During the last twenty years there has been increasing concern with the quality of the environment. Along with air and water pollutions, noises pollution has been recognized as a serious pollutant. As noise levels have risen, the effects of noise have become more apparent.
Noise is defined as "unwanted sound". Causes of noise pollution include traffic, aircraft, rock bands, barking dogs, televisions, garbage trucks, and noise from neighbors, voices, alarms, and watercrafts. Studies show that over forty percent of Americans are disturbed at home or lose sleep because of noise pollution.
Noise has bad effects on people and the environment. Noise causes hearing loss, interferes (妨碍) with human activities at home and work, and is in various ways dangerous to people's health and well being.
When we think, talk, listen to music, or sleep, we need quiet. Even low levels of noise can be
annoying or frustrating. Sudden increases in volume can make sounds annoying. The quieter the background is, the more penetrating a noise can be.
Noise can also make instructions or warning unclear, resulting in accidents. Louder noise bursts can be more disruptive (破坏性).Continued stress can lead to high blood pressure, which is the major cause of some diseases.
Long exposure to noise levels above eight-five decibels (分贝) can damage inner cells and lead to hearing loss. Noise can result in the involuntary fear response and can cause adrenaline (肾上腺素) to be pumped into the bloodstream, the heart rate to quicken, muscles to tense, breathing to increase, and the digestive system to slow down.
Local government has the responsibility to fight noise pollution. For example, it can regulate the speed of trains through their community. On the other hand, a responsible citizen will never make noise pollution wherever he is. How many kinds of environmental pollution are mentioned in the text?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
According to the text, noise pollution may be caused by .
| A．parties and meetings | B．zoos and theaters |
| C．schools and factories | D．vehicles and animals |
What does the underlined word "penetrating" in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．High and exciting | B．Sharp and shocking |
| C．Loud and unpleasant | D．Clear and comfortable |
In the last paragraph, the writer suggests that .
| A．individuals and government should work together to reduce noise pollution |
| B．the government should offer it's people better education on noise pollution |
| C．the government should be responsible for noise pollution |
| D．people who make noise pollution should be punished |
Which of the following is not related to noise pollution?
| A．hearing loss | B．speeding the digestive system |
| C．high blood pressure | D．accidents |
In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?
| A．understanding. | B．honesty. | C．reliability. | D．a sense of humor. |
If you have fair weather friends, ______ .
| A．they will give you all that they have when you need help |
| B．you will be refused when you get into trouble |
| C．you will become rich |
| D．you can be sure that you get real friends |
Good friends need to ______.
| A．always point out each other's mistakes | B．be helped with money |
| C．understand each other's feelings | D．have money or luck |
This passage mainly discuss ______ .
| A．the qualities of a friend | B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends | D．the importance of having a friend |
In spite of the television and other ways to pass information, the newspaper is still an important source. Many people begin their day by reading the paper. In this way they learn what is going on in the world. Sometimes, however, they don’t have time to read the news carefully and must be satisfied with a quick look at the front page, at other times, they may be in such a hurry that they have time only for a glance at headlines.
In the United States there are newspapers to satisfy all kinds of readers. In big cities there are many types of papers, with several different editions（版本） every day. In the small towns there are fewer newspapers and perhaps only one edition each day. In some areas the paper is even printed weekly.
Another type of publications that help the population know what is happening in the world is magazines. Some magazines are published weekly, others are put out monthly. There are news magazines, and magazines for special interests as sports, photography and music. In the United States, you can find the right thing for every taste and interest.In order to know what is happening in the world, .
| A．people should read the whole newspaper carefully |
| B．people should read a newspaper as the first thing in the morning |
| C．one should at least have a quick look at the headlines |
| D．one doesn’t have to read the front page |
In the United States, .
| A．people read more newspapers than in other countries |
| B．there are different newspapers even in a small town |
| C．people can read at least one newspaper each week |
| D．people spend a lot of time reading the Sunday section |
Magazines are .
| A．weekly or monthly newspapers | B．a kind of publications |
| C．special reading materials for fun | D．just like newspapers |
In the first paragrgh the underlined word “glance” probably means .
| A．quick look | B．quick movement | C．angry look | D．unpleasant look |
A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. "You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior , "said a middle-aged man.
"Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company," said a second passenger. "That's right," another lady said, "I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor. "
Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said , "Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised..."
Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman's lap interrupted, "I know his name. I call him Dad."The passengers were _____ to see the conductor's kindness to the woman and the child.
| A．excited | B．pleased | C．interested | D．surprised |
One passenger suggested writing a letter to the company to ______ .
| A．make a demand for more buses | B．thank the conductor for his good service |
| C．criticize the conductor for his rude behavior | |
| D．invite a newspaper reporter to write about the conductor |
What was the gentleman?
| A．A teacher. | B．A newspaper reporter. |
| C．Not known from the story. | D．The conductor's friend from his company. |
It is clear from the story that the conductor _______.
| A．has changed his attitude towards his work | B．has now been kind and polite to all passengers |
| C．has not changed his rude behavior to passengers | D．has now been kind and polite to women with children |
One summer my friend and I decided to go to Italy for a holiday and we decided to travel there without going through a travel agency. You know, you would be submerged (淹没) in crowds of tourists and lose lots of opportunities to get familiar with the country more closely. We started to think over our trip and managed to come up with a f
ree tour of Italy.
The trip was not very long but it was still very impressive. We look forward to going there again! Of course, we spent lots of time arranging the trip, but it was well worth it! Of course I was afraid that something would go wrong and I was especially anxious about my visa, but everything went quite smoothly in the end.
The most difficult part was getting a visa without an invitation. In the Italian consulate(领事馆), one must hand in some official paper proving that one has a hotel booked for oneself in order to get the visa. Then we had to solve the ticket problem. Airlines often sell cheap tickets a
nd we bought ours far in advance. The next step was to book a hotel. We finally booked a hotel about thirty km away from the heart of Rome and it was the perfect choice for our trip.
Every day we took a train that carried us to the heart of Rome. Our big house, which was surrounded by the forest, was a rare girl for the fresh air and absolute silence, beautiful views, hospitable (好客的) hosts, comfortable living conditions delighted us to no end. Besides this, we were very lucky that our mistress was Russian. She gave us a lot of advice that was of great use. She told us what transport to choose and where the best places to go.
Don’t
be afraid to arrange your trip by yourself. It’s not difficult! The only thing I'll say right now is that we really enjoyed traveling by ourselves. We walked with a map and a guide-book to wherever we wanted and we even met some of our fellow countrymen on the way just two or three times. So, if you're also planning a "single" trip, don't forget to take a Russian-Italian phrasebook as people in Italy prefer to speak in their native tongue.Why does the author want to go to Italy again?
| A．He had a great time there. |
| B．Italy has a lot of attractions. |
| C．His friend invited him there. |
| D．He didn't stay in Italy long enough. |
What does the author think was the hardest in preparing for his Italian trip?
| A．Buying cheap airline tickets to Italy before the traveling |
| B．Getting a visa without an invitation from the Italian consulate. |
| C．Booking a comfortable hotel on his own in Rome. |
| D．Solving the ticket problem far in advance. |
In the fourth paragraph the author mainly explains
| A．the reason why he chose to live in the center of Rome |
| B．the reason why the hotel he booked was the right choice |
| C．what transport they chose to travel in their Italian trip |
| D．the reason why the mistress gave them some advice |
Which of the following questions has NOT been answered in the passage?
| A．Why did the author decide to go to Italy for a holiday for the first time? |
| B．Why did the author decide not to follow a travel agency? |
| C．How did the author prepare for his trip? |
| D．What tools did the author use for his traveling? |
From the text we can know the author
A. enjoy
s traveling everywhere in the world
B. likes being accompanied by tour guides
C. advises us to arrange trips by ourselves
Douglas Grace talks about his ideal city of the future.
I see the city of the future in three zones——inner， middle and outer. In the inner zone there will be no private cars. Public transport will be free and there will only be ambulances， fire engines， taxis and police cars. This inner zone will be the residential（住宅的） and recreational（娱乐的） area of the city. People will live there and go out to enjoy themselves——to cinemas and restaurants. There will be parks and open spaces， trees and lakes， schools and universities. This way， when people are at home， they can go out easily and safely.
Just outside the inner zone there will be big car parks for all private cars.
The banks and most of the shops and hospitals will be in the middle zone. These are things that people don’t need every day.
All the factories and offices will be in the outer zone. People will travel
out of the center to work， and back to the center in the evenings. The inner zone will be cleaner and better to live in and there will be more space for industry on the outside.
This is my ideal city of the future—— a very beautiful place！But I don’t really think things will ever be like that！Where will people live and go out to enjoy themselves？
| A．In the middle zone. |
| B．In the inner zone. |
| C．In the outer zone. |
| D．In the inner and middle zone. |
Where will big car parks be？
| A．Just outside the middle zone. |
| B．Just inside the middle zone. |
| C．Just outside the inner zone. |
| D．Just inside the inner zone. |
What will be in the middle zone？
| A．The banks，hospitals and schools. |
| B．The banks，hospitals and police stations. |
| C．The banks，schools and car parks. |
| D．The banks，hospital and most of the shops. |
Where will the factories and offices be？
| A．In the outer zone. |
| B．In the middle zone. |
| C．In the inner zone. |
| D．In the middle and inner zone. |
Douglas Grace is probably .
| A．a painter |
| B．a builder |
| C．a town planner |
| D．a dentist |