How should one invest a sum of money in inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves."
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring the time according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit?According to the passage, collecting antique clocks ________.
| A．can hardly keep the value of your savings |
| B．will cost much of your savings |
| C．may increase your wealth |
| D．needs your bravery |
By quoting (引用) the remark of a being from another planet, the author intends to ________.
| A．suggest human beings are controlled by a clock |
| B．describe why clocks can rule the planet Earth |
| C．tell readers what clocks look like |
| D．compare clocks to human beings |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?
| A．Counting the beating of one's own heart. |
| B．Making use of candles, sand and water. |
| C．Observing shadows cast by the sun. |
| D．Keeping slaves busy day and night. |
The purpose of the passage is ________.
| A．to introduce the culture of antique clocks |
| B．to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks |
| C．to compare different ways to make a future profit |
| D．to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time |
Vans, Keds, Dollies—they sound like the names of rock bands，but if you have teenagers, you'll know they’re actually the latest in teenage footwear.
But experts are now warning that the current shoe fashions will be causing teenagers discomfort in the short term and storing up years of foot, knee and back pain in the future. Here, the experts identify the problems caused by teenagers’ shoe choice.
KEDS/VANS
Slipon shoes with elastic (弹性的) sides are particularly popular among teenage boys—with Keds and Vans the most sought-after brands.
The main problem is that they are just too flat—so flat that the heel, which strikes the ground first, also becomes damaged and painful.
BALLET PUMPS 
The worst shoes of all are such light and thin dolly shoes. The problem is partly their flatness, as with Keds and Vans. However ballet pumps, which have no string or heel, have other specific problems.
“As the shoe has no fastening device, it relies on the toes to keep the shoe on, causing an awkward gait (步法) , this leads to short—and long-term problems such as calluses (茧子), heel and knee pain.”
WEDGES AND STILETTOS
These shoes can also cause problems with gait. They may look good, but the heels on these are so high they can force the wearer’s body weight forward, making them very unstable.
Teens who wear these shoes regularly are also in danger of joining those millions of women with constant back pain.
SCHOOL SHOES
So what do podiatrists (足科医生)have on their wish list, especially for everyday wear?
Something in a natural, breathable fabric, with a string to hold it on，with a small heel and a deep toebox that does not press the toes，such as Clark's，Marks & Spencer or Rhino.
If your teen insists on wearing “bad” shoes, get them some simple foot orthotics(矫形器) in the shoes. These support and correct the movement of the foot and, properly fitted by a podiatrist, can often transform their walk and halt the damage.Of all the shoes mentioned in the passage, which can cause the worst problems?
| A．Ballet Pumps. | B．Wedges & Stilettos. | C．Keds and Vans | D．Marks & Spencer. |
The underlined word “halt” in the last paragraph probably means________.
| A．increase | B．stop | C．worsen | D．cure |
From this passage we can infer________.
| A．podiatrists are expert at producing branded shoes |
| B．fashionable shoes all have orthotics in them |
| C．experts are strongly against wearing popular shoes |
| D．trendy shoes may ruin teenager’ health |
Pigs are always considered dirty animals because they roll in mud．But in fact they prefer being quite clean．They cover themselves with mud to help stay cool．During cooler weather, they prefer to stay clean．So do elephants, who also cover themselves in dust or mud to keep cool．When they find a place with clean water they will take a bath，using their long noses to give themselves—or each other—a nice shower
Some animals use dust to get clean．Chinchillas (南美洲栗鼠) have very fine fur． They don’t like to take water baths because water is not warm enough for them．So, instead, they roll around in fine dust．The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry．This protects them from disease
Usually, a small bird is a light meal for a crocodile．But when a crocodile wants its teeth cleaned．it lies on the ground with its mouth open．The crocodile bird goes in and picks out any parasites(寄生虫)between the crocodile’s teeth or under its tongue．The crocodile gets its mouth cleaned，and the crocodile bird gets dinner．
You wouldn’t think fish would need baths．But some undersea parasites live under the fish’s skin．“Cleaner” fish，like the wrasse(隆头鱼)，help take them away．The wrasse stands on its head and dances to signal a big fish that it is ready to go into the cleaning business．The big fish will stop moving and open its mouth wide so the wrasse can swim inside and pick out parasites and bits of food．The passage is mainly about how animals __________．
| A．stay clean | B．help each other | C．get their food | D．take baths |
What can we learn from the first paragraph about pigs?
| A．They can help each other take baths． |
| B．They are dirtier during cooler weather． |
| C．They prefer taking baths to rolling in mud． |
| D．They like to stay cool and clean． |
Chinchillas use dust to get clean for the following reasons EXCEPT that ________．
| A．dust can dry their fur and skin | B．They are not good at swimming |
| C．Water is too cold for them | D．Dust is good for their health |
From Paragraphs 3 and 4，we can know that __________．
| A．Some animals can get clean from others’ help |
| B．Most animals are friendly to each other |
| C．Small animals couldn’t get food from big ones |
| D．All of the animals prefer to stay clean |
Over the last six years I have learned what patience is. Growing up I did not have this virtue（优点）and it is a very important virtue to have. Now I can see that if you are patient you will almost always get what you want if you are supposed to have it. I gained patience when I lost my freedom. I knew that I would eventually get it back in time.
