Not many years ago，a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was seventy-five， he gave ￡ 12，000 to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children’s playground.
As a result of his kindness， many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During their talk，Johnson remarked that he was seventy-five and expected to live to be a hundred. The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy—five. Johnson had a sense of humor. He liked whisky and drank some each day. “I have an injection （注射） in my neck each evening.” he told the newspaperman，thinking of his evening glass of whisky.
The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy-five and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain，asking him for the secret of his daily injection.Johnson became a rich man through _________.
| A．making whisky |
| B．doing business. |
| C．buying and selling land. |
| D．having an injection each night |
When Johnson said he had an injection in his neck each evening， he really meant that ______.
| A．he liked drinking a glass of whisky in the evening. |
| B．he needed an injection in the neck. |
| C．a daily injection in the evening would make him sleep well. |
| D．there was something wrong with his neck. |
Which words do you think can best describe Johnson according to the passage?
| A．humorous and drunk | B．wealthy and honest |
| C．wealthy and humorous | D．drunk and clever |
There was once a beautiful nymph called Echo. But Echo had one failing; she was fond of talking, and whether in chat or argument, would have the last word. As she was good company , she and Zeus became good friends. However，Zeus’ wife, Hera, became jealous. She followed Zeus to the earth to find out what he was doing and Zeus asked Echo to distract Hera until he could escape. Later when Hera discovered she had been tricked, she became very angry. She turned on Echo and said, “You shall lose the use of your tongue because you cheated me. You’ll have the last word, bur no longer have the power to speak first.” So from that moment on, Beautiful Echo was hardly able to hold a conversation because she could only repeat the last words of those around her. She became very embarrassed and hid herself deep in the woods.
One day a handsome young man called Narcissus came into the woods. He had been hunting deer and lost his way. However, the moment Echo saw him, she fell in love with him. She followed him, wishing to tell him but unable o begin a conversation. Oh, how she wished she could speak first. Unfortunately, Narcissus was far too busy worrying about where his companions might be and how he could find his way home.
Eventually Narcissus, with Echo following behind along, came to a pool of water in the middle of the woods. Feeling thirsty, Narcissus bent down to drink. As he did so, he saw a beautiful creature in the water staring up at him. . He immediately bent over and said to him, “I love you!” Echo, nearby, and seeing her chance, immediately responded “…. I love you!” But it was too late. Narcissus was already in love, with himself.
` The stranger seemed to rise up closer to Narcissus who was so involved that he entirely failed to notice Echo. “I want to stay and look at this beautiful sight forever,” he whispered dreamily to himself.”… Forever,” repeated Echo sadly. “Come her,” called Narcissus to his reflection as he moved his head and the creature seemed to move away. “…Here.” responded Echo. Narcissus bent back down to see his reflection more clearly. “So beautiful! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!” “….So beautiful!” responded Echo truthfully.
Narcissus remained by the water refusing all Echo’s silent offers of food and drink until he died. Where he had been, a flower grew in his place, as beautiful as Narcissus himself. As for Echo, from that time forward, she also didn’t eat or drink till she turned to rocks and all that was left was her voice. Even now you can still hear Echo trying to attract Narcissus’ attention by repeating his words and still see Narcissus as a beautiful flower growing near a pool.
63. Why was Echo unable to let Narcissus know she loved him?
A. Because she had lost the ability to speak. B. Because she was too shy to speak first.
C. Because Hera had taken away her ability to speak first.
D. Because Narcissus took no notice of her.
64. “The stranger” in paragraph 4 refers to ______.
A. Echo B. A fairy in the woods. C. Hera. D. Narcissus himself.
65. Which of the following kinds of person can be described as a “Narcissus”?
A. A person who loves and admires himself or herself.
B. A person who’s afraid of being separated from companions.
C. A person who is too shy to have a chat with other people.
D. A person who loves to admire beautiful water flowers.
66. Which of the following is the correct order of the events?
a) Hera wouldn’t let Echo start a conversation.
b) Narcissus fell in love with his reflection in the water.
c) Echo saw Narcissus and fell in love at the first sight.
d) Echo distracted Hera to help Zeus escape.
e) Narcissus became a flower and Echo a rock.
