IV. 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
When I was at university, I studied very hard. But a lot of my friends did very little work. Some did just enough to pass exams. Others didn't do quite enough. Fred Baines was one of them. He spent more time drinking in the Students' Union than working in the library.
Once, at the end of the term, we had to take an important test in chemistry. The test had a hundred questions. Beside each question, we had to write "True" or "False". While I was studying in my room the night before the test, Fred was watching television. Fred usually worried a lot the night before a test. But on that night he looked perfectly calm. Then he told me of his plan.
"It's very simple. There are a hundred questions and I have to get fifty correct to pass the test. I'll take a coin into the examination room. I haven't studied a chemistry book for months, so I'll just toss the coin. That way, I'm sure I'll get half the questions right."
The next day Fred came cheerfully into the examination room. He sat tossing a coin for half an hour as he marked down his answers. Then he left, half an hour before the rest of us.
The next day, he saw the chemistry professor in the corridor .
"Oh, good," he said. "Have you got the result of the test? What mark did I get?"
The professor looked at him and smiled.
"Ah, it's you, Baines. Just a minute."
Then he reached into his pocket and took out a coin. He threw it into the air, caught it in his hand and looked at it.
"I'm terribly sorry, Baines," he said, "you failed."
1. Fred Baines _______.
A. spent quite some time working in the Students' Union
B. worked hard at his lessons but he failed again and again
C. often failed his tests
D. wouldn't work hard so long as he could pass a test
2. Fred looked perfectly calm before the chemistry test because _______.
A. he was already well prepared for it
B. he didn't think the test was so important for him
C. someone had promised to help him out
D. he believed he had found out a way to pass the test without any difficulty
3. The professor told Baines the result of the test by tossing a coin because _______.
A. he hadn't marked all the papers yet
B. he couldn't remember the mark Baines got
C. he wouldn't hurt Baines' feeling by telling him the truth
D. he wanted to teach Baines a lesson
Life is too short to waste a moment, so while you still have time, let your hair down, remove that “boring” tag in your so-called life and start making it worthwhile. Below are some tips that will help you live a wonderful life.
1. Keep a Positive Attitude. Enjoy what you have and work on getting the things you desire. Psychologists believe that optimism (乐观主义) is a good defense against unhappiness, so it is better to keep your optimism alive. Feeling sad about your life will only make you sadder, so be happy.
2. Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks. Life is all about taking risks, and that’s the exciting part of it. Challenges and failure are part of life. Once you learn how to take risks, you’ll soon realize how good it feels not to let moments pass you by.
3. You only have one life, so make it worthwhile. Being unwilling to let the past go just keeps you away from the things you should be enjoying at the present.
4. List the Things You Want to Do. Stop lazing around and give yourself something to be busy with. Write down a list of all the things you want to do and make a timeline, not to stress you out, but to remind you of your goals. So don’t put limits to yourself because you’ll never know what may happen.
5. Try Out Something New. Getting into something or trying something unfamiliar to you may seem scary, but nothing can make you feel happier than being able to overcome your fear. Who knows? You might enjoy it! The world is a big place and there are still lots of things waiting to be explored by you. Go to a foreign place where you know no one. From Tip One we know that we should _________ .
| A．never be afraid to take risks | B．try something new every day |
| C．focus on the good things in life | D．get rid of all our former habits |
What’s the best title for the third tip?
| A．Enjoy Today and Let Go of the Past. | B．Never Think of Tomorrow. |
| C．Remember You Are the Best. | D．Never Change Your Mind. |
The writer may NOT agree that _______.
| A．feeling sad about your life does you no good |
| B．it’s good to keep yourself busy doing something |
| C．you shouldn’t go to a new place where you have no friends |
| D．you should enjoy the present instead of always thinking of the past |
What is the writer’s attitude toward life?
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Indifferent. |
Several interesting American museums tell about health subjects. One is the Doctor Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry. It is at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. That is where the first college in the world to train dentists began. The museum tells about the history of the medical treatment of teeth. Visitors can see some frightening devices that once were used to remove infected (受感染的) teeth. They also can see sets of teeth made of animal bone. They were made for a famous American -- the first President, George Washington.
Most people do not consider a visit to the dentist their idea of a good time. However, the director of the museum says he wanted to make the museum a fun place to visit. He says he also wants to teach visitors about the importance of taking care of their teeth.
