Twenty-six years after a terrible bicycle accident left her comatose（昏迷） for two months and with permanent brain injuries, Barbara Buchan, performs many actions more slowly than others. But on September 10 in Beijing, Buchan, at 52, the oldest member of the United States Paralympic team, broke the record and won the gold medal for her disability class in the individual 3,000-meter cycling pursuit.
“You can be very upset at the world and have everyone take care of you,” Buchan said by telephone from Beijing, “or get back on your feet again.”
Buchan first dreamed of Olympic gold at age 15 while watching the 1972 Munich Games. She became a top American cyclist by July 1982, when a terrible road-race crash injured her brain and left doctors doubtful about whether she would survive. She was wearing only a soft leather helmet at the time; her accident made the rule put into practice that cyclists wear the hard-shell helmets that are now common.
Buchan recovered enough of her athletic ability to run track in the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, where she won a silver medal in the 800 meters. Women’s cycling was not included in the Paralympics yet, so Buchan trained to the point where she raced against men in the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia — she finished 9th and 10th in two races — and then successfully fought for a separate women’s cycling program beginning in 2004 in Athens, where she did not get a medal.
Even though she was approaching her 50s, Buchan kept racing and again made the United States Paralympic team for Beijing — where she is twice the age of most of her teammates and competitors.
“Barbara’s almost the leader of our team — she’s been through it all,” said Craig Griffin, the United States cycling coach. “She’s never retired. She’s never let her body go and then come back. I don’t think age is as big of a deal as people make it out to be.”According to the passage, after the accident, ____________.
| A．Buchan asked her friends to take care of her |
| B．cyclists started to wear helmets in competition |
| C．Buchan could not answer questions correctly |
| D．doctors doubted whether Buchan could come back to life |
What’s the right order of the events related to Buchan?
a. She won a gold medal in Beijing.
b. She became a top American cyclist.
c. She won a silver medal in the 800 meters.
d. She suffered a terrible bicycle accident.
e. She took part in a cycling program in Athens.
| A．c-d-b-a-e | B．b-c-d-a-e | C．b-d-c-e-a | D．c-b-d-e-a |
What does the underlined phrase “get back on your feet” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．rise to your feet | B．walk on your way |
| C．go beyond yourself | D．depend on yourself |
Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
| A．The Making of a Hero | B．From a Loser to a Winner |
| C．All Roads Lead to Rome | D．Health is Better than Wealth |
Fifty people died, over 11,000 were injured, and 100,000 houses were heavily damaged or destroyed in an earthquake that struck North China's Hebei Province.
The quake, measuring 6. 2 on the Richter scale (里氏6 .2级) , hit the area 220km northwest of Beijing at 11: 50 a. m. on January 10, 1998.
Scientists made a report of the recent quake. They said that the area of northwestern Beijing, the joint of Shanxi and Hebei Provinces and the Inner Mongolia (内蒙古) were most easily attacked by earthquakes measuring 6 to a bit over 7 on the Richter scale.
However, scientists did not see the recent earthquake earlier. Clouds covered a large area in the northern part of North China before the earthquake and experts say that this prevented satellites from correctly watching the temperature at the correct altitude (纬度).
Experts say that in the last ten years, about 305 earthquakes have taken place in China with 9 measuring over 7 on the Richter scale, 60 measuring over 6, and 236 measuring over 5.
Tens of thousands of people died or were injured. Loss valued over 10 billion yuan.When the earthquake attacked the area, most people there were unlikely to ____.
| A．sleep in bed | B．work in the fields |
| C．walk in the streets | D．stay at home |
The report shows that about nine earthquakes in the past ten years are measured over ____ on the Richter scale.
| A．7 | B．5 | C．9 | D．6 |
It can be inferred from the report that the damage caused by the earthquakes could be much less heavy if ____.
| A．all the people stayed outside |
| B．the earthquake happened at midnight |
| C．the people had been warned earlier |
| D．the earthquake scale was lower than 6. 2 only |
Which of the following can be reasonable except ____.
| A．We can not stop earthquakes |
| B．Scientists are working hard at the researches on earthquakes |
| C．We can do our best to have fewer damages than ever |
| D．Nothing can be done on earthquakes |
The people who built Stonehenge in southern England thousands of years ago had wild parties, eating barbecued pigs and breaking pottery. This is according to recent work by archaeologists—history experts who investigate (调查) how human beings lived in the past.
