Australia is famous for its beautiful beaches. And Australian people love swimming and going to the beach. But it wasn’t always that way.
Different Climate, Different Habits
When Europeans first invaded Australia, the only people here who were good at swimming were the Aboriginal people. The Europeans came from climates where it was too cold to swim. However the warm climate of Australia soon changed their attitude to swimming. At first, only men swam. They swam without any clothes on—there were no women to see them.
Cover up!
By the 1880 and 1890s visiting the beach was very fashionable. People wore everyd
ay street clothes—much more than people wear at the beach today.
In those days people believed they should cover their most body so it would not be seen by the opposite sex. Special bathing costumes were designed for women. This costumes used a lot of cloth and were very heavy when wet, making it difficult to swim.
Laws Made and Laws Changed
The government decided to stop men swimming naked. It passed a law which forbade bathing between 6 am and 7 am. But in 1903, the laws changed; people could swim in the daytime, but they had to wear neck-to-knee costumes.
The Shrinking Costume
As time passed, swimming costumes became smaller and more convenient.
At first men and women were covered from neck to knee. Then arms became bare. Then more of the legs were uncovered. Each new change was regarded by many as shocking and rude and people wrote letters to the newspapers complaining about the new costume. Nowadays some people go to special “nude beaches” to swim naked.
However, most people cover their bodies more than they did ten years ago—not because they think bare skin is shocking—but to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun.Which of the following statements about the climate of
Australia is TRUE?
| A．It made European settlers think differently about swimming. |
| B．It changed European settlers’ swimming costume. |
| C．It made European settlers feel much hotter. |
| D．It made European settlers have to swim naked. |
What should swimmers do during the late 19th century?
| A．They should hide when they meet a person of the opposite sex. |
| B．They should cover their body to avoid being seen by the opposite sex. |
| C．They should wear many heavy clothes on beaches. |
| D．They should wear special wet costumes designed for them. |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．People were surprised by each new change and criticized it. |
| B．People were amazed by each new change and praise it. |
| C．Only newspapers were in favor of each new change. |
| D．Only newspapers thought poorly of each new change. |
What can we conclude from the last paragraph?
| A．People worry about getting skin cancer from too much sun. |
| B．People protected their swimming costumes from too much sun. |
| C．People are greatly shocked by the nude beaches. |
| D．People think it rude to swim with the smaller costumes. |
Business people must keep records of the money they take in and the money they spend. The work of keeping such records is called book keeping. The work of deciding how the records should be set up is called accounting. An accountant also finds out, from the records, whether or not a business is doing well. Suppose a man owns a small clothing store. He keeps records that show that he spent money for newspaper advertising, and for suit, coats, shoes, and neckties to sell to his customers. He had to pay a young man to help him in the store. He also paid rent and had other expenses.
At the end of the year. He must take an inventory. That is, he counts how many pieces of clothing he has on hand. Then he must find out exactly how many he sold, how much money he spent in running the business. If he took in more than he spent, he made a profit(利润) for the year. If he spent more than he took in he suffered a loss.
The owner of a small clothing store can keep accounting records without much trouble. But a giant(庞大的) oil company or a big bank has many difficult accounting problems. The company must know how much money is to be paid by its debtors (债务人) and how much it owns other companies for supplies. It must know how much the company’s buildings and machines are worth, and how much the company has lost in depreciation(折旧), or wear and tear, of its equipment. All of this information must be kept in the company’s accounts. Big companies employ many accountants.
44. In which following way does the passage develop?
A. It develops by time B. It develops by space
C. It develops by order D. It develops by examples
45. Which is the best title of the passage?
A. Good Records
B. How to Make Profit
C. How to Run a Clothes Store And a Company
D. Accounting And Bookkeeping
46. How many examples does the writer use in the passage?
A. three B. two C. four D. five
47. According to the passage,_________.
A. bookkeeping seems more difficult from accounting.
B. bookkeeping seems as difficult as accounting.
C. bookkeeping seems less difficult than accounting.
D. bookkeeping seems no more difficult than accounting.
第二节阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40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 the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he required. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she said rudely. The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the bill and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, nearly beside the empty dish, were seven five-cent coins and fifteen one-cent coins---her tip.
36. How much money did the boy probably have in his pocket?
A. No more than fifty cents. B. More than fifty cents.
C. Not more than fifty cents. D. Less than fifty cents.
37. Why did the little boy have only a dish of plain ice cream?
A. The plain ice cream cost him much less.
B. He enjoyed the cheaper ice cream better.
C. The coins were not enough for an ice cream sundae.
D. He wanted to save some coins to tip the waitress.
38. We can infer that the waitress might have felt_______when she got the tip.
A. very surprised B. a bit of shame C. quite pleased D. a little worried
Do you dream of being a reporter or an editor? Are you a good writer who loves the news? If so, then you may have what it takes to be a winner in the TFK Kid Reporter Talent Search.
