May : Happenings from the Past
May 5 , 1884
Isaac Murphy , son of a slave and perhaps the greatest h
orse rider in American history, rides Buchanan to win his first Kentucky Derby. He becomes the first rider ever to win the race three times.
May 9 , 1754
Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette produces perhaps the first American political cartoon , showing a snake cut in pieces , with the words “Join or Die” printed under the picture.
May 11 , 1934
The first great dust storm of the Great Plains Dust Bowl, the result of years of drought (干旱) , blows topsoil all the way to New York City and Washington , D. C.
May 19, 1994
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, former first lady and one of the most famous people of the 1960s, died of cancer in New York City at the age of 64.
May 24, 1844
Samuel F. B. Morse taps (轻敲) out the first message, “What hath God wrought,” over the experimental long-distance telegraph line which runs from Washington, D. C, to Baltimore, Md.
53. We know from the text that Buchanan is _______________.
A. Isaac’s father
B. a winning horse
C. a slave taking care of horses
D. the first racing horse in Kentucky
54. What is the title of the first American political cartoon?
A. Join or Die
B. Pennsylvania Gazette
C. What Hath God Wrought
D. Kentucky Derby
55. In which year did the former first lady Jacqueline die?
A. 1934 B. 1960 C. 1964 D. 1994
56. Which of the following places has to do with (与...有关)the first telegram in history?
A. Washington, D. C.
B. New York City
C. Kentucky
D. Pennsylvania
While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon(现象)is commonly known as “Empty Nest Syndrome”(空巢综合症).
In order to seek(寻找) better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as “distant parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”.According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by _________.
| A．their earlier experience of feeling lonely |
| B．the unfavorable living conditions in their native countries |
| C．the common worry about their income |
| D．the geographical distance between parents and children |
Many young people have gone abroad, leaving their aged parents behind, to _________.
| A．live in the countries with more money |
| B．seek a better place for their aged parents |
| C．continue their studies abroad |
| D．realize their dreams in foreign countries |
If young people go abroad, _________.
| A．they do not hold to the value of duty at all |
| B．they can give some help to their parents back home |
| C．they cannot do what they should for their parents |
| D．they believe what they actually do is right |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that ________.
| A．the situations in the developed and developing countries are different |
| B．“Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in our society |
| C．children will become independent as soon as they go abroad |
| D．the aged parents are not fully prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome” |
When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly ad possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.
“Storm chasing” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.
Although anyone can do it , storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm season.
Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement . “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature, It is the greatest show on Earth.”For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to .
| A．head straight for the center of the storm |
| B．get into the car for safety |
| C．wait patiently for the storm to develop |
| D．collect information about a coming storm |
Beginners of storm chasing are advised .
| A．not to drive in a heavy rain |
| B．to do it in an organized way |
| C．not to get too close to a storm |
| D．to spend more time on it in summer |
By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that .
| A．storm chasing costs a lot of money |
| B．storm chasing is worth hours of waiting |
| C．efforts in storm chasing are well paid |
| D．a storm presents the greatest show on Earth |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment |
| B．Many storm chasers get killed in the storms. |
| C．Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world. |
| D．Storm chasing is only fit for young people. |
In Wiltshire, England, volunteers are being sought to visit a nature protection area to count the butterflies living there and on surrounding fields. The project is promoted by an environmental protection organisation，which has contributed to improving the living environment for wild animals. Recently, the organisation has issued an appeal to help it observe environmental changes based on the record of butterflies and protect the environment.
In the area, the local people have planted many special flowers with the help of the organisation, aiming to see whether these flowers will interest the rare and beautiful butterflies. The Project officer Sarah Marshall says, “It will be a suitable habitat for butterflies. They are great ‘indicator species’ as they are easily affected by climate changes so they make a brillian early - warning system for the environment.” She also points out that volunteers are needed to recourd the number or species of butterflies，and based on the change happening to the butterflies, the hidden environmental problems in the area can be found out in time.
