Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!
45 The text is mainly about_________.
A. a strange man B. an unusual party
C. how roller skating began D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
46. People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he________.
A. often gave others surprises B. was a gifted musician
C. invented the roller skates D. was full of imagination
47 Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to_______.
A. impress the party guests B. arrive at the party sooner
C. test his invention D. show his skill in walking on wheels
48. What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A. The roller skates needed further improvement.
B. The party guests took Merlin for a fool.
C. Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.
D. Merlin got himself into trouble
English nowadays is widely used in science, business, the media and popular culture. For example, 80% of e-mails on the internet are in English. But where will English be at the end of the 21st century?
One view is that English is going to become even more important as a global language, being most widely used in trade and media while some other languages will become less important or just disappear. Another view is that English is already breaking up into several separate languages. There are already dictionaries of the “New Englishes”, such as Australian English, full of words that a British English speaker would not recognize.
Hopefully, neither of these things will happen. Although different varieties of English will continue to develop around the world, standard English will survive for international communication. However, it is impossible for one language to totally control the world. Already, other languages are fighting back against the control of English on the net. Governments around the world are also starting to protect smaller languages and recognize the importance of keeping a variety of cultures and languages. English will probably stay in control for a long time, but it certainly won’t become the only language in the world. According to the situation, how many people do you think speak English now?
| A．200 million | B．300 million | C．500 million | D．a billion |
At present, what is the most important language in the world?
| A．Chinese | B．English | C．French | D．German |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．The Change of English | B．Different Varieties of English |
| C．The Future of English | D．The Cause of English Change |
How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups and old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. In addition, life is always presenting new things to the child — things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well-known. But a child has his parents. He is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is continually being told not to do things or being punished for what he has done wrong.
When the young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.According to the second paragraph, the writer thinks that __.
| A．life for a child is comparatively easy |
| B．a child is always loved whatever he does |
| C．if much is given to a child, he must do something in return |
| D．only children are interested in life |
After a child grows up, he __.
| A．will have little time playing |
| B．has to be successful in finding a job |
| C．can still ask for help in time of trouble |
| D．should be able to take care of himself |
The underlined word "responsibilities" in the second paragraph means__________.
| A．duties | B．jobs | C．suggestions | D．desires |
The main idea of the passage is _________ .
| A．life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains |
| B．young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard |
| C．childhood is the most enjoyable time in one's life |
| D．one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life |
Did you know that a turtle（乌龟）can lay 12 eggs in one minute? A large sea turtle lays
around 150 eggs at a time. She lays all these eggs in just a few minutes.
Large sea turtles live in the warm seas of the world. Except for when they lay their eggs,
they spend their whole lives in the water. When it is time to lay their eggs, the females swim toland. They usually return to the place where they themselves were born. How they find theirway back there is unknown.When they reach shore, the big, heavy turtles crawl slowly up to the high water mark.Using their flippers, they pull themselves along the sand. They must struggle like mountainclimbers. When they finally reach dry sand, they rest before beginning the difficult task oflaying eggs.The turtles lay the eggs in deep holes and cover them with warm sand. The sand protectsthe eggs from harm. Then the females leave them. After a few weeks, if you happened to be walking along the beach, you might see the sand begin to shake. You may see tiny black ballscoming out of the sand. The tiny heads of baby turtles!
Which sentence expresses the main idea?
| A．Sea turtles have interesting life habits. |
| B．Sea turtles swim to shore to lay their eggs. |
| C．Large sea turtles lay their eggs in special ways. |
| D．Sea turtles enjoy staying in the sand. |
Turtles bury their eggs to protect them from ____________.
| A．deep water | B．danger | C．heat | D．bad weather |
We can conclude from this passage that ___________.
| A．many turtles die while swimming to shore |
| B．female turtles protect their babies |
| C．once turtles land, they never return to the sea |
| D．the job of laying eggs takes great strength |
The writer compares turtles to climbers ___________.
| A．because they lay their eggs in mountain areas |
| B．to give you a picture of how hard they work |
| C．to tell you that they like to climb |
| D．to show that mountain climbers are as slow as turtles |
Tourism wasn’t as important as it is today. In the past, only people with a good deal of money could travel on holidays to other countries. More people travel today than in the past because there is a growing middle class in many parts of the world; that is to say, people now have more money for travel. Special plane fares(费用) for tourists make travel less expensive and more attractive than ever before. One person doesn’t travel for the same reason as another. But most people enjoy seeing countries that are different from their own. They also like to meet new people and to taste new food.
Tourism causes many changes in a country and in people’s lives. People build new hotels and restaurants and train native men and women as guides to show visitors interesting places. There’re new nightclubs and other amusements. International tourism is clearly a big business.In the old days _________ could travel to other countries.
| A．boys and girls, men or women, young or old |
| B．either kings or queens |
| C．both the poor and the rich |
| D．nobody but those who had money |
More people travel today than in the past because______________.
| A．people have become interested in traveling |
| B．traveling today is easier than in the past |
| C．people now have spare money for travel |
| D．great changes have taken place in the world |
What makes travel more attractive than before?
| A．Travel by air to other countries is much cheaper today. |
| B．More guides are being trained to show beautiful spots. |
| C．Modern telegraph lines make travel less expensive. |
| D．New hotels and restaurants have been built. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
| A．Tourism won’t bring any changes in people’s minds. |
| B．People have some trouble in making journey. |
| C．With the development of tourism, great changes have taken place in many parts in the world. |
| D．Tourism causes only some changes in clothing. |
Though your parents probably meant to have your name last a lifetime, remember that when they picked it they’d hardly met you, and the hopes and dreams they cared for when they chose it may not match yours. If your name no longer seems to fit you, don’t lose heart. Film stars change their names, and with some determination, you can, too.
If you wish to pick up a new name, you don’t need to make the change official. Under common law, all that is necessary is to start using the name of your choice. Remember, though, that you must use it everywhere—even with your mother—for it to become your legal name.
Getting friends and fellow workers to call you Leach instead of Lola may be harder than any paperwork involved, but you’ll probably meet official resistance, too. Be sure that no law prevents you from using the name you have chosen, unless you use it for the purpose of cheating. If the gas company tells you that you cannot get your bill under a new name, they are wrong. You don’t have to show them any sort of court document. You have a right to be called by whatever name you choose.
By this time, you’ve probably realized that changing your name is more difficult than replacing your furniture or changing your hair color, though the effect can be unusually encouraging. Don’t care too much if you have to keep reminding others of your change of a new name—keep on, and your friends and lover will accept your new name. Good luck!
51. You may wish to change your name because _____.
you are required to do so
you don’t mean to have your name last a lifetime
you like to follow what film stars often do
you may not like your parents’ choice
52. If you wish to start using the name of your own choice, you _____.
must get friends to call your new name
don’t have to get permission from anybody
must use it with your mother first
need to be approved by the court
53. No law keeps you from using whatever name you have chosen, if only ____.
you pick up a new name not for the purpose of wrong-doing
you can get your fellow workers to call you the new name
the gas company agrees to get your bill under your new name
some sort of court document is given to you
54. You may realize that changing your name ____.
usually has good effect
is actually asking for trouble
is not as easy as rearranging your room
means you have to go through some trouble
55. The purpose of the writer in writing this passage is to _____.
show you the need of changing your name
encourage you if you want to change your name
tell you how easy it is to change one’s name
list all the difficulties in changing one’s name