In every language, there are words or phrases that have some interesting stories behind them. The word “sandwich”, for example, is very common in English. If we want to know the story behind it, we must know something about an English nobleman (贵族) called Sandwich.
Sandwich lived in the 18th century. He liked to play cards for money. He often played for twenty four hours, and not even stop to have his meal. He ordered his servants to bring some meat and bread, and he played while eating. He put the meat between two pieces of bread, and he held the food in his left hand while he played with his right hand. People liked Sandwich’s idea and began to eat bread and meat in this way.
From the name of the man Sandwich, we have the word “sandwich” today.
1 Sandwich is very popular food today, which comes from ____ .
A. a man’s name B. people’s idea C. a servant’s name D. a nobleman’s play
2 What did Sandwich play cards for?
A. Pleasure. B. Living. C. Food. D. Pounds.
3Which of the following can best explain the reason why Sandwich did not stop to have his meals?
A. He played cards with his right hand.
B. He put the meat between two pieces of bread.
C. He played cards for twenty four hours.
D. He played cards while eating.
4 The best title for the passage should be “____”.
A. How Sandwich Played Cards
B. How the Word “Sandwich” Came into Use
C. A Bright Idea
D. An Interesting Story
B
My House
My mother moved a lot when she was growing up on account of Grandpa being in the army. She hated having to adjust to new schools and make new friends. That’s why I thought she was joking when she put forward the idea of moving. But she was completely serious. “For just the two of us,” my mother said, “an apartment in the city will suit our needs much better.” Personally, I think she’s lost her mind. I guess I can understand why she would want to move, but what about me and what this house means to me?
I suppose if you looked at my house, you might think it was just another country house. But to me it is anything but standard. I moved into this house with my parents ten years ago. I can still remember that first day like it was yesterday. The first thing I noticed was the big front yard. To me it seemed like an ocean of grass—I couldn’t wait to dive in. The backyard was full of gnarled (扭曲的, 粗糙的) and scary trees that talk on windy nights. But I grew to like them and the shadows they cast in my room. My father and I even built a small tree house, where I often go to remember all the wonderful times we had before Father’s death.
This house is special—maybe only to me—but special nevertheless. It’s the little seemingly insignificant things that make this house so special to me: the ice-cold tile floors that make me tremble on midnight snack runs; the smell of my father’s pipe that still exists; the towering bookcases of my mother; the view outside my bedroom window.
This house holds too many memories, memories which would be lost if we gave it up.
59. Why did the author’s mother decide to move?
A. Because she hated the countryside.
B. Because Grandpa was on constant move.
C. Because Dad’s death made her lose her mind.
D. Because she thought a city flat more fit for them.
60. What impressed the author when she first moved into the house?
A. The tree house. B. The big trees.
C. The cold floors. D. The green grass.
61. How did the author let us feel that the house was special to her?
A. By arguing whether the house was standard.
B. By explaining why the house suited their needs.
C. By describing the small things related to her house.
D. By comparing the differences between country and city life.
62. The author describes the house with ______.
A. affectionB. responsibility C. commitment D. enthusiasm
第三部分:阅读理解(共两节,40分)
第一节:(共15小题;每小题2分,共30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Experience the Colorado River the Hualapai Way!
River Runners offers the ONLY One Day Whitewater trip ANYWHERE at the GRAND CANYON!
Since 1973, Hualapai River Runners has been conducting whitewater rafting (漂流) journeys on the Colorado River. Our experienced guides expertly sail along the river and share the history of the Canyon and the Hualapai people with you.
Visitors experience the excitement of whitewater rapids and then stop to enjoy the impressive beauty of Travertine Falls and a tasty lunch. No charge for children 2 years and under.
One-Day Trip
Retail $249.00 + $79.00 (helicopter and round-trip ground transportation)
Whitewater rafting tours begin in Peach Springs. Hualapai River Runners transports you to Diamond Creek, which is the starting point for the 37 mile rafting tour. Lunch is included and upon arrival at the rafting tour termination point, fly out of the Grand Canyon by helicopter to Grand Canyon West.
Two-Day Trip
Retail $549.00 + $79.00 (helicopter and round-trip ground transportation)
Two-day rafting trips with one night on the Colorado River. All supplies and meals are included. Two days in the Grand Canyon, on the Colorado River, allows more time to explore one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Tours Include:
• Round-trip transportation from Peach Springs to the starting point and from the termination point back to Peach Springs.
• Snack, drinks and lunch (vegetarian meals available upon request)
• Waterproof dry bags for storing your cameras, sunscreen, dry clothes, etc.