A. a-b-c-d-e B. d-a-c-b-e C. d-a-b-c-e D. c-d-a-b-e
67. What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Echo’s sacrifice. B. Echo and Hera.
C. Echo and Narcissus. D. Narcissus’s self-love.
Some of the United States’ biggest banks have closed their doors to students at community colleges, for-profit universities and other less competitive schools, even as they continue to extend government-backed loans to students at eh nation’s top universities.
Citibank has been among the most active in rebuilding the list of colleges it serves. JPMorgan Chase, PNC and SunTrust say have not dropped whole loan plans, but are cutting colleges. Some less-selective four-year colleges, like Eastern Oregon University and William Jessup University, say they have been dropped by some lenders.
The practice suggests that if the credit crisis and poor conditions in the student loan business continue, some of the nation’s neediest students will be hurt most. The difficulty of borrowing money may keep them from attending school or force them to take a semester（学期） off. For those who have got student loans, they will end up with less attractive terms and may run a greater risk of dropping out if they have to change lenders in the middle of their college year.
Tuition and loan amounts can be quite small at community colleges. But these institutions, which are a stepping stone to other educational programs or to better jobs, often draw students from the lower ranks of the economic classes. According to the most recent data, about a third of US graduates took out loans, a majority of them guaranteed by the government.
“If put too many obstacles in their way to get a loan, they ’ll take a third job or use a credit card,” said Jacqueline K. Bradley, assistant director for financial aid at Mendocino College. “That almost guarantees that they won’t be as successful in their college career.”
Some loan companies have stopped the students loan business entirely, viewing it as unprofitable in the current environment. Students attending first-class, expensive, public and private four-year universities can expect to remain plentiful. The banks generally say these loans are bigger, more profitable, and less risky, perhaps in part because the banks expect graduates from these universities to earn more.
So far, financial aid administrators say they have been able to find some lenders that students can switch to, but this is costly to students--- in money and time.
59. Who will be the most upset at the news?
A. A poor students at a top university. B. A poor students at a community university.
C. A bank clerk dealing with student loan business.
D. A teacher from a for-profitable university.
60. With too many obstacles in their way to get a loan, students will probably __________.
A. switch to top universities B. cancel their credit cards
C. fail in their exams D. win a scholarship
61. When they say something is “government-backed”, you mean it is ___________.
A. guaranteed by the government B. dropped by the government
C. against government D. for government
62. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The students loan business in America. B. Banks and universities in America.
C. Student loans start to drop colleges. D. Credit crisis starts to affect loans.
……
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America: the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "we shall overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there’s so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
(From Obama’s victory speech, 2008 )
56. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Ann Nixon Cooper was once a slave. B. Ann Nixon Cooper is a black woman.
C. Ann Nixon Cooper knows Obama and his family very well.
D. Ann Nixon Cooper contributed much to the changes of America.
57. What does the underlined part“cast her ballot”in the first paragraph probably mean?
A. expressed her happiness B. worked for Obama
C. voted in the election D. celebrated the victory
58. What message does this part of Obama’s speech mainly send?
A. Ann Nixon Cooper has experienced the best time and the darkest hours of America in the last century.
B. America has undergone great development in the last century and is looking forward to more great changes.
C. Ann Nixon Cooper has witnessed the development and democracy of America.
D. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.
Ben Southall, from Britain, got the world’s best job, as an island caretaker on Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia. Towards the end of his six-month contract, he had an incident. Please read his blog issued on Dec. 29, 2009 to find out more about the incident.
Now I’ve spent nearly six months here in Queensland and so far I thought I’d done particularly well at avoiding any contact with any of the dangerous critters that consider this part of the world their home. I’ve avoided being boxed by a kangaroo, nibbled by a shark and bitten by a spider or a snake—but then in my final few days on Hamilton Island I seemed to be punished by a little creature known as an Irukandji.
Irukandji jellyfish are tiny and extremely poisonous jellyfish that are in the tropical waters of the Queensland coast between early October and May, and which cause symptoms collectively known as Irukandji syndrome(综合症). Its size is roughly no larger than a fingernail of an adult’s little finger.
I was enjoying a post Christmas jetski session with some friends at a quiet beach on Hamilton Island. As I climbed off the back of the ski and onto the beach I felt a small bee-like sting on my forearm. I didn’t think too much of it at the time at it disappeared very quickly and left the beach to head to a sports massage appointment I had. As I arrived I noticed that my feet and hands were tingling(刺痛) slightly. The member of staff immediately suggested that I get the symptoms checked out and within minutes had the security there to escort(陪同) me to the doctor’s room, only a few hundred metres away.