Another museum collects devices that help people hear. The Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum is at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The museum has more than three-thousand hearing aids from around the world. They include old and strange devices. Some hearing aids were made to look like other objects. That is because in the past many people did not want anyone to know they were wearing a hearing aid. It is common for people to think it uneasy to pay a visit to ____.
| A．the University of Maryland | B．the Museum of Dentistry |
| C．the Hearing Aid Museum | D．the dentist |
The text mainly tells about _____.
| A．museums in the US | B．interesting American museums |
| C．American museums with health subjects | D．the history of the medical treatment of teeth |
What do we learn about George Washington from the text?
| A．He once visited the National Museum of Dentistry. |
| B．He considered the Museum of Dentistry a fun place to visit |
| C．His artificial teeth were collected in the National Museum of Dentistry. |
| D．His teeth seemed to be made of animal bone. |
The underlined word “devices” in the first and last paragraph probably means _____.
| A．museums | B．strategies | C．hearing aids | D．tools |
Li Denghai, with his muddy boots and tanned(晒黑的) face, may not look like he is one of China’s famous agricultural pioneers. But the 61-year-old man from Shandong Province has made scientific breakthroughs(突破), which made great contributions to China’s food security(安全). His main work has been in achieving the higher output of corn production.
Li, who holds the world record for the highest output of summer corn, once says, “Corn has a life; it sings and dances. If you listen clearly, it can speak to you.” He started his research in 1969 when he was 20 and just dropped out of a high school. He then read an article which pointed that corn output per mu in the USA was six times higher than that in China. He was shocked and set out to work on just a small piece of land round the clock to see if he could increase the output. He often went to the field with a flashlight late at night, if he had been away during the day. By careful nurturing (照料) he managed to double the output.
Li Denghai was awarded the “China Award for Significant Contribution to the Maize (玉米) Industry” in 2005, and the same year the company named after his own name came into the market on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Li, however, is never happier than when he is in the middle of his cornfields. “I can forget my tiredness when talking to my corns,” he says.When Li Denghai began the study of corn, .
| A．he just graduated from an ordinary high school |
| B．he was shocked that the corn output in China was so low |
| C．he was only in his thirties |
| D．he wasn’t really fond of his work |
The underlined phrase “round the clock” means.
| A．day and night | B．sooner or later | C．face to face | D．now and then |
From Mr. Li’s words in this passage, we can learn that.
| A．he is not good at communicating with people |
| B．he is too tired to go to the corn fields |
| C．he talks to his corn when feeling lonely |
| D．he loves his career deeply |
In 1933 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the film-maker Walt Disney. He had unusual voice and he wanted to do work in Disney’s cartoon films for children. When Walt Disney heard Nash’s voice, he said, “Stop! That’s our duck!”
The duck was the now-famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in1934 in the film The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat and wore his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year he became a star after an eight-minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audiences liked him because he was lazy and greedy, and because he lost his temper very quickly. And they loved his voice, when he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews. Soon Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse himself, probably because he wasn’t goody-goody like Mickey.
In the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto make hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational films about the place of the USA in the world, and safety in the home. Then in 1966 Donald Duck and his voice disappeared—there were no more new cartoons.
Clarence Nash died in February, 1985. But today’s children can still see the old cartoons on television and hear that famous voice.Walt Disney ______.
| A．played the part of Donald Duck | B．made Donald Duck films |
| C．had Donald Duck’s voice | D．drew cartoons |
Walt Disney chose Clarence Nash ______.
| A．because his voice was right for Mickey Mouse |
| B．because his voice was right for the duck in a new cartoon film |
| C．because he was fond of playing jokes |
| D．because he was quite humorous |
The first Donald Duck film ______ .
| A．appeared in 1934 | B．was shown in 1933 |
| C．was greatly appreciated in 1966 | D．was popular in 1930 |
Which of the following in NOT true?
| A．Clarence Nash had Donald Duck’s voice. |
| B．People liked Donald Duck better because he was lazy and greedy and became angry quickly. |
| C．Donald Duck’s voice disappeared in 1966. |
| D．Mickey Mouse wasn’t a goody-goody. |
If you find that your teacher is unfair to you, think about what is happening. Try to find out whether your teacher really dislikes you, or whether something else is going on. Here are some questions to ask yourself:Ask your classmates if they are having trouble with the teacher, too. If they say yes, perhaps your teacher is to blame.
Are you working up to your ability? Maybe you got a C in your last test, and your teacher told you that you could do better. And the kid sitting beside you got a C, too.Isn’t this unfair? Well, it could be that your teacher knows that you could do better if you put more effort into it.
There’s nothing wrong with being sensitive (敏感的) ，but if you react to criticism quite differently from others, this could be a reason why you think your teacher doesn’t like you.
Does your teacher seem to act unfairly all the time, or just once in a while? Think about the harsh (苛刻的) things your teacher has done to you. Are these things happening every day, or just once or twice a month? If your teacher really hates you, you would probably be picked on all the time.
| A．Are you the only person being treated badly, or is your teacher rough on the whole class? |
| B．Are you getting along well with your classmates? |
| C． Are you more sensitive than other students? |
| D． Are you interested in your lessons? |
E . If your teacher has acted unfairly only a few times, then there’s probably something else going on.
F．Teachers often grade students by different standards.
G．But the teacher didn’t say anything to him！