I’ve just done my first jump since the accident that nearly killed me just a year ago. As I was lying in hospital, thinking that I would never skydive again, I wasn’t feeling glad to be alive. Instead I was wondering how I could possibly live without it.
It all started one evening after another nine-to-five day. I was sitting at home thinking, “There has to be more to life than this,” when an advertisement came on the television: “Try skydiving!”
The next day, I called the nearest skydiving centre and booked my first jump.
I will never forget my first jump. It was a beautiful, cloudless day and the sun was just going down. As I pushed myself away from the plane at 11,000 feet, my mind went blank.
Words cannot describe the excitement I experienced while I was free-falling. That was the most amazing four minutes of my life.
From the first jump, I was hooked. I started spending every free moment I had skydiving. At work, I sat in front of my computer and imagined ways of making more money so that I could jump more often.
The accident happened on my 1,040th jump. Another skydiver collided (碰撞) with my parachute (降落伞) at 80 feet. I fell and hit the ground at about 30 mph, face down. I broke my legs, my right arm and my nose. I lost 6 litres of blood, 19 teeth and 25 pounds of fat. I was lucky to be alive.
People who have never experienced skydiving will find it hard to understand that my only motivation to get better was that I could do it again. All I can say is that for me, skydiving is life and life is skydiving.
50. What can we learn about the author’s first skydiving from the text?
A. The author planned it for a long time.
B. The author was too excited to enjoy it.
C. It turned out to be fairly successful.
D. It took place a year before the accident.
51. The underlined part “I was hooked” most probably means “__________”.
A. I was attracted by skydiving B. I was shocked by skydiving
C. I became familiar with skydiving D. I became curious about skydiving
52. Which of the following shows the author’s strong will for skydiving?
A. The author spent almost every nine-to-five day skydiving.
B. The author worked hard to make more money for skydiving.
C. The author imagined himself skydiving while at the hospital.
D. The author expected to recover only to continue skydiving.
My name is Liana Wexler. I’m 12 years old, and I am the founder of “Kids for Kerry”. “Kids for Kerry” is a grassroots organization of kids that support John Kerry, want to help their futures, and get active in politics.
When my parents went to see Teresa Heinz Kerry speak, they told me that she was amazing! And they thought John Kerry would make a great President. I decided to find out more about John Kerry. I talk about what I learned by using my ABCs. “A” is America. John Kerry is a hero to America, and he will help our futures. He is a great and positive role model. “B” is Better education. John Kerry wants to make class sizes smaller, so that children get the best part out of learning. He wants to help teachers because being a teacher is educating children, and letting them out into the world to do the good things. “C” is Compassion（怜悯;同情） towards children. John Kerry wants to make sure that health care is not a privilege, but it is something that we can all afford. This summer, I was supposed to go to my favorite camp But instead, I decided to go to John Kerry’s office every day. Kids can really help!
On KidsforKerry.org, we have an interactive presidential quiz. There are 270 questions for the electoral votes John Kerry will win. Plus, 25 questions to make up for Florida from the last election. Out next goal is to have a petition (请求) for “National No Name—Calling Day”, a day that the candidates don’t say anything negative about one another. When our Vice President had a disagreement with a Democratic Senator, he used a REALLY BAD word. If I said that—if I said that word, I would be put in a “time-out (暂停休息)”. I think he should be put in a time-out. What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．John Kerry | B．A letter to John Kerry |
| C．Kids for Kerry | D．John Kerry: Our to-be President |
According to the passage we know that____.
| A．only children in America want John Kerry to be their next President |
| B．John Kerry cares much for education but takes little compassion on teachers |
| C．Liana wishes John Kerry to be the President of America |
| D．Liana thinks John Kerry should be put in a time-out |
Liana Wexler considers John Kerry to be____.
| A．a good | B．a hero to America |
| C．a confident man | D．a persuasive speaker |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．“Kids for Kerry” is a grassroots organization of kids that support whoever wins the presidential election. |
| B．Liana Wexler is the founder of “Kids for Kerry” |
| C．“Kids for Kerry” has an interactive presidential quiz on-line. |
| D．Education and health care are two things-with which American citizens concern themselves most. |
David Beckham was born in 1975,in London, at a place called Leytonstone. When he was a young boy, his greatest passion was football, he played it whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he would go and watch a game with his friends. When David Beckham was 12 years old, he won the Bobby Chariton Soccer Skills award. This was an important step forward for this young boy, and it led him to go for a visit to a football training camp in Spain. As a boy he played for the schools of Essex and also for his county team.
In 1991, he became a trainee with Manchester United. This meant that he could practice football as much as he wanted to and play for the highly successful Manchester United Youth Cup team and Under-21 team. In April, 1995, he played his first football leagues game against Leeds United. During 1995 and 1996, David became a regular member of the team and Manchester United won it both football seasons, with David scoring many goals.
His goals made him a household name. In the first game of the 1996-1997 season, he scored an surprising goal from beyond the halfway line; seeing the goalkeeper the goal, it was a wonderful goal and Beckham sent the ball over the goalkeeper’s head and into the goal. It was a wonderful goal and Beckham became famous overnight. He continued to score astonishing goals, especially from free-kicks. The speed of one of his shots was timed at 157 kph. He also had the ability to make the ball go from left to right, or right to left, whenever he chose,. Goalkeepers were never sure where the ball was going, and it regularly ended up in the goal.Which word can take the place of the underlined word “passion” in paragraph1?
| A．Skill | B．Prize. | C．Success. | D．Interest. |
Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to Beckham/
a. Beckham played his first football league game.
b. Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award
c. Beckham played for Manchester United Youth Cup team
d. Beckham went to Spain to join a football training camp
e. Beckham played for the schools of Essex.
| A．e, b, a, d, c | B．e, d, a, c, b |
| C．b, d, e, c, a | D．b, e, d, a, c |
The passage is mainly talking about____.
| A．when Beckham became famous all over Britain |
| B．how Beckham became a successful football player |
| C．why Beckham could win in football league games |
| D．what abilities Beckham had to score so many goals |
We arranged that Kissinger would fly to Vietnam early in July and then stop in Pakistan on the way back. There he would develop a stomachache that would require him to stay in bed and not be seen by the press. Then, with President Yahya’s help, he would be taken to an airport where a Pakistani jet would fly him over the mountains to China.
Kissinger’s trip was given the code name Polo after Marco Polo, another western traveler who made history by journeying to China. Everything went quite smoothly. His slight illness in Islamabad received only small attention from reporters covering him. They accepted the story that he would be kept shut up for at least a few days and began making arrangements for their own activities.
Because of the need for complete secrecy and the lack of any direct communication facilities (设备) between Beijing and Washington, I knew that we would have no word from Kissinger while he was in China. Even after he had returned to Pakistan it would still be important to keep it secret，so before Kissinger left，we agreed on a single code word—Eureka—which he would use if his mission（使命）were successful and the presidential trip had been arranged.
On July 11, A1 Haig who knew our code word, phoned me to say that a cable from Kissinger had arrived.
“What’s the message?” I asked.
“Eureka,” he replied.Kissinger stopped in Pakistan because____.
| A．he had a stomachache |
| B．he needed President Yahya’s help in carrying out a secret plan |
| C．he did not want to be seen by the press |
| D．he would like to take a Pakistani jet on his way back |
The reporters in Islamabad believed that _____.
| A．Marco Polo made a trip to China |
| B．Kissinger would make a journey to China |
| C．Kissinger was making arrangements for their activities |
| D．Kissinger was sick |
Washington would have no word from Kissinger while he was in China mainly because____.
| A．the trip must be kept secret |
| B．President Yahya would not fly together with Kissinger |
| C．communication between China and Islamabad was impossible |
| D．Al Haig would phone to the author to tell him about Kissinger’s trip |
From the passage we can infer that Kissinger’s cable carrying the message “Eureka” must have been sent____.
| A．before he had left Beijing |
| B．soon after he had returned to Pakistan from China |
| C．as soon as he had arrived in Washington on July 11 |
| D．before he retuned to Pakistan on July 11 |
It is common to consider learning as something that takes place in school, but much of human learning occurs outside the classroom, even from birth and people continue to learn throughout their lives.
Even before they enter school, young children learn to walk, to talk, and to use their hands to use toys, food, and other objects. They use all of their senses to learn about the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells in their environments. They learn how to communicate with their parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and other people important to their world. When they enter school, children learn basic academic subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics. They also continue to learn a great deal outside the classroom. They learn which behaviors are likely to be rewarded and which are likely to be punished. They learn social skills for communicating with other children. After they finish school, people must learn to deal with the many major changes that affect their lives, such as getting married, raising children, and finding and keeping a job.
Because learning continues throughout our lives and affects almost everything we do, the study of learning is important in many different fields. Teachers need to understand the best ways to educate children. Psychologists, social workers, criminologists, and other human-service workers need to understand how certain experiences change people’s behaviors. Employers, politicians, and advertisers make use of the principles of learning to affect the behavior of workers, voters, and consumers.
Learning is closely related to memory, which is the storage of information in the brain. Psychologists who study memory are interested in how the brain stores knowledge, where this storage takes place, and how the brain later outputs knowledge when we need it. In contrast, psychologists who study learning are more interested in behavior and how behavior changes as a result of a person’s experiences.The author thinks “Learning”in the passage most refers to_________.
| A．life-long learning | B．family learning |
| C．learning after graduation | D．behavior learning |
The underlined siblings in the second paragraph probably means______.
| A．teachers | B．classmates | C．doctors | D．brothers or sisters |
Which period of children’ life does they begin to how to behave well according to the passage?
| A．After they go int society |
| B．Before they enter school |
| C．When they are at school |
| D．Before they are born |
Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．As a matter of fact, learning begins with formal school education |
| B．Teachers need to understand the best ways to educate their students. |
| C．People need to understand how certain experiences change their behaviors. |
| D．Employers should study the principles of learning to manage their workers well. |
The author tries to tell us ______in the last paragraph
| A．learning is closely related to memory and experience |
| B．psychologists are interested in the wat the brain stores knowledge |
| C．psychologists are more interested in a person’s behavior |
| D．the relationship between learning, brain and behavior |
For many years, enironmental problems have been a major concern to people. Almost all things are related to the word “Green”, say, green buildings. A green building means not only the colour of the paint. Also, it also refers to environmentally friendly houses, factories and offices.
Green building means “reducing the impact（影响）of the building on the land”, Taryn Holowka of the US Green Building Council in Washington.D.C. said. According to Holowka, buildings account for 65 percent of total US electricity use.
But green buildings can reduce energy and water use. Also, the buildings are often located near public transportation such as buses and subways, so that people can drive their cars less. That could be good for the environment, because cars use lots of gas and give off pollution. Green buildings are often built on developed land, so that the buildings don’t destroy forests.
Marty Dettling is project manager for a building that put these ideas into action. The Solaire has been called the country’s first green high-rise building. According to Dettling, “We’ve reduced our energy use by one-third and our water by 50 percent.”
The Solaire cuts energy in part by using solar power. “On the surface of the building we have solar panels（电池板）which change the sun’s energy into electricity,” Dettling explained.
The Solaire also has lights that automatically turn off when people leave the room. In addition, the building has lots of windows, allowing people to use the sun for light during the day. The Solaire cuts water by reusing it.
Not everyone is eager to move into a green building, however. Some people think that things like solar panels cost more money than more traditional energy source. Anyhow, Holowka said, “It is going to take off.” “A green building”most refers to a____________ building according to the passage.
| A．not ripe or modern | B．covering green color |
| C．environmentally friendly | D．fresh or new |
All of the following are the reasons why green buildings are environmentally friendly except that_______.
| A．they can reduce energy and water use in many ways |
| B．they are often built on an area of land which has already been used for buildings. |
| C．people can collect energy from sunsight to heat water and produce electricity |
| D．they are equipped with lots of modern but cheaper equipment |
According to the passage, green buildings don‘t usually stand on faraway and inconvenient areas bacause________.
| A．the places will cause a lot of trouble and inconvenience to consruction work |
| B．cars will give off more pollution and more forests will be destroyed |
| C．the environment of the places is not better than that of big cities |
| D．the places are poorly equipped and unfriendly. |
The underlined sentence “It is going to take off” in the last paragraph most probably means that green buildings__________.
| A．will become successful and popular very quickly |
| B．will be begining to disappear |
| C．will be more modern. |
| D．will replace traditional buildings. |
The text mainly deals with the topic that_______.
| A．Dettling designed the first green building in the US. |
| B．Energy shortage calls for buildings of new design |
| C．The Solaire serves as a model of high buildings. |
| D．Green buildings help save environment. |