In the United States，train transportation is unpopular compared with cars and airplanes．Most people like traveling by car or by air.
Officials of the United States Department of Transportation made a study in 2001．The study is about how many miles Americans traveled by different means of transportation．They only studied trips longer than 50 miles．The study showed that fifty-six percent of all miles were traveled in personal vehicle．Forty-one percent were traveled in an airplane．Two percent were traveled in a bus．And less than one percent of miles were traveled in a train.
Amtrak is the national provider of train transportation in the United States．In the past ten years，the number of its passengers has increased by eighteen percent．Although the number of passengers has increased，it is still very small now．In countries such as France，Germany，or Japan，more people use trains．
There are several reasons why many people __________________________．
Firstly，Americans love to drive their own cars．On highways，cars can travel as fast as trains．These highways connect all major cities in America．Secondly，many travelers like to be independent．When they use their own cars they can decide when to travel．Thirdly，many buses travel between major cities．Bus travel is less costly than train travel.
In a huge country like the United States，cities are far away from each other．In some cases，travel from one city to another by train may take more than a day．Airplanes can carry passengers over long distances much faster．People who do not want to spend long time traveling by train decide to fly．For these people saving time is the most important thing.What is the best title of the passage? （Please answer within 10 words.）
Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
It’s convenient for people to decide the start-off time when they travel in their own cars.Please fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.（Please answer within 10 words.）
What means of transportation do you like best when traveling，trains，cars，or planes? Why? （Please answer within 30 words）
Translate the underlined sentences in the last paragraph into Chinese.
If you and your friends wish to share a secret, you can write it in code, and no one else will be able to read it. Codes are one way of writing in secret. Ciphers (暗码) are another. In a code each word is written as a secret code word or a code number. In a cipher each letter is changed.
Codes and ciphers have played an important role in the history of the world. Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler who defeated almost all the countries in Europe about 2,000 years ago, used a cipher when he sent secret messages to his troops. During the American Revolution, George Washington's spies used a kind of code to send his information about the enemy before his military action. In World War II, the Americans“broke”or figured out Japan's most important navy codes and got enough information to destroy a powerful Japanese fleet.
Storekeepers use codes to mark their goods. The codes show how much is paid for the goods or when they are added to the stock. Businessmen use codes to hide plans from their business enemies. Sometimes personal letters or diaries are written in code. Many people enjoy figuring out codes and ciphers simply as a hobby.
In the 16th century, codes and ciphers were very popular among scientists. They wrote messages to each other in code so that no one else would learn their secrets. Geronimo Gardano, an Italian astrologer (占星家), mathematician, and doctor, invented the trellis cipher. He took two sheets of paper and cut exactly the same holes in each one. Then he sent one sheet, which he called a trellis, to a friend and kept the other for himself. Whenever he wanted to write a message, he put his trellis over a clean sheet of paper and wrote the secret message through the holes. There he removed the trellis and filled the rest of the paper with words that would make sense. When his friend received it, he put his trellis over the writing and read the secret message.The best title of this passage would be________.
| A．Codes and ciphers |
| B．Differences between codes and ciphers |
| C．History of codes and ciphers |
| D．Inventors of codes and ciphers |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Ciphers can be broken or figured out more easily than codes. |
| B．You could read some words in Geronimo’s letter without his trellis. |
| C．The first person who ever used a cipher in history was Julius Caesar. |
| D．Fondness of using codes was the hobby of the scientists in the 1600s. |
According to Geronimo Gardano, a trellis is ________.
| A．a piece of paper with many small holes |
| B．a secret message with a lot of small holes |
| C．a letter with unreadable words and sentences |
| D．a sheet of paper with groups of Arabic figures |
It is NOT mentioned in the passage that codes and ciphers are used for the purpose of ________.
| A．military affairs |
| B．commercial secrets |
| C．scientific achievements |
| D．personal enjoyment |
Here is the tour that’s voted “3rd best tour in London” on the Best Things to Do--TripAdvisor! Hairy Goat is the best and most original tour company in London.
Do you like walking around a city and discovering something that makes a great photo? London is full of interesting photo chances and maybe you need someone to lead you to them. The tour is perfect for team events,
families, groups of friends and school or college classes.
Bring: A fully charged camera and plenty of memory cards or film, a drink and wear comfortable walking shoes. Dress for three hours’ walking outside.
Price: £45 per adult (18yrs and over), £40 per child (12-15yrs) and full-time students (student ID required). Some tours to be booked and paid in advance. Please call or email for details. Please follow the links on the website or call Corinna at +44(0)7540832771.
Meet: Meet in front of the Royal Exchange Building at Bank Underground Station. Take Exit 3 or 4 from the underground station.
When: See the website for scheduled dates.
Duration: Three hours, at a comfortable walking pace.
Finish: By an underground station within the city. Location varies daily.A family of four, including a son of 19 and a daughter of 13, should pay ________.
| A．£180 | B．£175 |
| C．£170 | D．£160 |
According to the passage, the tour _________.
| A．is intended for individuals only |
| B．takes three hours on a sightseeing vehicle |
| C．has been voted the best tour in London three times |
| D．offers chances to take great photos |
According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
| A．Hairy Goat organizes the tour. |
| B．All the tours are not to be booked in advance. |
| C．People can go through the website to find the date. |
| D．The tour finishes at the same location every day. |
The passage is written mainly to __________.
| A．introduce the best thing to do in London |
| B．show more information about London |
| C．attract people to take the tour in London |
| D．encourage people to walk instead of driving |
Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cochran, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School, did something unforgettable. On the first day of school, with permission of the school headmaster, she took all of the desks out of the classroom.
The kids came into the first period. They walked in, and there were no desks. They looked around and said, "Ms Cochran, where are our desks?" And she said, “You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn them.”
