Machines in the home have a short history. Sewing machines, washing machines and tumble dries are common enough today, but a hundred years ago few people could even imagine such things. However, inventors have designed and built a wide range of household machines since then. In most cases the inventor tried to patent（申请专利）his machine, to stop anyone copying it. Then he tried to produce a lot of them. If the machine became popular, the inventor could make a lot of money.
In 1790 the first sewing machine was patented. The inventor was an Englishman called Thomas Saint. There was nothing to match his machine for forty years, and then someone built a similar device. He was a Frenchman, Bartelemy Thimonier. However, neither of these early machines worked very well. It wasn’t until 1846 that an inventor came up with a really efficient sewing machine. He was an American, Elias Howe and his machine was good enough to beat five skilled sewing women. He didn’t make much money from it, however. The first commercially successful sewing machine was patented by Isaac Singer five years later.
Today, we take washing machines for granted, but there was none before 1869. The revolving drum（旋转桶）of that first machine set a pattern for the future, but it was crude by today’s standards. The drum was turned by hand, and needed a lot of effort. Eight years passed before someone produced an electric washing machine. The world had to wait even longer for a machine to dry clothes. The first spin-drier was another American invention, patented in 1924; but it was 20 years before such machines were widely used.
It was yet another American, called Bissell, who introduced the carpet sweeper. He patented the original machine back in 1876. It didn’t pick up dirt very well, but it was quicker than a dustpan and brush. Thirty-six years later, even the carpet sweeper was old-fashioned: modern homes now have a vacuum cleaner（吸尘器）with an electric motor to suck the dust.
72. Whose sewing machine could do as much as,or even more than the work of five skilled sewing women?
A. Thomas Saint’s. B. Bartelemy Thimonier’s.
C. Elias Howe’s. D. Isaac Singer’s.
73. According to the article, modern inventors __________ .
A. follow the pattern of the first revolving drum but improve it much
B. only imitate (模仿)the first washing machine
C. power the first ever-made washing machine by electricity
D. have to wait for the first spin-drier for a long time
74. The underlined word “crude” in the sentence “but it was crude by today’s standards” probably means __________ .
A. useless B. ugly-looking C. rough D. not skillfully made
75. The article mainly tells us about __________ .
A. the great inventors in the world
B. the important inventions in the world
C. the short history of household machines
D. the importance of the machines used in the home
Parents have widely different views on the problem of pocket money . Four new fathers were asked this question and this is how they answered .
Ashish Khanna :Although many argue that pocket money helps develop children’s sense of value , I don’t agree . I wouldn’t give my child any pocket money . First of all , I never got pocket money and I seem to have a good value for money . If my child ever needed something and I felt it was a reasonable（合理）request , I would buy it for him .
Sharad Sanghi : No , I wouldn’t give my child pocket money because I don’t want to create the perception（观念） of “ her ” money and “ my ” money . Besides , if I refuse to buy her something that I think is bad for her , she may buy it with her pocket money on the sly . In this way , I would lose control over my child’s requests . I feel it also encourages children to care more about money than anything else . I don’t want my child to start judging other children by the amount of money or pocket money they have .
Rakesh Shah : Yes , I would give my child pocket money . I feel that children should learn to spend money intelligently and not go overboard spending . They will learn what their limitations（限制）are and feel the difficulty when they have to pay for something that is over in their own pockets .
Rajiv Patel : Yes , I would give my child pocket money because it is important that she learns to manage money . I will give her a fixed amount every month and if she spends the money before the month is over , then she will learn a lesson and not spend money so freely .
