Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing. Three years ago, few people would go swimming in the icy waters. But now there is a Winter-swimming Enthusiasts’ Club（冬泳爱好者协会）and it has more than 2,000 members. The oldest is 84 years old and the youngest is only 7. The members are from all walks of life. They may be workers, peasants, soldiers, teac
hers, students…
Though it is now the coldest part of the season and the water temperature in the city’s lakes is around 0℃, many winter-swimmers still swim in the icy waters, even when it is snowing. They enjoy themselves in the lake, while the people by the side of the lake are wearing heavy clothes.
Why are so many people interested in winter-swimming? Because winter-swimming can be good for one’s health.
Bei Sha is a good example. He is 69, and he once suffered from（患……病）heart trouble for 26 years. After ten years of winter-swimming he is now in good health. Scientists are now studying the effects of winter-swimming on health. Among the winter-swimmers the oldest man is_______ years older than the youngest one.
| A．91 | B．84 | C．77 | D．7 |
Guess what “The members are from all walks of life” means?
| A．The members do different jobs at different places. |
| B．They come from all parts of Beijing. |
| C．They are persons of different ages. |
| D．They are men and women, old and young. |
The winter-swimmers are able to swim in the icy waters, even on snowy days because .
| A．they are not afraid of coldness |
B．they often swim  in the icy waters |
| C．they know that they can benefit（得益）from it |
| D．winter-swimming can make people healthy |
Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing because .
| A．more and more people like to swim in Beijing |
| B．it is more interesting than swimming in summer |
| C．winter-swimmers are brave men |
| D．winter-swimming does a lot of good to one’s health |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．People in Beijing Like Swimming in Winter |
| B．Winter-swimming—A Craze（狂热）in Beijing |
| C．People Benefit from Winter-swimming |
| D．Winter-swimmers Are Brave Men |
It has always been said that women are not good drivers, because they simply don't have very good driving ability. On the other hand, most car accidents happen to men; very few happen to women.
From this, we can see that women are much more careful while driving. Another very interesting fact that we should point out is that in the past, women preferred to let their husbands be the only driver in the family rather than have a driving license. Somehow they were prevented from making this step in their lives, but nowadays there are many women that want to pass their driving tests from an early age.
However, we have to admit that men are more skillful drivers than women, but this does not mean that a woman cannot become a good driver by accumulating (积累) experience. So more and more teenagers and women around the age of thirty now want to pass their driving tests. While taking their driving lessons, they also have a number of special lessons with their parents or somebody in the family that has a driving license, this is just to improve their driving abilities and help them to pass the tests more easily.
To conclude, we can say that women are not such bad drivers. They just need more experience than men in order to be able to drive well. And on the other hand, there are a number of women that show better driving skills than the men around them. Compared with the past, nowadays many women___.
| A．prefer to have a driving license |
| B．have more accidents while driving |
| C．are somehow prevented from driving |
| D．are the only driver in the family |
What advantage do women have over men in driving?
| A．They have more skills. |
| B．They are much more careful |
| C．They know more traffic rules |
| D．They have more driving experience |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Teenage girls cannot take driving tests. |
| B．Men didn't allow women to drive in the past. |
| C．With enough experience, women can become good drivers. |
| D．Women can easily pass their tests by taking driving lessons. |
The passage mainly talks about___.
| A．women and their driving ability. |
| B．men and their driving ability. |
| C．why men are better drivers than women. |
| D．why more women like to have a driving license |
Shane Thomas is a 10-year-old pianist from England. He’s being called the next Mozart because of his amazing abilities.
He has only been having piano lessons for four months, and practices four hours a week, but he has already played difficult classical pieces. He was just seven when he sat down at the piano, and could play at once. He also says he never gets nervous.
When Shane was three years old, he said that he could play the piano, but nobody took him seriously. At school, he could listen to the teacher and do his work while composing (作曲) in his head. Shame remembers all the melodies（旋律）,and when he gets home he plays them on the piano, while his father records them. Shane loves playing the piano, and when he grows up he wants to be a composer.
His tutor, Richard Goffin-Lecar, says he is like Amadeus Mozart, who lived during the 18th century in Salzburg, Austria, and was one of the most famous composers ever. Mr. Goffin-lecar says, “I don’t teach Shane very much. I just give him directions, then sit back and watch.”
His father, a single parent with two other children, says that although he has little money, he wants to send Shane to a good music school. “I’m a single father, but I have this gifted child. I don’t have much money, but I want to give him the best teachers, and also take him into a studio to record.”When did Shane tell others that he could play the piano?
| A．At age three. | B．At age ten. | C．At age seven. | D．At age four. |
Which of the following is TRUE about Shane?
| A．He feels nervous while playing the piano |
| B．He can compose in his head while doing his work. |
| C．He wants to be a piano tutor when he grows up. |
| D．He doesn’t like to listen to the teacher at school. |
What do we learn about Shane’s father?
| A．He also plays the piano well. |
| B．He’s a single father with two children. |
| C．He believes in Shane’s talent for music and will support him. |
| D．Not having enough money, he will ask the teachers for help |
Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians, green was a color that represented the hope and joy of spring, while for Muslims, it means heaven. Red is a symbol of good luck in many cultures. In China, children are given money in a red envelope to bring good fortune in the New Year. For many nations, blue is a symbol of protection and religious beliefs. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves against evils（灾祸）.
