Criticism is judgement．A critic is a judge．A judgement study and think about the material presented to him, accept it, correct it, or reject it after thinking over what he has read, watched or heard.
Another word for criticism is appreciation．When I criticize or appreciate some objector another, I look for its good points and bad points．In reading any printed or written matter, I always have a pencil in hand and put any comments in the book or on a separate paper．In other words, I always talk back to the writer.
That sort of critical reading might well be called creative reading because I am thinking along with the author, asking him questions, seeing whether he answers the questions and how well he answers them．I mark the good passages to store them in my memory piece of writing; where, how and why could or should I improve upon it?
You might think that doing what I suggested is work．Yes, it is, but the work is a pleasure because I can feel my brain expanding, my emotion reacting and my way of living change.
Reading exercises is a great influence on a person．If pictures, still or moving, accompany the reading, the memory will retain the material for a long time.
Just as evil books can corrupt, so also can good books gradually work a change on a corrupt person.
Let's get back to the beneficial effects of thinking while reading．It helps us to enlarge our minds．We understand more about the universe, its people and many of its wonders．We learn to think and observe in new ways．We certainly do get a feeling for the language we are reading．All good writers in any language have been readers who read critically and continuously.The writer says a critic________．
| A．asks what he does not understand |
| B．talks back to the author |
| C．understand the background on which the works are based |
| D．looks for the good and bad points of the material he has read |
According to the writer, creative reading is________.
| A．raising questions and answering them for the author. |
| B．reading and giving comments on the materials one has read. |
| C．thinking in the same line with the author. |
| D．storing up facts in one's memory. |
By the phrase “thinking along with” in the third paragraph, the writer means________.
| A．following one's thought closely | B．accepting |
| C．considering | D．agreeing |
According to the writer, critical reading________.
| A．makes a person rich | B．enables a person to write fluently |
| C．broaden a person's horizons | D．gives a person extra work. |
We can learn from the passage that all good readers ________.
| A．understand more about their surrounding than others. |
| B．have a thorough insight to the problem in life. |
| C．have the feeling of the language they read. |
| D．have read extensively(广泛地)and critically |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A while one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are more valuable than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting cards stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays. Which is not a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
| A．Parents bring up the children. |
| B．Parents give love and care to children. |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons. |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up. |
. What do you know from the passage?
| A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents. |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
| A．It only has two kinds of colors. |
| B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. |
| C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. |
| D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May. |
On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, ________.
| A．people usually have family parties. | B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery. |
| C．children always go to parent’s home. | D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts. |
What do you think florists do?
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make bread or pastry. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
This morning, a Virgin Atantin 747 Jumbo Jet became the first commercial airplane to fly on biofuel. The short flight from London to Amsterdam used a blend of 20% babassu(棕榈) oil mixed with 80% conventional jet fuel.
What was really exciting about the flight was the fact that the engine did not have to be altered in any way for the biofuel to work While this is a great initial step in trying to reduce CO2(carbon-dioxide)emissions(排放)from airplanes. there are a lot of hurdles (障碍)that still need to be overcome.
First and foremost, unlike the normal fuel used to run airplanes (known as Jet A),biofuel freezes at high altitudes. Also, Jet‘A’fuel burns consistently (at the same pace),which means it provides a safe and reliable fuel for long flights--engineers are not sure if biofuel will be able to do the same.
The biggest hurdle to a full biofuel switch is our ability to be able to grow enough crops that can be converted to biofuel. There are two concerns that scientists have in this matter – the first is that the land to grow the extra crops will come from clearing more of our forests and the second is that since it competes with what we eat, the price of food will go up.
However, Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines, envisions that if biofuel starts to replace oil on a greater basis, it will be manufactured from algae（藻类）produced in sewage treatment plants, not from food sources.
Birgin Airlines is not the only one trying to look for alternative fuel sources. Earlier this year, an Airbus A380 used another alternative fuel－a man-made mix of gas-to-liquid, in one of its four engines. The flight was tested by Rolls Royce (manufacturer of jet engines), in partnership with Shell (an oil company). Rolls Royce is also working with Air New Zealand on a similar project.
While a complete switch to alternative fuel may take years, it is very encouraging to see airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers all coming together to try to make it happen!．Why does Virgin Airlines try to replace normal fuel with biofuel?
| A．To cut down the flight cost of the company. |
| B．To remove some hurdles for the biofuel to work. |
| C．To reduce CO2 emissions from airplanes. |
| D．To test plane engines on biofuel. |
．Which is NOT true for a full biofuel switch of airplanes?
A Biofuel cannot run for long flights.
B．Biofuel cannot work at high altitudes.
C．Man has not enough land to grow extra crops for biofuel.
D．It’s not easy for sewage treatment plants to manufacture biofuel.．One of the hurdles to be overcome for a full biofuel switch is to.
| A．alter the engine for airplanes |
| B．make biofuel burn consistently |
| C．open more land to grow more crops |
| D．develop sewage treatment plants |
．We can infer from the last paragraph that.
| A．there is a long way to go for a complete switch to alternative fuel |
| B．it won’t be long before alternative fuel comes into use |
| C．airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers are reliable |
| D．alternative fuel has a bright future |
．Which of the following can best serves as the title of this passage?
