Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis, cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless,” he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits (成就). Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.
Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy. “John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ‘You are completely crazy,’ ” Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter(遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.
46. The turning point in Saunders’ life came when _______.
A. he started to play ball games
B. he got a mountain bike at age 15
C. he ran his first marathon at age 18
D. he started to receive Ridgway’s training
47. We can learn from the text that Ridgway _______.
A. dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy
B. built up his body together with Saunders
C. hired Saunders for his cold-water experience
D. won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic
48. What do we know about Saunders?
A. He once worked at a school in Scotland.
B. He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.
C. He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.
D. He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.
49. The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means_______.
A. Excited B. Convinced C. Delighted D. Fascinated
50. It can be inferred that Saunders’ journey to the North Pole ________.
A. was accompanied by his old playmates
B. set a record in the North Pole expedition
C. was supported by other Arctic explorers
D. made him well-known in the 1960s
根据对话内容,从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。完成后请将答案写到二卷答题纸上。
The world’s first completely automatic（自动的）railway has been built under the busy streets of London. 1. _______________________________. The new Victoria Line was opened in 1969. This new line was very different from the others.
The stations on the other lines need a lot of workers to sell tickets, and to check and to collect them when people leave the trains. 2. ______________________________. Here a machine checks and collects the tickets, and there are no workers on the platforms at all. On the train, there is only one worker. 3. _____________________. But usually he just starts it; it runs and stops by itself. The trains are controlled by electrical signals which are sent by the so-called command spots. The command spots are the same distance apart. Each sends a certain signal. The train always moves at the speed that the command spots allow. If the command spot sends no signals, the train will stop. 4. _______________. The computers also fix the train speeds, and send the signals to the command spots.
5. ___________________________. Once train may stay too long at a station; the other trains will then automatically move slower.
A. If necessary, this man can drive the train.
B. The railway is called the Victoria Line, and it is part of the complete London underground railway.
C. The computer makes the decision about when to use a gas engine and when to go electric.
D. This is all different on the Victoria Line.
E. Most of the control work is done by computers.
F. Other machines make sure that the trains are always a safe distance apart.______
_______
________
________
_______
Are you a man or a mouse? When people ask this question they want to know if you think you are a brave person or a coward(胆小鬼). But you will never really know the answer to that question until you are tested in real life. Some people think they are brave, but when they come face to face with real danger, they act like cowards. Other people think of themselves as cowardly, but when they meet danger, they act like heroes.
Lenny Sputnik had always thought of himself as a nervous person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and his health. All he wanted in life was to be safe and healthy. Then, on 15th January 1982, a plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny went to the river to see what was happening. Then he saw a woman in the ice-cold water. Suddenly Lenny did not feel afraid. He kept very calm and did a very courageous thing. He jumped into the Potomac, swam to the woman, and kept her head above the water. Seventy-eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny Sputnik, it was not seventy-nine.
When you are in a very dangerous situation and feel afraid, the body automatically produces a chemical in the blood. This chemical is called adrenalin. With adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and are ready to fight or run away. However, when you are completely terrified, the body can produce too much adrenalin. When this happens, the muscles become very hard and you find that you cannot move at all. You are then disabled with fear. That is why, when we are very frightened, we sometimes say that we are ‘petrified’. This word comes from the Greek word ‘peters’ which means ‘stone’. We are so frightened we have become like stone. According to the writer's opinion, a brave person can be judged by ______
| A．his words | B．his thought | C．his action | D．his looks |
From what Lenny did, we can conclude that __________
| A．Lenny had a good chance | B．Lenny was brave |
| C．Lenny liked swimming | D．Lenny wanted to be a hero |
In great danger, a hero always keeps __________.
| A．nervous | B．worried | C．calm | D．disappointed |
Adrenalin in our body is ________.
| A．harmful | B．useless | C．changeable | D．dangerous |
If a person's body produces too much adrenaline, he will ________.
| A．become stronger | B．lose his feeling and power |
| C．become a stone | D．become a hero |
I met the old man at a cafe. “Did you hear the radio news yesterday?” he asked me. “No,” I replied. “Anything exciting?”“Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend.”
“Oh, dear!” I cried. “How did it happen?”“He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found…”“His body?” I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. “No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this.” He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material.
