After battling hard times and danger for over nine months, British teenager Mike Perham made history last month as the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
The 17-year-old made the record after he cleared the Panama Canal and then sailed through the Caribbean and got home across the Atlantic.
Mike is only three months younger than Zac Sunderland, the 17-year-old American boy who had taken the crown as the youngest solo around-the-world sailor in July.
The two youngsters met in Cape Town in South Africa as they crossed the globe in different directions. Mike insisted they were not rivals(竞争对手). “No. It's two teenagers going out there, living their dream and having the adventure of a lifetime,” he said.
Mike may be young, but he is no stranger to sailing adventures. He picked up the hobby at the age of 6 when his father took him out in a small boat on a local lake. Father and son sailed separate boats across the Atlantic when Mike was 14, making him the youngest person to cross that ocean solo. That record gave him the taste for this even greater challenge.
On the recent journey, the scariest moment for Mike came when his sailboat was hit by storms in the southern Indian Ocean.
“We were picked up by what felt like a 60-foot wave and threw down on our side at 90 degrees,” he said.
“It felt like I was going right over. Stuff was flying around and I just thought ‘Oh no’.”
At other times, he had to dive into the Pacific and fix problems. He tied himself to the boat, jumped into the water and went to work with a knife in 30-second dives underneath the boat to cut a rope away.
Mike said he felt proud that he made his dream come true. “You've got to have confidence in yourself that you will make it,” he said.. What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．A British teenager became the youngest person to sail solo around the world. |
| B．How a British teenager developed his sailing hobby. |
| C．A British teenager's brave experience. |
| D．A British teenager's confidence. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Mike Perham crossed the Panama Canal. |
| B．Mike and Zac took the crown as the youngest solo around-the-world sailor at the same age. |
| C．The two youngsters crossed the globe in different directions. |
| D．Mike was never frightened during the sailing. |
What does the underlined word “taste” in the fifth paragraph mean?
| A．Flavor. | B．Preference. | C．Experience. | D．Ability. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Both Mike and Zac had adventured spirits. |
| B．Mike is older than Zac. |
| C．They both are brave but they have different goals. |
| D．Mike took up the hobby of sailing adventures at 14. |
What did Mike believe in?
| A．Having confidence in yourself will make you successful. |
| B．Braveness is important in sailing. |
| C．One should pick up a hobby as a child. |
| D．Pride goes before a fall. |
St paul’s Cathedral
Ludgate Hill, EC4
Underground: St Paul’s; Bus: 6,7,11,15,22,25
Open: Daily 8:00-19:00(17:00 from Oct. to Mar.)
Entrance free
Designed by the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren, St Paul’s Cathedral was built following the Great Fire of London of 1666, which destroyed the gothic cathedral on the site at that time. It is crowned by a magnificent dome and its choir(唱诗班)is internationally famous. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married here in 1981.
Buckingham Palace
South end of the Mall(SW1)
Underground: St. James’s Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Comer, Green Park Bus:2,11,14,16,19,22,24,29,30,38,52,73,74,137
Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the monarch(君主) for much of the year. (When the monarch is in residence, a flag flies over the palace.) The Mall is a very impressive wide street, leading from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.
Note: As the palace is the monarch’s official residence, it is not open to the public during most of the year.
The Tower of London
Tower Hill, EC3
Underground: Tower Hill; Bus: 42, 78
Open: Mon. – Sat.9:00—18:00. 8:00—19:00
Parts of the Tower of London are over nine centuries old, as building began under William the Conqueror in 1078. Famous as a prison in the distant past, the Tower has also been a royal residence, a zoo and an observatory (瞭望台), among other things. It is now a museum and many thousands of people visit it every year in particular to see the Crown Jewels.
Westminster Abbey
Broad Sanctuary, SW1
Underground: Westminster, St James’s Park; Bus: 3, 11, 12, 24, 29, 39, 53, 59, 76, 77, 88, 109, 155, 168, 170, 172, 184, 503
Open: Daily 8:00—19:00(Mar.-DEC., Tuesday till 20:00)
Entrance free
A Benedictine abbey(本笃会修道院) which already existed on the site was rebuilt by Edward the Confessor and consecrated(奉为神圣) in 1065. On the way to its present form, the abbey was extended in the 13th-16th centuries, with the two west towers being added in the 18th. There are many famous tombs in the abbey, including that of the unknown Warrior and those of many poets and writers. Where is the text most probably taken from?
| A．A history book about London. |
| B．A guidebook for visitors to London |
| C．A book describing London’s development. |
| D．A book about London’s churches and cathedrals. |
No.11 bus can take you to all three of these places: _______.
| A．St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London |
| B．St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace |
| C．St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace |
| D．Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace |
You can see the inside of all the buildings all the year round except _____.
| A．St Paul’s Cathedral | B．The Tower of London |
| C．Westminster Abbey | D．Buckingham Palace |
The two places that you can visit by getting off at the same underground station are _____.
