I was walking along the deserted main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to get in touch with the Automobile Association .Low gray clouds were drifting across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat.
I could see no call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his job, but the town was completely dead.
Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street next to it was the town's only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint, I hurried forward but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was very fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat and rubber boots. I could not see his face - he was bending forward over the phone with his back pressed against the glass and didn't even raise his head at the sound of my coming nearer and nearer. Carefully and surprisedly, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the call box door.The author was walking through the small seaside town__________.
| A．late morning | B．before midnight | C．early morning | D．late evening |
The weather of the day was ____, when the story happened.
| A．stormy, damp and clear |
| B．windy, cold and cloudy |
| C．rainy, cold and clear |
| D．rainy, windy and cold |
Why was the author astonished when he saw that there was a man in the call box? Because___
| A．the man inside was still wearing a raincoat |
| B．he didn't expect it to be taken up |
| C．the man had his back with him |
| D．the man did not seem to be moving |
The author waited, standing a few feet away from the box because____.
| A．it was bad manners to overhear other's phone calls |
| B．the man didn't notice his coming |
| C．he wanted to have a cigarette to calm himself down |
| D．it was not safe to be close to the box |
What do you suppose happened to the man in the call box?
| A．He slept. |
| B．He was too fat to move around. |
| C．He was lost in his important phone call. |
| D．He had most probably been killed. |
Your car is a necessary part of your life. You use it every day. Of course, you want to hold on to it so you make sure it has the latest alarm and immobilizer. But despite all these, cars like yours are still stolen every day. In fact, in this country, one car is stolen almost every minute! And if your car is stolen, you only have a 50:50 chance of seeing it again.
Each year, car crime costs nearly £3 billion. Of course, if you’re insured, you won’t lose out, or will you? Firstly, you will have to pay extra insurance later on, and then you may not be offered the full amount by the agent. You will probably have to hire a car and you will also lose the value of the contents and accessories (配件) in the car.
Now comes the solution. An RAC Trackstar system, hidden in one of 47 possible secret locations in your car, is the key of our system. If your car is stolen, radio signals are sent at twenty-second intervals from the car to the RAC Trackstar National Control Center via a satellite network. Then a computer gives the vehicle’s exact location, speed and direction.
The RAC Trackstar National Control Center, which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, will immediately inform the police in the area where the car is located. Because the police receive information every twenty seconds, they will always know the vehicle’s location. Once the thief has been arrested, your car will be returned to you.
RAC Trackstar is unique in being able to provide the National Control Center with details of the exact location of your car, its speed and direction. And speed is the key to successful recovery of a stolen vehicle. RAC Trackstar Control will immediately tell the police if you report your car stolen and under the 24-hour Guardian Option. It will also tell you if your car has been stolen. RAC Trackstar’s constant updates mean the police are kept informed of the car’s location. All these greatly improve your chances of seeing your car again. If your car is stolen, you will have to ______.
| A．hire a new car |
| B．pay more insurance |
| C．buy a RAC Trackstar system |
| D．inform the National Control Center |
The Trackstar system can tell the police ______.
| A．how the car is stolen | B．who the thief is |
| C．what brand the car is | D．where the car is |
The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph refers to ______.
| A．the local police station |
| B．the Guardian Option |
| C．the insurance company |
| D．the RAC Trackstar Control |
According to the passage, people with RAC Trackstar ______.
| A．automatically find directions |
| B．seldom get their vehicles damaged |
| C．have less chance of being in an accident |
| D．are more likely to get the stolen cars back |
A castle is a type of fortified（加固的）structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages. This is different from a palace, which is no fortified-though there are many similarities among these types of construction. Usage of the term has varied over time and has been applied to diverse structures.
The European castles originated in the 9th and 10th centuries, resulting in its land divided among nobles. These nobles built castles to control the area surrounding them, and they were both offensive and defensive structures. Although army uses are often emphasized in castle studies, the structures also served as centres of administration and symbols of power. Urban castles were used to control the local people and important travel routes, and rural castles were often built near farmland.
Many castles were originally built from earth and wood, but had their defences supplanted later by stone. In the late 12th and early 13th centuries, scientific approaches to castle defence appeared, and could function to maximize the castle’s firepower. These changes in defence came from a mixture of castle technology. Although gunpowder was introduced to be built well into the 16th century, improved cannon（大炮）fire made them uncomfortable places to live in. As a result, true castles went into decline.
From the 18th century onwards, there was a renewed interest in castles with the construction of mock（仿造的）castles, part of a romantic revival（复活）of Gothic architecture, but they had no defensive purpose.According to the first paragraph, we can know .
| A．the palace is a fortified structure |
| B．the castle is different from the palace |
| C．the palace changed over time |
| D．the structures of the castle in different ages look the same. |
what does the second paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Symbols of the European castles. |
| B．Functions of the European castles. |
| C．Influences of the European castles. |
| D．Characteristics of the European castles. |
The underlined word “ supplanted ” in the third paragraph is closet in meaning to “ “.
| A．produced | B．saved | C．protected | D．replaced |
What can be inferred from the river?
| A．Castles have nothing in common with palaces. |
| B．Castles have a history of more than 1,000 years in Europe. |
| C．Castles were mainly used for defensive purposes after the 18th century. |
| D．The introduction of gunpowder instantly influenced castle building in Europe. |
Photography has been my interest ever since I was old enough to pick up a camera, but today I want to share with you the 15 most treasured photos of mine, and I didn’t take any of them. There were no art directors, no stylists, no chance for reshoots, not even any regard for lighting. In fact, most of them were taken by random tourists.
My story begins when I was in New York City for a speech, and my wife took a picture of me holding my daughter on her first birthday. We’re on the corner of the 57th and 5th avenue. We happened to be back in New York exactly a year later, so we decided to take the same picture.
