The first people who gave names to hurricanes were those who knew them best — the people of Puerto Rico. The small island of Puerto Rico is in the West Indies, off the coast of Florida. This is where all the hurricanes begin that strike the east coast of the United States. Often they pass near Puerto Rico or cross it on their way north. The people of Puerto Rico expect some of these unwelcome visitors every year. Each one is named after the Saint’s Day on which it arrives. Two of the most destructive storms were the Santo Ana in 1840 and the San Ciriaco in 1899.
Giving girls’ names to hurricanes is a fairly new idea. It all began with a story called “Storm”, written by George Stewart in 1941. In it a weatherman amused himself by naming storms after girls he knew. He named one Maria. The story describes how she Maria grew and developed, and how she changed the lives of people when she struck the United States.
Weathermen of the U.S. Army and Navy used the same system during World WarⅡ. They were studying weather conditions over the Pacific Ocean. One of their duties was to warn American ships and planes when a storm was coming. Whenever they spotted one, they gave it a girl’s name. The first one of the year was given a name beginning with [A]. The second one got a name beginning with [B]. They used all the letters from A to W, and still the storms kept coming. They had to use three lists from A to W to have enough names to go around. This was the first list of hurricane names that followed the alphabet. It served as a model for the system the Weather Bureau (局) introduced in 1942.
Before 1950 the Weather Bureau had no special system for naming hurricanes. When a hurricane was born down in the West Indies, the Weather Bureau simply collected information about it. It reported how fast the storm was moving and where it would go next. Weather reports warned people in the path of the hurricane, so that they could do whatever was necessary to protect themselves.
This system worked out fine as long as weather reports talked about only one hurricane at a time. But one week in September 1950 there were three hurricanes at the same time. The things began to get confused. Some people got the hurricanes mixed up and didn’t know which was which. This convinced the Weather Bureau that it needed a code for naming the storms in order to avoid confusion in the future.Hurricanes were first named after the _________.
| A．date on which they occurred | B．place where they began |
C．amount of destruction they did | D．particular feature they have |
The practice of giving girls’ names to hurricanes was started by _________.
| A．a radio operator | B．an author | C．a sailor | D．local people |
The purpose for which weathermen of the army and navy began using girls’ names for hurricanes was ________.
| A．to keep information from the enemy | B．to follow the standard method of the United States |
C．not given in the article | D．to remember a certain girl |
The Weather Bureau began naming hurricanes because it would help them _________.
| A．collect information more rapidly | B．warn people more efficiently |
C．make use of military (军事的) records | D．remember them |
Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his work and traveling.
Then, after returning to the United States from a busy and tiring trip to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics( USSR)，Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip, a chemical change began to take place inside him. The material between his bones became weak.
In less than one week after his return, he could not stand. Every move that he made was painful. He was not able to sleep at night.
The doctore told him that they did not know how to cure Mr. Cousins ’ problem and he might never get over the illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up hope.
Mr. Cousins thought that unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. Instead，he felt that happy thoughts or laughter might cure his illness. .'
He began to experiment on himself while still in hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that 10 minutes of real laughter during the day gave him two hours of pain -free sleep at night.
Deciding that the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could continue his experiments with laughter. For eight days，Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television，reading funny books，and sleeping whenever he felt tired. Within three weeks，he felt well enough to take a vacation to Puerto . Rico where he began running on the beach for exercise.
After a few months，Mr. Cousins returned to work. He has laughed himself back to health.Why did Norman Cousins get sick?
| A．He did not rest enough. | B．He traveled too much. |
| C．His body chemistry changed. | D．All of the above. |
What part of his body was affected by the illness?
| A．The bones in his feet. |
| B．His mind when he slept. |
| C．The material between his bones. |
| D．His stomach. |
What did Mr. Cousins think caused his illness?
| A．Bad food. | B．Too much laughter. |
| C．Unhappy thoughts. | D．The doctors. |
Where did Mr. Cousins go in order to cure himself?
| A．To a hotel room. | B．To the beach. | C．To the hospital. | D．To the USSR. |
How long did it take before Mr. Cousins went back, to work?
| A．A few weeks. | B．A few months. | C．A few hours. | D．A few years. |
Americans think that travel is good for you. Some even think it can help to solve one of the country ’ s worst problems ~: crime (犯罪）.
Crime worries a lot of people. Every year, the number of crimes is up and up. And many criminals (罪犯）are young. They often come from sad homes, with only one parent or no parents at all.
There are many young criminals in prison，but prison doesn ’ t change them. Six or seven in ten will go back to crime when they come out of prison.
One man ,Bob Burton, thought of a new idea. In the old days, young men had to live a difficult life on the road. They learned to be strong and brave, and to help their friends to be strong and brave, and to help their friends in time of danger. This helped them grow into men. So Bob Burton started “Vision Quest. “ He takes young criminals on a long ,long journey with horses and wagons (马车）， 3,000 miles through seven states. They are on the road for more than a year.
The young people in Vision Quest all have bad problems. Most of them have already spent time in prison. This is their last chance.
It’s hard work on the road. The day starts before the sun comes up. The boys and girls have to feed the horses. Some of them have never loved anyone before but they love their horses. That love can help them to live a new life.
Not all the young people on Vision Quest will leave crime behind them. Three or four in ten will one day be in prison again. Bob Burton is right. Travel can be good for you. Even today, Americans still say, “ Go west, young men. ”In the last paragraph “leave crime behind them" means .
| A．no longer do a crime | B．leave people who do a crime |
| C．don’t do all the crimes | D．leave criminals behind |
Why is Bob Burton right?
| A．Because he can help to solve crime. |
| B．Because three or four is better than six or seven. |
| C．Because the young criminals have a hard life on the road. |
| D．Because he can stop crime in the country. |
Form the passage we may infer that .
| A．getting up before the sun rises can help out of crime |
| B．we can hardly find a person who has no love for anybody or anything |
| C．travelling can help all criminals out of prison |
| D．young people can do anything freely |
On “ Vision Quest" .
| A．young people have bad problems |
| B．young people grow tall very fast |
| C．young people often help their friends in time of danger |
| D．all of the above |
Americans still say, "Go west, young men. ”because .
| A．if they go west they can have a travel |
| B．in the west there is a prison |
| C．there they have to live a hard life to grow into men |
| D．prison doesn’t change them |
There are new and exciting ways to use the Internet to learn English while you are on - line. The Internet uses a lot of multimedia elements (多媒体原理），like words, sounds, pictures, animations and video. This is perfect for studying a language because you've got to see, hear, and repeat things as much as you like. Learning over the Internet is also funny because you can be a part of conversations happening all around the globe ！ Special Internet sites are designed for people learning English， just like yourself. These sites use multimedia to help you learn and are a great way to meet other people around the world. This is Cyber English.
On the Internet, English is the major language. As a result, it is now more important than ever to be able to understand English when you serve the web. It is not always easy，though. The English can be difficult or have a lot of cultural information that you have never seen ！
One site for students studying English and their teachers is Englishtown. At http://www. english- town. com, you will find a community ( group) of people interested in learning English. There are several buildings in the virtual (虚拟的）town where you can play games, chat with friends, ask and get answers about cultural questions, and find an international penfriend who shares your interests. There are extra resources to help you learn，such as multimedia CD - ROM and books for language learning and translation. You can also have daily and monthly English lessons delivered to your own e - mail address. There is even an on - line school where you can take English classes over Lhe Internet. Englishtown is the perfect place to prefect for a trip to England or the United States ！ Would you like to become part of a virtual community(虚拟社区）of English sfH-aktrs ： Surfing the web is not only funny but can also help improve your English ！ Try out >ome of tlv, web sites listed below and see how students all over the world are learning English on line.Cyber English probably means" ".
| A．learning English on Internet |
| B．teaching yourself English |
| C．the history of English |
| D．English broadcast on TV or over the radio |
English on - line interests a lot of people because .
| A．only in this way one can learn the language well |
| B．people don’ t have to pay |
| C．the learners can have a face to face study of courses with the teachers |
| D．it makes learning easier and more interesting |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．English is the only useful language on the Internet. |
| B．The Internet can provide people with the cultural information they need. |
| C．At http://www. Englishtown. com, people can study and play. |
| D．One can find a pen-friend on http://www.Englishtown. com. |
The underlined word “ surfing" probably means .
| A．setting up | B．going over | C．researching | D．inventing |
The omitted (省略）part of the passage might .
| A．show us some of the web sites on which sell books |
| B．tell us how to use the Internet |
| C．tell us where to get the CD - ROMS we need |
| D．show us some of the web sites on which English is taught |
Who are these people rushing by you on the street? More than 250 million people now call America" home" , but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you, look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States，have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become "Americans"is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is - more often a kind of “ side - by - side" living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their own customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives such as in schools，business，and sports一but they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This “ side - by - side" living has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas ’ dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her own familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups, or newspaper.More than 250 million people call America ”home" because .
| A．they have their houses there |
| B．they settle there now |
| C．they want to make their home there |
| D．they like that land very much |
Side - by - side living style means
| A．to make friends with native people |
| B．to keep their own customs while sharing American ones in certain areas |
| C．that the groups of people live nearby |
| D．that they get closer to American society |
According to the passage, people in the USA
| A．share American customs and cultures |
| B．live in a kind of side - by - side society |
| C．keep their own customs and habits firmly |
| D．make no choice to accept American customs |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．They always stick to their own customs and habits. |
| B．Side - by - side living style is not suitable. |
| C．They face the society they are not familiar with. |
| D．The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Advantages and Disadvantages |
| B．Different Customs and Habits |
| C．Home for the People |
| D．Side - by - Side Living Style in America |
The bar-tailed godwit （斑尾鷸）has just broken its own record for the world’s longest non-stop flight, including humans in planes, according to a report made by Lund University Press. The bird can fly non-stop for eight days, while the most impressive man-made airplane can only remain in the sky for 82 hours without a stop.
The bar-tailed godwit’s journey, from Alaska to New Zealand, covers over 6,835 miles. It completes this trip twice a year, in autumn going to New Zealand, and in spring back to Alaska. The tireless bird ends the trip without stopping once for food or rest. All other birds can only finish trips that are twice as short as what the bar-tailed godwit travels.
One reason for the bar-tailed godwit’s success is that it has made the best use of its fuel, which is only 0.41 percent of its body weight over each hour of any given long flight. Hedenstrom, a professor from Lund University, says, “This figure is extremely low compared with other birds.” The bird also has a special body shape that helps it fly easily. It stores body fat and protein to manage its trips. It also travels fast, compared to other birds and animals.
Many questions remain about this bird record holder that never gets lost in the air. Researchers wonder whether it has an inside compass (指南针) that helps it to know the direction. Please watch how beautiful bar-tailed godwits look as they come in for a landing, along with other birds.For the flight from Alaska to New Zealand, the bar-tailed godwit__________
| A．doesn’t need to stop to eat |
| B．is afraid of hot weather |
| C．seems very tired at last |
| D．should fly less than 7,000 meters |
The main reason why the bar-tailed godwit can break the record is that it ______.
| A．eats little food every hour |
| B．has a special body shape |
| C．stores much water in its body |
| D．has very light body weight |
The last paragraph tells us that _________.
| A．researchers have understood the bird very well |
| B．the bird has a very good sense of direction |
| C．there are still many who doubt the bird’s ability |
| D．the bird has an inner compass |