I sometimes wonder if old Finchley has the right personality to be a research scientist. He keeps asking when he’ll be coming back. After all, it was his own fault. Nobody tries out what has just been invented on themselves any more but Finchley. Well, he must have pumped about a thousand cc into himself before I noticed he was clearly becoming smaller.
It was funny watching him, because his clothes remained the same in size. They simply piled up around him so that he looked like a small boy in his father’s clothes. But he kept getting smaller and smaller. As my colleague Dawson and I watched him, he disappeared! All we could see was Finchley’s clothes on the floor. They looked so strange, because the lab coat was on top, shirt and trousers inside and, I suppose, underclothes inside again. It gave me a strange feeling, and I think Dawson was a bit shaken, too.
Dawson was sitting on his chair in front of a microscope he’d been using to examine a family of mites(螨). He looked through the scope kind of absently again, and was nearly scared to lose awareness when he found old Finchley waving back from the other end.
It seems as if Finchley had taken a free ride on a dust mite and landed on the land of the mite family. Of course, we didn’t know till Finchley told us later. But anyhow, as I said, Dawson nearly passed out. He jumped off his chair and pointed at the microscope, too shocked to speak.It can be inferred that Finchley, Dawson and the writer have possible invented .
| A．a machine to make people small | B．a new way to study the family of mites |
| C．a new powerful microscope | D．some kind of medicine |
Finchley disappeared because .
| A．he tried out what has just invented on himself |
| B．his father’s clothes totally covered him up |
| C．he took something poisonous |
| D．he was changed into a dust mite |
It can probably be concluded that Finchley .
| A．will remain tiny all the time | B．is a devoted scientist |
| C．is not fit to be a scientist | D．passed out there and then |
It frightened Dawson to see Fincley .
| A．got out of his scope by accident | B．was waving through his scope |
| C．suddenly got lost in his clothes | D．gradually disappeared in the lad |
There have been many great inventions, which have changed the way we live. The first great invention was one that is still very important today---the wheel. This made it easier to carry heavy things to travel long distances. For hundreds of years after that there were few inventions that have made as much effect as the wheel. There was little unknown land left in the world. People didn't have to explore(开发) much any more. They began to work instead to make life better.
In the second half of the 19th century many great inventions were made. Among them were the camera, the electric light and the radio. These all became a big part of our life today. The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions. The helicopter in 1909. Sound movies in 1926. The computer in 1928, and jet planes in 1930. This was also a time when a new material was made. Nylon came out in 1935. It changed the kind of clothes people wear. The middle part of the 20th brought new ways to help people get over diseases. They worked very well. They made people healthier and let them live long lives. By the 1960s most people could expect to live to be at least 60. By this time most people had a very good life. Of course new inventions continued to be made. But man now had a wish to explore again. The world is known to man but the stars are not yet. Man began looking for ways to go into space. Russia made the first step. Then the United States took a step. Since then other countries, including China and Japan, have made their steps into space.
68. The first great invention ever known was ______.
A. the camera B. the wheel C. the electric light D. the radio
69. Which of the following was turned out nearly at the same time with the jet plane?
A. The radio. B. The camera.
C. Nylon. D. The helicopter.
70. This passage talks mainly about ______.
A. how inventions affect (影响) people's life B. when electric light was invented
C. which country made the first step into space D. why cars were very important
71. We can safely come to the conclusion that people's life will be made even better through ______.
A. new discoveries B. greater inventions
C. better ways to help people get over diseases D. all of above
More than 10,000 people were made homeless in Ternang when the Sungai Mas overflowed its banks yesterday after six days of continuous heavy rain.
The wooden bridge across the river has been washed away. The town is cut off by flood waters. At the fifth mile, Jalan Tengkn, the water is two meters deep. It is closed to all traffic. Flooding first happened at mid-afternoon yesterday along the river banks. People trying to get to higher ground were just in time to escape the destroying of the flood. Most of the flood victims(受害者) had to leave all their things behind.
The National Flood Relief(救济) Center was reported to give its help and by early evening the whole town was moved out, helped by the army, police, Red Cross Society and volunteers(志愿者).
The flood victims are now housed in different simple relief centers in the nearby town of Ternang. “Everything possible is being done to help the unlucky people,” a government spokesman said, “In fact, money, food and clothing have begun to come in from public organizations and helpful people. A Disaster Relief Fund（救灾基金会） will be started as soon as possible.”
According to the latest reports it is still raining heavily at Ternang. The whole town is expected to be wholly covered by the water. So far no deaths have been reported.