Well you can see where this is going. Approaching my daughter’s third birthday, my wife said, “Hey, why don’t you take Sabina back to New York and make it a father-daughter trip, and continue the ceremony?” This is when we started asking passing tourists to take the picture.
So these photos are far more than representatives for a single moment, or even a specific trip. They’re also ways for us to freeze time for one week in October and reflect on our times and how we change from year to year, and nor just physically, but in every way. Because while we take the same photo, our viewpoints change, and she reaches new milestones and I get to see life through her eyes, and how she communicates with and sees everything. This very focused time we get to spend together is something we value and expect the entire year.What can we know about the author from the first paragraph?
| A．He is fond of being photographed alone. |
| B．He hardly ever asks strangers to take pictures of him. |
| C．He has been interested in photography since childhood. |
| D．He’s proud of the 15 most treasured photos taken by himself. |
Who came up with the idea of having a father-daughter trip when Sabina was 3 years old?
| A．Her mother. | B．Her father. |
| C．Sabina herself | D．An unknown tourist. |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that .
| A．children usually get to see life through adults’ eyes |
| B．the 15 photos are meaningful to the author’s family |
| C．it takes the author a whole week to have a family photo taken |
| D．the viewpoints of the author’s family never change with the time. |
What can be the best title of the text?
| A．Believe it or not; photos do change |
| B．Photos help a family become rich |
| C．Even strangers can help take photographs |
| D．A father-daughter bond, one photo at a time |
Are you a volcano lover? Here is a list of some of the world’s most beautiful volcanoes that our travel agency can offer you to visit. Don’t miss them!
Mount Mayon, the Philippines
Located about 450 km southeast of Manila on the island of Luzon, Mount Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines; a September 2014 eruption forced thousands to flee the area. Those who hike the volcano are rewarded with views of the towns on the Albay province and the Pacific Ocean. But even those who prefer the view from a distance have historical good point at the Cagsawa Ruins, once an 18th Century Franciscan church that was destroyed by an 1814 eruption.
Kilauea and Mauna Kea, Hawall
Hawaii’s volcanoes are known for their active eruptions and extraordinary scenes. Mauna Kea is around one million years old, while Kilauea is the youngest volcano in Hawaii and has been erupting continuously since 1983. The lava falls straight into the sea, creating fantastic forms of black rocks and smoke clouds.
Mount Kelimutu, Indonesia
Kelimutu’s three mysterious crater lakes attract both scientists and tourists to the island of Flores in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province. One is emerald green（翡翠绿），another dark red, and the third pitch black. Scientists say the lakes take on such colors because the volcanic gases met the lakes’ minerals centuries ago.People who hike Mount Mayon can enjoy the following EXCEPT .
| A．views of the towns in the Albay province |
| B．views of the Pacific Ocean |
| C．views of the Cagsawa Ruins |
| D．views of Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province |
According to the text, Kilauea .
| A．is an active volcano |
| B．stopped erupting in 1983 |
| C．is the youngest volcano in the world |
| D．forces thousands to flee in 2014. |
The colors of Kelimutu’s three mysterious crater lakes are due to .
| A．water pollution | B．different environment |
| C．chemical reaction | D．different temperatures |
Like human beings, dogs may catch cold because of cold weather, wet conditions or can also get it from other sick dogs. If a dog has a running nose and watery eyes, coughs or sneezes(打喷嚏）, then it is quite probable that the dog has caught cold.
A dog's cold can get over after a few days without treatment but it totally depends upon the owner to treat it with medications or improve its immune power（免疫力）to get rid of the cold naturally. Following are some of the things you can do if your dog gets a cold.
You can improve its immune power by giving it proper nutrient diet. Healthy food can really do wonders. Try to give it food which is either suggested by the vet（兽医）or is healthy for your pet. Increase the intake of food which is rich in vitamins A, C and E.
Keep your dog warm. The best place for your dog in winter is inside your house. Do not keep your dog outside when it is cold and wet. At home you can also keep the dog warm with the help of carpets. This will make him comfortable and help him to recover fast.
Increase the fluid（流质）intake as it helps a lot. Water can be the best choice but you can also add broth（肉汤）in water which will give your dog strength. Warm water will make your dog more comfortable and will also keep the dog away from the respiratory infections（呼吸道感染）.
Steam treatment is considered to be effective in getting rid of cold. It makes the nasal（鼻的）passage wet, which helps proper breathing. Just fill your bathroom with steam and leave your dog inside the bathroom for 15 minutes. Do it nearly 2 to 3 times a day and you will see your dog recovering.
These are some of the things you can do to help your dog recover from cold. However, if you are not able to find any improvement in its health, then turn to the vet for help immediately. Take your dog for regular checkups so as to avoid complications（并发症）.From the first paragraph we know about __________.
| A．the difficulty in keeping a dog as a pet |
| B．characteristics(特征) of sick dogs |
| C．the similarities between dogs and human beings |
| D．causes and symptoms（症状）of cold in dogs |
When your dog catches cold, you should feed it on _______.
| A．its favorite food | B．the suggested food by the vet |
| C．some meat and water | D．food rich in vitamin B |
When a dog catches cold, it is wrong to ________.
| A．keep it inside during cold and wet weather |
| B．leave it inside the bathroom full of steam |
| C．let it eat too much solid（固体）food |
| D．keep it sleeping on carpets at home |
It can be learnt from the text that _________.
| A．a dog’s cold can always disappear naturally |
| B．it’s quite easy to make a sick dog recover from cold |
| C．treating a dog’s cold sometimes needs a vet’s help |
| D．cold in dogs won’t spread between each other. |