We’re looking for 12 students from around the nation to be members of the TFK Kid Reporter Team for the 2008-2009 school year. Next year’s team will continue the tradition of reporting local and regional news stories for TIME FOR KIDS magazine and TIME FOR KIDS online.
Professional（职业的）journalists from TIME magazine and TIME FOR KIDS will select this exclusive team. In the past, TFK kid Reporters have
Interviewed national leaders, celebrities and other newsmakers.
Written news stories, reviews and opinion pieces for TIME FOR KIDS.
Appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Today and The Tonight Show with another famous kid Jay Leno to talk about their work.
How to Enter
Get the official rules at time for kids. com/contest.
Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 20, 2008. Good luck!
53. This ad is written for ___________________.
A. professional reporters and editors
B. student reporters and editors
C. kids who are interested in politics
D. kids who love to write news
54. If you want to become a TFK Kid reporter, you must _________________.
A. write news stories for local newspapers
B. sign up through TFK’s official website
C. post your entries before Dec 20, 2008
D. know a lot about the newspaper and its style
55. Winners of the talent search will be able to do all the following EXECPT _____.
A. write reports on celebrities and other newsmakers
B. become a professional journalist for TIME magazine
C. write down their opinions for TIME FOR KIDS
D. share their working experiences with other kids on famous media
Who doesn’t love sitting beside a cosy fire on a cold winter’s night ? Who doesn’t love to watch flames (火苗) curling up a chimney? Fire is one of man’s greatest friends, but also one of his greatest enemies. Many big fires are caused by carelessness. A lighted cigarette thrown out of a car or train window or a broken bottle lying on dry grass can start a fire. Sometimes, though, a fire can start on its own. Wet hay (草) can begin burning by itself. This is how it happens: the hay starts to rot (腐烂) and begins to give off heat which is trapped inside it. Finally, it bursts into flames. That’s why farmers cut and store (贮存) their hay when it’s dry.
Fires have destroyed whole cities. In the 17th century, a small fire which began in a baker’s shop burnt down nearly every building in London. Moscow was set on fire during the war against Napoleon. This fire continued burning for seven days. And, of course, in 64 A.D. a fire burnt Rome. Even today, in spite of modern fire-fighting methods, fire causes millions of pounds’ worthy of damage each year both in our cities and in the countryside. It has been wisely said that fire is a good servant but a bad master .
39. The writer considers it ________ to sit beside a fire on a cold winter night .
A. nice B. dangerous C. unhappy D. painful
40. Which of the following describes the way how hay begins burning on its own ?
A. wet hay ---- becomes dry ---- gives off heat ---- burns
B. dry hay ---- gets too much heat from the sun ---- gives out heat --- starts to burn
C. wet hay ---- begins to rot ---- gives out heat ---- starts to burn
D. dry hay ---- gives off heat ---- starts to rot ---- starts to burn
41. Many big fires are caused __________ .
A. by cigarette B. by their own
C. by dry grass D. by people’s carelessness
42. How many examples did the writer give to show fires can destroy the whole city ?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four
43. Which of the following statement is not true ?
A. Fires still cause much damage now although there are modern fire - fighting methods .
B. Fires cause less damage in the country than in the city .
C. Fire can be man’s good friend and also great enemy .
D. One should be careful not to throw a lighted cigarette everywhere .
阅读下面短文，并根据要求完成文章后的题目。
Working means money, of course teens want jobs
Out of all the teens I interviewed all either wanted a job or already had one. Nowadays, jobs are needed more than ever. Everything costs money, and we are starting to understand that. Most of us get jobs just for "pocket change", so that we can just go out and get that outfit that we've always wanted, for a burger at McDonald's, for our hair, CDs, tapes, shoes, jewelry, and tons more material items. But some of us get jobs because we need to pay for our books or transportation. Many teens have to pay for their phone bills and lunches.
Choosy describes a lot of teenagers' attitudes towards the kind of job they would and wouldn't get. "Something in an attractive place with nice facilities, well paying, work that's not stressful, and a place where there are people that I know that work there," Mark, 16, said about the kind of job ___________. His personal requirements may seem as if they should be mandatory, but if you really want a job your own requirements should be limited. If you are looking for a job it's important that it fits you in a decent manner.
Teens normally don't take jobs that require a lot of thinking, skill, or physical requirements. Most teens see jobs as something on the side. We don't go around constantly talking about our jobs. We are there simply for that paycheck. Some of us do look at it as a learning experience. Tennille, 16-years-old and who works at a cleaning store, said, "Yes, it's helping me with my customer service skills." Can you give a title for this passage?
____________________________________________________________________________ Which sentence in this passage can be replaced by the following one?
Many young people look on their jobs as secret things.
____________________________________________________________________________ Please fill the blank in the second paragraph.
Mark, 16, said about the kind of job________________.
____________________________________________________________________________What’re your attitudes towards the teens to do jobs outside? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________ Please translate the underlined sentence in the passage.
____________________________________________________________________________