Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school master is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer. The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed. As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room .I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away. Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket. It caught fire.
There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket. It caught fire too. Soon the whole room was burning. The master phoned the fire brigade. The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived, the whole school was on fire. The master said that the fire was all my fault and I must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I'm very sorry for this.
Much love
Sarah Why did Sarah write to his parents?
| A．He missed them very much for they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. |
| B．He told his parents what he had done in school. |
| C．He was tired of studying, and wanted to leave school. |
D．He thought he was old enough to help the m do something. |
Where did Sarah smoke?
| A．In the classroom | B．In the Dinning hall |
| C．In the street | D．In the dormitory |
Why was the school master angry with him?
| A．Because he was too naughty |
| B．Because he was too lazy |
| C．Because he caused a big fire |
| D．Because he stole something from the school |
According to the passage, what should the students not do?
| A．They should not smoke, because smoking is dangerous to them |
| B．They should not dance, because dancing would waste a lot of money |
| C．They should not make friends, because making friends would take them absent |
| D．They should not wear expensive clothes because they would waste a lot of money |
One of the bestknown American writers of children’s books is Alfred Strong，or Doctor Strong，as he is better known to readers everywhere.Now，an art show called “Doctor Strong From Then To Now” is travelling around the United States.The pictures and drawings show the history of Doctor Strong.
Doctor Strong first became famous almost fifty years ago when his first children’s book was published.Since then，he has written fortyfive books that have sold more than one hundred million copies around the world.
Doctor Strong’s books are known for their easy use of words and colorful，handdrawn pictures.These drawings bring life to his imaginary creatures，The Cat in the Hat，Horton the Elephant，The Grinch Who Stole Christmas，and hundreds of others.
The San Diego Museum，in California，organized the show.It included about three hundred Doctor Strong’s original (最早的) drawings and some of his writings.
Most of Doctor Strong’s books，although written in a funny way，have serious messages.For example，in Mc Elligot’s Pool，he describes the danger of pollution.He discusses the arms race in The Butter Battle Book，written in nineteen eightyfour.
Doctor Strong is almost eightyfour years old now.He says he never plans to write stories just for children.He says he writes stories that interest people of all ages.He says he uses easy words so that everyone，even a child，can understand.Alfred Strong is a famous ________ in the United States.
| A．doctor |
| B．artist |
| C．writer |
| D．reader |
Doctor Strong first became famous in ________.
| A．his eighties when an art show was travelling around the United States |
| B．his fifties when his drawings and writings were published |
| C．nineteeneightyfour when his book Mc Elligot’s Pool was published |
| D．his thirties when his first book was published |
Doctor Strong’s books are very popular in America because ________.
| A．they are stories about animals such as cats，elephants and so on |
| B．they are written in easy words with colorful pictures |
| C．he organized an art show in California |
| D．they are written in a funny way |
His purpose of writing many such books is ________.
| A．to show his original pictures and drawings |
| B．to organize a special art show of his own |
| C．to make his readers laugh when they read his books |
| D．not only to interest people but to expose(uncover)some serious social problems |
Doctor Strong says he writes his stories ________.
| A．for all people |
| B．for all his patients |
| C．just for grownups |
| D．just for children |
I suppose that having been brought up in the countryside and close to animals，it wasn’t remarkable(不平常的)when I decided to become a vet(兽医)．Luckily I was also good at all the necessary science subjects.So after the college entrance examination I found myself at a veterinary college，training to look after animals in all kinds of situations.I hoped that I would be able to work in the research field so that I could find cures for animal diseases.
Much to my surprise，I found public health care was a very important aspect of my course. This is an area of animal medicine where a vet’s work has many things in common with the work of a doctor of human diseases.I particularly liked it because I recognized that the study of animal diseases can help human medicine.As we know，many infectious diseases come from animals—including SARS and bird flu.
Some of the infections have only been understood after carefully analytical work in labs by animal doctors. They helped identify the animal source for diseases such as SARS. They were also the first to identify various kinds of viruses. Sometimes vets are also able to suggest a cure for human illnesses.When I found this out I was determined to make public health medicine my chosen career.
After graduation，I applied for a job in public health.Soon I found myself concerned with the problem of bird flu.This is an illness that attacks birds，but humans can catch the disease if they are in close contact with infected birds.Though the job is dangerous，it makes me proud that vets and other animal disease researchers are in the front line helping to fight these unknown human diseases.The writer wanted to become a vet mainly because
______.
| A．he did well in all necessary subjects |
| B．he wanted to help animals |
| C．he was close to animals in his early life |
| D．he wanted to find cures for human diseases |
What made the writer particularly like the course of public health care was that________.
| A．it was both important and interesting |
| B．it could help him connect many human diseases with animals |
| C．it made a vet’s work very much like a doctor’s |
| D．it could help human medicine by studying animal diseases |
What can be followed if this passage continues?
| A．The writer’s happy family life. |
| B．How the writer did research work in studying bird flu. |
| C．How the writer dealt with the relationship with other workmates. |
| D．What difficulty the writer met in the research work. |
Which of the following is implied in the passage?
| A．Animals with infectious diseases should be killed. |
| B．Keeping animals is dangerous to humans. |
| C．Dangerous as a vet’s job is，it is significant to the human race. |
| D．Animal researchers work in the same way as human doctors. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Being a vet is helpful to both animals and humans. |
| B．Vets can cure both animals and humans. |
| C．Vets helped identify animal resources for SARS. |
| D．Both SARS and bird flu are infectious diseases coming from animals. |
Language experts say that spoken English was almost the same in the American colonies and Britain two hundred years ago.Americans began to change the sound of their speech after the Revolutionary War in seventeenseventysix. They wanted to make it different to separate themselves from the British in language，in the same way they separated themselves from the British government.
