TherearestoriesabouttwoU．S.pre-优题课

I once heard someone say, “We don’t remember days; we remember moments.” However, in today’s busy life we often forget to enjoy small pleasures while we make big plans.
In the race to be better or best, we sometimes lose sight of “just being”. And just being and enjoying a beautiful moment can provide some of life’s greatest pleasures. A fire on a cold winter night, a good book, an impressive sunset, a great meal, or a timeless moment with your child or a friend ．．． these moments, if we stop long enough to enjoy, are the essence (本质) of life.
I love to fish, especially for large-mouth bass (鲈鱼). About three years ago I was watching television late at night and got this crazy idea to go fishing in the lake behind my house. Of course, my wife thought I was nuts. It was almost midnight! I told her I was fine and took off.
I walked out to a warm summer breeze and looked up at the starry sky and breathtaking full moon. I allowed my senses to soak (浸泡) in every second — the sweet smell of flowers, the sound of every cricket (蟋蟀), the moon’s reflection dancing off the water — it was a perfect night.
After walking across a small field, I took out a flashlight, and selected a lure (饵). On my first cast I got a bass weighing over five pounds, one of the largest I had ever caught. I gently put it back into the water and continued my midnight adventure. During the next two hours I caught seventeen bass, all between two and five pounds. Although I’ve fished for almost fifty years, no fishing memory can top that night.
But that night provided far more than a fishing memory. It was a life memory. It provided me a picture of what life could be like if I just slowed down enough to enjoy the moments. On my way back to the house, as I walked through the tall grass, I took one last look at the sky and stopped to say, “Thank you, God, for giving me this night.”
64. The purpose of the passage is to ______.
A. suggest people should make big plans
B. tell people to do what they like
C. advise people to enjoy beautiful moments
D. encourage people to follow their dreams
65. What does the underlined word “nuts” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Determined. B. Ill. C. Tired. D. Crazy.
66. The fourth paragraph is mainly about ______.
A. the description of the night
B. the author’s fishing experience
C. the author’s attitude towards life
D. what the author did that night
67. We can learn from the passage that night the author ______.
A. caught fewer fish than before
B. enjoyed real small pleasures
C. went to bed around 1:00 am
D. went fishing with his wife

What’s On?
Macau Neighborhood Festival 2008
Various celebratory activities will be hosted by the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau from July 9 to 31 in celebration of the “Macau Neighborhood Festival”. A live performance and picture exhibition will be mounted (组织开展) on July 9. Visitors and local residents are welcome.
Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Free admission
Venue: Courtyard of Lok Yeung Garden, Fai Chi Kei
Telephone enquiries: (853) 333 614
Lao Man Chau Photography Exhibition 2 to 9 Jul.
Throughout his travels to various natural beauty cities, Lao Man Chau had plenty of opportunities to indulge（满足） his passion for painting, music, calligraphy (书法) and philosophy. He is to share the delights of photography in his seminar on July 2 at 3:30 pm. All are welcome to come and share the experience.
Opening hours: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm Free admission
Venue: Millennium Gallery, Av. da Praia Grande, No. 599
Telephone enquires: (853) 557 672 www.mdpa.org.mo
Permanent Activity — San Kio Fair
San Kio Fair is specially designed to offer entertainment, culture and shopping to visitors. Different stalls (摊位) will be set up outside the Lin Kai Temple to provide visitors with toys, garments and food. Cantonese Operas are held on Saturday and Sunday nights.
Time: 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm Free admission
Venue: In front of Lin Kai Temple
Telephone enquires: (853) 324 622
4th Macau Pop Music Festival
Major local music event Macau Pop Music Festival acts as a platform for bands and singers from Hong Kong and Macau to exchange musical genres （类型）. This year, performers will stage two concerts in Sai Van Lake Square on July 16 at 7:30 pm and Macau Forum on July 23 at 8:30 pm.
Admission: MOP $80
Telephone enquires: (853) 9884 130, 9884 000
60. If you plan to leave Macau at 8:00 pm on July 9, how many activities can you take part in at most?
A. Four. B. Three. C. Two. D. One.
61. The 4th Macau Pop Music Festival is different from the other three in that ______.
A. it requires admission charges
B. it lasts for more than one week
C. you can enjoy a performance there
D. you can go there in the evening
62. From the passage we can know that ______.
A. singers from different countries can take part in Macau Pop Music Festival
B. if you want to know more about the culture of Macau, you should go to Sai Van Lake Square
C. Lao Man Chau is a photographer of many talents
D. you can enjoy a live performance at Courtyard of Lok Yeung Garden from July 9 to 31
63. The main purpose of announcing the above is to give information about ______.
A. some bands and singers B. some activities for July
C. a famous photographer D. celebratory activities

