Although the US is so big and its people have so many different racial backgrounds, it is in some ways less varied than Europe．The English language is used almost everywhere in its American form．The American way of speaking has developed independently of English and is on the whole closer to what can be heard in Ireland.
Another example of uniformity(一致)is in habits and ways of living．From Boston to Los Angeles it is as far as from France to Central Asia, and from east to west there are five time zones; but everywhere people get up and go to bed at about the same time, eat the same kind of food, buy in the same kind of shops, work and rest at the same time of the day and have the same pattern of holidays．In most of the things that matter there is less difference between rich people and ordinary people or between town and country, than in any single European nation.
Although far more food is produced than the present population needs, America is actually an urban society．Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in (从事) agriculture and most of the rest live in or around towns large and small．Here the traditional picture is changing; most Americans do not live in small towns any more．Half the population now live in some thirty metropolitan (大城市的) areas.
The fact that the United States has always been a single economic unit has contributed to uniformity．Modern industry favors large organization, and it is no accident that the world’s biggest commercial firms are American．The people can choose between the products of competing manufacturers (制造商) but the products are all much alike.In describing the uniformity in the U.S．the author does not mention that the American people .
| A．get up and go to work at the same time |
| B．spend their holidays in the same pattern |
| C．buy and eat the same kind of food |
| D．have more or less the same income |
What can we learn from the passage about the U.S．agriculture?
| A．The American farmers need more land. |
| B．Americans are interested in farming. |
| C．It is now going backward. |
| D．It is quite developed. |
The last paragraph suggests that ___ .
| A．the production size in the United States is very big |
| B．a single economic unit produces the same kind of products |
| C．there are more and more competing manufactures |
| D．people can choose from all kinds of products that are similar. |
The underlined part “In most of the things that matter” probably refers to .
| A．in most basic things such as food, clothing and houses |
| B．in the more expensive things such as cars, TV sets, etc |
| C．in their land, housing and bank savings |
| D．in their wealth and income |
I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives (观点) by creating worlds we could step into, take part in and live in.
With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.
Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction (文学作品)．As a law student, my reading is in fact limited to subject matter—the volume (量) of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life. Reading fiction reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn't necessarily be able to have in my lifetime. What can be inferred about the author as a child?
| A． He never watched TV. | B． He read what he had to. |
C． He found readi ng unbelievable. |
D． He considered reading part of his life. |
The underlined word "voice" in the second paragraph most probably means “”.
| A．an idea | B．a sound quality |
| C．a way of writing | D．a  world to write about |
What effect does reading have on the author?
| A．It helps him to realize his dream. | B．It opens up a wider world for him. |
| C．It makes his college life more interesting . | D．It increases his interest in worldwide travel. |
Which of the following can be the best title of this text?
| A．Why do I read? | B．How do I read? |
| C．What do I read? | D．When do I read? |
The first true piece of sports equipment that man invented was the ball. In ancient(古代) Egypt, as everywhere, pitching (投掷)stones was a favorite children’s game. But a badly thrown rock could hurt(伤害) a child. Looking for something less dangerous to throw, the Egyptians made what were probably the first balls.
At first, balls were made of grass or leaves(树叶) held together by vines(藤). Later they were made of pieces of animal skin sewed together and stuffed(塞满)with feathers or hay.
Even though the Egyptians were warlike, they found time for peaceful games. Before long they had developed a number of ball games, each with its own set of rules. Perhaps they played ball more for instruction than for fun. Ball playing was thought of mainly as a way to teach young men the speed and skill they would need for war. The ball was probably invented because_______
| A．throwing stones often caused injuries | B．throwing stones was not fun |
| C．games with stones did not have rules | D．rocks were too heavy to throw |
The first balls were probably made of_______
| A．animal skins stuffed with rocks | B．twists of hay |
| C．hides stuffed with hay or feathers | D．grass and leaves tied with vines |
This selection says that the Egyptians played_____
| A．many different games with balls | B．many different kinds of games |
| C．only one ball game | D．different games with similar rules |
The Egyptians thought that ball playing was _______
| A．childish | B．difficult | C．not enjoyable | D．worthwhile |
The best title for this selection is ______
| A．The First Ball Games | B．How Egyptian Children Played Games |
| C．Egyptian Sports | D．The Beginning of Sports |
Fire fighting is a serous matter, knowing what to do during a fire can save people’s lives. It is important to know the ways you can use and show them to everyone else in the family, such as stairways and emergency exits, but not elevators.
From the lower floors of building, escape through windows is possible. Learn the best way to get out from a window with the least chance of serious injury.
The second floor window is usually not very high from the ground. An average person, hanging by the fingertips will have a drop of about 6 feet to the ground. It is about twice the height of an average man. Of course, it is safer to jump a short way down than to stay in a burning building.
Windows are also useful when you are waiting for help. Be sure to keep the door closed before opening the window. Otherwise, smoke and fire may be drawn into the room. Keep your head low at the window to be sure you get fresh air rather than smoke that may have leaked into the room.
