Picking tomatoes
For as long as I can remember, Grandma’s plentiful tomato garden has been a sign of summer’s end. Each September, just as the decreased heat of the sun suggests cooler days, Grandma requests my help in her tomato garden. She convinces me she cannot pick tomatoes without my youthful eyes and quick mind. She says we need to examine each tomato and agree on its readiness for picking. While Grandma’s request for my help in the tomato garden is always the same, her desire for my help seems to increase each year.
Grandma has eyes for finding even the tomatoes hidden by undergrowth and other tomatoes. I, however, just turn circles looking for the ones I think Grandma will like. I spot what looks like a ripe tomato, head in its direction, and then get sidetracked by another that appears to be equally ripe. I usually end up watching Grandma and trying to stay out of her way, which seems the only way my eyes and mind ale useful.
There we are, lost in the tomato vines（藤）. Grandma’s eyes are always knowing, and they are no different in the vegetable garden. From afar she spots what looks like a ripe tomato. As she walks toward the garden, she evaluates the tomato for a second time. but from a different angle. I already know it will end up in the basket with the pile of others Grandma has carefully chosen. However, Grandma acts as if she needs a final look to be sure. She calls me to her side, kneels beside the vine while enjoying the warmth of the fading sunlight on her face, and grasps the tomato in her hand. She turns each round, red ball toward the sunlight before disconnecting it from thevine with a half-hearted smile.
She then looks at me. I nod my head and smile. Grandma assumes I smile in agreement with her tomato selection. I know I smile, instead, at her.Why does Grandma ask the author to go to the tomato garden with her?
| A．He can help pick more tomatoes. |
| B．He can learn the hardship of labor. |
| C．She enjoys staying with him while working. |
| D．She tries to share the happiness of harvest with him. |
The second paragraph shows that the author .
| A．is an inefficient tomato picker |
| B．really has youthful eyes and quick mind |
| C．has spent a lot of time gardening with Grandma |
| D．is a naughty child trying to be out of Grandma’s sight |
In the last paragraph, the author smiled to Grandma because he .
| A．realizes her true intentions |
| B．feels very happy to pick tomatoes for her |
| C．confirms that her choice of tomato is great |
| D．appreciates her skill in finding ripe tomatoes |
What can we infer from the story?
| A．The grandchild will become more skillful at gardening than Grandma. |
| B．Grandma will develop more patience in working with the grandchild. |
| C．The grandchild will gradually become more independent of Grandma. |
| D．Grandma’s need for the grandchild's company will grow over time. |
You may open your electronic mail and find information about how to buy medicine, cheap airline tickets, and books and, of course, computers and computer products．There may also be offers for investment deals, bank loans and special holidays．However, to many computer users, this use of electronic spam to sell products has become a major problem as it makes computer communication more difficult．
Many companies who want to send a great deal of advertising might use the services of a “spammer．” A spammer is a person or company that uses computers to send out millions of copies of the same sales information．Spammers find e-mail addresses from websites, news groups and “chat rooms” where people send messages to each other．
Most spam is sent by companies who are trying to get you to buy their products．Some of these are honest companies that offer good products or services for fair prices．These companies can offer their products for a cheaper price than you might find in a store．However, much of the spam on the Internet is sent by criminals who are trying to sell products that do not exist or offer services they will not provide．They are only interested in stealing your money．When you answer their spam you find you are expected to send them money and receive a gift．One country in Africa has become famous for the number of criminals who try every known trick to separate people from their money．What does the underlined word “spam” in the first paragraph probably refer to?
| A．Unwanted electronic information that reaches computer users． |
| B．Computer virus that causes computer communication difficulties． |
| C．Advertisements sent out by companies who want to sell their products． |
| D．Companies that send out millions of copies of the same sales information． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Spammers are people who receive spam on their computers． |
| B．Spammers are people who collect e-mail addresses from the Internet． |
| C．Companies who want to send a great deal of advertising are so-called spammers． |
| D．Either individuals or organizations can be regarded as spammers if they send out spam． |
Which is the possible
suggestion from the writer concerning spam?