Some American leaders proposed major changes in the language.Benjamin Franklin wanted a whole new system of spelling.His reforms were not accepted. But his ideas did influence others.One was Noah Webster.
Webster wrote language books for schools.He believed the United States should have a system of its own language as well as government.Webster published a dictionary of the American language in eighteentwentyeight. It established rules for speaking and spelling the words used in American English.
Webster wrote that all words should be said in the order of the letters that spell them.This is why Americans use the letters“e-r”to end many words instead of the British“r-e.”He spelled the word“center，”for example，“c-e-n-t-e-r，”instead of the British“c-e-n-t-r-e.”
Webster’s rule for saying every part of a word made American English easier for foreign settlers to learn.They learned to say“waistcoat，”for example，the way it is spelled instead of the British“weskit.”
The different languages of many people who came to the United States also helped make American and British English different.Many of their foreign words and expressions became part of English as Americans speak them.
Sometimes Americans and British people do not understand each other because of different word meanings. For example，the word“jumper”in Britain means a sweater.In the United States，it is a dress.The British word“brolly” is an“umbrella”in America.And the British call potato chips“crisps”．All of these differences led British writer George Bernard Shaw to joke that Britain and America are two countries separated by the same language!What does the underlined word“it”in the first paragraph refer to?
| A．Separating themselves from the British in language. |
| B．Written English in America. |
| C．Spoken English in America. |
| D．Spoken English in Britain. |
Why did American want their language to differ from British English?
| A．Because they found British English hard to speak. |
| B．Because they found British English hard to spell. |
| C．Because they wanted to have their own language and government. |
| D．Because foreign settlers wanted them to change their language. |
Why do Americans use the word“meter”instead of the word“metre”？
| A．Because Benjamin Franklin didn’t like the word“metre”． |
| B．Because the word“meter”was absorbed from other languages. |
| C．Because Webster thought the word should be said in order of the letters that are spelt. |
| D．Because Webster thought American English should be made easier for foreign settlers to learn. |
Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why English began to change in America?
| A．The government leaders. |
| B．Noah Webster. |
| C．Immigration to America. |
| D．The difficulty Americans had in understanding the British. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Noah Webster’s simplifying the spelling of English words. |
| B．Differences and similarities between British and American English. |
| C．The reasons why American English was formed and its development. |
| D．Varieties of English throughout the world. |
阅读理解
When I was sixteen years old，I made my first visit to the United States.It wasn’t the first time I had been abroad.Like most English children I learned French at school.And I had often been to France，so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn’t understand French.But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language problems.
How wrong I was！The misunderstandings began at the airport.I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Danny a call and tell her that I had arrived.A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me.
“Yes，”I said，“I want to give my friend a ring.”
“Well，that’s nice，”he said.“Are you getting married？But aren’t you a bit young？”
“Who’s talking about marriage？”I replied.“I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her I’ve arrived.Can you tell me where there’s a phone box？”
“Oh！”he said.“There’s a phone downstairs.”
When at last we met，Danny explained the misunderstandings to me.
“Don’t worry，”she said to me.“I had so many difficulties at first.There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from the British.You’ll soon get used to all the funny things they say.Most of the time，British and American people understand each other！”The writer thought ________ in America.
| A．he wouldn’t have any language difficulties |
| B．he would not understand the Americans |
| C．the Americans might not understand him |
| D．he would have difficulty at the airport |
The writer wanted to ________.
| A．buy a ring for his friend |
| B．make a call to his friend |
| C．go to the telephone company |
| D．see his friend off |
From the passage we can see that “give sb.a ring”________．
| A．means “call sb.” to the old man |
| B．means the same in America as in England |
| C．has two different meanings |
| D．means “be going to get married” in England |
In the last paragraph the word “they” refers to ________.
| A．the old man and the boy |
| B．the Americans |
| C．the British |
| D．the French |
Which is RIGHT according to the passage?
| A．American and British English are so different that they can’t understand each other. |
| B．Although American and British English are different，they mostly can understand each other. |
| C．Danny isn’t used to the funny things Americans say. |
| D．The old man couldn’t understand what “I” meant. |
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。
If women are mercilessly exploited year after year，they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion，they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it，only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way waste hours of their time altering (改变) the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened；necklines are lowered or raised，and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth，comfort and durability. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort，as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day，or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion，the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes，one wonder，reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability？Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability？That is for you to decide.Designers and big stores always make money________.
| A．by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing |
| B．by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry |
| C．because they are able to predict new fashions for the coming season |
| D．because they attach great importance to the quality of women's clothing |
To the writer，that women alter their old fashioned dresses is seen as________.
| A．a waste of money |
| B．an expression of taste |
| C．a waste of time |
| D．an expression of creativity |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is true?
| A．The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society. |
| B．The constant changes in women's clothing reflect their strength of characters. |
| C．Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women. |
| D．New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women. |
By saying “the conclusions to be drawn are obvious”，the writer means that________.
| A．women are better able to put up with discomfort |
| B．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion |
| C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion de signers |
| D．women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at |