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions （反应）toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to reduce pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomach aches.
Red can cause a person’s blood pressure to rise and increase people’s appetites（食欲）. Many decorators will include different shades of red in the restaurant. Similarly, many commercial websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eye.
Blue is another calming color. Unlike red, blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less, some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room, think about the color carefully.Muslims regard green as a symbol of heaven mainly because of their .
| A．cultural values | B．commercial purposes |
| C．personal experiences | D．physical reactions to the color |
Why will many commercial websites have a red “Buy Now” button?
| A．To relax people physically. |
| B．To increase people’s appetites. |
| C．To encourage people to make a purchase. |
| D．To cause a person’s blood pressure to rise. |
What color might help lose weight according to the text?
| A．Red | B．Green. | C．Blue. | D．Purple. |
Which of the following would be the most proper title for the text?
| A．Colors and Human Beings | B．The Cultural Meaning of Color |
| C．Colors and Personal Experiences | D．The Meaning and Function of Color |
I was blind, but I was ashamed of it if it was known. I refused to use a white stick and hated asking for help. After all, I was a teenager girl, and I couldn’t bear people to look at me and think I was not like them. I must have been a terrible danger on the roads, Coming across me wandering through the traffic, motorists probably would have to step rapidly on their brakes. Apart from that, there were all sorts of disasters that used to occur on the way to and from work.
One evening, I got off the bus about halfway home where I had to change buses, and as usual I ran into something,“I’m awfully sorry,”I said and stepped forward only to run into it again. When it happened a third time, I realized I had been apologizing to a lamppost. This was just one of the stupid things that constantly happened to me. So I carried on and found the bus stop,which was a request stop, where the bus wouldn’t stop unless passengers wanted to get on or off. No one else was there and I had to try to guess if the bus had arrived.
Generally in this situation, because I hated showing I was blind by asking for help,I tried to guess at the sound.Sometimes I would stop a big lorry and stand there feeling stupid as it drew away. In the end, I usually managed to swallow my pride and ask someone at the stop for help.
But on this particular evening no one joined me at the stop;It seemed that everyone had suddenly decided not to travel by bus. Of course I heard plenty of buses pass,or I thought I did.But because I had given up stopping them for fear of making a fool of myself,I let them all go by.I stood there alone for half an hour without stopping one.Then I gave up.I decided to walk on to the next stop.The girl refused to ask for help because she thought_________
| A．she might be recognized | B．asking for help looked silly |
| C．she was normal and independent | D．being fond blind was embarrassing |
After the girl got off the bus that evening,she_________.
| A．began to run | B．hit a person as usual |
| C．hit a lamppost by accident | D．was caught by something |
What was the problem with guessing at the sound to stop a bus?
| A．Other vehicles （车辆）also stopped there. |
| B．It was unreliable for making judgments. |
| C．More lorries than buses responded to the girl. |
| D．It took too much time for the girl to catch the bus. |
Finally the girl decided to walk to the next stop,hoping__________.
| A．to find people there | B．to find more buses there |
| C．to find the bus by herself there | D．to find people more helpful there |
Have you ever heard anyone say “It’s raining cats and dogs”? It means “It’s raining hard!”
But sometimes cats and dogs do drop from the sky! Here’s how it happens.
Not so long ago, a country far away had many large rats. The people there said, “ We need cats!” So cats were sent to them by airplane. But the country had many mountains. It was hard for an airplane to land. So the cats came down by parachute(降落伞). Did the cats like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are still catching rats!
In another country far away, there is snow the year around. People sometimes got lost in it.
“We need big dogs!” the people said, “The dogs could find people lost in the snow. The dogs could help bring them home. Where can we get big dogs?”
A man across the sea had big dogs to sell. “I will send dogs to you,” he said. “ I have some very big ones. They can find people lost in the snow.”He sent the dogs by airplane.
But the airplane did not land in the snow. The dogs came down by parachute ---- you guessed it !Did the dogs like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are well and happy.They find anyone who gets lost in the snow. Then they help him get home. Good dogs!Remember it, so you can say, “ Yes, it does rain cats and dogs sometimes. They came down by parachute!”The underlined word “ it” In Paragraph 2 refers to __________.
| A．the weather |
| B．the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.” |
| C．the saying “It’s raining hard.” |
| D．the fact that real cats and dogs drop from the sky. |
Cats and dogs drop from the sky because ______.
| A．there are many mountains in the country. |
| B．it snows the year around in the country. |
| C．was hard for a plane to land in the two countries. |
| D．coming down by parachute could save money. |
The main purpose of the passage is to _________________.
| A．tell the readers cats and dogs do drop from the sky |
| B．tell the readers of a new meaning about an old saying. |
| C．show cats and dogs are our good friends. |
| D．show parachute is an important |