Do you know that a fast reader can get the ideas better than a slow reader can? Of course, you save time by reading fast, but this is not the main reason for fast reading. The main reason is that you understand better what you are reading when you read fast.
As your eyes move along the line of print, they make fixations (固定) or pauses. It is important that you see several words at a fixation. It is also important that your eyes leave a group of words quickly and move on to another group. The number of letters or words that you see at a fixation is called your eye span. Pay more attention to improving your rate of reading. With practice you can learn to read faster than you usually read.
The way in which you read always depends on what you are reading and for what purpose. You should know the different ways of reading so that you can apply whatever method that is necessary. Here are four ways of reading:
(1) Skimming is an important kind of reading. This method can be used when you wish to review something that you have forgotten. You can skim to get the main points.
(2) Rapid first reading and then rereading certain parts carefully is important. You may use this type of reading to study a science lesson or a history lesson.
(3) You need to do careful reading and rereading sometimes. This type of reading is necessary for making an intensive (精深的) study of your school subjects, solving Maths problems or reading directions.
(4) Rapid reading is used when reading stories for enjoyment. you may also do rapid reading when reviewing material that you already know well.The main reason for reading fast is that you can _______what you are fast reading.
| A．get the ideas | B．save time | C．understand better | D．learn well |
The way of reading always depends on _______.
| A．the method that you like | B．your reading material |
| C．your reading purpose | D．both B and C |
The underlined word "skimming" in the fourth paragraph means _______.
| A．reading very fast | B．looking carefully |
| C．reading only the main points | D．reading some parts of the material |
Careful reading is an important kind of reading _________.
| A．when you read a story for enjoyment |
| B．when you go over a lesson that you have already known well |
| C．when you read the directions before using a camera which is expensive |
| D．when you wish to find a lost place that you have read |
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loves experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out,” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his father’s warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colours, shifting and changing, and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead!” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGE １
VOYAGE ２
Mark’s finger flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED.
START TRANSPORT PROGRAM.
AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED(自动回收程序已启动).”
The screen turn even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled out in terror, reaching for the power switch. A beam(光束) of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow(光芒)，until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed：
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL．
DESTINATION: MARS.
RETRIEVE DATE: 2025Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?
| A．He wanted to take a voyage. | B．He wanted to practice his skills. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. | D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
Where did the boy’s father most likely work?
| A．In an electronic factory. | B．In a computer company. |
| C．In a scientific research center. | D．In an information processing center. |
Mark thought “SPACE TRANSPORTER” on the screen was the name of ________.
| A．a computer game | B．a company website |
| C．a software producer | D．an astronomy program |
Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. |
| B．He didn’t like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn’t want to play games. |
| D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
What happened to the boys at the end of the story?
| A．They were blown into the air. |
| B．They were sent to another planet. |
| C．They were hidden in the strong light. |
| D．They were carried away to another country. |
Everyone has got two personalities(个性)—one shown to the world and the other secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you are awake because you can control your behavior, but when you are asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you are a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don't like to upset people, so you never express your real feeling. You are quiet, shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive person. You worry a lot and you are always easily upset. You're very stubborn(顽固的), but you aren’t very ambitious(有野心的). You usually live for today, not tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled(卷曲) up, you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself, so you are often defensive. You are shy and you don't normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You are easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced(通情达理的) personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You are usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don't often get depressed(沮丧的). You always say what you think even if it annoys people.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Two personalities. |
| B．Proper sleeping positions. |
| C．Sleeping positions and personalities. |
| D．Ways to tell your real personalities. |
According to the text, you naturally show your secret personality when_____.
| A．you are awake |
| B．you are asleep |
| C．you can't control your behaviour |
| D．you change your sleeping position |
Tom is used to sleeping on his side. Which of the following can NOT describe him?
| A．Well-balanced. | B．Careful. |
| C．Selfish. | D．Anxious sometimes. |
If you are shy and often defensive, you are used to sleeping____.
| A．on your back | B．curled up |
| C．on your stomach | D．on your side |
Obama Still Smokes in Secret
US President Barack Obama has just made life more difficult for cigarette makers．He has just signed a law that will set tough new rules for the tobacco industry．The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products．
At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90% of smokers who took up the habit before their 18 th birthday．
Obama, who has publicly struggled to give up smoking, said he still hadn’t completely kicked the habit．Every now and then he still smokes in secret．
“As a former smoker I struggle with it all the time．Do I still smoke sometimes? Yes．Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No．” Obama said at a news conference．
“I don' t do it in front of my lads．I don’t do it in front of my family．I would say that I am 95% cured, but there are times when I mess up, " he said．
"Once you go down this path, it' s something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law is so important．The new law is not about me, it' s about the next generation of kids coming up．What we don ' t want is kids going down that path," he said．
Nearly 20% of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases．The new law makes life difficult for．
| A．Obama | B．tobacco industry |
| C．White House | D．US Food and Drug Administration |
What do we know about Obama?
| A．He no longer smokes． |
| B．He still smokes as usual． |
| C．He began to smoke at eighteen． |
| D．He is trying hard to give up smoking． |
According to the passage, Obama is most concerned about ．
| A．children | B．officials | C．his family | D．businessmen |
The Body Temperature
The temperature of your body should be always just the same, no matter whether the weather is hot or cold. That is why the doctor uses his thermometer （温度计）when your are sick.
The body keeps the same temperature all the time ,because it balances the heat it produces and it gives off. It is always burning up food and , producing heat. It can produce heat faster when it needs to give off heat than when it becomes too warm. Let’s see how this happen.
The heat of your body is given off mainly through the skin. When you are cold, your skin is tight and shows “good flesh”. When you get chilly, you must dance around to keep warm or else you will shiver. Then your muscles begin to work, burn up fuel, and produce more heat. It is not pleasant to shiver, so you usually prefer to warm up by exercise, or put on more clothes to keep heat in.
When you are warm, the skin is loose and soft. It is so supplied with blood that heat is given off rapidly. If you get too warm, you begin to sweat ,and more body heat is used in evaporating the moisture（水蒸气） from your skin. You wear less clothing, too, in warm weather or warm room, so that warm can be given off freely. You feel less like exercising because your body is warm already, and the extra heat produced by exercise makes you uncomfortable.
You can see from the way you feel differently in different kinds of weather. In summer, when it is warm, you feel tired and lazy. You do not care to work or play, but enjoy lying and doing nothing. When you get out of doors in winter, the cold air makes you feel lively. You want to play.Which is another title suitable of the passage?
| A．The Patients’ Temperature |
| B．The Body Temperature Should Always Be the Same |
| C．The Body Temperature |
| D．The Temperature and Your Skin |
How does the body keep the same temperature all the time?
| A．It is always producing heat from food. |
| B．It gives off the heat produced in it. |
| C．It balances the heat it gets and loses. |
| D．It stops producing heat when necessary. |
When one feels chilly, which of the following will he do?
| A．His skin becomes tight in order to keep warm. |
| B．He does exercises to make his muscle produce more heat. |
| C．He puts on more clothes to keep heat in. |
| D．He keeps shivering to produce more heat. |
When in summer, people prefer to_____.
| A．work | B．play | C．do exercise | D．relax and do nothing |
If you are in a town in a western country, you'll often see people walking with their dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful animal in the world. But the reason why one keeps a dog has changed Once upon a time, a man met a dog and wanted it to help him in the fight against other animals, and he found that the dog listened to him and did what he told him to. Later people used dogs for hunting other animals, and the dogs didn't eat what they got until their master agreed. So dogs were used for driving sheep and guarding chicks. But now the people in the towns and cities do not need dogs to fight other animals. Of course they keep them to frighten thieves, but the most important reason is that people feel lonely in the city. For a child, a dog is his best friend when he has no friends to play with. For a young wife, a dog is her child when she doesn’t have her own. For old people, a dog is also a child when their real children have grown up and left. Now people do not have to use a dog, but they keep it as a friend, just like a member of the family._______are more useful than a dog in the world.
| A．No other animals | B．Some animals |
| C．Many animals | D．A few animals |
In the past, people kept dogs because dogs _________.
| A．could fight against other animals | B．met the people |
| C．did not eat other animals | D．helped and listened to people |
Now people keep dogs in the cities because dogs_____.
| A．fight other animals | B．are lonely |
| C．are like their friends | D．are afraid of the thieves |
A dog can be _____.
| A．a child's friend only | B．a young woman's son |
| C．old people's real child | D．everybody's friend |