Springisjustaroundthecornerand-优题课

As we all know, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence (《独立宣言》). He wrote it in two weeks, and after a few changes, it was accepted by the Congress (国会). As a result, he became famous.
Born in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later, was much interested in politics.
Jefferson was elected the Governor of Virginia in 1779, and he was sent to France as the representative of the American government in 1784. Sixteen years later, at the age of 57, he was elected president after Washington and Adams.
Far from a handsome man, he was tall with long arms and big hands. Jefferson, who was an amusing talker in conversation but a poor speaker, was generally good-natured.
Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom in America. As a president, he protected the right of free speech. Interestingly enough, in his eight years as president, Jefferson never vetoed (否决) a bill which the Congress had passed. He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.
Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of American Independence.
5. From the passage we can infer that America won its independence in _______.
A. 1786 B. 1800 C. 1842 D. 1776
6. How old was Thomas Jefferson when he became the Governor of Virgina?
A. He was 26. B. He was in his forties.
C. He was 36. D. We don’t know.
7. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Jefferson wan an amusing talker, but not good at speaking in public.
B. Jefferson was not an easy person to get along with.
C. Jefferson was not only very talented but also very handsome.
D. Not being politically minded, Jefferson never vetoed a bill passed by the Congress.
4. Jefferson died when he was ________.
A. 72 B. 83 C. 73 D. 92
8. Jefferson’s greatest contribution in American history should be that ________.
A. he did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.
B. he was strongly against the slavery
C. he wrote the Declaration of Independence
D. he was for the right of free speech

阅读文章，选择正确答案，回答问题。
It was a very foggy day in London. The fog was so thick that it was impossible to see more than a foot or so. Buses, cars and taxis were not able to run and were standing by the side of the road. People were trying to find their way about on foot but were losing their way in the fog. Mr. Smith had a very important meeting at the House of Commons and had to get there but no one could take him. He tried to walk there but found he was quite lost. Suddenly he bumped into a stranger. The stranger asked if he could help him. Mr. Smith said he wanted to get to the Houses of Parliament. The stranger told him he would take him there. Mr. Smith thanked him and they started to walk there. The fog was getting thicker every minute but the stranger had no difficulty in finding the way. He went along one street, turned down another, crossed a square and at last after about half an hour’s walk they arrived at the Houses of Parliament. Mr. Smith couldn’t understand how the stranger found his way. “It is wonderful,” he said. “How do you find the way in the fog?”
“It is no trouble at all to me,” said the stranger, “I am blind.”
1. According to the passage, we can infer that bump into means _______.
A. knock off B. meet by chance
C. strike D. traffic accident
2. Which of the following statements are NOT true?
A. The stranger has a better sight than Mr. Smith.
B. Heavy fog can cause traffic accidents.
C. It’s easy to get lost in a foggy day.
D. The fog was getting thicker and thicker.
3. Why is it no trouble at all to the stranger to find the way in the fog?
A. Because he is a local inhabitant of London.
B. Because he lives next to the Houses of Parliament.
C. Because he is familiar with the route.
D. Because he finds the way not by sight but by heart.
4. This article mainly tells us that ________.
A. London is a foggy city.
B. Mr. Smith works for the government.
C. A blind stranger led the way for Mr. Smith in a foggy day.
D. Mr. Smith had a very important meeting and lost his way in the fog.

