In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a great bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts thought that this was an impossible project and told Roebling to forget it. But Roebling could not ignore the vision of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an engineer, that the bridge could be built.
The father and son developed concepts of how it could be completed and how the difficulties could be overcome. After that, they began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway (在进行中) a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which made him unable to walk or talk or even move.
Everyone had a negative comment since the Roeblings were the only one who knew how to build the bridge. In spite of these difficulties, Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge. It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was to move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving it, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. The project was underway again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.
Today the Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory to the victory of one man's determination not to be defeated by circumstances. This is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical disability and achieves an impossible goal.
1．When John Roebling had the idea of building the bridge, ________.
A. his son supported him immediately
B. many experts thought it impossible
C. there was no bridge around New York
D. he persuaded the government to support him
2．What is the right order of the following statements?
a. The Roeblings talked about the possibilities of building the bridge.
b. Washington became disabled.
c. John Roebling believed that building the bridge was possible.
d. Washington's wife helped instruct the building.
A. a d c b B. b c d a C. c a b d D. a d b c
3．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. the government did offer much help to building the bridge
B. to go to the long Island, we can go across Brooklyn Bridge now
C. Washington had only one finger after the accident
D. it took 13 years to complete the bridge
4．What is the main idea of the passage?
A. the Roeblings were devoted to their work
B. how the Brooklyn Bridge was built by the Roeblings.
C. a strong will is not to be defeated.
D. success lies in patience and hard work.
Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”
This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only one was a winner. He’s really a big loser!
He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents(对手) says, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” that’s true. However, and honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers(广告商) will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too of often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well. How much did the lottery winner lose?
| A．One hundred dollars. | B．Two hundred dollars. |
| C．Three hundred dollars. | D．Four hundred dollars. |
We may infer that the author believes people should _______.
| A．buy lottery tickets | B．make use of half-truths |
| C．not take anything at face value | D．not trust the Yucky Company |
What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．final increase | B．big advantage |
| C．large share | D．total saving |
What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?
| A．False statements are easy to see through. | B．Half-truths are often used to mislead people. |
| C．Doctors like to act in advertisements. | D．Advertisements are based on facts. |
It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers (生产商)follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征)of clothes．What seems strange，however，is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men．Take a look at the way your clothes button．Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left．Considering most of the world’s population—men and women — are right-handed，the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women．So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here．Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the l7th century，when rich women were dressed by servants．For the mostly right-handed servants，having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier．On the other hand，having men’s shirts button from the fight made sense，too．Most men dressed themselves，and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt．
Today women are seldom dressed by servants，but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them．Is it interesting? Actually，a standard，once set，resists change．At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left，it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right．After all，women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch．Besides，some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the fight，since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts．What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
| A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years． |
| B．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s． |
| C．It works better with men than with women. |
| D．It fails to consider right-handed people． |
What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
| A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons． | B．They were interested in historical matters． |
| C．They were mostly dressed by servants． | D．They drew their swords from the left． |
Women’s clothes still button from the left today because _______.
| A．adopting men’s style is improper for women | B．manufacturers should follow standards |
| C．modern women dress themselves | D．customs are hard to change |
The passage is mainly developed by ________．
| A．analyzing causes | B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences | D．following the time order |
Tiny tot’s big adventure：Super Baby，a multimedia children’s play co-produced by Beijing Children’s Art Theater and Yeowoobi Animation Company of South Korea，is running at Beijing’s Cultural Palace of Nationalities．
Adapted from a popular South Korean cartoon book by Korean writer Cho Soo Min，the play tells the story of the boy named Siqing，who sets out in search of adventure with his friend Weiwei，a dinosaur，and a panda to rescue his kidnapped grandfather．
In director Hang Cheng’s eyes，it is a story of hope，dreams and courage．
He says it is a Chinese interpretation of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland，and Cheng hopes it could inspire the young audience members to love one another, treasure friendship and pursue their dreams．
Time：7：30pm，until August 26
Place：49 fuxingmen Neidajie Street，Xicheng District
Tel：400—810—1887．5905—9082
Lords of the rings：The Chinese Acrobatics Group，established in l950，will put on a performance that includes traditional acrobatics，circus，magic，old Beijing folk plays and more．
The show blends music, dance，local opera and martial arts with acrobatics．
Time：7：30pm，daily
Place：Tiandi Theater，Dongsi Shitiao，100 meters north of Poly Theater，Chaoyang District．
Tel：6416—9893
Fooling around：dashan is taking to the stage with the otherwise all-Chinese cast of Chaoji Bendan，or Super Idiot．The play is an adaptation of the famous French comedy，Le diner de Cons
(The dinner Game)．
Dashan，or Mark Rowswell，is a Canadian who became a household name and popular TV host who speaks superb Chinese．He plays the role of Pierre Brochant，a successful Parisian publisher．who attends a weekly “idiots” dinner．Each guest must bring along an“idiot” for the amusement of the other invitees．At the end of the dinner．the vevning’s “champion idiot” is selected．
Time：7：30pm，September 29—30
Place：Poly Theater，14 Dongzhimen Nandajie，Dongcheng District
Tel：6416—9990
Classic comeback：Chinese drama classic The Top Restaurant (Tianxia diyilou)will be staged by Beijing People’s Art theater．Written by He Jiping，the drama has been one of the most popular Chinese theatrical works performed by the renowned Beijing People’s Art Theater．It has been staged more than 400 times since the premiere．
Time：7：30pm．September 5～14
Place：Capital Theater，22 Wangfujing Dajie
Tel：6524—9847
Order now，you can get a 20％discount．More information，please click here.If you want to enjoy magic on Sunday，you can go to ___________.
| A．Red Theater | B．Tiandi Theater | C．Poly Theater | D．Capital Theater |
The advertisements are about “”．
| A．exhibitions | B．meetings | C．stage performances | D．western cultures |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Super Baby，a children’s play，is performing at Beijing’s Cultural Palace of Nationalities． |
| B．The Chinese Acrobatics Group can perform old Beijing folk plays． |
| C．Dashan is a popular TV host who speaks superb Chinese． |
| D．The Top Restaurant will be performed by He Jinping. |
This passage is most probably taken from _________．
| A．a textbooks | B．a magazine | C．a newspaper | D．a website |
Andy rode slowly on his way to school，day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him．He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him．
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present．He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens．What he saw shocked and terrified him．A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him．
With no time to waste，Andy sped off in the opposite direction，riding furiously—but without knowing how to escape the swarm．With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously，he sped down the rough road．As the bees came closer，his panic increased．Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇)．The last sting had landed him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days．Suddenly．his father's words came to him．“When you are in a tight situation，don’t panic．Use your brain and think your way out of it．’’
On a nearby hill，he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home．“Bees don’t like smoke，” he thought．“They couldn’t get into the house．’’Andy raced towards the Nelson house，but the bees were gaining ground．Andy knew he could not reach the house in time．He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon．
Suddenly，out of the corner of his eyes，he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden．Off his bike and into the cool water he dived，disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects．After holding his breath for as long as he could，Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone．Dragging himself out of the dam，he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell．Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother．
“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover，’’ laughed his mother with relief．“Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her．He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow．Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
| A．He was riding to schoo1． | B．He was listening to a strange sound． |
| C．He was going fishing with his father． | D．He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip． |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
| A．They crowded like a black cloud． | B．They shocked and terrified Andy． |
| C．They tried to attack Andy in a mass． | D．They made Andy stay in hospital for two days． |
How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
| A．He asked Mr. Nelson for help． | B．He hid himself under the water． |
| C．He rushed into the Nelson house． | D．He rode off in the opposite direction． |
Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
| A．No pains，no gains． | B．Once bitten，twice shy． |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way． | D．In time of danger，one’s mind works fast． |
“If there is one thing I’m sure about，it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers．It is not that newspapers are a necessity．Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio．Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday．But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation．
The nature of what is news may change．What basically makes news is what affects our lives—the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters，will continue much the same．I think there will be more coverage of scientific research，though．It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives，like genetic (基因) engineering．In the future，I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do—as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are．
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home．In fact，I’m pretty sure that how it will happen in the future．You will probably be able to choose from a menu，making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read——sports and international news，etc．
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media(媒体)．They actually feed off each other．Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened．What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air．And as for the Internet，it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen．What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Best Way to Get News | B．The Changes of Media |
| C．Make Your Own Newspaper | D．The Future of Newspaper |
What will probably be on in the newspaper made by yourself?
| A．Sports and political news． | B．A menu of important news． |
| C．The most important news． | D．What you are interested in． |
From the passage，we can infer ________．
| A．newspapers will win the competition among the different media |
| B．newspapers will stay with us together with other media |
| C．television will take the place of newspaper |
| D．the writer believe some media will die out |
The underlined phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means _________
| A．depend on | B．compete with | C．fight with | D．kill off |