The helicopter part of transportation is weather permitting. If the helicopter transportation is cancelled because of bad weather, the raft will continue an additional two hours to South Cove and a maximum $20.00 per customer will be given back.
Special Website booking rate 15% off rafting in April 2010. So book now!
Call us Toll Free Today! Tel: 1-888-868-9378
56. Where do whitewater rafting tours start?
A. Travertine Falls. B. Peach Springs.
C. Diamond Creek. D. Grand Canyon West.
57. We learn from the passage that ______.
A. Hualapai River Runners provides dry clothes
B. you will get $20 back if you are dissatisfied
C. the trip is free of charge for children under 2
D. online booking has a better offer all year round
58. What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To attract people to the sights.
B. To explore the Hualapai culture.
C. To explain how to make a rafting trip.
D. To introduce the history of the Colorado River.
C
Geniuses amaze us, impress us and make us all a little jealous.How do they differ from the average person? Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer.Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.
When Marc Yu was only two years old, he began to play the piano.After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven.Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight.He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears.He seems to be specially designed for music.In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies (神童) to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.
Genius didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh.His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain.After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and pictures.So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art.Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine.Sufferers of autism and brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease.Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.
Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no signs of extraordinary intelligence.Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately.As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards.Make Me a Genius examines what it takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.
If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be one.Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky.Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.
51.My Brilliant Brains is most probably from _______.
A.a website B.the radio C.a magazine D.a newspaper
52.The author takes Marc Yu as an example to show that a child prodigy is .
A.a person who learns something easily
B.a child who is eager to learn new things
C.a student who practices an instrument a lot
D.a kid who works hard to do well in school
53.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.New things about the brain are still being discovered.
B.People without natural abilities can learn to do things well.
C.Some people naturally have more active brains.
D.People are usually smarter when they recover from brain injury.
54.From the passage, we know that ___________
A.scientists completely understand the brain
B.people can only be born as geniuses
C.there’s no such thing as a true genius
D.there are many factors in being a genius
55.The author develops the passage mainly by ___________.
A.providing typical examples
B.following the natural time order
C.presenting a cause and analyzing its effects
D.comparing opinions from different scientists
B
WASHINGTON – It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.
When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability: it can heal its own damage.
The new robot, which looks like a splay – legged, four – footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places. “There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the University of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”
A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built – in computer. From the formation it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking – it used three legs instead of four.
The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One pellicle spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfish is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing surgery.
46.The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it___________
A.can communicate with people on the earth about their problems
B.works according to a certain computer program
C.can find its problems and solve them automatically
D.can explore unfamiliar places
47.An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot ___________
A.is used to create new programs
B.has typical robot functions
C.has sensors to observe its movements
D.can gather information and adapt to new conditions
48.The underlined word “resilient” in the last paragraph means the robot is ___________.
A.creative B.newly made C.able to recover D.informative
49.Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?
A.It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability?
B.It will stumble and fall if damaged.
C.It can grow its legs again once they are broken.
D.It has started to work on the ocean floor.
50.What might be the best title of the passage?
A.How does the Starfish Robot work
B.Do – It – Yourself Robot Repair
C.Robots Designed to Work On Other Planets
D.New Robot Helping Us In Many Ways
III.阅读(共两节,满分40分)
第一节阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Can you imagine a stranger will read your e – mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.
In fact,it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is,they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it's important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain nowadays. The digital bread crumbs (碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is:Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it. And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.
But people say one thing and do another.Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy.Few people turn down a discount attollbooths (收费站)to avoid using the EZ—Pass system that can track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon(优惠券). But privacy does matter—at least sometimes.It's like health;when you have it,you don’t notice it.Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it. Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others.
41.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
A.Friends should open their hearts to each other.
B.Friends should always be faithful to each other.
C.There should be a distance even between friends.
D.There should be fewer quarrels between friends
42.Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?
A.Modern society has finally developed into an open society.
B.People leave traces around when using modern technology.
C.There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.
D.Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.
43.What do most Americans do about privacy protection?
A.They change behavior that might disclose their identity.
B.People turn down a discount at tollbooths to avoid using the EZ – Pass system.
C.They rely more and more on advanced technology.
D.They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.
44.According to the passage,privacy is like health in that___________.
A.people will make every effort to keep it
B.its importance is hardly understood
C.It is something that can easily be lost
D.people don’t value it until they lose it
45.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.No privacy, no health.
B.Treasure your privacy.
C.Boundaries are important between friends.
D.The information age has its own shortcomings.