However urban life strikes you, cities worldwide have been growing ever more rapidly. Some of this growth has happened in the developed world, but the most dramatic increase has been in the Third World. Almost all the world’s population growth over the next 30 years will take place in the cities of developing countries.
By the year 2030, for the first time in history, 60 percent of the world’s people will be living in cities.
This is actually good news in some ways. “Cities are the fundamental building blocks of prosperity(繁荣),” says Marc Weiss, chairman of the Prague Institute for Global Urban Development, “both for the nation and for families.” Industrial and commercial activities in urban areas account for between 50 and 80 percent of the GDP(国内生产总值) in most countries of the world. “There’s the crazy idea that the way to deal with a city’s problems is to keep people out of them.” Weiss continued. “But the problems of the rural life are even more serious than those of the city.” For better or worse, urban-watchers are clear on one point: The quality of life for most people in the future will be determined by the quality of cities. Those cities will be bigger than ever. And yet, population numbers by themselves don’t determine a city’s prospects; after all, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Hamburg, Germany, have the same population. Nor is explosive growth necessarily the determining factor. “City problems,” one authority points out, “mostly have to do with weak, ineffective, and usually unrepresentative city governments.”According to the passage, in the year of 2030 _______.
| A．there will be many cities having a population of more than 10 million. |
| B．rural area will be extinct (灭绝). |
| C．most people will live in cities. |
| D．the third world will keep up with the developed world. |
In the author’s opinion, _________.
| A．better city, better life |
| B．both urban and rural areas will have a large population |
| C．the larger the population is, the faster a city develops |
| D．both urban and rural areas have larger GDP |
The last paragraph implies that ____________.
| A．Public services are ineffective. |
| B．Cities are increasing too fast. |
| C．Population is not linked with development. |
| D．Government should be responsible for the problems in the cities. |
Suppose you work in a big firm and find English important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially your spoken English. Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers. You may find the information you need.
Global English Centre
☆General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
☆3-month (700 yuan), 6-month (1,200 yuan) and one year (2000 yuan) courses.
☆Choice fo morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day, Mon. ~Fri.
☆Experienced college English teachers.
☆Close to city centre and bus stops.
Tel:67605270
Add:105 Zhongshan Road,100082
Modern Language School
☆ Special courses in English for business, travel, banking, hotel management and office skills.
☆ Small classes (12~16 students) on Sat.&Sum.from2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
☆ Native English teachers from Canada and USA.
☆ Language lab and computers supplied.
☆ 3-month course: (1050 yuan), 6-month course: (1850 yuan)
Write or phone: Modern Language School, 675 Park Road, 100056
Tel: 67353019
The 21 sty Century English Training Centre
☆ We specialize in effective teaching at all levels.
☆ We offer morning or afternoon classes, both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan. Entrance exams:1 June and 1 Dec.
☆ We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holidays.
☆ Only 15-minute walk from city centre.
Call 67801642 for more information.
The International House of English
☆ 3/6-month English courses for students of all levels at very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient class hours:9~12 a.m. and2~5 p.m.
☆ A 4-month evening classes for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).
☆ Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as a 2nd foreign language.
☆ Free sightseeing and social activities。
☆ Very close to the Central Park.
For further information call 67432308.You work from 9:00a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. Which school will you choose?
| A．Global English Centre and Modern Language School. |
| B．Global English Centre and the International House of English. |
| C．Modern Language School and the 21st Century English Training. |
| D．The 21st Century English Training Center and the International House of English. |
The 21st Century English Training Center is different from the other three schools in that.
| A．its teaching quality is better | B．it is nearest to the city centre |
| C．its courses are more advanced | D．it requires an entrance examination |
You’ll probably prefer to go to the International House of English because it.
| A．offers free sightseeing and social activities |
| B．has a special course in spoken English |
| C．costs less than the other schools |
| D．has native English teachers |
If you take the evening classes at the International House of English, you’ll pay aboutyuan.
| A．60 | B．240 | C．720 | D．960 |
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office，a street urchin(顽童) was walking around the shining car．“Is this your car，Paul？” he asked．
Paul answered，“Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised．“You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything？Boy，I wish…” He hesitated Of course， Paul knew what he was going to wish for．He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish,” the boy went on，“that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car？”
“Oh yes，I’d love that.”
After a short ride，the boy turned and with his eyes shining，said，“Paul，would you mind driving in front of my house？”
Paul smiled a little．He thought he knew what the boy wanted．He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are？ the boy asked．
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled（残疾） brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There it is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it…then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.The street urchin was very surprised when ________．
| A．Paul received an expensive car | B．Paul told him about the car |
| C．he saw the shining car | D．he was walking around the car |
From the story we can see the urchin ________．
| A．wished to give his brother a car |
| B．wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car |
| C．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s |
| D．wished Paul could be a brother like that |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ________．
| A．to show his neighbors the big car | B．to show he had a rich friend |
| C．to let his brother ride in the car | D．to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer（推断）from the story that ________．
| A．Paul couldn’t understand the urchin |
| B．the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
| C．the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
| D．the urchin’s wish came true in the end |
The best name of the story is _________．
| A．A Christmas Present | B．A Street Urchin |
| C．A Brother Like That | D．An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |
Jim was a farmer. He lived in a village far away from the town. One day he was very ill , and everyone thought he would die . But his family wouldn’t give up. They decided to sent for a doctor in town . The doctor arrived the village two days later and looked over the man. The doctor wanted a pen and some paper , But there was no pen or paper in the village , because nobody could read or write .
The doctor looked around and picked up a piece of burnt wood. Using the wood, he wrote the name of the medicine on the door of the house.“ Get the medicine for him right away, ” he said, “and he will soon get well.’ family and friends did not know what to do . They could not read the writing . Then the village baker had an idea . He took off the door of the house and took the door to the nearest town . He bought the medicine, and Jim was saved. After that Jim would not let anyone wash the magic words off the door . People in the village thought James would die because ________ .
| A．he was seriously ill | B．the doctor could do nothing for him |
| C．the doctor didn’t come | D．they couldn’t find any doctor |
The doctor got to the village two days later because ________ .
| A．he walked to the village |
| B．the will age was far from the town |
| C．there was something wrong with his car |
| D．they couldn’t find any doctor |
When the doctor got to the village, he______.
| A．found another doctor there |
| B．gave some medicine to Jim |
| C．looked over Jim carefully |
| D．had no idea and could do nothing for Jim |
The doctor wrote down the name of the medicine with_____ on_____.
| A．a pen; a piece of paper |
| B．a piece of burnt wood; some paper |
| C．a piece of burnt wood; the door of the house |
| D．a pen; a piece of wood |
What do you think of the people in the village?
| A．They were rich and clever. |
| B．They were lazy. |
| C．They could read and write well. |
| D．They were poor and fell behind the times. |
To what degree can a computer achieve intelligence？The answer to this question may lie in a newly-developed US computer program called Smarter Child and the Internet.
If you ran into Smarter Child online, you would be surprised at this kid’s huge memory. It can recite many facts. For example, Smarter Child knows every baseball player in every team this season.
He knows every word in the dictionary and the weather in every major city areas across the US. However, if you ask Smarter Child other questions, you get strange answers. A question about Smarter Child’s age returns. “One year, 11 days, 16 hours, 7 minutes, and 47 seconds!” Asking where he lives gets, “In a clean room in a high-tech building in California.”
Smarter Child uses the vast information on the World Wide Web as his memory bank. To answer questions about spelling, for instance, Smarter Child goes to American Heritage Dictionary online. For the weather, he visits www.intellicast.com.
Some scientists believe that by joining the many systems of the Internet, an artificial being with the combined knowledge of, say, Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon and Britney Spears could be born. However, if Smarter Child wants to think and learn on his own like the boy-computer David in the movie A. I. Artificial Intelligence, he must overcome two problems.
The first is that computers find it difficult to read web pages because the files are labeled in different ways. That’s why programmers need to tell Smarter Child where to look for the weather. It would be a much more difficult task to let him find it himself.
Another problem is that while Smarter Child can process information more exactly and faster than any human, he lacks common sense—a basic grounding of knowledge that is obvious to any young child.From the text we can infer that www.intellicast.com is a website
| A．where we people can find Smarter Child |
| B．which is specially designed to help Smarter Child |
| C．where weather forecasts are made |
| D．which is about artificial intelligence |
It is probably most difficult for Smarter Child to .
| A．learn the ability to tell right behaviors from wrong ones. |
| B．tell us how to spell a difficult word |
| C．provide us with a famous poem by Shakespeare |
| D．tell us how the American government is run |
The underlined “it ” in Paragraph 6 refers to ________.
| A．where to look for the weather | B．Smarter Child. |
| C．a much more difficult task | D．to read web pages |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A New Web Child | B．Intelligence Development |
| C．Smarter Child | D．The Future of Internet |
Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens. What he saw shocked and terrified him. A huge swarm(群) of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and seemed to be heading angrily towards him.
With no time to waste, Andy sped off in the opposite direction, without knowing how to escape the swarm. With a rapidly beating heart, he sped down the rough road. As the bees came closer, his panic increased. Andy knew that he was allergic to bee stings(蜇). The last sting had landed him in hospital —and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days. Suddenly, his father’s words came to him. “When you are in a tight situation, don’t panic. Use your brain and think your way out of it.”
On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home. “Bees don’t like smoke,” he thought. “They couldn’t get into the house.” Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but he knew he could not reach the house in time. The bees would catch up with him soon.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to water his vegetable garden. He got off his bike and into the cool water, disappearing below the surface. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone. Dragging himself out of the dam, he struggled up the hilly slope(坡) and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother.
“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover,” laughed his mother with relief. “Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her. He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow. Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
| A．He was riding to school. |
| B．He was listening to a strange sound. |
| C．He was going fishing with his father. |
| D．He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip. |
How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
| A．He asked Mr. Nelson for help. | B．He hid himself under the water. |
| C．He rushed into the Nelson house. | D．He rode off in the opposite direction. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
| A．They crowded like a black cloud. | B．They shocked and terrified Andy. |
| C．They made Andy stay in hospital. | D．They were coming towards Andy. |
Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
| A．No pains, no gains. | B．Once bitten, twice shy. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. | D．One’s mind works faster in an emergency. |