Long ago, near the village of Hedley, there lived a strange and playful trickster(骗子), known as the Hedley Kow. Sometimes it looked like an ordinary object. Sometimes it looked like a donkey or a goat.
One evening, as an old woman went along the path, she saw an old iron pot lying in the ditch. “Fancy that,” she said. “Nobody seems to want this old pot. I will take it home and plant pretty flowers in it.”
When she tried to lift it, she saw that it was full of gold pieces. “Well, now, if that doesn’t beat all,” she said. “I’m rich! I can buy a fine house and fancy clothes.”
The pot was heavy, so she tied her shawl around it and began to drag it home. After a while, she stopped to rest. When she looked in the pot, she was amazed to see that it was full of silver pieces!
“Oh, my god!” she said. “Aren’t I the lucky one ! If it were gold, thieves would have been after me. My frie
nds might have
been jealous. But I can hide these silver pieces, take out a few at a time, and live like a queen.”
On she went, pulling the pot after her. She was nearing home now. At her gate, she looked into the pot. What a surprise! The silver had changed into a lump(块) of iron. “Iron,” she said. “Well, now! No one will be jealous or want to steal this from me. I can use this iron to prop my door open and let in fresh air and sunlight. Lucky me!”
As soon as she said that, the pot began to grow and later it became a goat. Then it jumped up and ran off down the road laughing.
“Fancy that!” said the old woman. “I believe I have seen the Hedley Kow! Not many folks can say that, and that’s a fact. I’ll just sit up by my fire tonight thinking about how lucky I was to see it for myself. I truly must be the luckiest person in the world!” Which of the following sayings can best describe this story?
| A．All good things come to an end. | B．The early bird catches the worm. |
| C．Content is better than riches. | D．All bad luck goes away. |
What does “the Hedley Kow” stand for in the eyes of the old woman?
| A．Glory | B．Honor | C．Misfortune | D．Luck |
From this passage we can know the old woman is _________.
| A．optimistic | B．pessimistic | C．strange | D．mindless |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．The woman | B．The Hedley Kow | C．The pot | D．The Effort |
There is no doubt about it. The best way to learn new words is to do it unconsciously. I don’t mean while you’re unconscious. I mean while you are unconscious of the fact that it is sinking in.
That is how I learnt the 30,000 words in my vocabulary by living in an English-speaking world, mother tongue. I just pick them up. But some of them may be misunderstood. Now, to misunderstand does not mean not to understand. To misunderstand is to understand but incorrectly.
The 5 % mislearnt of all the words we “know” will be the least frequently used words, as the more frequently used words are less likely to be mislearnt. Some of the misunderstandings may live with all our lives, without knowing that we got them wrong.
Many English teachers think that this natural method of learning words in one’s own mother tongue can be used for a second language learning. They teach their students how to play the Guessing Game. “There is no time to look up in your dictionaries all the new words you come across,” they will say. “You have to practise guessing what the word means from the context.”
This method of guessing in a second language learning does not work. It may succeed in many cases, but results in hundreds or thousands of wrongly-guessed meanings of words.
And what’s more, there are more separate meanings than there are words themselves. Our learners’ dictionaries usually have many meanings. A good dictionary is what makes self-learning possible.
Don’t guess! Look it up!
55. It is certain that the best way to learn new words is _____________.
A. to learn them by oneself
B. to learn by living in an English-speaking world and using them frequently
C. to guess them from the context
D. to get more separate meanings of each word
56. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refers to _________.
A. the 30,000 words B. English teachers
C. misunderstood words D. frequently used words
57. Which of the following is most likely NOT true?
A. Some of the words the writer knows must have been misunderstood.
B. Most of the 30,000 words the writer learned are frequently used ones.
C. How many words the writer got wrong are not known.
D. All the words the writer knows were learned by reading them.
58. It can be inferred that _________.
A. when somebody is conscious, he or she usually can’t learn new words by heart
B. we must use the words as often as possible in order to master them
C. it’s the best way to learn new words that one should only guess their meanings from the context
D. only dictionaries can help us learn language well
IV. Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Directions: Read the following four passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A,B,C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically（热情地）responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”
“No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor everyday. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
“The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics（歌词）and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
51. Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.