64. This passage is probably taken from ______.
A. a storybook B. a textbook C. a magazine D. a newspaper
65. It seems that the flood happened just because ______.
A. the banks were too low B. the wooden bridge across the river was broken
C. the river was too narrow D. they had had wet days for some time
66. From the passage we know that ______.
A. though the town was flooded, you could still go there by bus
B. as soon as the water flowed over the banks, people began to go to higher lands
C. the government and the whole society are taking great care of the flood victims
D. the flood hasn't brought a large loss to the town as nobody died in the flood
67. What is the best title for this passage?
A. A Big Flood B. Ternang Is in Danger
C. Over 10,000 People Are Homeless D. Great Help Is Needed
Dear Laura,
Hi! I am Veronica, your new pen friend from Singapore. I got your name and address from the Making Pen Pals' Column in Buddies magazine and thought I'd write to you. Well, let me start by telling you something about myself. I am 13 years old and I am studying in secondary one at Westdove School. I have just finished my exams. I live with my parents and younger sister in a five room apartment. I like swimming, playing tennis and reading novels. I love the outdoors, especially the sea and I have been on several trekking (long and hard) tours abroad. I enjoy listening to both pop and classical music. My favorite food is pizza and I love making it myself because I like to make it with lots of cheese and pepper. To sum it up, I am a talkative, caring and patient person.
I guess life in London must be wonderful with all the interesting places and good food to enjoy. I'd love to see the famous Big Ben. I hope to visit London during one of my school holidays. Laura, I would really like to learn more about your culture and lifestyle. I hope you will write back. I have enclosed(附有) my address and telephone number. Please feel free to call me if you make a trip to Singapore. I think you should because it is a wonderful place to shop. Till then, good-bye!
Yours faithfully
Veronica
60. Veronica writes the letter to Laura because she wants to ______.
A. tell her something about herself B. know something about her
C. invite her to her country D. make friends with her
61. Veronica says she loves making pizza because ______.
A. pizza bought in Singapore is not good B. people can not buy fresh pizza in Singapore
C. she can make pizza to her own taste D. she thinks it is cheap to make pizza
62. From the letter we know that ______.
A. Veronica is not interested in traveling
B. Veronica has traveled a lot
C. Veronica has been to London before
D. Veronica thinks Singapore is the best place for travelers
63. Veronica thinks that Laura should come to Singapore some day because ______.
A. she can do a lot of shopping in Singapore B. Singapore is a city of flowers
C. Singapore is a good place to visit D. Singapore is her native country
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A.B.C.D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
The English are often considered as unfriendly people who don't talk to strangers, but not London taxi drivers. I once asked a cabbie to describe his life to me and he didn't stop talking until I arrived home half an hour later. He told me many interesting stories and this is one of them: “Some very strange things happen late at night. The other day I was taking a woman home from a party. She had a little dog with her. When we got to her house she found that she'd lost her key. So, I waited in the cab with the dog while she climbed up the window.” “I waited … and waited … After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on. I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb up the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came. They thought that I was trying to rob the house! Luckily, the woman came downstairs, she'd gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog. I was in such a hurry to get away that I forgot to ask her for the fare(车资，车费).”
56.In the writer’s opinion, London taxi drivers are _____________.
A. unfriendly B. talkative C. helpful D. strange enough
57. From the passage we guess that the writer ______.
A. is the driver of the taxi B. often travels by taxi
C. is a foreigner visiting London D. lives in London
58. What does the underlined word “cabbie” mean in this passage?
A. Conductor. B. Stranger. C. Taxi driver. D. Porter.
59. The man was waiting outside the woman's house because ______.
A. he began to like the woman and her dog at the first sight
B. the woman had not paid him
C. he wanted to know what would happen when the police came
D. he was trying to go on talking with her
It was Monday, Mrs. Smith’s dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house. Considering that there was no better way, Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it, “Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently, “Take this to the butcher, and he’s going to give you your lunch today.”
Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher’s shop. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady’s handwriting and presently did as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up immediately.
At midday, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
The next day, the dog came again exactly at midday. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at the paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers.
But, the dog came again at four o’clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher’s more surprise, it came for the third time at six o’clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it!
91. Mrs. Smith treated her little dog quite __________.
A. cruelly B. kindly C. badly D. unfairly
92. It seemed that the dog knew well that the paper its master gave it __________.
A. might do it much harm B. could do it much good
C. would give the butcher some meat D. was worth many pounds
93. The butcher did not give any meat to the dog __________.
A. when he found the words on the paper were not very clear
B. because he happened to have sold out all the meat in his shop
C. before he felt sure that the words were really written by Mrs. Smith
D. until he was paid enough by Mrs. Smith
94. From its experience, the dog found that __________.
A. only the paper with Mrs. Smith’s words on it could bring it meat
B. the butcher would give the meat to it whenever he saw it
C. a piece of paper could bring him half a pound of meat
D. Mrs. Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher
95. At the end of the story, you’ll find that __________.
A. the butcher found himself cheated by the smart animal
B. the dog was clever enough to write on the paper
C. the dog dared not go to the butcher’s any more
D. the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog