It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting. Why was the bike so important to the couple?
| A．They used it for work and daily life. |
| B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. |
| D．The man’s job was bike racing. |
We can infer from the text that ____________.
| A．the couple worked 60 hours a week. | B．people were busy before Christmas |
| C．the stranger brought over the bike | D．life was hard for the young family. |
What do the couple learn from their experience?
| A．Strangers are usually of little help. | B．One should take care of their bike. |
| C．News reports make people famous. | D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
There is a story of a country where the rate of inflation(通货膨胀率)is so high that clever people pay for a taxi ride before, instead of after the trip. The story may or may not be true. But inflation was up so fast that by the end of 1923, they were 50 billion percent higher— a rise of almost 2500% a month.
There was so much paper money, and it had so little value that people carried bags full of money around to pay for things. One woman tells the story of standing outside a shop with a basket full of 500, 000 mark notes(马克). She wanted to buy just one piece of meat, and she hoped she had enough money. But when she was looking, a thief robbed(抢劫)her. He didn’t take her money; however, he threw it away and took the basket instead.
At first workers demanded to be paid every day. But as the situation became worse, they had to be paid twice a day. but they had to run out and spend the money at once, or it would lose its value. People bought anything that was for sale but food was almost impossible to find. Farm workers refused to take money. They wanted to be paid in potatoes instead.
New policies (政策) ended the inflation in 1923 when the government introduced a new money. But about half of the German people lost everything in those three and a half years. According to the passage, in Germany the prices in 1920 were _______.
| A．the lowest in history | B．the highest in history |
| C．higher than those in 1923 | D．lower than those in 1923 |
The thief stole the basket instead of the money in it because he thought_______.
| A．the basket was what he needed most |
| B．the money was of no value |
| C．the basket was more valuable than the money |
| D．he couldn’t” t buy a piece of meat with the money |
The farm workers demanded to be paid in potatoes because they believed that_______.
| A．the potato was valuable | B．the money might lose its value |
| C．the potato was too expensive | D．the money could not buy potatoes |
Which of the following best shows the inflation in Germany between 1920 and 1923?
More than 6000 children were expelled(开除)from US schools last year for bringing guns and bombs to school, the US Department of Education said on May 8.
The department gave a report on the expulsions (开除)as saying handguns accounted for 58 percent of the 6093 expulsions in 2005—2006, against 7 percent for rifles(步枪)or shotguns and 35 percent for other types of firearms.
“the report is a dear sign that our nation’s public schools are cracking down” on students who bring guns to school, ” Education Secretary Richard Riey said in a statement. “We need to be tough-minded about keeping guns out of our schools and do everything to keep our children safe.”
In March 2006, a 1l-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy using handguns and rifles shot dead four children and a teacher at a school in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In October, two were killed and seven wounded in a shooting at a Mississippi school. Two months later, a 14-year-old boy killed three high school students and wounded five in Daducab, Kentucky.
“Most of the expulsions, 56 percent were from high schools, which have students from about age 13, 34 percent were from junior high schools and 9 percent were from elementary schools”, the report said. From the first paragraph we can infer that in the US schools______.
| A．students enjoy shooting | B．students are eager to be soldiers |
| C．safety is a problem | D．students can make guns |
The report from the US Department of Education shows that______.
| A．the number of the expulsions is not large | B．the number of the expulsions is wrong |
| C．there are soldiers hiding among the students | D．guns are out of control in US schools |
The main idea of paragraph four shows us______.
| A．some examples of shootings in US school | B．the Americans’ feeling |
| C．some famous schools | D．that some teachers were killed by students |
How many students were shot dead in 2006 in US schools?
| A．10 | B．9 | C．12 | D．22 |
From this passage we know that______.
| A．every American cannot have guns | B．only soldiers and police can have guns |
| C．every American citizen can own guns | D．teachers have no money to buy guns |
For many years, no one could communicate with people who had been born without learning. These deaf people were not able to use a spoken language.
But, beginning in the 1700s, the deaf were taught a special language. Using this language, they could share thoughts and ideas with others. The language they used was a language without sound. It was a sign language.
How did this sign language work? The deaf were taught to make certain movements with their hands, faces and bodies. These movements stood for things and ideas. A man might move his finger across his lips. This meant, “You are not telling the truth.” He might tap his chin (下巴, 下颚)with three fingers. This meant “my uncle”.
The deaf were also taught to use a finger alphabet（字母表）. They used their fingers to make letters of the alphabet. In this way, they spelled out words. Some deaf people could spell out words at a speed of 130 words per minute.
