Ever since t
he first skyscraper(摩天大楼) was built in Chicago in 1883, more and more buildings that reach for the skies have been constructed in the large cities of the world.
For many years, the Empire State Building in New York City was the tallest building in the world. It was 1250 feet high when it was opened in 1931. Then in 1951 a TV transmission⑨ tower was added for radio and television broadcasts. This tower added 222 feet to its height.
Soon other skyscrapers were built. The World Trade Center in New York, 1350 feet high, and 
Chicago’s Sears Tower, 1450 feet high. No one can say how much higher skyscrapers will go in the future.
Early skyscrapers were built with thick heavy walls of solid brick, stone, or concrete. Now the new skyscrapers are built with a steel framework⑩ that supports the weight of the building. The solid walls are no longer needed, and the framework makes it possible to build to greater heights.
Built at first mainly for offices and shops, some skyscrapers are now becoming homes for people who want to live in the center of the city. The 100-story John Hancock Center, a Chicago skyscraper that opened in 1970, is an example. Between the first and 43rd floor, there are offices and shops. There is a swimming pool on the 44th floor. From the 45th floor to the 92nd there are apartments. The people who live in these apartments can look down on the clouds instead of up at them.
67.What happened to the Empire State Building in 1951?
A. It was no longer the tallest building in the world.
B. A tower was added to it, which increased its height.
C. It was transformed into a radio and television broadcasting station.
D. It provided homes for people who wanted to live in the city center.
68.We cannot know how much taller skyscrapers will become in the future because _______________.
A. a TV transmission tower can be added
B. solid walls of brick, stone or concrete are no longer needed
C. the steel framework makes it possible to build to greater heights
D. some skyscrapers are now becoming homes
69.Originally, skyscrapers were built as _______________.
A. business centers and offices
B. radio and television broadcasting stations
C. apartment complexes
D. apartment and shops
70.How do people benefit from living in the John Hancock Center?
A. They can enjoy looking at the clouds above the building.
B. They have all the city center facilities nearby.
C. They can use the swimming pool on the top of the building.
D. They can work at offices inside the building.
阅读下列短文,从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
People all need friends because nobody wants to be lonely and a friend can help you in good and bad times. You’ve made friends since childhood, but you still don’t know who your true friends are. Here are some signs to tell you if your friend is a true friend:
Always honest
Honesty is important to keep a relationship alive. A true friend always tells you the truth. It may be hard sometimes but lying can destroy a friendship. It is important that your friend speaks honestly and never makes up stories.
There are always periods in your life when you have problems or difficulties. A true friend will always have time to listen to your problems and give advice. It may not be able to offer a solution to your problems but the fact that your friend made time to listen is a sign he/ she cares for you. Your friend is not a true friend if he/ she can never make time for you when you are in trouble. You also need to be reasonable and accept that your friend also has other things to do so he/she can’t always listen immediately to your problems.
Always respectful(尊敬的)
A true friend will always respect your opinion no matter whether he/she agrees or not. Your true friend may disagree but never insists that he/she is correct.
Always understanding
It is possible that some problems will arise between you and your friend. A true friend will always be forgiving(体谅的) and understanding even if it isn’t his /her fault. We are all different people and we all make mistakes. A true friend is always forgiving and understanding because he/she doesn’t want to take the risk of losing his/her best friend.What’s the best title for the third paragraph?
| A．Always there for you. |
| B．keep your secrets. |
| C．Always happy for you. |
| D．Remember your important days.. |
According to the passage , a true friend will always _______.
| A．follow your advice |
| B．offer a solution for your problems |
| C．listen immediately to your problems |
| D．respect your opinion even if he/she disagrees with it |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Never tell lies to friends. |
| B．Making time for friends. |
| C．Sharing fun with friends. |
| D．Paying attention to a friend’s opinions. |
What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To teach us how to make true friends. |
| B．To find out how long a friendship can last. |
| C．To introduce his experience in making friends. |
| D．To tell us how to find out if a friend is a true friend. |
Hundreds of years ago, news was carried from place to place by people on foot or by horse. It took days, weeks and sometimes months for people to receive news. Now it is possible to send words and pictures around the world in seconds(秒). Billions of people learn about news stories of their own country and all over the world every day, either by watching TV or reading newspapers.
Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life since the 18th century. Many countries have hundreds of different newspapers. How do newspaper editors(编辑) decide which news stories to print (印刷)? Why do they print some stories and not others? What makes a good newspaper story?
Firstly, it is important to report new stories. TV stations can report news much faster than newspapers. Yet, newspapers give more about the same story. They may also look at the story in another way, or they may print completely different stories to those on TV.
Secondly, a news story has to be interesting and unusual. People don't want to read stories about everyday life As a result, many stories are about some kind of danger and seem to be "bad" news. For example, newspapers never print stories about planes landing safely, instead they print stories about plane accidents.
Another factor(因素) is also very important in many news stories. Many people are interested in news in foreign countries, but more prefer to read stories about people, places and events (事件) in their own country. So the stories on the front page in Chinese newspapers are usually very different from the ones in British, French and American newspapers.According (根据)to the passage, how do people learn about news stories in the world now?
| A．They carry news stories and tell others from place to place oh foot or by horse. |
| B．They tell each other what they have seen with their eyes. |
| C．They watch TV or read newspapers. |
| D．They listen to the radio every day. |
The difference between newspaper stories and TV news reports is that .
| A．people can learn more about the same news story from a newspaper |
| B．people can read the news story more quickly in a newspaper |
| C．people can read news stories in other countries |
| D．people can read news' stories about their own country |
To make a good newspaper story, how many factors does the passage talk about?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
According to the passage, which of the following can you most possibly watch on TV?
| A．You often play football with your friends after school. |
| B．Your teacher has got a cold. |
| C．A tiger in the city zoo has run out and hasn't been caught. |
| D．The bike in the front of your house is lost. |
Which of the following is Not True of this passage?
| A．News stories on the front page of every country are always the same. |
| B．People like to read interesting and unusual news. |
| C．Not only TV but also newspapers can help people to learn what is happening around the world. |
| D．Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life for more than three hundred years. |
Kitesurfing as a water sport began in the 1980s, but didn’t get popular until the end of last century. It is also known as kiteboarding, and in some European countries as flysurfing. Kitesurfing works through wind power by using a large kite to pull a rider on the water at high speed.
At first, kitesurfing was a difficult and dangerous sport. Now it is becoming easier and safer because of the safe kite design. For an able and strong person, kitesurfing can be a very fun, extremely exciting sport, just like skating on the water with a feeling of flying. It has become more and more popular.
Compared with other water sports, kitesurfing is easier to learn. A beginner can understand how to operate the kite with 5—10 hours of training. And anybody aged from 13 to 65 can learn. It is not expensive to get the equipment for kitesurfing, which costs $1,000 to @2,500. Training lessons range from $200 to $500 for two or three hours. With the development of its equipment progress, kitesurfing is becoming even safer. After some training, you can enjoy its excitement and challenging feeling.
With the rising popularty of kitesurfing, most major seaside cities have kitesurfing clubs. In China, Xiamen is the only place that has the kitesurfing club, which provides profeeional kitesurfing training and equipments.Kitesurfing has a history of about years.
| A．30 | B．50 | C．100 | D．130 |
is mentioned in the passage as the power of kitesurfing.
| A．Water | B．Wind |
| C．The sun | D．The kite |
The underlined word “range” in the third paragraph means “” in Chinese.
| A．在……范围内变动 | B．按……顺序排列 |
| C．向……方向延伸 | D．根据……归类 |
The most important reason for the popularity of kitesurfing is that. .
| A．its price is getting lower |
| B．more and more people are enjoying its excitement. |
| C．its equipment progress makes it easier and safer |
| D．all people can learn and take part in it |
The main idea of this passage is about.
