Cancer is feared by everyone. And there is more and more fear about cancer. Not the disease itself — there is no such thing as a high incidence rates(发病率) of cancer. Except for lung cancer, mostly caused by cigarette smoking, the incidence rates are not on the rise. However, some kinds of cancer are decreasing. But the fear of cancer is catching, and the country stands at risk of an anxiety. The earth itself is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen(致癌物). The ordinary, more or less, scientific statement that something between 80 and 90 percent of all cancers are due to things in the environment is taken to mean that none of us will be safe until the whole environment is “cleaned up.” This is not at all the meaning.
The 80-percent calculation is based on the unthinkable differences in the incidence of cancer in various societies around the world — for example, the high incidence of liver cancer in Africa and the Far East, stomach cancer in Japan, breast cancer in Western Europe and North America, and the relatively low figures for breast cancer in Japan and parts of Africa and for liver cancer in America. These data show there may be specific environmental influences, but largely based on personal life-style, which determines the incidence of various forms of cancer in different communities — that is all the data suggest. The overall incidence of cancer, counting up all the cases, is probable roughly the same everywhere.According to the passage, the incidence of cancer is generally believed _____.
| A．to be based on inactive life style |
| B．to be due to anxiety |
| C．to result from environmental influences |
| D．to be caused by heavy smoking |
It can be inferred from the passage that the writer’s opinion about the relationship between cancer and environment is _____.
| A．positive | B．negative | C．neutral | D．approving |
According to the passage, the writer seems to feel that _____.
| A．the risk of catching cancer is on the rise |
| B．the whole earth is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen |
| C．the risk of catching cancer isn’t so great as people think |
| D．cancer can be cured if the environment is cleaned up |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Cancer and Environment |
| B．The Fear Caused by Cancers |
| C．Data on Cancer Incidence |
| D．Cancer and its Investigation |
Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable, whether you are a
book-lover or merely you are there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find shelter from a sudden shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings. You soon become engrossed in some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realise you have spent far too much time there and must dash off to keep some forgotten appointment—without buying a book, of course.
This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main attraction of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. You can wander round such places to your heart's content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will disturb you with usual greetings, "Can I help you, sir?" Of course you may want to find out where a particular section is. Then, and only then, are his services necessary. However, when he has led you there, the assistant should retire carefully and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book.
You have to be careful not to be attracted by the variety of books in a bookshop. It is very easy to enter the shop looking for a book on ancient coins and to come out carrying a copy of the latest best-selling novel. This sort of thing can be very dangerous. Apart from running up a huge account, you can waste a great deal of time wandering from section to section..
. Which may not be included in the writer's experiences while he is in a bookshop?
A．Getting relaxed without buying a bo ok. |
| B．Quarrelling with the shop assistant. |
| C．Buying other books instead of those he wanted. |
| D．Forgetting some important appointment. |
.
. What does the writer mean by saying "time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable"?
| A．You may free yourself from the real life. |
| B．Reading is free of charge there. |
| C．There is nobody disturbing you there. |
| D．You can enter without any certain reason. |
.
What does the underlined wordengrossed most probably mean in the first paragraph?
| A．Lost. | B．Forbidden. | C．Puzzled. | D．Impressed. |
.
. The writer wrote the passage in order to ________.
| A．suggest a good way of running a bookshop |
| B．encourage people to do some reading in bookshops |
| C．share his experience in bookshops |
| D．give some advice on buying books in a bookshop |
One Saturday afternoon in February, 1943, a farmer in Mexico stopped working for a moment and looked across his fields of corn. Suddenly he saw a thin line of white smoke curling up out of his field, about 200 feet from where he stood. As he went toward the smoke to see what it was, he heard a strange noise. The line of smoke became bigger. It looked as if some great force were pushing it up into the sky.
The farmer rushed home to get his wife. While he was urging his wife to hurry from the house, the earth shook violently. When he stood up after the earth stopped shaking, he looked across the field and saw that great flames were rising from his cornfield. A volcano was being born!
They hurried across the shaking earth to the village of Particutin, which was toward their farm. They found the village was seriously destroyed and the road from the village was filled with frightened people hurrying to safety.
Particutin did not become dark that night. The volcano lighted up the sky for miles around. Flames rushed out of the ground. The volcano threw hot stones a thousand feet through the air. Great explosion shook the earth and heavy black ashes fell from the sky, covering the roofs in Mexico city, 180 miles away.
But that was not all. On 
the third evening a float of lava（火山岩）began to boil up from the centre of the volcano. It came over the edge in a heavy flow, 2,000 feet wide, and travelled slowly across the valley, bringing certain death to everything that could not move from its path..
. From the passage we can conclude EXCEPT that .
| A．the volcano threw out a lot of ashes and hot stones |
| B．the volcano lasted several days |
| C．many people had to escape from the village |
| D．it caused many deaths and great loss |
.
. You can find the passage in a .
| A．newspaper | B．government report |
| C．leaflet for travellers | D．handbook |
.
. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．At the beginning the farmer heard a strange cry. |
| B．The farmer was working in the field when the disaster happened. |
| C．The farmer’s wife was working in the field at that moment. |
| D．The village was badly damaged. |
.
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The damage of a volcano. | B．A terrible volcano. |
| C．An unforgettable memory. | D．A farmer’s experience. |
One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one's mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like "I was wrong about that," and it is even harder to say, "I was wrong, and you were right about that."