| A．Biofuel-Alternative Fuel Sources. |
| B．The First Commercial Flight Powered by Biofuel. |
| C．How to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Airplanes. |
| D．Vigin Airlines Trying to Alter Fuel Sources. |
It is a matter of common observation that although money income keeps going up over the years, we never seem to become richer. Prices are rising continuously. This condition is what we call inflation: the money supply is becoming inflated so that each unit of it becomes less valuable. We have got used to higher and higher rates of inflation in recent years. What could be bought twenty years ago for one pound now costs well over 2 pounds. And at present this rate of inflation seems to be rising rather than falling. If in the real world our money incomes go up at the same rate as prices do. One might think that inflation doesn’t matter. But it does ------.When money is losing value it also loses one of the qualities of a good money—stability of value. It is no longer acceptable as a store of value; and it becomes an unsuitable means of delayed payment. Nobody wants to hold a wasting possession, so people try to get rid of money as quickly as possible. Inflation therefore simply stimulates（刺激）our spending and discourages saving.From the passage we can know that inflation is a situation in which________.
| A．everyone’s incomes rise |
| B．money will hold its value |
| C．we can watch our money grow |
| D．money constantly loses its value |
．In the writer’s view, if incomes and prices rise at the same rate, ________.
| A．inflation maybe still be a problem |
| B．we have nothing to worry about |
| C．inflation is no longer a problem |
| D．we will become richer and richer |
．Under inflation people are likely to ________.
| A．go to the bank more often than usual |
| B．save more money since their incomes rise |
| C．spend money quickly rather than to save it |
| D．keep money at home instead of going to banks |
．We can conclude according to the passage that ________.
| A．the writer is a government official |
| B．the writer is worried about inflation |
| C．the writer encourages people to spend money |
| D．the writer has become richer because of inflation |
. Which of the following words is omitted at the end of the underlined sentence “But it does”?
| A．matter, | B．goes. | C．rises | D．fall |
Rowena and Billy Wrangler are model high school students. They study hard and do extremely well on achievement tests. And next year，Rowena will be attending Harvard University．Billy，her younger brother，hopes to go to Cornell．What makes Rowena and Billy different from most students is that they don't go to school．In fact，they've never been to school．Since kindergarten，they've studied at home．Like many of more than one million people who receive home schooling in the United States, they feel as if they've gotten a good education．
The home-schooling trend began in the U.S．in the 1980s with parents keeping their children out of public schools so they could provide religious education at home. Today，as the home-schooling trend continues to grow，parents are more likely to consider home schooling as an option because they believe schools don't do a very good job of teaching and are occasionally dangerous places．But can parents really do a better job?
The answer in many cases is yes．In many studies，students taught at home ranked average or above average when compared to students who went to public schools．More importantly，these students were often more self-directed and have a greater depth of knowledge．They were well prepared for academic challenges．
One such student，Robert Conrad, now a sophomore at university, claims he really learned how to study and schedule his time during his eight years of home schooling．Still, not every student is as successful as Robert．“For every home-schooling success story，there are an equal number of failures．”states Henry Lipscomb，an educational researcher．“There are just so many disadvantages that students taught at home have to overcome．”For example，they have fewer chances to get in touch with others of their own age．Consequently，they sometimes lack the usual social skills．“No matter what，though，”states Lipscomb，“home-schooling is a growing trend．I think we'll be seeing more and more of this．”Compared with other students, Rowena and Billy are most different in the fact that.
| A．they preferred to teach themselves |
| B．they do extremely well on achievement tests |
| C．they don't go to school as other teenagers |
| D．they feel they have gotten a good education |
．At first in the 1980s parents gave home-schooling to children for.
| A．better education | B．religious education | C．safety | D．good behavior |
．According to the article, what is NOT the advantage of being educated at home?
| A．Home is a safer place for children． |
| B．Students taught at home are more self-directed． |
| C．Students taught at home have a greater depth of knowledge． |
| D．Students taught at home can go to good universities． |
．The writer thinks.
| A．parents can do a better job than schools |
| B．home-schooling will be more and more useful |
| C．home-schooling is good in some aspects |
| D．students taught at home make greater achievements |
．The best title of this text might be.
| A．Home-schooling：A Growing Trend |
| B．Home-schooling：A Better Choice |
| C．Home-schooling：A Way to Success |
| D．Home-schooling：A New Method of Education |
There are stories about two U．S . presidents，Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren，which attempt to explain the American English term OK．We don’t know if either story is true，but they are both interesting．
The first explanation is based on the fact that President Jackson had very little education．In fact，he had difficulty reading and writing．When important papers came to Jackson，he tried to read them and then had his assistants explain what they said．If he approved of a paper, he would write “all correct”on it．The problem was that he didn’t know how to spell．So what he really wrote was “ol korekt”．After a while，he shortened that term to “OK”．
The second explanation is based on the place where President Van Buren was born，Kinderhook，New York．Van Buren’s friends organized a club to help him become President .They called the club the Old Kinderhook Club，and anyone who supported Van Buren was called“OK”．．The author __________.
| A．believes both of the stories |
| B．doesn’t believe a word of the stories |
| C．is not sure whether the stories are true |
| D．is telling the stories just for fun |
According to the passage，President Jackson_____________.
| A．couldn’t draw up any documents at all |
| B．didn’t like to read important papers by himself |
| C．often had his assistants sign documents for him |
| D．wasn’t good at reading，writing or spelling |
．According to the first story, the term “OK”_______________.
| A．was approved of by President Jackson |
| B．was the title of some Official documents |
| C．was first used by President Jackson |
| D．was an old way to spell “all correct” |
.According to the second story，the term “K”_____________.
| A．was the short way to say“ld Kinderhook Club” |
| B．meant the place where President Van Buren was born |
| C．was the name of Van Buren’s club |
| D．was used to call Van Buren’s supporters in the election |
．According to the second story, the term “OK” was first used ______________
| A．by Van Buren |
| B．in a presidential election |
| C．to organize the Old Kinderhook Club |
| D．by the members of the “ld Kinderhook Club” |