A. serious B. cold C. humorous D. crazy
52. From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.
A. Rose finished the college degree within a year
B. Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married through college education
C. Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
D. Rose grew so old that she stopped playing
53. Rose delivered the speech ______.
A. at the graduation B. ended with “The Song of Rose”
C. which she prepared carefully D. to challenge all the other speakers
54. According to her speech, ______.
A. whenever you have a dream, you succeed
B. all people don’t grow up while growing older
C. Rose usually regretted having done something
D. a nine-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything
Certainly people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you’ve known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.
How is it done? Here are several skills (技巧) that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they will help you put people at ease, and make friends with them quickly.
First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy they are, will answer a question. One well-known businessman says. “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did this morning. It’s a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters sometimes to really personal questions. And how they answer will let you know how far you can go.
Second, once good talkers have asked questions they listen for the answer. This point seems clear, but it isn’t. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively (专心地).
Real listening means certain things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation (对话). If someone sticks to (坚持) one topic (话题), you can take it as a fact that he’ll be really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones (语调) of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it’s time for you to change the subject.
Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion (场合) of parting. If you’re saying goodbye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again, don’t keep it secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they’ve known you half their life.
64. You’ll like to stay with certain people because ________.
A. they know how to get along with others
B. you can often get much help from them
C. they are always glad to do anything for you
D. they will never get you into trouble
65. Asking questions might be quite a good way ________.
A. for you to make more and more new friends
B. to begin your business talks
C. to get the conversation going well
D. for you to make a deep and lasting impression (印象) on others
66. After having asked somebody a question, it’ll be polite of you to ________.
A. make clear what kink of person he is
B. listen to his answer attentively
C. wait quietly and patiently for his answer
D. talk with others
67. Generally speaking, good talkers are persons who ________.
A. are good at making any topic interesting
B. never talk too much or too little
C. always speak in a gentle way
D. know how and when they should change the topic of the talk
Read a whole book in English? Me?
Yes, you. Believe it or not, that may be easier than you think. Not all classics are too difficult or complicated. So you’re not limited to the simplified versions. And the easier books are not all for children.
Books in their original versions may send you to the dictionary. And you might not understand everything you read. But reading one from cover to cover will give you a real sense of accomplishment（成就）. The key is to find the right books. Let’s take a look at these.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
Stepping into an old wardrobe, four English schoolchildren find themselves in the magical world of Narnia. On this delightful land, they find friends among the many talking creatures. The children soon discover, however, that Narnia is ruled by the White Witch. Edmund, one of the children, falls under her power. Who can free Narnia? Only Aslan, the great and noble lion. He alone knows the Deeper Magic. But the children themselves must help fight the battle against the White Witch and those who serve her.
The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, hasn’t caught any fish in more than 80 days. Sailing far out from land, the old man hooks an enormous fish. That begins an agonizing three day battle. First he struggles against the great fish. Then he must fight off the sharks that circle the little boat and threaten to eat his fish. Exhausted and bleeding, the old man arrives back at shore. But his fish, his beautiful fish . . .
Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for this superb story of strength and courage, of victory and regret.
A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine Lingle)
Meg’s father, a U.S. government scientist, has been missing for many months. He had been experimenting with time travel when he mysteriously disappeared.
Now Meg, her little brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin will try to rescue him. But first they must outwit the forces of evil they encounter（遇到） on their journey through time and space. Can they find Meg’s father before it’s too late?
This novel is more than just a science fiction adventure. It’s an exploration of the nature of our universe.