I was locked up in prison for a period of six years because at 19 years old I was playing with a handgun and I accidentally shot and killed my friend. The first couple of years was the hardest.I was always stressed out about everything.Time was dragging by because I was always paying attention to it.While I was locked up，Tom who I talked to helped put this virtue in me.He told me that it was possible that he would never make it home but that being patient and believing that one day he would was what had made him feel better.After a while I realized why he said a lot of things to me.Once I stopped paying attention to the days and just kept in mind that I would get freedom，it seemed that my time passed quickly.
Now I am home and can see that patience paid off for me. I now use this virtue in my daily activities. I know that sometimes life gets hard and that it will pay in the end to stay patient and not to get discouraged. So if you are having a hard time in life，be patient and it will eventually work out one way or another.We can learn from the passage that the writer ______.
| A．got patience in prison |
| B．always wants to know what patience is |
| C．began to teach others how to be patient |
| D．is a successful man now through failure |
The writer was put in prison because he ______.
| A．sold handguns |
| B．stole a handgun |
| C．played handguns with friends |
| D．killed his friend accidentally with a handgun |
During the first few years when he was in prison the writer ______.
| A．made a couple of good friends |
| B．thought time passed too slowly |
| C．felt his life was full of unexpected things |
| D．was very nervous and frightened |
In the writer's opinion people will get a good result at last if they ______.
| A．try their best to help others |
| B．turn to others for help |
| C．keep patient and don't lose heart |
| D．set different goals and keep them up |
I grew up in Jamaica Plain. My best friend Rose and I used to dream about raising a family of our own someday and living next door to one another.
Our dream remained alive through school and beyond. Rose was my maid of honor when I married Dick. Later, Dick was stationed in Alaska and we moved. Rose was sad to see me leave, but wished me the best of luck. We remained in touch for a few years before we lost track.
I thought of her several times over the years. All of my children now have families of their own, and Dick passed away a few years ago. Basically, a lifetime has passed. Then one day, near my 80th birthday, I received a phone call “Hi Natalie, it’s Rose,” the voice on the other end said, “ I don’t know if you remember me, but we used to be best friends in Jamaica Plain when we were kids.”
We have spent hours on the phone catching up. Even after 52 years of separation our personalities and interests are still extremely similar. We both share a passion for several hobbies that we each picked up independently several years after we lost touch with one another. It almost feels like we are picking up right where we left off.
Her husband died a few years ago as well, but she mailed me several photographs of her family that were taken over the years. It’s so crazy, just looking at the photos and listening to her description of her family reminds me of my own: a reasonably large, healthy family. Part of me feels like we led fairly similar lives.
I don’t think the similarities between our two lives are a coincidence either. I think it shows that we didn’t just call each other best friend; we truly were best friends and even now we can be best friends again. Real friends have two things in common: a compatible(相容的)personality and a strong-willed character. The compatible personality is what starts the connection between two people. A strong-willed character at both ends is what maintains the connection. If those two ingredients are present in a friendship, the friendship is for real, It can pass the tests of time and long distance between one another and will never disappearFrom the passage we may know that the author.
| A．lived next door to Rose in her childhood |
| B．was Rose’s maid of honor when she was married |
| C．lost touch of Rose since she moved to Alaska |
| D．missed her friend although they lost contact |
After 52 years of separation, they.
| A．had a lot to talk on the phone |
| B．sent each other photographs of their family |
| C．they lived the same life |
| D．developed different personalities and hobbies |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 6 refers to.
| A．Rose’s description |
| B．coincidence |
| C．best friend |
| D．the similarities between our two lives |
The author thinks that.
| A．the similarities between their lives are coincident |
| B．although they’re not best friends, they have much in commom. |
| C．they both have a compatible personality and a strong-willed character |
| D．only those who have similar characters can be real friends |
My grandfather came from Hungary and was the only one in his family who settled down in the United States. The rest of his family remained in Europe. When World War I broke out, he seemed to have become another man, downhearted. Such obvious change was not born out of concern for his welfare, but out of fear: if his only son, my uncle, had to go to war, it would be cousin fighting against cousin.
One day in 1918, my Uncle Milton received his draft notice. My grandparents were very upset. But my mother, at the age of 10, felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war. Realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and all of her friends, my uncle bought them all service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service. All the little girls were delighted.
The moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers, without any training but all in uniforms, boarded the train. The band played and the crowd cheered. Although no one noticed. I’m sure my grandmother had a tear in her eye for the only son. The train slowly pulled out, but not about a thousand yards when it suddenly paused. Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station. There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out. Someone shouted, “The war is over!” For a moment, nobody moved, but then the people heard someone bark orders at the soldiers. The men lined up in two lines, walked down the steps, and with the band playing, marched down the street, as returning heroes, to be welcomed home. My mother said it was a great day, but she was just a little disappointed that it didn’t last a tiny bit longer.What the grandfather was most worried about was ______.
| A．the spread of the world war |
| B．the safety of his two cousins |
| C．a drop in his living standards |
| D．his relatives killing each other |
The underlined phrase “draft notice” means “______”.
| A．order for army service | B．train ticket for Europe |
| C．letter of rejection | D．note of warning |
What did the “service pins” （in Para. 2） stand for in the eyes of the little girls?
| A．Strength. | B．Courage. | C．Victory. | D．Honor. |
Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story?
| A．Disappointing. | B．Unexpected. | C．Uncertain. | D．Inspiring. |
Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?
| A．The grandfather felt downhearted because he was afraid of receiving a draft notice. |
| B．The train was traveling fast to the front when the news came that the war was over. |
| C．None of the soldiers who got on the train for the front line had been trained in advance. |
| D．Most people including the mother were disappointed that the war didn’t last a bit longer. |