| A．Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey |
| B．Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral |
| C．Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London |
| D．The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral |
The common cold is the world's most widespread illness，which is plagues（病疫）that flesh receivesThe most widespread fallacy（谬误） of all is that colds were caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person.You catch a cold by coming into contact，directly or indirectly，with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds，it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them foreve.But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes. During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches（战壕）, cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds. In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp（奥斯维辛集中营），naked and starving，were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose. If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on. No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors（止痛片） such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms.Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage？
| A．The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time. |
| B．Colds are not caused by cold. |
| C．People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors. |
| D．A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one. |
Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.
| A．they are working in the isolated arctic regions |
| B．they are writing reports in terribly cold weather |
| C．they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions |
| D．they are coming into touch again with the outside world |
Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit ____.
| A．suffered a lot | B．never caught colds |
| C．often caught colds | D．became very strong |
The passage mainly discusses _______.
| A．the experiments on the common cold |
| B．the fallacy about the common cold |
| C．the reason and the way people catch colds |
| D．the continued spread of common colds |
In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc. in almost every family. These are their pets. People love these pets and have them as their good friends. Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections(注射)so that they won't carry disease. They have special animal food stores, though they can get animal food in almost every kind of store. Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food. When you visit people's houses, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them. You will also find that almost every family has a feeding place for birds in their garden. All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal. They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada. They have a law against killing wild animals. If you killed an animal, you would be punished. If an animal happened to get run over by a car, people would be very sad about it.
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be that their family ties are not as close as ours. When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely, but pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.The passage mainly talks about____ .
| A．how to keep disease from pets |
| B．pets in Canada |
| C．how to take good care of pets |
| D．life of the old in Canada |
They give their pets injections before keeping them at their houses because
| A．the pets are sick |
| B．the pets are wild |
| C．they want to stop them from getting sick |
| D．they want them to sleep on the way home |
In Canada, children leave their parents when they grow up because
A they don't love their parents any more
B. they can only find jobs far from their parents
C. their parents houses are too small
D. they wouldn't depend on their parents any moreWhich of the following is TRUE？
| A．People buy animal food only at the animal food stores. |
| B．Pets eat better than people. |
| C．Almost every family has a birdcage in his house. |
| D．Any bird can come to the bird feeders to eat. |
Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. But you should not be upset (难受的) if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you!
Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 p.m., and end at about 11. Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift.
Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks(小吃). Do you want to be more polite? Say how much you like the room, or the picture on the wall. But remember—it is not polite to ask how much things cost.
In many families, the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with their guests.
You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert, followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it.
Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short thank you letter. British and American people like to say “ Thank you, thank you, thank you.” all the time!If you are going to attend a dinner party,____ .
| A．you’d better bring a certain present with you |
| B．you must leave home for it at 7 p.m. |
| C．you should ask your host when you should leave |
| D．you must arrive at it before 8 p.m. |
In which order will you eat or drink the following things at the meal?
| A．Snacks, vegetables, meat and coffee. |
| B．Coffee, drinks, soup, fish, vegetables and dessert. |
| C．Soup, meat with vegetables, dessert and coffee. |
| D．Drinks, soup, something small, fish and vegetables. |
Which is the correct way in which you express your enjoyment of the evening?
| A．Before leaving for home, you should say, “Thank you for inviting me.” |
| B．When you shake hands with your host, you should say, “I did enjoy the evening.” |
| C．You can write a thank you letter to your host after that. |
| D．You should finish everything on your plate and take more if you want it. |
An old friend from California called from the airport to tell me that he had arrived. I was not able to leave the office, but I had made plans for his arrival. After explaining (解释) where my new house was, I told him that I had left the key under the doormat (门垫). Since I knew it would be pretty late before I could get home, I suggested that he make himself at home and help himself to anything that was in the refrigerator(电冰箱).
Two hours later my friend phoned me from the house. At the moment, he said, he was listening to some of my records after having had a delicious meal. Now, he said, he was drinking a glass of orange juice. When I asked him if he had had any difficulty finding the house, he answered that the only problem was that he had not been able to find the key under the doormat, but luckily, the living room window by the apple tree had been left open and he had climbed in through the window. I listened to all this in great surprise. There is no apple tree outside my window, but there is one by the living room window of my next door neighbor's house!An old friend of mine called ______.
| A．to tell me to meet him at the airport |
| B．to tell me about his arrival |
| C．to ask me to leave the office |
| D．to ask me to make plans for his arrival |
My friend climbed into the room because ______ .
| A．there was an apple tree outside |
| B．the living room window was left open |
| C．he had difficulty opening the door |
| D．he hadn't found the key |
My friend telephoned me two hours later ______ .
| A．from my home | B．at the airport |
| C．in his office | D．from my neighbor's house |