Archaeologists digging near Stonehenge last year discovered the remains of a large prehistoric village where they think the builders of the mysterious stone circle used to live.
The village is about 4600 years old, the same age as Stonehenge and as old as the pyramids in Egypt. It is less than two miles from the famous ancient landmark and lies inside a massive manmade circular dirt wall, or “henge”， known as the Durrington Walls.
Remains found at the site included jewellery, stone arrowheads, tools made of deer antlers, wooden spears and huge amounts of animal bones and broken pottery. “These finds suggest Stone Age people went to the village at special times of the year to feast and party”， says Mike Parker Pearson from Sheffield University in England.
He said many of the pig bones they found had been thrown away halfeaten. He also said the partygoers appeared to have shot some of the farm pigs with arrows, possibly as a kind of sport before barbecuing them.
An ancient road which led from the village to the River Avon was also found. Here, the experts think, people came after their parties to throw dead relatives in the water so the bodies would be washed downstream to Stonehenge.
Parker Pearson believes Stonehenge was like a cemetery where ancient Britons buried the dead and remembered their ancestors. “The theory is that Stonehenge is a kind of spirit home to the ancestors.”
The recent discovery of the village within the Durrington Walls shows that Stonehenge didn't stand alone but was part of a much bigger religious site, according to Parker Pearson.
People still come to worship and celebrate at Stonehenge today. They meet there when the sun sets on the shortest day of winter and when it rises on the longest day of summer. But the days of barbecuing whole pigs there and throwing family members into the river are a thing of the past.What was Stonehenge according to the text?
| A．A village where hundred of people once lived. |
| B．A place that regularly hosted large parties. |
| C．A church where local villagers would get married. |
| D．A site where dead people were placed or remembered. |
From the text we can infer that the people who came to the village ________.
| A．liked to drink wine | B．knew how to hunt |
| C．were from Egypt | D．lived by the River Avon |
What do experts think people did after the village parties?
| A．Returned to live at Stonehenge. |
| B．Prayed for good luck in the new year. |
| C．Hunted farm pigs as a sport. |
| D．Put their dead relatives in the river. |
When do people most often go to Stonehenge today?
| A．When a new discovery is made. |
| B．At the beginning of summer and winter. |
| C．On the longest and shortest days of the year. |
| D．When they want to have a barbecue. |
It is love that makes the world go round. And it is also love that has such power to overcome all difficulties. So we say: “Love will find a way.” As smile is a facial expression showing pleasure, affection, and friendliness, it is the commonest way to show our good will perfectly without saying anything. A Chinese saying runs: “never hit a person who is smiling at you.” It is a time-proven fact that the smile is a language all its own— a universal language—understood by the people of every nation in the world. We may not speak the same tongue as our foreign neighbors, but we smile in the same tongue. We need no interpreter for thus expressing love, happiness, or good will.
One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk whose personality contradicted mine. He seemed most unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase. I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store. My anger toward that grew with each step. Outside, standing at the corner, was a dark-complexion young man in his early twenties. His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, dazzling smile covered his face. I gave in immediately. The magnetic power of that shining smile drove away all bitterness within me, and I found the muscles in my own face happily responding. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” I remarked, in passing. Then, suddenly something inside me sent me turning back. “I really owe you a debt of gratitude,” I said softly. His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer. A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby. The woman stepped forward and eyed me inquiringly. “Carlos, he no speak English,” she volunteered. “You want I should tell him something?” In that moment I felt transformed. Carlos’ smile had made a big person of me. My friendliness and good will toward all mankind stood ten feet tall. “Yes,” my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, “tell him I said ‘Thank you!’” “Thank you?” The woman seemed slightly puzzled. I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave. “Just tell him that,” I insisted. “He’ll understand. I am sure!” Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning.
From that day on, I became smile – conscious, and I practice that diligently, anywhere and everywhere, with everybody. When I got excited in traffic, taking the right–of–way (公路用地) from the other car with my stupid mistake, I’d smile and shrug my shoulders apologetically. This action on my part would always draw a good–natured smile in return. If the other fellow was at fault – and if I could remember my resolution in time! – he’d get a broad smile of understanding. This took a bit of doing at first. I’ll admit it wasn’t always easy, but it was fun. The results were sometimes amazing. Many times, a broad, friendly smile would completely turn aside ill–feeling and tension. I’m wondering now how many tragic accidents could be avoided on our overcrowded highways, if every driver remembered to smile!The author got angry while shopping one day because .
