Winston Churchill was born into a famous family. His father was a successful politician. However, as a boy, Churchill was considered a slow learner in school.
Later he entered the Army and saw action in various countries.
In October 1900, Churchill began his political career. For the next sixty years Churchill’s work as a great politician was both brighter and more difficult than his father had been.
In 1939, Germany attacked Poland. Churchill prepared to fight. In 1940 he became the Prime Minster of England.
France fell. The Germans fought their way through Western Europe. It looked as if Britain was about to lose the war. Was it not possible to ask for peace, and listen to Hitler?
Churchill spoke, “I have nothing to offer but blood, hard work, tears and sweat(汗)…. You ask what is our policy(政策)? I will tell you, it is to fight, by sea, by land and air, with all our force and with all the strength that God can give us. You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory.”
The Germans began moving their armies to the French coast and prepared to go round. Churchill gave the answer: “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the coast, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never give up.”
By his courage and hard work Churchill heartened his people and other nations fighting together against Hitler. Victory finally came when the Germans lost World War II.
Churchill died in 1965 and was given a State Funeral(国葬). This was a fitting payment to one of all the greatest men the world had ever seen.
57. Churchill ______ before he became a politician.
A. was a slow student B. was an army man
C. helped his father in his career D. had little interest in politics
58. The Germans attacked Britain ________.
A. after France was defeated B. before French fell
C. soon after Poland was attacked D. before Churchill became the Prime Minister
59. The underlined word “heartened” probably means ________ in this passage.
A. surprised B. encouraged C. asked for D. called for
60. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Churchill had worked as a politician for more than sixty years.
B. The writer admired and respected Churchill very much.
C. Churchill was not so clever as his father.
D. Churchill was one of the most inspiring, brave and wise leaders in the British history.
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and moved to New York City when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters asking for admission(录取) to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. She was so determined that she taught in school and gave music lessons to get money for the cost of schooling.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school. She decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon(外科医师) , but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea.
Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital, she also set up the first medical school for women.Why couldn’t Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon?
| A．She couldn’t get admitted to medical school |
| B．She decided to further her education in Paris |
| C．A serious eye problem stopped her |
| D．It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States |
How many years passed between her graduation from medical school and the opening of her hospital?
| A．Eight years | B．Ten years | C．Nineteen years | D．Thirty-six years |
According to the passage, all of the following are “firsts” in the life of Elizabeth Blackwell, except that she ______.
| A．became the first woman physician |
| B．was the first woman doctor |
| C．and several other women founded the first hospital for women and children |
| D．set up the first medical school for women |
Elizabeth Blackwell spent most of her life in _______.
| A．England | B．Paris | C．the United States | D．New York City |
Imagine, one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．
Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high-speed railway system．And that’s not all．China has an even greater high-speed railway plan — to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．
China is negotiating to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．
China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．
If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days．
The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes．
China’s bullet train（高速客车），the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．
Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge（轨距），maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．
But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion．
China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．
It’ll be a win-win project．For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countries．
For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all．And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ________．
| A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions |
| B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways |
| C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries |
| D．the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation, business and tourism |
According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is ________．
| A．technical issues | B．safety of the system |
| C．financial problems | D．maintenance of railway tracks |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed railway plan?
| A．Critical． | B．Reserved． | C．Doubtful． | D．Positive． |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．New Railway Standards. | B．Big Railway Dreams. |
| C．High-speed Bullet Trains. | D．International Railway Network |
It is reported that conservation groups in North America have been arguing about the benefits and dangers of wolves．Some groups believe wolves should be killed．Other people believe wolves must be protected so that they will not disappear from the wilderness.
For Killing Wolves
In Alaska，the wolf almost disappeared a few years ago，because hunters were killing hundreds of them for sport．However, 1aws were established to protect the wolves from sportsmen and people who catch the animals for their fur．So the wolf population has greatly increased．Now there are so many wolves that they are destroying their own food supply．
A wolf naturally eats animals in the deer family ．People in the wilderness also hunt deer for food．Many of the animals have been destroyed by the very cold winters recently and by changes in the wilderness plant life．When the deer can’t find enough food，they die．
If the wolves continue to kill large numbers of deer，their prey（猎物）will disappear some day．And the wolves will．too．So we must change the cycle of life in the wilderness to balance the ecology．If we killed more wolves，we would save them and their prey from dying out．We’d also save some farm animals．
In another northern state，wolves attack cows and chickens for food．Farmers want the government to send biologists to study the problem．They believe it necessary to kill wolves in some areas and to protect them in places where there is a small wolf population．
Against Killing Wolves
If you had lived long ago，you would have heard many different stories about the dangerous wolf．According to most stories，hungry wolves often kill people for food．Even today，the stories of the “big bad wolf'＂will not disappear．
But the fact is wolves are afraid of people．and they seldom travel in areas where there is a human smell．When wolves eat other animals，they usually kill the very young, or the sick and injured．The strongest survive．No kind of animal would have survived through the centuries if the weak members had lived．That has always been a law of nature.