Vikram Desai : Yes , I would certainly give my child pocket money . But I would not give it to him on a weekly or monthly basis . He would have to earn it . If he helped me finish some of my jobs or helped his mother with housework , I would reward him . This helps him realize that “ money does not grow on trees ” and it requires hard work to earn money .Ashish Khanna may agree that .
| A．he was given too much pocket money when young |
| B．he can take much control of his child by money |
| C．he will buy anything he thinks his child really needs |
| D．pocket money helps children develop a good value for money |
The underlined phrase “ on the sly ” in Paragraph 3 is the closest in meaning to “ ”.
| A．for free | B．at a lower price | C．happily | D．secretly |
What do Rakesh Shah and Rajiv Patel have in common ?
| A．They want their children to learn to manage money . |
| B．They ask their children to get pocket money by working . |
| C．They teach their children the difficulty of making money . |
| D．They allow their children to spend money freely . |
According to Vikram Desai , children’s earning money by themselves makes them know that .
| A．money is not easy to get |
| B．money can be gotten from the trees |
| C．one can get lots of money if he / she works hard |
| D．money is not so important for people nowadays |
Who would give his child pocket money every month ?
| A．Ashish Khanna . | B．Sharad Sanghi . | C．Rakesh Shah . | D．Rajiv Patel . |
A painting by Chinese artist Qi Baishi set a record for modern art and calligraphy (书法) on the mainland when it sold for 425.5 million yuan at an auction (拍卖) on May 22. The sale was a milestone (里程碑) in the auction of modern and contemporary artworks.
The price meant its value had risen more than 2,000 per cent in six years . The work , Eagle standing on pine tree with four-character coupleti（对联）, measures about 2.6 metres by 1 metre . It was the second highest price paid for an artwork on the mainland . A Song dynasty work by Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 million yuan in 2010 . Qi’s painting was finished in 1946 when Qi was 86 , and was his largest work . With a starting price of 88 million yuan , it attracted nearly 50 bids（出价）in half an hour . Shanghai businessman Liu Yiqian said that the work had belonged to him and had cost less than 20 million yuan in 2005 . The auction company said the work was brought back to the mainland after being bought from a private owner in San Francisco six years ago .
China ranked first in global art sales last year , ahead of the United States and Britain . Four Chinese artists were among the top 10 in worldwide sales : Qi Baishi , Zhang Daqian , Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi . Qi’s works ranked second in sales to Pablo Picasso’s last year . Qi was born into a peasant family in Hunan in 1864 . He taught himself to paint and focused on nature including plants , insects , birds and fish . He is mostly well-known for his paintings of shrimps . In 1953 , he was elected president of the Association of Chinese Artists . He died in Beijing in 1957 .What’s the best title of the text ?
| A．Qi Baishi’s Painting Was Discovered . |
| B．Qi Baishi’s Painting Was Brought Back . |
| C．Qi Baishi’s Painting Sets an Auction Record . |
| D．The Value of Qi Baishi’s Paintings Is on the Increase . |
Whose artwork sold for the highest price on the mainland ?
| A．Qi Baishi’s . | B．Huang Tingjian’s . |
| C．Xu Beihong’s . | D．Zhang Daqian’s . |
The auction price of Qi’s painting was million yuan higher than the starting price in the auction .
| A．337.5 . | B．348.8 . | C．50 . | D．11.3 . |
Which of the following is TRUE ?
| A．Qi finished the painting when he was young . |
| B．The painting was once stolen by an American . |
| C．The owner of this painting Liu Yiqian gained a lot of money . |
| D．Pablo Picasso’s works ranked second in sales to Qi’s last year . |
The text is most probably taken from a .
| A．computer book | B．library guide |
| C．technology magazine | D．newspaper report |
The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics . At this time , many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games . The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25 , 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics . From then on , publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule .
During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936 . The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear . It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics .
In the 1950’s , the stamps of this kind became more colorful . When the White Olympics came , the host countries（东道国）as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games . China also published four stamps in February 1980 , when the Chinese sports men began to take part in the White Olympics .
Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics . Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet .
Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps . People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen .The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics .
| A．are the same thing | B．are different games |
| C．are not held in winter | D．are held in summer |
The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world games .
| A．after the year 1936 | B．after the 3rd White Olympics |
| C．before the 3rd White Olympics | D．before the year 1932 |
The Winter Olympics is held once .
| A．every two years | B．every three years |
| C．every four years | D．every five years |
Which of the following is TRUE ?
| A．Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games . |
| B．Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games . |
| C．All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games . |
| D．Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games . |
What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics ?
| A．Basketball . | B．Table tennis . | C．Football . | D．Skating . |
Alice Walker makes her living by writing, and her poems, short stories, and novels have won many awards and fellowships for her. She was born in Eatonton, Georgia. She went to public schools there, and then to Spelman college in Atlanta before coming to New York to attend Sarah Lawrence college, from which she graduated in 1966. For a time she lived in Jackson, Mississippi, with her lawyer husband and a small daughter. About Langston Hughes, American Poet, here first book for children, she says, “After my first meeting with Langston Hughes I vowed I would write a book about him for children someday. Why? Because I, at 22, knew next to nothing of his work , and he didn’t scold me; he just gave me a stack of his books. And he was kind to me; I will always be grateful that in his absolute warmth and generosity he fulfilled my deepest dream ( and need) of what a poet should be.?”
“To me he is not dead at all. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of him or speak of him. Once, just before he died, when he was sick with the flu, I took him a sack full of oranges. The joy I felt in giving that simple gift is undiminished by time. He said he liked oranges, too.”What is the main topic of the passage?
| A．Alice Walker’s reflection on Langston Hughes. |
| B．The influence of Alice Walker on the writing of Langston Hughes. |
| C．Langston Hughes’ book about Alice Walker. |
| D．A comparison of the childhoods of Alice Walker and Langston Hughes. |
In the passage, Alice Walker is described as _____.
| A．a research fellow at Spelman College |
| B．a professor at Sarah Lawrence College |
| C．a prize-winning writer of prose and poetry |
| D．an author of plays for children |
Before attending college, Alice Walker went to school in _____.
| A．Atlanta, Georgia | B．Eatonton, Georgia |
| C．Jackson, Mississippi | D．Lawrence, Massachusetts |
The word “vowed” the first paragraph is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．shouted | B．believed | C．refused | D．promised |
It can be inferred from the passage that Alice Walker was 22 years old when _____.
| A．she moved to Jackson, Mississippi |
| B．she moved to New York |
| C．she first met Langston Hughes |
| D．Langston Hughes died |
Whales live in the ocean, but they are not fish. They are warm-blooded mammals and must have air to breathe. The babies are born alive and drink milk from the mother's body. It took millions of years for the whale to develop as it is today.
Every spring groups of whales swim hundreds of kilometers to warm places to bear their young. Each group goes to the same place every year. The mothers take very good care of their babies. The fully grown whales are very gentle and playful with each other, and with humans. They “talk” to each other with a high noise that sounds beautiful. This“talking” can be heard for more than 300 kilometers in open waters.
Yet humans kill over a hundred whales a day. They kill them to make whale oils and a lot of other things. Killing them is a modern business with modern machines and even harpoons( 鱼叉炮) that explode( 爆炸) inside the whales. A whale dies very slowly and in great pain. Some ships kill every whale they can find, even the mothers and babies. Then there are no young whales to grow up or to bear more young.A commonly mistaken belief is that ____.
| A．whales are mammals |
| B．whales must have air to breathe |
| C．whales' babies drink milk |
| D．whales are fish |
In the passage “mammals” refer to ____.
| A．the animals which live in water |
| B．the animals which have wings and feathers |
| C．the animals which are fed on their mothers' milk |
| D．the things which live in earth and have no backbones |
Every spring each group of whales ____.
| A．swim only a few kilometers |
| B．return to the same place as they did before |
| C．go to different places |
| D．go to cold places to bear their young |
When whales talk, it sounds like ____.
| A．talking | B．whispering | C．quarreling | D．singing |
Every year humans kill ____ all over the world.
| A．nearly forty thousand whales |
| B．less than four million |
| C．about four thousand whales |
| D．about fourteen thousand whales |