| A．of the clerk’s unfriendliness and lack of concern |
| B．of her misfortune |
| C．she failed to purchase what she intended |
| D．a dark–complexion young man laughed at her |
From the conversation between the author and the Mexican woman, we can infer that the woman .
| A．was well–educated but unwilling to help others |
| B．was able to speak English |
| C．knew some English and was ready to help others |
| D．was familiar with the young man |
In the author’s opinion, if all people remembered to smile when driving, .
| A．many traffic accidents could be avoided |
| B．they would receive a good natural smile in return |
| C．they could get a broad smile of understanding |
| D．they wouldn’t feel any tension |
The best title for this passage could be .
| A．The Art of Smiling |
| B．The Universal Language |
| C．The Power of Love |
| D．The Magic Power of Friendship |
To extinguish (熄灭) different kinds of fires, several types of fire extinguishers have been invented. They must be ready for immediate use when fire breaks out. Most portable (手提式的) kinds operate for less than a minute, so they are useful only on small fires. The law requires ships, trains, buses and planes to carry extinguishers.
Since fuel, oxygen (氧气) and heat must be present in order for fire to exist, one or more of these things must be removed or reduced to extinguish a fire. If the heat is reduced by cooling the material below a certain temperature, the fire goes out. The cooling method is the most common way to put out a fire. Water is the best cooling material because it is low in cost and easy to get.
Another method of extinguishing fire is by cutting off the oxygen. This is usually done by covering the fire with sand, steam or some other things. A blanket may be used do cover a small fire.
A third method is called separation, which includes removing the fuel, or material easy to burn, from a fire, so that it can find no fuel.
The method that is used to put out a fire depends upon the type of fire. Fires have been grouped in three classes. Fires in wood, paper, cloth and the like are called Class A fires. These materials usually help keep the fire on. Such fires can be stopped most readily by cooling with water.If a fire breaks out on a bus, which of the follow should be ready there for you to use?
A.Sand B.Water C.A blanket. D.An extinguisher.
【 小题2】 To cover a small piece of burning wood with a basin in order to stop the fire is an example of _______.
A.separating the fire B.reducing the heat
C.removing the fuel D.cutting off the oxygenIn choosing how to put out a fire, we should first be clear about_______.
| A．when it breaks out | B．how it comes about |
| C．what kind it is | D．where it takes place |
What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
| A．Another class of fires |
| B．Another type of extinguishers |
| C．How fires break out. |
| D．How fires can be prevented. |
A home computer not only helps children master the old ways of learning, but also opens up possibilities that simply aren’t available in traditional education. Some software, for example, allows kids to make decisions and see the results in different situations. The World Wide Web encourages young minds to move easily from link to link, topic to topic. The best software draws children into learning by making them curious—what if I click on this picture, drag this over here, visit that website?
Knowing how to use a computer also encourages a child’s confidence. Kids figure out quickly that computers are powerful, and mastering the machine makes them feel grown-up. In turn, feeling confident on a computer often translates to academic(学术的)confidence. Researchers have found that attitudes toward writing, for example, improve when students write on a computer.
Perhaps most importantly, computers can enrich family life. Forget the idea that computer kids are separated. Children like to use the computer with adults and other kids, asking questions and comparing results. “The Internet is a unique opportunity to bring resources home, ”notes Susan Haugland, PhD, Cape Girardeau, Mo. , author of Computer and Young Children:A World of Discovery.
Although the benefits of computers are real, they have disadvantages, too. Kids can lose their way, wasting hours on mindless software of violent games. Just as parents have always helped children make good choices about everything from friends to food, books to TV, now we must make sure they get the best out of computers.The passage is mainly talking about______.
| A．the disadvantages of children’s using computers |
| B．the advantages of children’ using computers |
| C．the development of computers |
| D．the fact that using computers makes children lose their way |
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of a home computer?
| A．It provides new ways of learning. |
| B．It encourages children’ confidence. |
| C．It can enrich family life. |
| D．Kids can play violent games on it. |
What effects do computers have on family life?
| A．They reduce the connection between family members. |
| B．They destroy the relationship between parents and kids. |
| C．They provide more opportunities of communication. |
| D．They make all the family members study together. |
According to the last paragraph, we can learn that we should______.
| A．let children use computers freely |
| B．forbid children to use computers in their spare time |
| C．permit children to use any software they like |
| D．help children make good use of the computers |