“This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him”. The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. “I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend—how terrible!”“You've heard the news?” The waiter laughed. “Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?”“But he held the box in his right hand.”“Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.”“And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!” I said, laughing. “Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!” We can learn from this passage ________.
| A．the writer came to the cafe for the first time |
| B．the old man made a living by telling jokes in the cafe |
| C．the writer had known about the old man before |
| D．what had happened to his best friend made the old man mad |
Having heard the old man's story, the writer _______ .
| A．couldn't help laughing immediately | B．showed great mercy upon him |
| C．didn't believe him at all | D．bought the old man another cup of coffee |
It turned out that the thumb in the match box was actually __________.
| A．the right thumb of his best friend |
| B．the thumb he stole from the dead body of an unknown person |
| C．something made of bloody white materials |
| D．his own right thumb |
The waiter hadn't let out the truth of the old man's story earlier because _______ .
| A．he was nobody but the best friend of the old man |
| B．the old man wouldn't pay for his coffee if he did |
| C．the waiter hadn't seen through the old man's trick |
| D．the old man helped the cafe in some way |
As suggested by the passage, what might happen in the end?
| A．The writer refused to pay the old man's bill. |
| B．The writer decided to make the trick known to the public. |
| C．More strangers would hear the old man's story. |
| D．The old man wouldn't visit the cafe any more. |
Cities in Europe and around the world may be growing “bike trees” in the near future
. Invented by Japan’s JFE Engineering Corp, the invention proved useful in the busiest parts of this nation’s crowded cities.
Local governments of Japan have struggled for ways to encourage people to park their bikes considerably, particularly close to big stations, but that may block some roads and entrances to homes and businesses. “Our cities do not have a lot of space for any kind of parking, including bicycles.” said Mitsuharu Oshima, a spokesman for JFE Engineering. The bike tree comes in two types: one in a tower that is above ground and on the contrary, the other in an underground structure.
A cyclist registers with the operator of the equipment, pays a monthly fee and pushes the wheels of his bicycle into restraints(管理处) at the base of the bike tree. Each bicycle 
is fitted with an electronic card with the owner’s details. A mechanical arm then pulls the bike into the base of the tower and moves it to a free location inside. To collect the bike later, the cyclist puts his card through a reader and his bike is automatically returned to him in seconds. “The science of the equipment has been difficult —— even though they may look quite simple —— because bikes come in many different shapes and sizes.” said Oshima.
As well as clearing away the road, bicycles cannot be stolen from a bike tree. There are presently versions at seven sites in Japan and two others are under construction, while work is under way on an even larger version —— with room for 9400 bicycles —— in Thailand. And Oshima believes that the idea could catch on in Europe, particularly in countries such as France, Holland and Denmark , where cycling is so popular. Cities build this kind of “bike trees” so that they can _______.
| A．ask more people to ride bikes | B．provide more jobs for people |
| C．make more money than before | D．save more room for people |
Which is the right order of the following things when you use the bike tree?
① the wheels of the bicycle are put into restraints at the base .
② the card is read and the bike is automatically returned .
③ an electronic card with the owner’s details is given
④ the bike is pulled and moved to a free location inside .
| A．③②①④ | B．③①④② | C．②①④③ | D．②④③① |
What made it difficult to design “bike trees”?
| A．The location of “bike trees”. | B．The method of finding enough bikes. |
| C．The differences of the bikes. | D．The importance of traffic safety |
From the passage, we can know that _______.
| A．countries with many cyclists in Europe will like the idea of “bike trees” |
| B．there are seven “bike trees” used for holding bikes in Japan |
C．local government of Japa n encourage people to ride bikes |
| D．cyclists can use “bike trees” for free in Japan. |
While reading a book in English, every few lines, you run across a word or two that you don't know. You look up every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does is slow you down. Even electric or CD-ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if you get lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the "map" each time you take a step, you'll get nowhere fast.
On your English learning "journey", a dictionary can be a helpful "travel companion"—if it's not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise, you'll always depend on your native language and end up translating in your head.
A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. It can help you verify (test and check) spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentences and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources.
Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols. Understand what the abbreviations(缩写
字) mean. Become familiar with the grammar codes that explain the usage for each word. Look for charts, diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future. You'll discover how rewarding it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, "A friend in need is a friend indeed". The underlined word "that" used in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．chart, diagrams and lists |
| B．abbreviations and the usage for each word |
| C．the meaning of a word, spelling and grammar usage |
| D．pronunciation symbols and grammar codes |
Why do you want to buy a good English-to-English dictionary?
| A．Because it is a good friend if we use it often. | |
| B．Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost. | |
C．Because it can help us to start thinking both in English and in Chinese. |
D．Without it we'll depend on our native language and end up translating in our head. |
Which of the following statements does the writer lead you to believe?
| A．The more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article you read. |
| B．The more you use the resources in the dictionary, the more you can benefit from it. |
| C．The more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read. |
| D．The better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is. |
The best title of the passage may be _______.
| A．Dictionary is Like a Road Map While We Are Traveling |
| B．Use a Dictionary When Necessary |
| C．How Important a Good English-to-English Dictionary is |
| D．A Dictionary is a Friend Indeed |