That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre. With opening night only a week ago, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck (垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 A.M. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back. I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
A.Cold and sick | B.Disappointed and helpless |
C.Satisfied and cheerful | D.Fortunate and helpful |
On her way home the writer _______.
A.was robbed of her wallet by an armed man |
B.was stopped by a garbage truck driver |
C.lost her wallet unknowingly |
D.found some homeless people following her |
In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?
A.Someone offered to take her back home. |
B.A red-haired man came to see her. |
C.Her wallet was found in a garbage truck. |
D.She heard someone call her name. |
From the text, we can infer that the writer _________.
A.would stay on in San Francisco |
B.would stop working at night |
C.would make friends with cleaners |
D.would give up her job at the bank |
Winter begins in the north on December 22nd. People and animals have been doing what they always do to prepare for the colder months. Squirrels (松鼠), for example, have been busy gathering nuts from trees. Well, scientists have been busy gathering information about what the squirrels do with the food they collect.
They examined differences between red squirrels and gray squirrels in the American state of Indiana. The scientists wanted to know how these differences could affect the growth of black walnut (黑胡桃) trees. The black walnut is the nut of choice for both kinds of squirrels. The black walnut tree is also a central part of some hardwood forests.
Rob Swihart of Purdue University did the study with Jake Goheen, a former Purdue student now at the University of New Mexico. The two researchers estimate that several times as many walnuts grow when gathered by gray squirrels as compared to red squirrels. Gray squirrels and red squirrels do not store nuts and seeds in the same way. Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in a number of places. But they seldom remember where they buried every nut. So some nuts remain in the ground. Conditions are right for them to develop and grow the following spring. Red squirrels, however, store large groups of nuts above ground. Professor Swihart calls “death traps for seeds”.
Gray squirrels are native to Indiana. But Professor Swihart says their numbers began to decrease as more forests were cut for agriculture. Red squirrels began to spread through the state during the past century.
The researchers say red squirrels are native to forests that stay green all year, unlike walnut trees. They say the cleaning of forest land for agriculture has helped red squirrels invade Indiana. Jake Goheen calls them a sign of an environmental problem more than a cause.The study done by Rob Swihart and Jake Goheen is to ________.
A.find out the living conditions for squirrels |
B.learn squirrels’ influence on black walnut trees |
C.do something to get rid of squirrels |
D.save the forests in the American state of Indiana |
The difference between gray squirrels and red squirrels mainly lies in ________.
A.the way they gather the walnut |
B.the time they have winter sleep |
C.the place they have winter sleep |
D.the place they store the walnuts |
When Professor Swihart says “death traps for seeds”, he actually means that ________.
A.red squirrels eat more nuts than gray squirrels |
B.gray squirrels and red squirrels will have severe fights |
C.nuts above the ground will not develop into plants |
D.seeds can be traps for other animals in the forest |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A.The black walnut is equally attractive to both gray and red squirrels. |
B.Gray squirrels do more harm to the forest than red squirrels. |
C.Red squirrels and gray squirrels have helped the spread of walnut trees. |
D.The cleaning of forest land benefits red squirrels directly. |
Benin is one of the smallest African states. It lies in West Africa on the Gulf (海湾) of Guinea, to the south of Burkina Faso and Niger, between Togo on the west and Nigeria on the east.
Benin used to be called Dahomey and was controlled and ruled by France from 1893 to 1960, when it became independent. In 1963 the army general Soglo overthrew (推翻) the first president Maga. Soglo set up an army government and called himself head of state in 1965, but was overthrown and replaced by a civilian (非军人) government in 1967. In December 1969 Benin had another change of power with the army again taking over. In May 1970, Maga and two other men set up a new government, with each of them acting as president in turn for two years. However, half a year after Maga turned over power to the second man Ahomadegbe, the three-man government was overthrown by the army once more and General Kerekou became president. In November 1975 Kerekou changed the name of the nation from Dahomey to Benin, Benin being the name of a 17th century kingdom covering the same place. Kerekou also announced that Benin would be a People’s Republic based on Marxism-Leninism.Which of the following maps shows rightly the positions of Benin and its neighbouring countries?