| A．Look out for any spam that reaches your computer． |
| B．Don’t trust any information on the Internet． |
| C．Buy what is cheaper in the spam． |
| D．Don’t buy anything advertised in the spam． |
What is the main purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To explain what spam is． |
| B．To find out who send out spam． |
| C．To warn readers of the possible dangers of spam． |
| D．To show the advantages and disadvantages of spam． |
Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follows? You are not alone．
Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods．Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods．
With proper planning, though, it is possible to
control your weight．The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much．You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy．The following suggestions may be of some help to you．
Do not miss meals．Before you leave home for a feast （宴会）, have a small, low-fat snack．This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods．
Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables．A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full．Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough．
Better not have high-fat foods．Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them．
Choose lean meat （瘦肉）．Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables．
If you have a sweet tooth, try mints （薄荷） and fruits．They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate．
Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays．A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off extra calories to prevent the increase of fat．Holidays are happy days with pleasure but they may______．
| A．make you hate delicious foods |
| B．bring weight problems |
| C．bring you much trouble in your life |
| D．make you worried about your foods |
Many people can’t help putting on weight after the holidays because they ___．
| A．enjoy delicious foods | B．go to too many feasts |
| C．can’t help refusing delicious foods | D．can’t control themselves |
According to the passage, ______ is necessary part to stop you from putting on weight．
| A．vegetables | B．water |
| C．physical exercise | D．calories of energy |
Extra calories can be found in your body in the form of ______．
| A．fat | B．food | C．energy | D．meal |
When we can see well, we do not think about our eyes often. It is only when we can not see perfectly that we come to see how important our eyes are.
People who are nearsighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes. Many people who do a lot of close work, such as writing and reading, become nearsighted. Then they have to wear glasses in order to see distant things clearly.
People who are farsighted face just the opposite problem. They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty reading a book unless they hold it at arm’s length. If they want to do much reading, they must get glasses too.
Other people do not see clearly because their eyes are not exactly the right shape. This, too, can be corrected by glasses. Some people’s eyes become cloudy because of cataracts. Long ago these people often became blind. Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them.
When night falls, colors become fainter to the eyes and finally disappear. After your eyes have grown used to the dark, you can see better if you use the side of your eyes rather than the centers. Sometimes, after dark, you see a small thing to one side of you, which seems to disappear if you turn your head in its direction. This is because when you turn your head, you are looking at the thing too directly. Men on guard duty sometimes think they see something moving to one side of them. When they turn to look straight at it, they can not see it any more, and they believe they were mistaken. However, this mistake happens because the center of the eye, which is very sensitive in daylight, is not as sensitive as the sides of the eye after dark.We don’t know that our eyes are of great importance until ________.
| A．we think about our eyes | B．we cannot see clearly |
| C．we wear glasses | D．we have to do much reading |
According to the passage, a ________ is more likely to be nearsighted.
| A．tailor | B．doctor | C．guard | D．painter |
People who are farsighted ________ .
| A．cannot do a lot of close work without glasses |
| B．can only see things that are very close to their eyes |
| C．have difficulty reading a book if they hold it at arm’s length |
| D．have the same problem as the nearsighted people |
To see a small thing at night, it is better to look ________ .
| A．with wide open eyes | B．with half shut or narrowed eyes |
| C．straight at it | D．in a slightly different direction |
In October, 1961. at Crowley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio, an old, deaf gentleman named William E Hey stood up to throw the first ball of the World Series. Most people at Crowley Field on that day probably did not remember Hoy because he had retired (退休) from professional baseball 58 years earlier, in 1903. However, he had been an outstanding player and the deaf people still talk about him and his years in baseball.
William E. Hoy was horn in Houckstown, Ohio, on May 23, 1862. He became deaf when he was two years old. He attended the Columbus Ohio School for the deaf. After graduation, he started playing baseball while working as a shoemaker.