| A．the way of operating kitesurfing |
| B．the progress of kitesurfing equimpmet |
| C．the history of kitesurfing in China |
| D．the development of kitesurfing |
Dou Kou, a Chinese boy, is called “the youngest writer in the world”. He has written three books till now. Dou Kou was born in Jiangsu in 1994. When he was 7 months old, his partents started working in over 30 different cities, such as Xi’an and Shenzhen. This kind of life gave him things to think and write about. When he was 9 months old, he could speak and at the age of one, he could say five to six hundred words. At three, he could look up words in the dictionary. At four, his father taught him how to learn by himself. His parents like reading very much. So does he. At the age of 5, he began writing fairy tales. At the age of 6, he wrote a novel about his life in different cities with his parents. His fairy tales are all from his life. One day, he found many mice in the house. They only ate their food but also hurt his mother’s hand. So he thought, “If we give mice the stomach of cows, they will eat grass and they will be helpful to people.” This was his first fairy tales Change Stomach for Mice. Now he studies well in a middle school. He has written his third book, the novel called Eyes of Children. He says, “I am not different from other children. I just wrote several books.How many books has Dou Kou written?
| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five | D．Six |
Thanks to his ________, Dou Kou could write his books.
| A．mother | B．father |
| C．school life | D．life in different cities |
Dou Kou began to use a dictionary __________.
| A．when he wrote fairy tales |
| B．before his father taught him how to learn something |
| C．after he went to school |
| D．after his mother taught him how to learn something |
The underlined(划线的) sentences show us that Dou Kou _________.
| A．is different from other children |
| B．doesn’t tell the truth. |
| C．is the same as other children |
| D．likes his books |
Which is the best title?
| A．Three Books by a child |
| B．How to Write a Fairy Tales |
| C．How Clever the Boy is |
| D．Dou Kou, the Youngest Writer |
If you have a watch, don’t go to a watchmaker’s unless something is wrong with the machinery. Once I had a beautiful watch. And it had kept perfect time. But one night it happened that I forgot to wind it up (上发条). Next morning I went to a watchmaker as I wanted my perfect watch to be set by the exact time. He examined it and said, “The regulator (快慢调整器) must be pushed up as your watch is four minutes slow.
I tried to stop him from doing so, but he didn’t listen and pushed the regulator.
My beautiful watch began to gain. It gained faster and faster day by day. By the end of the second month it had left all the clocks and watches of the town far behind.
I could do nothing but take it to another watchmaker to be regulated. I expected him to regulate the watch at once, but he asked me to come in a week’s time. When at last I got my watch back from him, it began to slow down. And I failed to be in time for trains, business affairs, and even missed my dinners.
Now I went to a third watchmaker. When I was waiting for him to repair my poor watch, he took it to pieces and said that he would try to finish this work in three or four days. What I could do was to nod my head. After that, my watch went for half a day, and then stopped. So I kept taking my watch from one watchmaker to another. But each watchmaker disappointed me.
My watch had cost me two hundred dollars, but I paid for repairs more than two hundred. At last I decided to buy another watch, which I did.The writer was sure that ___________.
| A．you’d better not have your watch repaired if nothing has gone wrong with it |
| B．you’d better never have your watch repaired |
| C．you’d better not have your watch regulated |
| D．you’d better repair your watch yourself |
The writer took his watch to the first watchmaker in order to ___________.
| A．check (检查) it whether it kept good time |
| B．change some parts |
| C．have it set by the exact time |
| D．push up the regulator |
The watch went faster than it used to be ___________.
| A．after it was repaired |
| B．before it was repaired |
| C．during the time when it was being repaired |
| D．if it was repaired |
Not long after his watch was regulated, he ___________ for the second time.
| A．regulated it | B．set it |
| C．repaired it | D．had it repaired |
The writer decided to buy another watch because ___________.
| A．he would not spend more money on repairs |
| B．he didn’t like the old one |
| C．a new watch could keep good time |
| D．he had spent two hundred dollars on repairs |