For a while, my neighborhood was taken over by an army of joggers. They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. "Come on!" My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. "You'll feel great."
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army, I'm not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet will be a real pounding ruining down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn't kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn't my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, "I love being out there with just my thoughts." Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn't just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn't fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don't jog any more, and I don't think I ever will. I'm walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I'm getting exercise, and I'm enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I've found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.
67. From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer's neighborhood ____.
A. jogging became very popular B. people jogged only during the daytime
C. Alex organized an army of joggers D. jogging provided a chance to get together
68. What was the writer's attitude towards jogging in the beginning?
A. He felt it was worth a try. B. He was very fond of it.
C. He was strongly against it. D. He thought it must be painful.
69. Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?
A. He disliked doing exercise outside. B. He found it neither healthy nor interesting.
C. He was afraid of having a heart attack. D. He was worried about being left alone.
70. From the writer's experience, we can conclude that ____.
A. not everyone enjoys jogging
B. he is the only person who hates jogging
C. nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit
D. jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport
Let's pretend we're sailing down the Rhine River on a pleasure boat. The Rhine is one of the main waterways of Germany, and the river traffic is heavy. It's interesting to watch the many boats going up and down the river. But the river traffic is not nearly so interesting as the beautiful scenery along the banks and hillsides. The boat is passing many old castles. We can see people working in the vineyards (葡萄园) on the hillsides. There are vineyards as far as the eye can see. Wine from the Rhine Valley is famous all over the world.
Suddenly our boat slows down and begins to turn a little. We are coming to a sharp bend in the river. On our right we can see a rocky cliff over 400 feet high. At first it looks quite ordinary, but there is nothing ordinary about it. There are many stories, poems, and songs about the cliff. We are looking at the Lorelei.
The someone on the boat begins to sing in German, the song of the Lorelei. It is a song about a beautiful siren (美女) who has lured many sailors to their deaths.
The siren is supposed to sit on the rock combing her long golden hair and singing. The sailors who hear her forget to steer, and the current of river hurls their boats on the rocks and dashes them to pieces.
Soon other people on the boat begin to sing. The beautiful song adds to special magic to the moment, and you begin to realize why so many people have made this trip down the Rhine to see the rock of the Lorelei.
41.The more interesting thing to those who are sailing down the Rhine River on a pleasure boat is .
A. to watch many boats going up and down the river
B. to see the beautiful scenery along the banks and hillsides
C. to hear a song about beautiful siren
D. to see a beautiful siren combing her golden hair
42. Which of the following is famous all over the world?
A. The Rhine River. B. The River Traffic.
C. Wine from the Rhine Valley. D. The Lorelei.
43. We can see a rocky cliff over 400 feet high .
A. on our right when coming to a sharp bend B. on the Rhine hillsides
C. from the Rhine Valley D. on the boat
44. The song of the Lorelei is about .
A. The Rhine wine B. a rocky cliff
C. the beautiful scenery along the Rhine River
D. a beautiful and dangerous woman genie
The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is plagues (瘟疫) that flesh receives.
The most widespread fallacy (谬误) of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches (战壕) cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.
In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp (奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.
At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be dipped with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains- research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain-killer pills such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms.
36. The writer offered examples to support his argument.
A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 3
37. Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage?
A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.
B. Colds are not caused by cold.
C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.
D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.
38. Arctic explorers may catch colds when .
A. they are working in the isolated arctic regions
B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather
C. they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions
D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world
39. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit .
A. suffered a lot B. never caught colds
C. often caught colds D. became very strong
40. The passage mainly discusses .
A. the experiments on the common colds B. the fallacy about the common cold
C. the reason and the way people catch colds
D. the continued spread of common colds
Where to stay in Boswell? The following are some choices for you:
| First Hotel. 222 Edward Road. Tel. 414-6433. Number of Rooms: 120. Price: Single: $ 25; Doulbe $ 35; Special attractions: Airconditioned rooms, French restaurant, Night club, Swimming pool, Shops; Coffee shop and bar, Telephone, Radio and TV in each room, close to the city center. |
| Fairview Hotel. 129 North Road. Tel. 591-5620. Number of Rooms: 50. Price: Single:$ 12; Double: $ 18; Special Attractions: Close to the airport, Telephone in each room, Bar, Restaurant, Garage, Swimming-pool. |
| Orchard Hotel. 233 Edward Road. Tel.641-6641. Number of Rooms: 150. Price: Single: $ 15; Double: $ 20; Special Attractions: Facing First Hotel, European restaurant, Coffee shop, Dry-cleaning, Shops, TV, Night-club. |
| Osaka Hotel. 1264 Venning Road. Tel. 643-8206. Number of Rooms: 180. Price: Single: $ 30; Double: $ 50. Special Attractions: Air-Conditioned rooms, Japanese and Chinese restaurant, Shops, Swimming pool, Large garden. |
49. The number of the room in Osaka Hotel is :
A. 50 B. 120 C. 150 D. 180
50. If a Japanese traveller likes to eat in French restaurant, _______ is the right place for him to go to.
A. 233 Edward RoadB. 1264 Venning Road
C. 222 Edward Road D. 129 North Road
51. Which hotel faces the Orchard Hotel?
A. The First Hotel B. The Osaka Hotel
C. The Fairview HotelD. No Hotel
52. If you want to book a cheapest single room, which number will you call?
A. 414-6433 B. 591-5620 C. 641-6641 D. 643-8206
A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper for a boy to work in his office. Out of the nearly fifty men who came to apply, the man selected one and dismissed(解散) the others.
“I should like to know,” said a friend, “the reason you preferred that boy, who brough not a single letter—not a recommendation(介绍信）.”
“You are wrong,” said the gentleman. He had a great many. He wiped his feet at the door and closed the door after him, indicating that he was careful. He gave his seat immediately to the crippled (跛的) old man, showing that he was kind and thoughtful. He took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions immediately, showing that he was polite and gentlemanly.
“All the rest stepped over the book which I had purposely put on the floor. He picked it up and placed it on the table; and he waited quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding.
When I talked to him, I noticed his tidy clothing, his neatly brushed hair, and his clean fingernails(指甲). Can’t you see that these things are excellent recommendations? I consider them more significant(明显的) than letters.”
45. A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper _____
A. in order to hire an office boy
B. so as to dismiss the others
C. in order to select one among the fifty applicants
D. so as to select one and dismiss the others
46. The underlined word “indicatiing” probably means _______
A. drawing B. saying C. showing D. speaking
47. _______ was the very person the gentleman preferred.
A. He who had many letters
B. He who had no letters
C. He who wiped his feet
D. He who was careful,kind, polite and thoughtful
48. According to the passage, we know that the gentleman hired the boy by________
A. his good manners B. the relationships between them
C. by the feelings D. his letters
Soong Mei-ling was one of the most well-known Chinese women of the twentieth century.
Mei-ling was born in Hainan in 1898, the youngest daughter of Charlie Soong. At the age of 8, she was sent to the United States to go to school, where she did well. She graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1917 with a degree in English Literature. Because of her education Mei-ling spoke excellent English.
After graduation Mei-ling returned to China and she met Chiang Kai-shek(蒋介石) in 1920. She married him in 1927 after his divorce. During the war against Japan, Mei-ling acted as her husband’s interpreter and translator. She worked hard to promote the Chinese cause during the war, especially in the United States. In 1943 she became the first Chinese national and only the second woman to speak before the US Congress(国会).
After the defeat(溃败) of her husband’s government in 1949, Mei-ling moved to Taiwan. She lived there until her husband’s death in 1975. She then emigrated to the USA and lived on her family’s estate(别墅) in Lattington, Long Island, near New York. She spent much of time painting.
Mei-ling died peacefully at her apartment in New York on October 23, 2003 at the age of 105.
41. Mei-ling was born in ______
A. 1920 B. 1927 C. 1917 D. 1898
42. After graduation Mei-ling_______
A. went back to China B. studied English Literature
C.. lived in Massachusetts D. spoke little English
43. During the war against Japan, Mei-ling________
A. was her husband’s interperter and translator
B. toured the United States
C. spent her time in Long Island
D. lived in Tai’wan
44. Soong Mei-ling ______
A. was the oldest Soong sister B. loved money
C. died in the USA D. married Dr Sun Yat-sen(孙中山)