Hoy began playing professional baseball in 1886 for Oshkosh (Wisconsin) of the Northwestern League. In 1888, he started as an outfielder (外场手) with the old Washington Senators. His small figure and speed made him an outstanding base runner. He was very good at stealing bases during his career. In the 1888 major league season, he stole 82 bases. He was also the Senators' leading hitter in 1888. Hoy was clever; he threw right-handed and batted left-handed. On June 19, 1889, he threw out three batters (击球手) at the plate from his outfield position.
The arm signals used by judges today to show balls and strikes began because of Hoy. The judge lifted his right arm to show that the pitch was a strike, and his left arm to signal that it was a ball. For many years, people talked about Hoy's last ball game in 1903. He was playing for Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast Winter League. It was a memorable game because Hoy made a wonderful play which won the game. It was a very foggy night and, therefore, very hard to see the ball. In the ninth inning (棒球的一局), with two men out, Hoy managed to catch a fly ball to make the third out in spite of the fog. Ms Angeles defeated their opposition and won the game.
After he retired, Hoy stayed busy. He ran a dairy farm near Cincinnati for 20 years. He also became a public speaker and traveled giving speeches. Until a few years before his death, he took 4 and 10 mile walks several mornings a week. On December 15, 1961, William Hoy died at the age of 99 In which order did the following things happen in Hoy's life?
a. Hoy worked as a shoemaker.
b. Hoy began to run a diary farm.
c. Hoy played a memorable game in the heavy fog.
d. Hoy threw the first ball of the World Series.
e. Hoy became deaf.
A. d, e, a, c, b B. e, a, C. b, d C. d, a, e, c, b D. e. a, b, c, d We can infer from the last paragraph that Hoy ________in his late years.
| A．became famous | B．led a relaxed life |
| C．traveled around the world | D．was in good physical condition |
This passage is mainly about ________.
| A．a deaf player devoted to the game of baseball |
| B．baseball game rules and important players |
| C．the rise in the social position of the deaf people |
| D．where the baseball judge hand signals came from |
What can be inferred from this passage?
| A．Hoy was the greatest baseball player in his time. |
| B．Speaking and listening are not necessary in baseball games. |
| C．The judge had to study the hand signals very seriously. |
| D．Hoy's family encouraged him to become a baseball player. |
Every day millions of letters go from one country to another. Letters mailed in Italy are received in Japan. Letters mailed in Canada are received in Africa. On the letters are many different kinds of stamps，bought in different countries．
The Universal Postal Union helps each letter get to the right place as quickly as possible. It sets up rules about the size and weight of letters，postcards，and small packages（包裹）. It has rules that all countries must follow about international postal rates（费用）．
One hundred years ago，international mail did not move so smoothly. One country did not always accept another country’s letters. Letters from some countries were too large to fit into the mailboxes of other countries. Letters travelled by many different routes（路线）．Some were lost along the way．
Sometimes the person who sent the letter could pay only part of the postage. The person receiving the letter had to pay the rest．
The United States was the first to suggest that all countries work together to settle the questions of international mail. In 1974，men from twenty-four countries met in Switzerland to form the Universal Postal Union．Today，more than 120 nations belong to this union. From its office in Switzerland，the union helps the mail to move safely and quickly around the world．From the story we can infer that ＿＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．mail is important to all countries |
| B．not enough letters are sent all over the world |
| C．all the letters must go to Switzerland first |
| D．all stamps look exactly the same |
The Universal Postal Union was formed ___________________ .
| A．to help move mail quickly around the world |
| B．to give many men a chance to work |
| C．to help men meet in Switzerland |
| D．to look for the lost letters along the way |
The underlined word “postage” in this passage means __________ .
| A．money paid when you buy a stamp |
| B．money spent on an envelope |
| C．the charge for carrying a letter by post |
| D．the pay a postman receives for his work |
This passage is mainly about ______________ .
| A．different kinds of stamps in different countries | B．an organization that makes rules |
| C．international mail | D．the size and weight of letters |