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题; 每小题2分, 满分40分）
Everyone likes to feel that he or she is special.
Unfortunately, many of us grow up believing that we’re not special at all. We wish that we could be better at sports or more attractive. We wish we had nicer clothes or more money. Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz (《绿野仙踪》), we believe we’re not good enough just as we are. In the movie, the Scarecrow wishes that he had a brain. The Tin Man wishes he had a heart, and the Lion wants courage. In the end, each of them realizes that he already has what he needs.
Most parents want us to be the best we can be. They sometimes try to encourage us to do better by comparing us to others. They mean well, but the message we often get is that we’re not good enough. We begin to believe that the only way we can be special is by being better than someone else, but we are often disappointed. There will always be someone out there who is better than we are at something. There are plenty of people around who may not be as smart as we are but who are better at sports. Or they may not be as good-looking, but they have more money. It is impossible for us to be better than everyone else all the time.
Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, we all want what we believe will make us better people. What we don’t realize is that often we already have inside us the very things that we seek. Parents sometimes forget to tell us that we are special, that we are good enough just as we are. Maybe no one told them that when they were growing up, or maybe they just forgot. Either way, it’s up to us to remind them from time to time that each of us, in our own way, is special. What we are ... is enough.
56. This passage is most likely written by a ______.
A. teenager B. parent C. teacher D. coach
57. According to the author, it seems improper for parents to ______.
A. compare their children with others now and then
B. give no pressure to their children
C. remind their children frequently they are special
D. praise their children too much
58. By discussing the characters in The Wizard of Oz, the author mainly wants to show ______.
A. we are not good enough just as we are
B. we already have inside us what we want
C. it is impossible for us to be better than others
D. there is always someone who is better than us
59. What does the author of this passage believe?
A. Not everyone can be special.
B. Smart people are more special than others.
C. The richer you are, the better you are.
D. We are all good enough just the way we are.

Millions of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a volume for more than five hours a week, EU scientists warned.
The scientists’ study, requested by the European Commission, attacked the concept of “leisure noise,” saying children and teenagers should be protected from increasingly high sound levels---with loud mobile phones also coming in for criticism（批评）.
“There has been increasing concern about exposure from the new generation of personal music players which can reproduce sounds at very high volumes without loss of quality,” the Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement.
“Risk for hearing damage depends on sound level and exposure time,” it said. More and more young people were exposed to the great threat(威胁)that leisure noise posed to hearing, it said.
Commission experts said that between 50 and 100 million people listen to portable music players on a daily basis.
If they listened for only five hours a week at more than 89 decibels(分贝), they would already be beyond EU limits for noise allowed in the workplace, they said. But if they listened for longer periods, they risked permanent hearing loss after five years.
The scientists calculated the number of people in that risk category at between five and 10 percent of listeners, meaning up to 10 million people in the European Union.
Sales of personal music players have soared in EU countries in recent years, particularly of MP3 players.
"I am worried that so many young people ... who are frequent users of personal music players and mobile phones at high acoustic levels, may be unknowingly damaging their hearing ," she said in the statement.
62. Which of the following can be the best title of the article?
A. Youngsters across Europe: suffer permanent hearing loss.
B. MP3 players: sell best but do harm to youngsters
C. The scientists’ study: requested by the EU
D. EU warns youth: turn your MP3 players down!
63. This passage is most likely to be taken from a _________.
A. textbook B. medical report
C. teen magazine D. governmental newspaper
64. The underlined part in the forth paragraph most probably means________.
A. were uncovered B. felt C. realized D. were faced with
65. From the passage we know that________.
A. besides the high sound levels, scientists also criticized loud mobile phones.
B. if one listened for 5 hours more a week at 100 decibels, he would risk permanent hearing loss.
C. it is only the level of the sound that can do damage to hearing.
D. the scientists said there were 5-10 percent of MP3 listeners risking hearing loss around the world.

Natural ways of keeping time
In ancient times, people had to use the sun and the moon to tell time. They got up when the sun came up and worked in the fields until the sun went down.
Man-made things
The sand clock is made of two glass balls joined by a narrow neck. The top ball was filled with sand. The sand slowly moved through the neck into the bottom ball. People knew how much time had passed when all the sand had fallen to the bottom ball.
People also made the water clock. They made a small hole near the bottom of a pot. Then they filled the pot with water. Markings inside the pot showed how much time passed as the water dripped (滴) out of the hole.
Nature’s Clocks in Living Things
◆Animals’ Body Clock
Animals do not need clocks to know time. They have a way of telling time by their bodies. Birds know when to fly to warmer places before winter. Some animals know when to keep more food for the cold winter months. Some fish know when it is time to move up the river and lay eggs.
◆Plants have their own clocks
Plants also have their own clocks to keep time. Plants know when to open flowers or when to drop their leaves.
◆The Body Clock in Human Beings
People also have their own body clocks. When we get used to our lives, our body clocks can be very accurate (准确的). It can tell us when it is time to wake up. It can also tell us when to eat or to go to sleep.
59. How could an ancient farmer know when to go back home in the daytime?
A. By looking at the moon.B. By looking at the stars.
C. By looking at the sun.D. By feeling whether tired or not.
60. How many kinds of living things with nature’s clocks are mentioned here?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 5 D. 6.
61. From the passage, we know what man-made things have in common is that_______.
A. both of them have a hole. B. both of them are designed with glass balls.
C. both of them can be used only once. D. both of them tell time in the same way