At present time, roller skating (滑旱冰) is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments (工具). In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract much attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll (滚动). Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise.
Nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.The first paragraph tells us that people began to skate on wheels from 1750 because (of ) _______.
| A．it is very easy | B．it is very exciting |
| C．Joseph Merlin’s instruments | D．it is very popular |
People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.
| A．he slept and dreamed a lot |
| B．he was full of different ideas and dreams |
| C．he invented the first roller skates |
| D．he always made people’s dreams come true |
___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.
| A．Merlin’s work | B．Merlin’s violin | C．A huge mirror | D．An important party |
What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?
| A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating. |
| B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention. |
| C．Everyone was surprised at him. |
| D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Joseph Merlin’s Story |
| B．How Roller Skating Was Invented |
| C．A Surprising Entrance to the Party |
| D．Violin and roller skating |
Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains. If a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention to class.
Opposite to what many people believe, if you don't eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.During the test, those who were tested were given ________.
| A．no breakfast at all |
| B．very rich breakfast |
| C．little food for breakfast |
| D．different breakfast or none |
The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don't eat breakfast, you will _________.
| A．lose weight | B．not lose weight |
| C．be healthier | D．gain a lot of weight |
Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．Poor breakfasts affect those who work with brains. |
| B．Morning diet may cause one to get fatter. |
| C．Reducing lunch and supper is of less value in weight losing. |
| D．Eating less in lunch and supper may help to lose weight. |
According to the passage, if a student does not eat breakfast, ___________.
| A．he will fall ill |
| B．he will fail to listen to his teacher |
| C．he will not make progress in his study |
| D．his mind will work more slowly |
2.26-meter-tall Yao Ming made his NBA debut (初次登台) on October 23, 2002 and got 6 points for the Houston Rockets in the game. The next day, he got 13 points in another game.
Most people think that Yao Ming is a born basketball player. But Yao said, "When you watch it on TV, it looks very easy. But when you are playing in the NBA, it is really not so easy." He said that joining the Houston Rockets was a new start and a new challenge. "I hope that through very hard work I can make everyone happy and help the Rockets win more games," he said.Yao Ming speaks some English. Both he and his teammates can understand each other. They don't think there is a language problem. While Yao Ming faces this new challenge, the people of Houston have shown great interest in him and they hope Yao Ming will bring new energy to the Rockets. The team has started having lessons to learn more about China, and many people who work for the Rockets have learned to speak some Chinese. Yao Ming got 13 points on October _____, 2002.
| A．22 | B．23 | C．24 | D．26 |
Yao Ming said that _____.
| A．playing in the NBA was difficult |
| B．it was hard to watch NBA games on TV |
| C．he was an NBA star |
| D．it was boring to play basketball |
From the passage we can know that Yao Ming ________.
| A．will work hard for his team |
| B．made the highest score in his first NBA game |
| C．can't understand his teammates |
| D．teaches the Rockets workers Chinese himself |
The passage is probably ______.
| A．an advertisement | B．a notice |
| C．a news report | D．an instruction |
A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor （售票员）hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. "You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior（行为） , "said a middle-aged man.
"Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company," said a second passenger. "That's right," another lady said, "I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor. "
Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said , "Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised..."
Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman's lap（大腿） interrupted, "I know his name. I call him Dad."The passengers were ________ to see the conductor's kindness to the woman and the child.
| A．excited | B．pleased | C．interested | D．surprised |
One passenger suggested writing a letter to the company to ______ .
| A．make a demand for more buses |
| B．thank the conductor for his good service |
| C．criticize the conductor for his rude behavior |
| D．invite a newspaper reporter to write about the conductor |
The word "he" in the last paragraph refers to _______.
| A．the gentleman | B．the conductor |
| C．the middle-aged man | D．the three-year-old child |
It is clear from the story that the conductor _______.
| A．has changed his attitude towards his work |
| B．has now been kind and polite to all passengers |
| C．has not changed his rude behavior to passengers |
| D．has now been kind and polite to women with children |
A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without traveling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and so on. Often, if you drive just a few hours, you can find a city that you can walk around and see. Then by driving home you can save the cost of a hotel and a plane ride.
Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Since you are not traveling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably costeffective（低成本的）. You don’t have to pay for a hotel, so that cost has been completely eliminated. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really high, and the farther you go, the higher they are. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. You are also pushing money back into your local economy（经济）by spending your money at local businesses rather than in cities that are far away from home. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distances or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.For what purpose is the text written?
| A．To introduce the general information of staycatons. |
| B．To compare staycatons with other vacations. |
| C．To persuade more people to have staycations. |
| D．To provide different ways of staycations. |
What is one of the advantages of a staycation?
| A．The economy in other cities is also improved. |
| B．People spend nothing when staying at home. |
| C．You can visit local attractions for free. |
| D．There is no stress from traveling. |
What does the underlined word “eliminated” in Paragraph 5 probably means?
| A．included | B．removed |
| C．covered | D．raised |
What will probably be discussed in the following paragraph?
| A．When to take a staycation. | B．What disadvantages a staycation has. |
| C．Why people prefer a staycation. | D．How to have a staycation safely. |
Animals Can Sense Natural Disasters
Among the dead in South Asia’ s tsunami（海啸）were many tourists at Sri Lanka’ s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and run away to safety.
First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater burst produced sound waves known as infrasound（次声）. Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration（震动）. The great quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves moving on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached Sri Lanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yala might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints（关节）, which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears.Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?
| A．Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound. |
| B．Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park. |
| C．Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings. |
| D．Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away. |
Which of the statements about “Rayleigh waves” is true?
| A．Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings. |
| B．Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals. |
| C．Rayleigh waves are vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis. |
| D．Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves. |
According to the passage, which of the statement is true?
| A．We can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger. |
| B．We ignore the information of tsunami’s coming even though we can also get it. |
| C．We were so busy on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves. |
| D．We can feel Rayleigh waves and infrasound so we can escape the danger like animals. |