Bn="Benin;"
Tg="Togo;"
Nr="Niger;"
BF="Burkina" Faso;
Na="Nigeria;"
GG="Gulf" of GuineaFor how long was Benin an independent state before it became a People’s Republic?
A.30 years. | B.25 years. |
C.20 years. | D.15 years. |
Choose the right order in which the following people ruled in Benin. (Ah="Ahomadegbe;" Ke="Kerekou;" Ma="Maga;" So=Soglo)
A.Ma, So, Ma, Ke, Ah | B.So, Ma, Ah, Ma, Ke |
C.Ma, So, Ma, Ah, Ke | D.So, Ma, Ke, Ma, Ah |
When and how did Benin get its two names — Benin and Dahomey?
A.Benin was its oldest name. The name Dahomey was used later, but has been replaced by Benin again. |
B.Dahomey was its oldest name, but it has been replaced by Benin. |
C.Dahomey was its oldest name. The name Benin was used later, but has been replaced by Dahomey again. |
D.Benin was its oldest name, but it has been replaced by Dahomey. |
On April 1st, Mike decided to fool(愚弄) his friends.
At lunch time he said to Tom, “I think we’re going to have a test this afternoon.” “Test?” said Tom, “Really?”
“Yes, it’s quite true,” said Mike. “When I was passing by Mr. Green’s room, he was talking with another teacher about the test. Tell John, Rose and Joan about it.”
Later Tom told them about the test. Soon almost all the students knew about it. “How foolish they are!” he thought.
When class began, Mr. Green said, “Class, we’re going to have a test today.” Mike was surprised. The test was too hard for him. After class, all his classmates thanked him very much. But he could only smile. “How foolish I was !”he thought.
It really was April Fools’ Day for Mike.Mike decided to fool his friends because ________ .
A.they were talking about the test |
B.they began to prepare (准备) their lessons |
C.it was April Fools’ Day |
D.they were foolish |
________ his classmates believe (相信) him before class.
A.Almost all | B.None of |
C.Only a few | D.Some of |
Mike didn’t prepare his lessons because _______
A.he didn’t like to |
B.it was his holiday |
C.he thought the test was easy for him |
D.he believed there wasn’t going to be a test |
Mike was surprised to see ________ .
A.the test was too hard for him |
B.the teacher really gave them a test |
C.Tom didn’t believe him |
D.his classmates were so foolish |
Which of the following is wrong?
A.Mike thought he himself was foolish. |
B.All his classmates thanked him. |
C.Mr. Green was talking with another teacher about the test. |
D.Nearly everyone knew the test before long(不久). |
Tom was going home at five yesterday. He got on a bus. A mother with her little boy was sitting nearby. Suddenly the boy cried. His mother tried her best to make the boy stop crying. But the boy would not do so. At last Tom said angrily, “Oh, how that boy cried! Why don’t you give him what he wanted?” “I would if I could." answered the mother quietly,“But he wanted your cap.”What time was Tom going home yesterday?
A.At four | B.At five | C.At six | D.At seven |
Who was sitting near Tom on the bus?
A.An old man with his little girl | B.A young woman |
C.A woman with her little boy | D.A young man |
The mother tried her best to make the boy ______.
A.wake up | B.go to sleep | C.not talk much | D.stop crying |
When the boy cried, Tom ______
A.was very angry | B.was very hungry |
C.was very happy | D.did not hear this |
Why was the boy crying?
A.Because he wanted something to eat |
B.Because he wanted to get off the bus. |
C.Because he wanted to go home |
D.Because he wanted Tom's cap |
On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the trees. In Spain, the New Year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds a bag of grapes. When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes. In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the New Year.This story is about New Year’s Eve in_______
A.Italy | B.Spain |
C.Japan | D.All of the above |
People in Spain welcome New Year by _______after twelve.
A.eating grapes | B.eating noodles |
C.throwing the old things | D.watching the sunrise |
People in both Spain and Japan _______ to bring in the New Year.
A.throw things away | B.get together |
C.eat some food | D.climb a mountain |
Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _______
A.look at the stars | B.look for New Year’s wishes |
C.see the sun coming up | D.have a rest |
The people in _______ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food
A.Japan | B.China | C.Spain | D.Italy |