about Karl's absences." Before he could say another word, I choked up (哽咽) and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. "I love my son, but I just don't know what to do. I've tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It's out of my hands." For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, "Thank you for your time", and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he was even on the list of the best students at school. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, "Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?" I nodded. "That was me. I thought I'd play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That's when I knew I had to make you proud." According to the first report card, Karl __________.
| A．often went to school late | B．failed in all the exams |
| C．did a good job at school | D．didn't do well at school |
When the mother said "It's out of my hands." to the headmaster, she meant that she________.
| A．didn't know what to do about her son |
| B．would drive her son away from the house |
| C．had no money to support the family |
| D．she would have to hang up |
There was silence on the other end of the line because _____.
| A．the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother |
| B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking |
| C．the speaker didn't want the mother to recognize his voice |
| D．the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother |
Who was it that telephoned Karl's mother that day?
| A．The headmaster. | B．The school adviser. |
| C．Karl himself. | D．The passage doesn't tell us. |
From the passage we can learn that _________.
| A．children in single-parent families always have mental problems |
| B．mother's love plays an important role in teenagers' life |
| C．parents should give their children as much help as possible |
| D．school education still works well without support from parents |
After a busy day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day.
There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other.
Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (Although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement.
If you have trouble falling asleep, some people recommend breathing very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion the counting sheep will put you to sleep!A good title for this passage is ____.
| A．Sleep | B．Dreams | C．Good Health | D．Work and Rest |
The word drowsy in the last paragraph means ____.
| A．sick | B．asleep | C．stand up | D．a little sleepy |
This passage suggests that not getting enough sleep might make you _____.
| A．dream more often | B．have poor health | C．nervous | D．breathe quickly |
During REM, ____.
| A．your eyes move quickly | B．you dream | C．you are restless | D．both A and B |
The average number of hours of sleep that an adult needs is ______ .
| A．approximately six hours | B．around ten hours |
| C．about eight hours | D．not described here |
Believe it or not, there is always something nice to do on weekends. If you take some time to think about your weekends and plan them carefully, they may become more exciting, refreshing and as a result more rewarding.
Throughout weekends, you can join in endless activities. You may attend a weekend course to increase your knowledge, for example, listen to a lecture on ancient Egypt. You may also try various activities, such as short countryside trip, or you may want to go skiing on a cold winter weekend.
You may invite your best friend to a picnic, tell each other jokes and enjoy each other’s company or you may invite more friends to your weekend party and have one another give a talent show.
You can help out in a local library or nursing home and do some voluntary (义务的) jobs.
You can go to a sports ground or amusement centre to play various ball games and others. You may do weekend shopping alone or with somebody. Whatever you do, I hope you have a good weekend.The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．why to plan weekends well |
| B．how to have a nice weekend |
| C．when to attend weekend activities |
| D．where to have a picnic with friends |
The author suggests doing all the activities EXCEPT ______.
| A．going skiing | B．doing some shopping |
| C．holding a party | D．going over lessons |
According to the passage one can go to ______ as a volunteer.
| A．a nursing home | B．a sports ground |
| C．a big company | D．a shopping centre |
It was a rather hot day. Everybody seemed to be looking for some kind of relief, so an ice cream store was a natural place to stop at.
A little girl, holding her money firmly, entered the store. Before she could say a word, the store clerk sharply told her to get outside and read the sign on the door, and stay out until she put on the shoes. She left slowly, and a big man followed her out of the store.
The man watched as she stood in front of the store and read the sign. “No Bare (赤裸) Feet”.
Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she turned and walked away. Just then the big man called to her. After sitting down on the roadside, he took off his size-12 shoes, set them in front of the girl and saying, “Here, you won’t be able to walk in these, but if you slide (拖) along, you can get your ice cream.”
Then he lifted the little girl up and set her feet into the shoes. “Take your time,” he said, “I get tired of moving them around, and it’s good to just sit here and eat my ice cream.”
The shining eyes of the little girl could not be missed as she ordered her ice cream.
He was a big man, all right. Big body, big shoes, but most of all, he had a big heart.The little girl wasn’t allowed to enter the store because ______.
| A．she was dirty | B．she had no money |
| C．the store was closed | D．she had no shoes on |
What happened to the little girl in the end?
| A．The big man bought an ice cream for her. |
| B．The store clerk took an ice cream out to her. |
| C．She got her ice cream with the big man’s shoes. |
| D．She left the store without getting her ice cream. |
From the story we can conclude （得出结论）that the big man is ______.
| A．kind | B．funny | C．honest | D．hard-working |
Henry Ford was the first person to build cars which were cheap，strong and fast．He was able to se11 millions of models because he could produce them in large numbers at a time；that is，he made a great many cars of exactly the same kind．Ford’s father hoped that his son would become a farmer，but the young man did not like the idea and he went to Detroit（底特律）where he worked as a mechanic（机械师）．By the age of 29，in 1892，he had built his first car．However，the car made in this way，the famous “Model T” did not appear until 1908-five years after Ford bad started his great motor car factory．This car showed to be well-known that it remained unchanged for twenty year．Since Ford’s time，this way of producing cars in large numbers has become common in industry and has reduced the price of many goods which would otherwise be very expensive．Henry Ford was the man to built _____ cars．
| A．cheap and strong | B．cheap and long |
| C．fast and expensive | D．strong and slow |
Ford was able to sell millions of cars，because_____．
| A．he made many great cars |
| B．his cars are many |
| C．he made lots of cars of the same kind |
| D．his cars are well known in the world |
The young man became a mechanic，_______．
| A．which was his father’s will（意愿） |
| B．which was against his father’s will |
| C．which was against his own will |
| D．which was the will of both |
The “Model T” was very famous_____．
| A．before 1908 | B．between 1982 and 1908 |
| C．before 1892 | D．after 1908 |