I was feeling pretty hot and sweaty, had a headache and felt pretty sick too, together with pain in my lower back and a tightness in the chest and really high blood pressure all classic symptoms of Irukandji syndrome! This was not what I’d wanted at all and had caught me a little off guard to say the least--I’m supposed to be relaxing in my last few days on Hamilton Island.
The doctor knew instantly what it was and straight away started the course of treatment to get me on the mend. I had a couple of injections which immediately took away the uncomfortable pain I was feeling and I slipped into a comfortable sleep after an hour or so, waking to say hello to a couple of friends who came to see if I was OK! Bre was there the entire time tending to me like a little Florence Nightingale!
Once I’d recovered sufficiently I was discharged that evening and allowed to go home to sleep the effects off and only really knew what had happened when Bre told the full story the next morning--I had been very lucky.
I’d had a minor brush with what can be a very serious jellyfish and has led to people being hospitalized for a number of days, my slight knock was enough to tell me that it’s not something to be messed around with and I really should have been wearing a full stinger suit, as it recommended at all beaches here at this time of year.., even if you’re in the water for just a couple of seconds as I was!
66. We now know that people who suffer from Irukandji syndrome usually ___________.
A. have headache, backache, chest pain, sweat heavily and feel sick
B. have headache, backache, chest pain, breathe quickly and cough a lot
C. is not very painful in the beginning, but can be very painful the next day
D. play with these beautiful jellyfish while swimming in the sea
67. What have we learnt from Ben’s blog EXCEPT that _______________?
A. Ben Southall knows how to take care of himself
B. Ben Southall doesn’t look after himself well enough
C. Ben Southall has been in hospital for some days
D. Ben Southall’s friend, Bre tends to him well
68. What lesson can we learn from Ben’s incident?
A. All rules must be strictly obeyed all the time.
B. All recommendations should be seriously taken into consideration.
C. Always have yourselves covered when you are in the sea.
D. Never play with creatures in the sea.
69. Which of the following is the correct order of the events?
a. Keep an appointment b. See a doctor c. Go jetskiing d. Get home
A. a,c,d,b B. c,a,b,d C. c,b,a,d D. d,b,a,c
70. How do islanders deal with Ben Southall’s incident?
A. Politely, certainly and successfully. B. Nicely, slowly and carefully.
C. Hopefully, carefully and skillfully. D. Kindly, quickly and efficiently.
It’s Friday morning in the year of 2050, and you’re running late. You got distracted(分心) watching the music video that was playing in the corner of your bathroom mirror while you were brushing your teeth. How will you get to your office on time?
A quick check of your internet-connected refrigerator magnet tells your train, which travels at speeds up to 230 miles an hour, is a bit behind schedule, too. So you decide to drive your environmentally-friendly hydrogen fuel cell car instead, or rather, let your car drive you. It’s programmed to know the way, and it will get you there without speeding, getting lost, or crashing.
Settling into your office chair, which changes colour to match what you’re wearing, you pick up yesterday morning’s newspaper. Printed on reusable electronic paper, it instantly rewrites itself with today’s headlines. Now it’s time for your big meeting. Uh-oh! You’ve left your handwritten notes at home. No problem. The digital ink pen you used has stored an electronic copy of what you wrote.
Your wristwatch videophone suddenly rings. Your best friend’s face pops up on the organic light-emitting diode screen asking what you’re doing this weekend. “Will you slap on your 3-D contact lenses and play virtual soccer with the US Olympic team?” “No, no,” Your friend says, “I want to take the elevator which is made of microscopic fibers many times stronger than steel to get into space.”
Could this scene really take place in just a couple of decades? The researchers who are currently developing all this stuff think so. These gadgets(器械) may be as common in 20 years as cell phones and DVD players are today.
63. According to the passage, __________.
A. your office colour will change to that of what you’re wearing
B. newspapers will go electronic C. you usually go to work by car
D. the digital ink pen makes writing so easy
64. You decide to use your hydrogen fuel cell car because __________.
A. it is safe, quick and comfortable B. it is environmentally-friendly
C. your train is late for some reason D. you are too late to catch your train
65. What will life be like in the year of 2050 according to the passage?
A. Space tourism will be a reality. C. Transportation will be trouble-free.
B. Videophones will replace face-to-face communication.
D. People will have more time to go in for their hobbies.