The Pearl (John Steinbeck)
One day Kino, a poor Mexican pearl diver, finds a magnificent pearl. With it he dreams of buying a better life, new clothes and schooling for his son. Instead, it brings only evil. His wife pleads with him to get rid of it. "No," says Kino. "I will have my chance. I am a man." But when he kills a man who is trying to steal the pearl, Kino and his wife must run for their lives.This tale of dreams, justice and the power of greed is told simply and beautifully.
The Long Winter (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
It’s winter, 1880—1881, on America’s northern prairies. Mr. and Mrs. Ingalls and their four girls stay near the kitchen stove to keep warm. Heavy snowstorms cut them off even from neighbors. With the trains stopped, no supplies can reach the town. Food and fuel are running out. Day after day the girls must grind wheat for bread and twist hay to burn. At times they nearly lose the battle to keep their spirits up.
This story provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of early American settlers.
63. In the passage, the author intends to _______.
A. recommend a few simplified versions of classics
B. recommend a few original versions of classics
C. tell us how to read an English book from beginning to end
D. tell us how to find proper English books to read
64. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch is probably _____.
A. an evil woman with magic power B. a friendly woman with magic power
C. a delightful talking creature D. a powerful lion
65. The underlined word "outwit" in the passage probably means ______.
A. get rid of B. take advantage of
C. beat by being cleverer D. make the most of
66. Which book deals with history?
A. The Pearl. B. The Old Man and the Sea.
C. A Wrinkle in Time. D. The Long Winter.
67. A Wrinkle in Time is different from other books mentioned in the passage in that _____.
A. it is not a science fiction B. it tells a true story
C. it provides some scientific knowledge D. it tells the battle between justice and evil
You are standing under the most famous neon lights in the centre of London, waiting to cross the road. Suddenly the traffic stops. You hear the distant sounds of cheering, clapping and shouting. Then, like a multi-colored （多彩的）train, 2, 000 people with wheels（轮子） on their feet zoom past you. You have just witnessed the London Skate, a twice weekly roller-skate event that attracts people in their hundreds and thousands London. Skate is a completely free tour of the streets of London -the only condition is that you go along on roller-skates. It lasts between two and three hours and by the end of it you have skated between 10 and 12 miles. The skate snakes sound the streets of London along several different routes. Many of the routes pass by tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace and Big Ben. Marshals (交通协调员) go ahead of the group, stopping the traffic so that people can skate as safely as possible. Everyone is welcome to take part and people from the age of 4 to 63 years old join the fun. "I love it very much, it is amazing. It feels just like a carnival (狂欢节)，" said Celeste Beverage regular skater.
Roller-skating is really taking off across Europe and America. It is a very good way to keep fit and can be practised anywhere there is a smooth surface. Many big cities in Western Europe and
in the US now have a regular group skating event. The biggest skates take place in Paris and Munich（慕尼黑） and tens of thousands of fans show up on warm evenings. "Roller-skating is taking over the world," said Julian Grenoble, a 25-year-old ski shop employee from London. Grenoble went to the Paris-Roller (Paris skate) regularly until he moved to Britain.
"It's so exciting to skate in Paris. Everyone skates so fast and puts in their best efforts!" he said. The Paris Roller is well known because of the huge attendance, the presence of marshals and the police protection. Paris is a great city for roller-skating because of its long wide streets and smooth surfaces. Roller-skating is also becoming more popular in China among young people and children. Skating fans' favorite places to practise in China are big squares.
5. We can infer from the passage that London Skate Event ________.
A. is probably supported by the city government
B. attracts a great many tourists from all over the world
C. usually causes a lot of traffic problems
D. draws people of all ages into the sport
6. The underlined phrase "taking off " in the passage means________ .
A. rising from the ground B. becoming popular
C. setting out D. getting exciting
7. Paris is regarded as one of the most suitable places for roller-skating because ________.
A. a large number of roller players attend it B. the police protect the roller skaters
C. the streets are safe, wide and smooth D. the event usually takes place on warm evenings
8. This article mainly talks about________ .
A. places and streets for roller-skating B. roller-skating in big cities
C. London Skate Event D. roller skaters in different countries