They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades.”
"No," she said.
"Maybe it's our behavior."
And she told them, "No, it's not even your behavior."
Second period, the same thing. Third period... By early afternoon television news reporters had gathered in Ms. Cochran’s class to find out about this crazy teacher.
The last period of the day, Martha Cochran gathered her class. They were at this time sitting on the ground floor around the sides of the room. "Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the ordinary desks in this classroom." she said, "Now I'm going to tell you."
Martha Cochran went to the door of the classroom and opened it, and as she did, twenty-seven adults, who were fathers or mothers of the kids, walked into that classroom, each one having a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows. And when they finished placing those desks, those kids for the first time in their lives understood how they earned those desks.
Martha said, "You don't have to earn those desks. They did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it's up to you to sit here responsibly to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don't ever forget it!"Why did Cochran take all the desks out of the classroom?
| A．Because she wanted to punish the kids. |
| B．Because she wanted to let kids know how they earned the desks. |
| C．Because kids didn't need any desks at her classes. |
| D．Because the desks were all broken. |
Who get kids to have a chance to get education?
| A．Teachers. | B．The headmaster. |
| C．Kids themselves. | D．Kids’ parents. |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the text?
| A．Kids finally understood what their teacher meant by themselves. |
| B．The headmaster supported Ms. Cochran’s idea. |
| C．Kids studied without desks on the first day. |
| D．Kids' parents earned the desks for them. |
When English as a foreign language is taught to children at the primary and early secondary levels of education, it is generally taught with a general education aim in mind--that is, it is regarded as a “good thing” for them to learn a foreign language as a part of a broad education. There is usually, however, no immediate and specific requirement for such children to make use of the language in any communicative situation. The purpose of learning the language is essentially a “deferred” (延缓的) purpose, deferred till the tertiary (第三的) level of education, normally at university, where, it is agreed, a knowledge of English would be helpful in their academic studies. Immediate aims of learning English are defined by the requirements of examinations. Inevitably what is taught to primary and secondary level children is not a communicative knowledge of English language use, but a knowledge of how the rules of English operate.
The language system is taught by means of systematic audio-lingual (听说的) drill and exercise techniques based on habit formation theory of learning and a structural description of English. This may be an effective manner of teaching English usage, but it is less certain that an understanding of how these rules are related to language in use for communicative purpose is an automatic result of this instruction.
What the thousands of children succeed in learning in this way is what is necessary in order to pass examinations. Whether such examinations accurately reflect the uses to which English will be put at the tertiary level is another matter altogether. Adults, on the other hand, unless they are learning a foreign language for “pleasure” at evening institutes, as a “cultural” and social experience, are generally highly conscious of the use to which they intend to put it. That use is frequently associated with an academic or professional requirement; without a knowledge of the foreign language, their development in their chosen sphere of work could be restricted or at least adversely affected.According to the author, the current examination system ________.
| A．reflects the students’ future needs |
| B．does not offer students opportunities to show their knowledge of English |
| C．does not enable students to use English for communication |
| D．prepares students for their future academic requirements |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．English teaching should prepare children for the passing of examination. |
| B．English should be taught to children at primary and secondary levels. |
| C．English teaching should help students with their future academic studies. |
| D．English teaching at primary and secondary levels should focus only on grammar. |
We know from the passage that ________.
| A．audio-lingual techniques are the best way to teach English for communication |
| B．language usage is the focus of foreign language teaching at primary and secondary levels |
| C．foreign languages are usually taught to children as the key of a broad education |
| D．adults usually don’t know why they learn foreign languages |
What’s the relationship of English learning at different levels?
| A．English learning at primary and secondary levels is more important than that at the college stage. |
| B．English learning at the tertiary level is more important than that at the first two levels. |
| C．Successful English learning at the first two levels does not necessarily mean success in English learning at college. |
| D．English learning should not be divided into different levels. |
What is the main topic of this passage?
| A．The importance of English learning. |
| B．English learning as a part of a general education. |
| C．English learning and examination. |
| D．Aims and purposes of foreign language learning. |
If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations: you’re a survivor. According to statistics, you are more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer as a woman, and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you’ll die on average five years before a woman.
There are many reasons for this--typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke--but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr. Gullotta. “This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike.”
Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over 45, it should be at least once a year.
Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed doing anything about his smoker’s cough for a year.
“When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer,” he says. “Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged his life.”
According to a recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they’re undefeatable,” Gullota says. “They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, ‘Geez, if it could happen to him, …’”
Then there’s the ostrich approach. “Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr. Ross Cartmill.
“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.
Regular check-ups for men would inevitably place strain on the public purse, Cartmill says. “But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases. Besides, the ultimate cost is far greater: it is called premature death.”Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?
| A．They are more likely to survive serious diseases today. |
| B．Their average life span has been considerably extended. |
| C．They have lived long enough to read this article. |
| D．They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life. |
What does the author state is the most important reason men die five years earlier on average than women?
| A．Men drink and smoke much more than women. |
| B．Men don’t seek medical care as often as women. |
| C．Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger. |
| D．Men are more likely to suffer from fatal diseases. |
Which of the following best completes the sentence ‘Geez, if it could happen to him, …’ (Line 2, Para.8)?
| A．it could happen to me, too |
| B．I should avoid playing golf |
| C．I should consider myself lucky |
| D．it would be a big misfortune |
What does Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” (Line 1, Para.9)?
| A．A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions. |
| B．A new therapy for certain psychological problems. |
| C．Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved. |
| D．Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear. |
What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men?
| A．They may increase public expenses. |
| B．They will save money in the long run. |
| C．They may cause psychological strains on men. |
| D．They will enable men to live as long as women. |