John Steinbeck once said, “All Americans believe they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste in fishing would be like denouncing (公开指责) mother – love or hating moonlight.”
I can’t say that I’m the biggest John Steinbeck fan. Actually, the only thing I can ever remember reading by him was “The pearl” when I was in middle school, but I couldn’t agree more with the man when it comes to fishing. Whether I am on a boat in the middle of the Lay Lake, fishing off the shores of the Florida Keys for tarpon (大海鲢) or catching rainbow trout (红鲭鱼) in the Shoshone River of Wyoming, fishing is my life.
According to the American Sports Fishing Association, the fishing industry brings in more than $ 116 billion per year from fishermen across the country.
Though a beautiful picture to imagine fishing is much more than that. Fishing is a way of life for many people and a way to escape everyday stress. Being a fisherman makes me a member of a wonderful group of people extending to all walks of life. Even President Bush can be found fishing on his farm in Texas with his good friend Roland Martin when the job gets too stressful.
I can remember fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 years old on his boat at Lake Mitchell. Although I didn’t understand what I doing. I did know that my grandfather was happy and that made me happy. Since then I’ve spent the past 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama.
After days of practice, before and after work, I slowly developed an understanding of fishing. My boss. Ric Horst, took me back to the Shoshone, and I managed to bring in a 19 – inch cutthroat trout. Fishing with Ric was a life – changing experience for me. He not only showed my how to fish correctly, but also told me how fishing could be a way to escape your problems.
Since then, prime – time (黄金时间) season seems to take forever to arrive.
Now, with the ending of February and beginning of March in sight, the excitement of heading out Lake Tuscaloosa or Lake Lurleen before classes and catching something has finally returned.
51．What John Steinbeck said in the first paragraph implies that .
A．Americans are believed to be the offspring (后代) of fishermen
B．it is unthinkable for an American to admit his dislike of fishing
C．all Americans are expert at fishing
D．those who dislike fishing would not love their mother
52．The writer came to understand the real meaning of fishing .
A．when he was reading “The pearl” by John Steinbeck
B．when he went fishing with his grandfather at Lake Mitchell
C．after he had spent 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama
D．after he went fishing with his boss, Ric Horst on the Shoshone
53．What can be inferred from the text?
A．The author is at most 21 years old.
B．The author regards fishing as a very important part in his life.
C．The author agreed with John Steinbeck the most when he was in middle school.
D．President Bush often goes fishing in public in order to collect idea for his job.
54．According to the author, .
A．people can get to know VIPs when fishing.
B．people can smooth away all the troubles by fishing
C．Fishing is a way of communication
D．Fishing is a way to make a living for most American people
55．What is the purpose of the writing?
A．To describe the writer’s experience and understanding of fishing.
B．To explain the reason why so many Americans like fishing.
C．To make others understand the industry of fishing.
D．To express his opinions about fishing in different time of the year.

SYDNEY: As they sat sharing sweets beside a swimming pool in 1999. Shane Gould and Jessicah Schipper were simply getting along well, chatting about sport, life and anything else that came up.
Yet in Sydney next month, they will meet again by the pool, and for a short time the friends will race against each other in the 50 – meter butterfly in the Australian championships at Homebu Bay.
Gould, now a 47 – year – old mother of four, has announced she will be making a return to elite competition (顶级赛事) to swim the one event, having set a qualifying (合格的)time of 30. 32 seconds in winning gold at last year’s United States Masters championships. Her comeback comes 32 years after she won three golds at the Munich Olympics.
Schipper, now a 17 – year – old girl from Brisbane with a bright future of going to Athens for her first Olympics, yesterday recalled (回忆) her time with Gould five years ago.
“I was at a national youth camp on the Gold Coast and Shane had come along to talk to us and watch us train.” Schipper explained. “It seemed as if we had long been good friends. I don’t know why. We just started talking and it went from there.”
“She had a lot to share with all of us at that camp. She old us stories about what it was like at big meets like Olympics and what it was like to be on an Australian team. It was really interesting.”
Next time, things will be more serious: “I will still be swimming in the 50 m butterfly at the nationals, so there is a chance that I could actually be competing against Shane Gould.” said Schipper, who burst onto the scene at last year’s national championships with second places in the 100 m and 200 butterfly.
46．What is the passage mainly about?
A．Stories happening in swimming competitions.
B．Two women swimmers winning Olympic golds.
C．Lessons learned from international swimming championships.
D．Friendship and competition between two swimmers.
47．Gould and Schipper are going to____________.
A．talk about sport and life B．go back to elite competition
C．set a qualifying time and win gold D．take part in the same sports event
48．Gould won her three Olympic golds when she was____________.
A．15 B．17 C．22 D．30
49．The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph probably refers to .
A．the Olympics B．the youth camp
C．the friendship D．the Australian team
50．What Schipper said showed that she___________.
A．was no longer Gould’s friend B．had learned a lot from Gould
C．was not interested in Gould’s stories D．would not like to compete against Gould

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，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity, others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self – worth relied (依赖) on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life – and – death affairs. In their single – minded pursuit (追求) of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to se ek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self – respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.
41．What does this passage mainly talk about?
A．Competition helps to set up self – respect.
B．Opinions about competition are different among people.
C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development.
D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition
42．Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
A．It pushes society forward. B．It builds up a sense of duty.
C．It improves personal abilities. D．It encourages individual efforts.
43．The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means .
A．those who try their best to win
B．those who value competition most highly
C．those who are against competition most strongly
D．those who rely on others most for success
44．What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a desire to fail ?
A．One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.
B．One’s success in competition needs great efforts.
C．One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.
D．One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.
45．Which point of view may the author agree to?
A．Every effort should be paid back.
B．Competition should be encouraged.
C．Winning should be a life – and – death matter.
D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

A．Festival of Houses and Gardens	B．Chandler Ostrich Festival
C．Dana Point Festival of the Whales	D．Tulip Time Festival