On the second or third floor, the best windows for escape are those which open onto a roof. From the roof a person can drop to the ground more safely. Dropping onto cement might end in injury. Bushes and trees can help you to have a soft landing.Which of the following should not be used when trying to escape from a fire?
| A．Windows | B．Elevators | C．Fire exits | D．Stairways |
How far from the ground is the second floor window?
| A．about 12 feet | B．about 6 feet |
| C．about the height of an average man | D．nearly 10 feet |
According to the passage, windows are ______ of escaping a fire?
| A．the only way | B．the best way |
| C．safer than any other ways | D．one of the possible ways |
The writer suggests that _______
| A．breathing in smoke might be harmful | B．smoke will enter the room through an open window |
| C．fresh air can’t reach the second floor window | |
| D．to keep you head low will help you to escape a fire |
If you are on the second or third floor when a fire breaks out, you’d better _____
| A．drop directly onto the ground | B．first drop onto a roof then onto the cement |
| C．drop from a roof window then onto bushes and trees | |
| D．drop onto the cement rather than bushes and grass |
My husband is a born shopper(天生的购物者). He loves to look at things and to touch them. He likes to compare prices between the same items(产品) in different shops. He would never think of buying anything without looking around in several different shops. On the other hand, I’m not a shopper. I think shopping is boring and unpleasant. If I like something and I have enough money to take it, I buy it at once. I never look around for a good price or a better deal. Of course my husband and I never go shopping together. Doing shopping together would be too painful for both of us. When it comes to shopping, we go our different ways.
Sometimes I ask my son Jimmy to buy some food in the shop not far from our home. But he is always absent-minded(心不在焉). This was his story.
One day I said to him, “I hope you won’t forget what I have told you to buy.” “No,” said Jimmy, “I won’t forget. You want three oranges, six eggs and a pound of meat.”
He went running down the street to the shop. As he ran, he said to himself over and over again. “ Three oranges, six eggs and a pound of meat.”
In the beginning he remembered everything but he stopped several times. Once he saw two men fighting outside a clothes shop until a policeman stopped them. One of them was badly hurt. Then he stopped to give ten cents to a beggar. Then he met some of his friends and he played with them for a while. When he reached the shop, he had forgotten everything except six eggs.
As he walked home, his face became sadder and sadder. When he saw me he said, “ I’ m sorry, mum. I have forgotten to buy oranges and the meat, I only remembered to buy six eggs, but I’ve dropped three of them.”The husband loves shopping because _______
| A．he has much money | B．he likes the shops |
| C．he likes to compare the prices between the same items | D．he has nothing to do but shopping |
The wife doesn’t like shopping because ______
| A．she has no money | B．she has no time |
| C．she doesn’t love her husband | D．she feels it boring to go shopping |
They never go shopping together because _______
| A．their ways of shopping are quite different | B．they hate each other |
| C．they needn’t buy anything for the family | D．they don’t have time for it |
Jimmy cannot do the shopping well because ______
| A．he is young | B．he is absent-minded |
| C．he often loses his money | D．he doesn’t like shopping |
According to the passage, how many eggs did Jimmy take home at last?
| A．six | B．three | C．two | D．one |
Barcelona December 22,2007.
Spain’s “El Gordo,” the word’s biggest lottery (彩票), gave out 2.2 billion euros (欧元) (1.6 billion pounds) in Christmas prizes on Saturday.
El Gordo, Spanish for "The Fat One", is designed so that as many peo
ple as possible across Spain get a festive windfall. The top prize this year was 3 million euros -- going to the series of tickets with the magic number 06381.
Because the tickets are sold in a series of 10, only those who paid 200 euros for the whole strip get the full prize.
The biggest share of winning tickets was bought by people in the town of Nava, in the north-western Asturias region.
The draw lasts three-and-a-half hours and is carried live on national television with childr
en from the San Ildefonso school, a former orphanage in Madrid, in turn chanting the winning numbers and the amount won.
Lotteries have two centuries of history in Spain. The country spent 2.87 billion euros on the lottery -- 5.7 percent more than last year. Seventy percent is paid out in prizes. Most of the rest goes in costs. Eight out of ten Spaniards bought tickets for the lottery, spending on average 64 euros. Spaniards often choose lottery numbers matching significant dates although there was no particular favourite in 2007. In 2006, one of the most sought-after series was 22105, the date on which Fernando Alonso became Formula 1 world champion for the second year running.The underlined word “windfall” in paragraph two probably means .
| A．fat gift | B．unexpected fortune |
| C．big feast | D．wind and snow |
Who is likely to win the full prize in El Gordo?
| A．People who paid 200 euros for the wole group of series. |
| B．People who bough tickets with the magic number 06381. |
| C．People who lived in a town in the northwestern Asturias. |
| D．People who chose lottery numbers matching Alonso’s date. |
According to the text, children from the San Ildefonso School in Madrid will .
| A．host the draw of lottery live on TV |
| B．offer a show of three – and – a – half hours |
| C．perform with the lottery draw as Christmas celebration |
| D．help make some declarations for the draw as invited guests |
What can we learn about the history of lotteries in Spain?
A．Most of the money people spent on lot teries goes in the cost. |
| B．The majority of Spaniards have the experience of buying lotteries. |
| C．Lottery numbers matching significant dates help people win every year. |
| D．As the biggest in the world, Spanish lotteries have a history of two centuries. |