Prince Roman was a Polish nobleman, a captain in the army of Czar Nicholas of Russia. When his young wife died, the prince left the army and returned in sorrow to his native Poland.
In time, love for his country and its people took the place of his lost love. He joined a Polish rising against the Russians. The rising was crushed, and Prince Roman was taken prisoner. His relatives and friends begged the military court to have mercy on him.
The president of the court received these appeals kindly. He was a good Russian, but he was also a good-natured man. Russian hatred of Poles was not as fierce at that time as it became later; and the Russian felt sympathetic as soon as he saw the prince's thin, tired, sun-burnt face.
The court of three officers sat in a bare room, behind a long black table. Some clerks sat at the two ends, but no one else was there when the guards brought in the prince.
Those four walls shut out from Prince Roman all sights and sounds of freedom, all hopes of the future, all comforting thoughts. How much love for Poland remained in him then? How much love of life? He stood before his judges alone, having refused their permission to sit. He answered their first formal questions — his name and so on — clearly and politely although he felt too weary to talk.
Then the president of the court seemed to suggest how the young man could best help himself. He asked questions in a way that almost put the right answers in the prisoner's mouth.
“Didn't your wife's death drive you to despair? Wasn't your mind unbalanced by that sad event ?”
Prince Roman was silent.
"You were not fully responsible for you conduct, were you?"
Prince Roman was silent.
"You made a sudden blind decision to join the rising. You didn't realize that your actions were dangerous and dishonourable. Isn't that the truth of this unfortunate matter?"
The judges looked at the prisoner hopefully. In silence the prince reached for a pen and some paper. He wrote, "I joined the rising because I believe it was just." He pushed the paper towards the president, who took it and read it in silence.
Prince Roman was sentenced to hard work for life in the Siberian salt mines. It was a sentence of delayed death.
When Czar Nicholas read the report and sentence, he added in his own handwriting, "Make sure that this prisoner walks in chains every step of the way to Siberia."What does the passage tell us of Poland at the time?
A.Polish officers in the Russian army had to return to Poland. |
B.Russia was at war with Poland, so the Poles were enemies. |
C.The Russians were very cruel rulers of Poland. |
D.It was ruled by Russia, and Poles served in the Russian army. |
How much love for Poland remained in the prince when he stood trial?
A.Not much, probably, after the failure of the rising. |
B. More than he had ever felt before. |
C.As much as he had ever felt. |
D.The passage doesn't suggest an answer to the question. |
The questions which the president asked show that ______.
A.he was trying to find excuse for the prince's conduct |
B.the court wanted the prince to admit his own guilt |
C.he wanted to learn the truth about the Polish rising |
D.Prince Roman was a weak person |
In the trial, Prince Roman ______.
A.was afraid to be responsible for his actions |
B.blamed others for his actions |
C.accepted responsibility for his actions |
D.admitted his guilt |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A.The judges were less sympathetic than Czar Nicholas. |
B.Czar Nicholas was as kind as the judges. |
C.Czar Nicholas was not as sympathetic as the judges. |
D.The judges were as cruel as Czar Nicholas. |
Last year my sixth-grader daughter ,Elizabeth ,was forced to put up with science .Her education week after week ,contained mindless memorization of big words like “batholith” and “saprophyte” She learned by heart the achievements of famous scientists who did things like “improved nuclear fu-sion(核聚变) “—never mind that she hasn’t the least idea of what nuclear fusion means .Eliza—beth did very well (she’s good at memorizing things ). And now she hates science .My eighth-grader son ,Ben ,also suffered from science education . Week after week he had to perform lab experiments with answers already known .Ben figured out how to guess the right answers ,so he got good grades .Now he hates science ,too.
Science can provide an exciting way to develop children’s curiosity .Science education should teach ways to ask questions and week answers .But my children got the mistaken idea in school than science is difficult dull and has no relation to their everyday interests .
As a physicist ,I am saddened and angered to see “the great science turnoff” I know that science is important in our lives .Yet studies prove that our schools are turning out millions of graduates who know almost nothing about and have almost no interest in science .What’s gone wrong ?Who is to blame ?
58.We learn from paragraph 1 that .
A.the writer was proud of Elizabeth and Ben
B.both Elizabeth and Ben could become scientists
C.Elizabeth had to learn much about great scientists
D.Ben was good at trying new ideas in lab experiments
59.The writer thinks that in science education we should first .
A.get students interested in the subject B.answer students’ questions in delightful ways.
C.smooth out difficulties in lab experiments D.explain the special terms clearly
60.By writing the text ,the author questions .
A.the difficulty level of the science texts B.the way science is taught in school
C.the achievements of famous scientists D.students’ poor records in science classes
Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No card came with it Calls to the flower-shop were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged these imaginings. She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I’d delivered during the winter. As a girl, though, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.
One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation dance, and I didn’t care if I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gar-denia-lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery(神秘).My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
41. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.A childhood Dream. B.A Mother’s Love.
C.A Graduation Party. D.A Special Birthday.
