The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks(火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr.Smith, a rich neighbour, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.
“ Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉) , even if it is only to pass the time ? ” said the blacksmith. “ Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you .”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“ How funny it seems, ” he used to say, “ even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ___________.
| A．his father told him to | B．he wanted to learn a skill |
| C．Jones encouraged him to | D．he just wanted to pass his time |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?
| A．Old Mr. Smith enjoyed making the shoe tacks. |
| B．The blacksmith had predicted the young man would be in need of the skill. |
| C．The higher prices they paid, the more tacks the shoemakers would get. |
| D．The young man earned his living by his skills learnt when he was young. |
What can we learn from the story ?
| A．Practice makes perfect. |
| B．Skill makes life easy. |
| C．A good beginning makes good ending. |
| D．Every man has his gift. |
III．阅读理解阅读下面四篇短文，从每题后所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案。（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
A few days ago I asked my sons’ governess（女家庭教师）Julia to come into my study. “Be seated, Julia, ”I said, “Let’s settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you’re too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month...”
“Forty.”
“No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you’ve been here two months, so...”
“Two months and five days.”
“Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you. Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn’t work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays... ”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but - not a word.
“Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars. Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Dick. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven - nineteen. Take nineteen off ... that leaves. hmm.... forty one dollars. Correct？”
Julia’s left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but - still not a word.
“Around New Year’s Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. When didn’t I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect （疏忽）, Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave ten dollars.”
“You didn’t. ”sobbed Julia.
“But I made a note of it.”
“Well... if you say so.”
“Take twenty seven from forty one -that leaves fourteen.”
Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!
“Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife. Three dollars, nothing more.”
“Really? You see now, and I didn’t know that! Take three from fourteen.. leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three, one and one. Here it is !”
I handed her eleven dollars. She took them and pocketed them.
“Merci （法语: 谢谢）,”she whispered.
I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. “For what, this - ‘merci’?” I asked.
“For the money. ”
“But you know I’ve cheated you - robbed you ! I have actually stolen from you ! Why this‘merci’？”
“In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”
“They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you... I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless （懦弱）?Why didn’t you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws（爪）—to be such a fool?”
Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression,“It is possible.”
I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars. She murmured her little“merci”several times and went out. I looked after her and thought,“How easy it is to crush the weak in this world !”
41．While talking to Julia, the wrier expected from her ________.
A. a protest B. gratitude C. obedience(顺从) D. an explanation
42．What shocked the writer was Julia’s ________.
A. nervousness in front of her boss B. acceptance of injustice
C. shyness when talking about money D. reluctance to express herself
43．The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________.
A. to be more aggressive B. to be more careful in her work
C. to protect her right D. to live independently
44．At the end of the story, the writer said,“ How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”to show ____.
A. his understanding of Julia’s anxiety
B. his worry about Julia’s future
C. his concern on the living condition of working - class people
D. his sympathy for the mental state of those exploited
45．From the story, we can tell that Julia’s employer was ________.
A. greedy but honest B. ill - tempered but warm - hearted
C. strict but forgiving D. none of the above
We already have iris(虹膜) and fingerprint scanning but noses could be an even better method of identification, says a study from the University of Bath, UK.
The researchers scanned noses in 3D and characterized them. They found 6 main nose types: Roman, Greek, Nubian, hawk, snub and turn-up. Since they are hard to hide, the study says, noses would work well for identification.
The researchers say noses have been overlooked in the growing field of biometrics, studies into ways of identifying distinguishing characters of people. "Noses are out standing facial features and yet their use as a biometric has been largely unexplored," said the University of Bath's Dr Adrian Evans. "Ears have been looked at in detail, eyes have been looked at in terms of iris recognition but the nose has been ignored."
The researchers used a system called PhotoFace, developed by researchers at the University of the West of England in Bristol, for the 3D scans.
Several measurements by which noses can be recognised were identified and the team developed recognition software based on these parameters(范围)
" This initial work is nowhere as good as iris identification but the nose has pros and cons," said Dr Evans.
There's no magic biometric that solves all your problems. Irises are a powerful biometric but can be difficult to get accurately and can be easily covered by eyelids or glasses. People can easily cover up their ears, with their hair for example.
"Of course you can have a broken nose or wear a false nose or have plastic surgery but to have nose surgery to change your identity is fairly obvious. Irises are very good for recognition but you can put in dilation drops which change the iris completely. Not all techniques are reliable," he said.
The research is based on a study of 40 noses and the data base has now been expanded to 160 for further tests to see if the software can pick out people from a larger group and distinguish between relatives.
Dr Evans hopes the method can be proven to be effective on this larger sample. "The technique certainly shows potential, perhaps to be used in combination with other identification methods," he said.
57. Where can you probably read this article?
In a newspaper about education.
In a newspaper about science
In a newspaper about software
In a newspaper about dress-up
58. Which is true according to the passage?
Dr Adrian Evans works at the University of the West of England in Bristol,
The researchers used a system called Photoshop for the 3D scans.
The research is based on a study of 160 noses.
The research team developed their own recognition software.
59. The word overlooked in the third paragraph possibly means:
| A．well-studied | B．carefully-scanned |
| C．wholly-recognized | D．carelessly-studied |
60. We can infer from the last three paragraphs that_________.
The consequence of the method remains to be seen
Dr Evans is sure that the method can be used to pick out uncles and nephews.
More new soft wares will be developed to do the research.
This method can still be used if your nose is broken,
MOSCOW — The Olympic flame in Vancouver had only been put out before President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia, angered over his country’s disappointing performance at the Winter Games, began calling for athletic officials’ heads.
