Chilean rescued miner Edison Pena ran the New York City Marathon on November 7th , less than a month after he was rescued from a collapsed (坍塌的) mine that trapped him and the other 32 miners for 69 days. Pena ran 10 km daily through the mine’s tunnels (巷道) to beat the anxiety, wearing cut-down boots until rescuers sent him a pair of sports shoes through a narrow hole that served as the miners’ “lifeline” to the surface.
“When I ran in the darkness, I was running for life,” Pena told a news conference in New York. “I was running to show that I wasn’t just waiting around. I also wanted God to see that I really wanted to live.” The miners were discovered alive on August 22---17 days after the mine collapsed, but it took many more days for rescuers to dig a hole big enough to bring them out.
The New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon, had invited Edison Pena to the event after hearing his story. They thought he could ride in the lead vehicle or hold the finish line tape, but Pena said last week he did not want to watch, he wanted to run. “I was very eager to take on this big challenge,” he said. “I wanted to show the world I could run.” He hoped to run the 26.2-mile race in about six hours. “I have a knee injury, but I am eager to cross the finish line,” he said. 
An Elvis Presley fan who asked rescuers to send the singer’s music down into the mine, Pena broke into song at the news conference with the Presley hit Return to Sender.
On the morni
ng of November 7th, Pena, known as “the runner” by fellow miners trapped with him
, set out to cover the course along with thousands of other runners and completed the race in five hours and 40 minutes.When trapped underground, Pena ran a long way every day to _______.
| A．find a way to get out | B．dig a lifeline to the ground |
| C．keep himself from coldness | D．get rid of his uneasy feelings |
According to the passage, Pena _______.
| A．was not expected to run the marathon at first |
| B．failed to achieve the goal he had set for the marathon |
| C．wore sports shoes while working underground |
| D．was asked to sing a Presley’s song at a news conference |
During the rescue of the Chilean trapped miners, the digging of the escape hole lasted about
_________.
| A．17 days | B．22 days | C．52 days | D．69 days |
Pena can be best described as _________.
| A．smart-minded | B．strong-willed | C．hard-working | D．warm-hearted |
America is growing older. Fifty years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. Today, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect American society in many ways--education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying(老龄化) of America has made us a very different society--one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior is suitable at various ages.
A person’s age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There’s no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn’t as strong as it used to be. It doesn’t surprise us to hear of a 29-year-old university president or a 35-year-old grandmother, or a 70-year-old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.
Many people say, "I am much younger than my mother-or my father-was at my age." No one says "Act your age" anymore. We’ve stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.It can be learned from the text that the aging of the population in America ______.
| A．has made people feel younger |
| B．has changed people’s social position |
| C．has changed people’s understanding of age |
| D．has slowed down the country’s social development |
The underlined word ‘one’ refers to _______.
| A．a society | B．America |
| C．a place | D．population |
"Act your age" means people should _______.
| A．be active when they are old |
| B．do the right thing at the right age |
| C．show respect to their parents young or old |
| D．take more physical exercises suitable to their age |
If a 25-year-old man become general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it _______.
| A．normal | B．wonderful |
| C．unbelievable | D．unreasonable |
It was already dark when an old man came to a small town. He found an inn and wanted to stay there for the night. After he had gone to his room, the owner said to his wife, “Look at his bag, dear. I’m sure there are lots of valuable things in it. I want to steal it when he is asleep.”
“No, no,” said the woman. “He must look for his bag tomorrow morning. Then he’ll take you before the judge.” They thought and at last the woman had an idea. “We have forgetful grass,” said the woman, “Why not put some into his food? If he has the food, he will forget to take his bag away.” “How clever you are!” said the owner, “Don’t forget it when you prepare supper for him.”
The old man had the food with the forgetful grass and went to bed. The next morning, when the owner got up, he found the door was open and the old man had left with his bag. He woke his wife up and said angrily, “What a fool! Your forgetful grass isn’t useful at all.”
“No, no,” said the woman. “I don’t think so. He must forget something.”
“Oh, I’ve remembered!” The owner cried out suddenly, “He forgot…”The old man came to the inn _______.
| A．in the morning | B．in the afternoon | C．in the evening | D．at night |
The owner and his wife wanted to _______.
| A．get the man’s bag | B．steal the man’s money |
| C．make the man pay them more | D．hide the man’s bag |
The owner and his wife put the forgetful grass into the food because _______.
| A．the old man always forgot something |
| B．they wanted to make the food better |
| C．they hoped the old man would leave the bag in the inn |
| D．they wanted to know if the grass was useful |
According to the passage the old man forgot _______.
| A．to take his bag away |
| B．to tell the owner when he left |
| C．to close the door when he went to sleep |
| D．to pay them the inn money |
We are all busy talking about and using the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?
Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way, computer network system would keep on working all the time.
At first, the Internet was only used by government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals, and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still expensive and the Internet was difficult to become cheaper and easier to use. Scientists also developed software that made “surfing” the Internet more convenient.
Today it is easy to get-on-line and millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mails is more and more popular among students.
The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people’s life.The Internet has a history of ______ years.
| A．more than 40 | B．less than 30 |
| C．more than 60 | D．more than 50 |
Scientists set up a new network system to ______.
| A．make the computer cheaper | B．use the computer widely |
| C．make the computer go well | D．develop new software |
When did the Internet begin to be used in hospitals?
| A．In the 1960s. | B．In the 1970s. |
| C．In the 1980s. | D．In the 1990s. |
In the 1960s, if one computer in the network broke down, the whole network ______.
| A．still worked | B．stopped to work |
| C．stopped working. | D．began to work |
The best title of the passage is ______.
| A．How to Surf the Internet |
| B．How to Use the Internet |
| C．When was the Internet set up |
| D．The History of the Internet |
When the musical sound rings you, you immediately reach for your pocket ready to have a chat. But although you probably use it all the time, have you ever thought about the manners related to talking on the phone? If you haven’t, here are some tips to guide you.
●Always give the person you are calling plenty of time to get to the phone before you hang up. If the person who answers is not the one you want, give your name and ask if you may speak to the person you want.
●Think about the time you call people. Try not to call too early in the morning (before about 9:00) or too late at night (after about 9:30). Also try not to call at mealtimes.
●If you go by plane to visit your relatives at Christmas, remember to follow airline instructions. Cell phone must be turned off as soon as the plane doors are closed and remain so until the doors open again on arrival.
●When you’re face to face with someone, do not talk on the phone. It is rude to be on the phone when a waiter is trying to take your order in a restaurant, or when you are returning the shoes you have just been trying on in a shop. Finish any face-to-face business before taking a call. Continuing to use the phone while nodding to the person in front of you is quite impolite.
●When in a restaurant with your friends, keep phone conversations short. Make a call only if it is important. Practice speaking in a low voice. If no one turns to your way, you’ve got it.
●If you go to a theatre, a concert or a cinema, consider the other people around you. Check that your phone is “off” before you enter. If you are expecting a very important call, put your phone on “vibrate”(振动) and run for the exit as soon as you feel it. If you forget both “off” and “vibrate” and your phone rings, don’t answer it, turn it off straight away.Which is TRUE according to the passage above?
| A．You may call people anytime you like. |
| B．You may talk loudly on the phone at dinner in the restaurant. |
| C．You may keep on talking on the phone while greeting somebody. |
| D．You may call people as soon as you get on the plane, but not after the doors are closed. |
We may infer from the tips that ______.
| A．some people didn’t pay much attention to manners while making cell phone calls. |
| B．You must hang up quickly if the person you are calling is not the one you want. |
| C．calling people too early or too late is not polite. |
| D．almost everyone has got a cell phone. |
What does the underline sentence “… you’ve got it.” mean in the passage?
| A．You have succeeded in making a call without disturbing others. |
| B．You have made the phone call short and interesting. |
| C．You have got the message you are waiting for. |
| D．You have made a phone call secretly. |
From the tips given above, we can decide the writer must agree with the opinion that ______.
| A．like the saying “clothes make a man”, nowadays cell phones make a man |
| B．as the old saying goes, money talks, nowadays cell phones talk |
| C．the way we use the cell phones tells what we are like |
| D．we are what cell phones we use |
From the tips given above, how do you consider the other people around you at a theatre?
| A．Talk with them and make friends with them. |
| B．If you forget both “off” and “vibrate” and your phones rings, answer it immediately. |
| C．If it is an important call, you can answer it on your seat. |
| D．Check that your phone is not turned on before you enter. |
A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders: Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British English and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly! There are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “have a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital!” and “Do you have a pen?”. Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British English and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British English, “color” and “honor” are American.
These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.According to the passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that___.
| A．British English cannot understand him |
| B．American people cannot understand him |
| C．the grammar is too hard for him |
| D．the spelling is too hard for him |
American English and British English are different in ________.
| A．spelling | B．pronunciation |
| C．grammar | D．all of the above |
What is not mentioned (提及) in the passage?
| A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English. |
| B．Whether British and American English are one language or two. |
| C．How the differences between British English and American English came about. |
| D．How important the differences are. |
Most ________ say “ Do you have a watch?”
| A．British people | B．Americans | C．children | D．teachers |
According to this passage, British people and Americans have ________ difficulty in understanding each other.
| A．little | B．much | C．some | D．great |