Sign language and finger spelling are not used as much as they once could. Today, the deaf are taught to understand others by watching their lips. They are also taught how to speak.The passage is mainly about ___ .
| A．how the deaf communicate with others |
| B．teaching the deaf to speak with their mouths |
| C．learning how to spell words with one’s hands |
| D．how sign languages came into being |
From the passage we can infer that ___.
| A．there is still no way to communicate with the deaf |
| B．the deaf must have special teachers to teach them |
| C．in order to make a living, deaf people must make signs |
| D．it is not very difficult for the deaf to learn sign language |
How did sign languages help the deaf?
| A．It helped them learn to read |
| B．The deaf could understand sign languages even if they had not learned them |
| C．It helped them to communicate with other people |
| D．It helped them speak with their mouths |
Which of the following sentences do you think is right according to the passage?
| A．Deaf people draw signs | B．Deaf people read with their fingers |
| C．Many deaf people now can speak | D．Deaf people can hear what others say now |
Petroleumis a very important mineral. It gives us heat and light. It gives us power for our cars, planes, and ships. Also, it gives us power for machines of all kinds.
How is petroleum formed? Scientists believe petroleum comes from the remains of plants and animals (Remains are what is left after a plant or animal has died.)
What exactly is petroleum? Petroleum is a mineral that is a mixture of hydrocarbons. It is an oily liquid, which may be brown, green, or black in colors. The word “petroleum” comes from Greek. It means “rock oil”.
Crude (天然的, 未加工的) oil is petroleum that comes directly from deep in the ground. It is then taken to a refinery. a refinery is a kind of factory to refine oil. At a refinery the crude oil is separated into many parts. From the refined petroleum we get important things, such as gasoline, kerosene, fertilizer, detergents and a lot of other useful things. In fact, there are thousands of such things that we can get. Petroleum really is of great value!Which of the following is Not true?
| A．“ Petroleum” is a German word. | B．“Petroleum” suggests “ coming from rocks”. |
| C．“ Petroleum” isn’t an English word in the original. | D．“Petroleum” is of Greek origin. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．We can kill animals and plants, and get petroleum by burning them us. |
| B．Over a very long period of time, under certain conditions, dead trees and bodies of animals were turned into petroleum under great pressure. |
| C．Petroleum is a kind of metal mineral like copper（铜）or iron. |
| D．Petroleum has three states. |
The word “refine” in the 4th paragraph can be replaced by “______”.
| A．get unmixed with other substances | B．divide into separate parts |
| C．get mixed with other substances | D．choose the best substance |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．An Important Source of Energy. | B．Petroleum and Its Uses. |
| C．Where Does Petroleum Come From? | D．A Special Rock Oil. |
This passage is most likely taken from _____.
| A．a fairy tale | B．a novel | C．a popular science magazine | D．a scientist’s diary |
Welcome to Adventure land!
Everyone loves Adventure land! The Parks and Exhibitions were built for you to explore（探索），enjoy，and admire their wonders. Every visit will be an unforgettable experience. You will go away enriched，longing to come back. What are you going to do this time?
The Travel Pavilion
Explore places you have never been to before，and experience different ways of life.
Visit the Amazon jungle（丛林）village，the Turkish market，the Tai floating market，the Berber mountain house and others. Talk to the people there who will tell you about their lives，and things they make. You can try making a carpet，making nets，fishing...
The Future Tower
This exhibition shows how progress will touch our lives. It allows us to look into the future and explore the cities of the next century and the way we’ll be living then. Spend some time in our space station and climb into our simulator (模拟装置) for the Journey to Mars!
The Nature Park
This is not really one park but several.
In the Safari Park you can drive among African animals in one of our Range Cruisers：see lions，giraffes，elephants in the wild. Move on to the Ocean Park to watch the dolphins and whales. And then there is still the Aviary to see...
The Pyramid
This is the center of Adventure land. Run out of film，need some postcards and stamps? For all these things and many more，visit our underground shopping centre. Come here for information and ideas too.The Travel Pavilion is built to help visitors ________.
| A．realize the importance of travelling |
| B．become familiar with mountain countries |
| C．learn how to make things such as fishing nets |
| D．learn something about different places in the world |
If you are interested in knowing about what people’s life will be，you may visit ________.
| A．the Travel Pavilion | B．the Future Tower |
| C．the Safari Park | D．the Pyramid |
If you want to get a toy lion to take home，where will you most likely go?
| A．The Pyramid. | B．The Nature Park. | C．The Future Tower. | D．The Travel Pavilion. |