The organisation is seeking volunteers to help monitor butterflies from April through to September. They will walk a fixed route and record the different butterflies they encounter along the way.Each visit should take no more than two hours, and each volunteer is expected to visit once a month to count the wildlife. “Staff will provide back up, so if the weather is poor on the day you are to visit（butterflies don’t like to fly in the rain, wind or if it’s too cloudy) we can have someone else do your job,” Sarah points out.
No previous experience is necessary as training and support will be provided，but a keen interest is essential. If you are interested, P1ease contact Sarah on (0l380) 725670，ext 278, email sarahm wiltshirewildlife. orgAccording to Paragraph l， what is the purpose of the Project?
| A．To appeal to more visitors. |
| B．To protect the environment. |
| C．To control butterfly population. |
| D．To expand the area for wildlife. |
Many special flowers have been planted in Wiltshire to.
| A．warn people of wildlife extinction |
| B．appeal more tourists to be involved in |
| C．attract many unusual and beautiful butterflies |
| D．improve the economic conditions of local people |
Butterflies are called “indicator species” because .
| A．they can provide support for visitors |
| B．they can give information to other species |
| C．they are not easily found out in their habitats |
| D．they are very sensitive to environmental changes |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Visitors are being trained to identify butterflies. |
| B．Wildlife areas are being protected by butterflies. |
| C．Volunteers are being needed to count butterflies. |
| D．Organisations are being put up to protect butterflies. |
Gregory Olsen is not an astronaut. He is a 60-year-old businessman from New Jersey where he owned his successful technology company. This week, however, Olsen became the world’s third non-astronaut to pay for a trip into space.
On Monday, the Russian-built Soyuz rocket, carrying Olsen, an American astronaut and a Russian astronaut, docked (对接) at the International Space Station (ISS).
Olsen’s wish has come true. He is the third “space tourist” in four years to travel on a Russian craft to the space station. American Dennis Tito and South African Mark Shuttleworth have both made round trips to the ISS. Going into space is not easy, however. Olsen has worked hard for two years to prepare for it.
The Russian Federal Space Agency offers an ISS trip to anyone who can afford it and pass the necessary training. Olsen reportedly paid $20 million for his trip. The Russian space program has been short of money in recent years and is looking for individuals interested in space travel to _________.
NASA（美国宇航局）has relied on the Russian space program and its Soyuz capsule（太空舱）to transport American astronauts to the ISS since the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003. The space shuttle Discovery (发现号宇宙飞船)made a flight earlier this year, but the program stopped halfway because of safety concern. So far, the Russians have not charged the U.S. for trips to the ISS. That may change by the end of the year.
As one of the few space tourists, Olsen focuses his attention on the glory of traveling in space. What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 5 words.)
________________________________________________________________________________Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Up till now, Russia has been helping American astronauts go to the International Space Station for free.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank with the proper words or phrases. (Please answer within 10 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________According to the passage, who can travel into space in the Russian shuttle? (Please answer within 30 words.)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely act of stealing or an even cheat. Either way, it could be the perfect crime, because the criminals are birds—homing pigeons !
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay up. Then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind—one that avoids not only collecting money but also going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars,he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an advertisement in the newspaper asking for help.
The thought is supported by the fact that, so far,none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars–seems too little for a car worth many times more.
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,” he said. After the car owner received a phone call, he _______.
| A．went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried |
| B．gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park |
| C．sent some money to the thief by mail |
| D．told the press about it |
The “lazier and more inventive” criminal refers to _______.
| A．the car thief who stays at home |
| B．one of those who put the ads in the paper |
| C．one of the policemen in Changwa |
| D．the owner of the pigeons |
The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show _______.
| A．how easily people get fooled by criminals |
| B．what Chen thinks might be correct |
| C．the thief is extremely clever |
| D．the money paid is too little |
The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ____.
| A．criminals | B．pigeons | C．the stolen cars | D．demands for money |
We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because _______.
| A．he reads the ads in the newspaper |
| B．he lives in the same neighborhood |
| C．he has seen the car owners in the park |
| D．he has trained the pigeons to follow them |