Although some people say it is good sense to kill wolves，we say it is nonsense! Researchers have found wolves and their prey living in balance, the wolves keep the deer population from becoming too large, and that keeps a balance in the wilderness plant life．
The real problem is that the areas where wolves can live are being used by people．Even if wilderness land is not used directly for human needs, the wolves can’t always find enough food．So they travel to the nearest source, which is often a farm．Then there is danger．The “big bad wolf” has arrived! And everyone knows what happens next．According to the passage，some people in North America favor killing wolves for all the following reasons EXCET that ________．
| A．there are too many wolves | B．they kill large numbers deer |
| C．they attack cows and chickens for food | D．they destroy the wilderness plant life |
Some people are against killing wolves because ________．
| A．wolves help to keep the ecological balance in the wideness |
| B．there is too small a wolf population in the wilderness |
| C．there are too many deer in the wilderness |
| D．wolves are afraid of people and never attack people |
According to those against killing wolves，when wolves eat other animals，________．
| A．they never eat strong and healthy ones |
| B．they always go against the law of nature |
| C．they might help this kind of animals survive in nature |
| D．they disturb the ecological balance in the wilderness |
The last sentence “And everyone knows what happens next” implies that in such cases ________．
| A．farm animals will be in danger and have to be shipped away |
| B．wolves will kill people and people will in turn kill them |
| C．wolves will find enough food sources on farms |
| D．people will leave the areas where wolves can live |
| BORDER CROSSINGS While there are no restrictions on the amount of money that you can bring across the border, you must report to both the US and Canadian border services amounts equal to or greater than $10, 000． PERSONAL EXEMPTIONS（免税）ON PURCHASES AMERICANS RETURNING TO THE US Less than 48 hours: $ 200 US 48 hours or more: $ 800 US duty-free personal exemption． next $ 1．000 US at 3% Including up to 100 cigars and 100 cigarettes． CANADIANS RETURNING TO CANADA Less than 24 hours: $ 50 CAN 48 hours or more: $ 400 CAN Including up to 100 cigars and 200 cigarettes． 7 days or more: $ 750 CAN Including up to 100 cigars and 200 cigarettes． DOCUMENTATION NEEDED FOR BORDER CROSSING LAND OR SEA TO THE US（INCLUDING FERRIES） A valid passport or passport card, or a NEXUS card． （A NEXUS card is a Trusted Traveler Program that provides quick travel for pre-approved, low risk travelers through special lanes．） A recent Washington State, New York or BC driver’s license． Note: Children 15 years of age and younger require only a birth certificate or copy．（Certified copies are not required but are advised．） AIR TRAVEL TO THE US A valid passport, an Air NEXUS card, or a U. S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Document． |
If a Canadian who is on a 7-day trip to New York buys $ 800 CAN worth of goods, how much should he pay tax on when returning home?
| A．$ 800 CAN. | B．$750 CAN. | C．$ 400 CAN. | D．$ 50 CAN. |
For an American citizen on a 2-day tour of Canada, how much tax does he have to pay on $ 1, 600 US worth of purchases when returning to the US?
| A．$ 24 US. | B．$ 48 US. | C．$52 US. | D．$ 200 US. |
What documentation should a couple with a 7-year-old child carry when they drive a car from Canada to America?
| A．A BC driver’s license, an Air NEXUS card, and a birth certificate． |
B．An Air NE XUS card, a U．S．Coast Guard Merchant Marine Document, and a birth certificate． |
| C．Two valid passport cards and a certified copy of a birth certificate． |
| D．A NEXUS card, a U．S．Coast Guard Merchant Marine Document．,and a certified copy of a birth certificate． |
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer．But there is one question that has millions of current answers．That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct．
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents．Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used．Some parents choose the name of a well-known person．A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones．
Some people give their children names that mean good things．Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”．
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names．A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near a brook；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road．The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest．
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations．The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals．In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village．Some other occupational names are: Carter — a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter — a person who made pots and pans．
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village．The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture．
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities．When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray．Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman．John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer．
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name．English-speaking people added–s or–son．The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert．Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O．Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell．Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
| A．Places where people lived． | B．People’s characters． |
| C．Talents that people possessed． | D．People’s occupations． |
According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably ________．
| A．owned or drove a cart | B．made things with metals |
| C．made kitchen tools or containers | D．built houses and furniture |
Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named ________．
| A．Beatrice Smith | B．Leonard Carter | C．George Longstreet | D．Donald Greenwood |
The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s ________．
| A．later generations | B．friends and relatives |
| C．colleagues and partners | D．later sponsors |