I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store in the neighbourhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg boxes. Then he related an incident and I began to remember vaguely the incident he was describing.
I was about eight years old at the time, and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the dairy food department where the incident took place.
There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was an impressive display of eggs in dozen and half-dozen boxes. The boxes were stacked three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the stacks. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the stacks of boxes. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the display back together, so I went to work.
The manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees inspecting some of the boxes to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as if I was the culprit (做错事的人). He severely scolded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. I tried to explain it wasn’t me who had broken them, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, obviously the manager did not..
. How old was the author when he wrote this article?
| A．About 8. | B．About 18. | C．About 23. | D．About 15. |
.
Who was to blame for knocking off the stacks of boxes?
| A．The author. | B．The man ager. |
C．A woman. | D．The author's mother. |
.
. Which of the following statements is not true?
| A．The woman who knocked off the stacks of boxes was seriously criticized by the manager. |
| B．The author was severely criticized by the manager. |
| C．A woman carelessly knocked off the stacks of boxes. |
| D．It was the author who put the display back together. |
.
. The tone of the article expresses the author's .
A．regret for the mistake he made in th e store |
| B．admiration for the manager's willingness to admit mistakes |
| C．anger against the woman who knocked off the stacks of boxes |
| D．anger to the manager for his wrong accusation |
Word Power
Author(s): Kaplan $13.95
You’ll never be at a loss for words again. Energize your vocabulary with must-know everyday words that are the essentials of a good vocabulary, engaging lessons to help you use words in text, hot words often found on tests, tips to help you figure out new words, roots, and more.
Grades: 8 & upAges: 13 & up
Word Smart Junior
Author(s): Russell Stauffer $ 17.95
Now this is the way to add new words to your vocabulary! Word Smart Junior will make you laugh so much. You’ll be amazed that you’ve just learned more than 120 fascinating and very useful words! Parents, teachers, and friends will marvel at your eloquence (口才)!
Grades: 3-5 Ages: 8-10
Grammar Smart Junior
Author(s): Marcia Reynolds $ 16.85
Do you quake when your teacher says, “Now it’s time for grammar”? Do your verbs agree with your subjects?
Fear no more! A big Hollywood producer and a famous movie star will help you learn all those nasty (讨厌的) elements of grammar. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you learn, and how much fun it can be. You’ll finally know your grammar backwards and forwards, and you’ll never have to worry about it again.
Grades: 7-9Ages: 12-14
Grammar Smart: An Audio Guide to Perfect Usage
Author(s): Julian Fleisher $ 12.68
The words you use say a lot about you … but the way you put them together says even more. Your grammar makes an immediate and lasting impression on your teachers, and even your friends. So don’t make the mistake of thinking that grammar is too complicated. We’ve created Grammar Smart to help you write and speak with clarity and confidence.
Grades: 6-8Ages: 11-13.
If a ten-year-old boy wants himself to be admired because of his speech ability, he may buy .
| A．Word Power | B．Word Smart Junior |
| C．Grammar Smart Junior | D．Grammar Smart: An Audio Guide to Perfect Usage |
.
By saying “You’ll finally know your grammar backwards and forwards”, the writer means “”.
| A．You will be clearly familiar with grammar |
| B．You will know the history of grammar |
| C．You will know the make-up of grammar |
| D．You will learn about the future of grammar |
.
The four books are all about .
| A．fiction and mysteries | B．parenting and teaching |
| C．literature and arts | D．language study |
Environmental protection is frequently talked about nowadays. The authorities are doing their best to arise the public awareness of the vital importance of the environmental protection. This issue is, indeed, worth following up.
Environmental protection is closely related not only to our personal life, but also to the entire human race and the world’s further development. For one thing, the environment, in a narrow sense, determines the quality of
our individual life. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, etc. , all come directly from the environment. If they continue to be contaminated, we may have neither clean water, nor healthy food. For another thing, in a broader sense, the environment plays a decisive role in fate of mankind. As is known to all, the earth, up to now, is human being’s only dwelling place. We can expect that some day we will live on another planet, but I doubt that this day will come earlier than the day when the earth becomes a globe of waste, if we keep damaging the environment. Finally, the environment is essential to the further development of the world. Extensive industrialization, which has brought about all the convenience and facilities we enjoy today, has been depending on the comprehensive exploitation of the earth’s natural resources found in the environment. If we do not protect the environment properly, further development cannot be guaranteed. In a word, to protect the environment is an urgent task.
Nevertheless, environmental protection is indeed a demanding task. Many people are still, either unconscious of the urgency of the task or deliberately damaging the environment for the interests of their own. Hence, we should adopt severe measures to prohibit people from doing more harms to the environment. Meanwhile, we need to make the gravity of the present situation known to all. In other words, punishment and instruction should be equally emphasized. Only in this way can we look forward to a cleaner and greener world..
. What does the underlined word contaminated（in paragraph 2）probably refer to?
| A．polluted | B．protected | C．wasted | D．guaranteed |
.
The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to ________.
| A．stress the importance of protecting environment |
| B．enjoy beautiful environment happily |
| C．try to develop our industrialization fast |
| D．take severe measures to the environmental destroyers |
.
. From the passage we can know that ________.
| A．environmental protection is indeed a demanding task to our government |
| B．not all the people in the world realize the urgency of the task |
| C．only a few people are damaging the environment on purpose |
| D．some day we will live on another planet before the earth is damaged |