“Those who are responsible for training for the Olympics must take responsibility,” Mr. Medvedev, who canceled his scheduled trip to the closing ceremony, said in Moscow on Monday. “They must have the courage to hand in their resignation(辞职报告). And if they do not have this determination, we will help them.”
Such language from the typically measured Mr. Medvedev strengthens the disappointment here with the nation’s athletics just four years before Russia hosts the next Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Russia is pumping billions of dollars into preparations for the 2014 Winter Games, which officials have considered as a symbol of Russia’s return to the top of the world stage.
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin said last week that Russia’s performance at the Olympics should be given “serious critical analysis.” “This critical analysis should be directed at improving the situation and creating the necessary conditions for the preparation and successful performance of our team in the Sochi Olympics in 2014,” he said. Russian athletes took home just three gold medals from Vancouver, compared with eight in the last Winter Games, in Turin, Italy.
Russia came in sixth place in the overall medal count with 15, just ahead of South Korea and trailing far behind its former cold war athletic rival, the United States, which led with 37.
For Russians used to seeing their athletes top international competitions, the last two weeks have been awful. Russian figure skaters fell, bobsledders turned over and, in a final embarrassment, the country’s much proud hockey team was smacked by Canada 7-3 and did not even make the medal round.
53. The underlined word smack in the last paragraph means:
A. guided B. trained C. beaten D. controlled
54. Which sentence is true according to the passage?
Russian athletes got 8 medals in the last Winter Games.
South Korea ranked 5 in the overall medal count in this Winter Games.
The next Winter Games will be held in Russia four years later.
The Russian hockey team got the third place in this Winter Games.
55. What do we know about President Dmitri A. Medvedev ?
A. He attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Games in Vancouver.
B. He ordered a serious analysis about the Russia’s performance at the Olympics.
C. He will resign due to Russia’s performance at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
D. He had planned to go to Vancouver but didn’t make it.
56. What is the main idea of this passage ?
A. Russian figure skaters fell in this Winter Olympics
B. Russian will host the next Winter Olympics
C. Russians are angry about their athletes’ performance.
D. Russians are making preparations for the next Winter Olympics.
Brazil has become one of the developing world' s great successes in reducing population
growth but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts
to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at
Harvard.
Brazil' s population growth rate has dropped from 2. 99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to
1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2. 7 children on
average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that
makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
According to Martine, both soap operas and instalment(分期付款) plans played an important role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world' s biggest producers of soap operas. Global, Brazil' s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy
characters living the high life in big cities.
"They described that middle and upper class values not many children and women
working. They influenced all parts of Brazil. " says Martine
Meanwhile，the instalment plans tired to encourage he poor to become consume（消费者）.
“This led to a great change in consumption patterns and consumption went against unlimited reproduction (生育)." says Martine.
53. Brazil has cut its population ，growth____.
A. by education B. by family plan C. by TV program D. by chance
54. Some Third World countries
A. have paid little attention to birth control
B. would soon join Brazilin controlling their birth rate.
C. haven't succeeded in controlling the population
D. didn't realize the role of TV plays in family planning
55. Soap operas have helped to lower Brazil's birth rate because____.
A. they keep people sitting long hour watching TV
B. they have gradually changed people's way of life
C. people are interested in the stories
D. they make birth control popular
56. What is Martine's conclusion about Brazil's population growth?
A. The rising in birth rate will increase consumption.
B. The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.
C. consumption has nothing to do with reproduction.
D. Soap operas can always lead to low birth rate.
Spider-Man cannot escape the harsh realities of the current economic times and will lose his job in a latest issue of the Amazing Spider-Man hitting stories ( first published in 1963) this week.
Peter Parker, official photographer of the mayor by day and New York City crime fighter by night, is going to face new challenges, including unemployment.
"He's going to struggle with unemployment and trying to save the city while he can barely afford to keep a roof over his head," said Steve Wacker, Marvel Comics senior editor.
Parker has always been a grounded character with real-world problems, Wacker said. His aunt is frequently sick, he has girlfriend troubles, and he sometimes struggles to find work. In addition, Spider-Man story lines are often set against a backdrop of current events.
In the near future, Parker will have to juggle paying bills and buying "web-fluid" and other materials to fix his superhero costume in addition to keeping his dual identities under wraps.
Parker's work history includes photographer, assistant high school coach, science teacher and scientific researcher, according to his biography on the Marvel Web site. His education includes a college degree in biophysics and some postgraduate work in biochemistry.
It was at a science exhibit he attended as a teenager that he was bitten by a radioactive spider and got the creature's strength, agility and weaving ability, says Marvel Comics.
And although Parker has skills few others can claim, he probably won't list these on his resume: superhuman strength, ability to cling to most surfaces, fast traveling ability aided by web-slinging and spider-sense danger avoidance system.
49. According to the story, Parker is likely to________.
A. look for another job. B. have a girlfriend.
C. live in a large house. D. buy a new superhero costume.
50. Parker didn’t work as________.
A. a photographer. B. an assistant coach C. a science teacher. D. a spider-man
51. The underlined part in the third paragraph means:
A. he has a roof over his head
B. he has a room to live in
C. there is a roof in his head
D. he has a picture of a roof in his head.
52. This passage mainly tell us _______.
A. Parker is a spider-man.
B. how Parker became a spider-man.
C. life is hard for everyone in current economic times.
D. the amazing spider-man comic is popular until now.