42.The mother insisted that her daughter go to the graduation dance because _________.
A.she could take care of things herself B.she hoped she would find a boyfriend
C.she wanted her to be happy and strong D.she thought education was most important
43.Who was the sender of the flower?
A.A boy the writer had run into.B.One of the writer’s neighbors.
C.One of the writer’s classmates. D.The writer’s mother.
“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.
Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available(可用的) in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing(施肥) have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.
71.What ate the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?
A.A lot of care and the right soil. B.Frequent pruning and fertilizing.
C.Tomato plants grown alongside. D.Cages placed around the roots.
72.The writer planted the tomato because _________.
A.it cost only $1.25 B.the soil was just right for it
C.there was room for it in the garden D.the roses’ branches needed to be covered
73.This year the writer’s roses were __________.
A.removed from the rose bed B.picked along with the tomatoes
C.mostly damaged by too much sunlight D.largely hidden under the tomato plant
74.By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ________.
A.show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes
B.show the hardship of growing the roses
C.express her liking for the roses D.express her care for the tomatoes
75.In the situation described in the text, one good thing is that ________.
A.the roses cost the writer little money
B.the writer has a daily harvest of tomatoes
C.someone will help the writer make the decision
D.the writer can now enjoy both the roses and tomatoes
LONDON Thursday July 26(Reuters)—Eddy missed his girlfriend Anna so much he flew back to Britain from Australia to propose(求婚) to her. The problem is she did the same in the opposite direction.
He and Anna even managed to miss each other when they sat in the same airport waiting room in Singapore at he same time to wait for connecting flights.
Anna, heartbroken when she arrived at Eddy’s Sydney flat find he had flown to London, told The Times,“It was as though someone was playing a cruel joke on us. ”
“He is the most romantic person I have ever known.I think our problem is that we are both quite impulsive(冲动的)people. We are always trying to surprise each other.”
After an 11,000-mile flight across globe, she was greeted by Eddy’s astonished roommate asking what she was doing there.
Eddy,a 27-year-old engineer had taken a year off to travel round Australia. But he was missing Anna,a 26-year secretary, so much he got a job on a Sydney building site (工地)and started saving for a surprise.
He then flew home to Britain and went to her flat armed with an engagement (订婚)ring, wine and flowers.
“I really missed Anna and I’d been thinking about her all the time .I was so excited when she phoned me from Australia ”he said.
Eddy then asked Anna to marry him on the phone .“I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but I accepted,” she said.
Anna was given a tour of Sydney by Eddy’s friends before going back home. Eddy had to stay in Britain for two weeks because he could not change his ticket.
45.What does the last sentence of the first paragraph tell us?
A.Anna flew to Britain from Australia to marry him.
B.Anna flew to Australia from Britain to marry him.
C.Anna flew to Britain from Australia to propose to him.
D.Anna flew to Australia from Britain to propose to him.
46.The underlined word“miss”in paragraph 2 most probably means_______.
A.escape from B.fail to understand C.fail to meet B.long to see
47.Eddy got a job on a Sydney building site because he________.
A.wanted to travel round Australia B.needed money to pay his daily cost
C.was an engineer at this building site D.hoped to make money from this job
48.Which of the following is TRUE about Eddy and Anna according to the text?
A.Eddy proposed to Anna on the phone and Anna accepted.
B.Anna stayed in Australia waiting for Eddy’s arrival.
C.Anna bad a good time touring Sydney with Eddy.
D.Eddy met Anna in the airport waiting room by chance.
Juanito Estrella has been a housekeeping manager on the US-based large passenger ship Carnival Spirit for 18 months and feels hehas found the suitable position in his career(职业).He has always wanted to travel.“I guess I am a really restless spirit. I Iike traveling, so when the chance came,I jumped at it,”he says.
The chance came in the form of a newspaper advertisement for work on cruise ships(游船).At the time Estrella was the housekeeping manager at a Melbourne hotel.He applied and,after two interviews,a medical check and police clearance,the job was his.
Estrella is responsible(负责的)for the cleanliness of the ship,making sure that 160 crew work properly.“I enjoy it because there is no other work-you wake up each day in a different place and a different culture. It’s exciting when you go to the next country and you don’t understand the language,”he says.
Estrella likes being busy and getting to know people from all over the world. The 1,000 crew come from 94 countries,and Estrella has learnt Spanish and a little Croatian.
But there is a downside .“You cannot get really drunk...because you have safety responsibilities to yourself and others,”he says.“You don’t really think about home.You start to think about home only when you get closer to your vacation and wonder what you’ll be doing.”
Life on the ship is anything but cruising. Estrella and his fellows work at least 10 hours a day, seven days a week.He warns the job is not for everybody. “You have to love being busy and be prepared to work every day—and to give up drinking too much alcohol.” In his spare time, if the ship sails into a port, Estrella explores it, otherwise he works out in the crew’s gym, goes on the internet or calls home.
63.What do we know about Estrella?
A.He is very fond of traveling.B.He doesn’t drink wine now.
C.He cannot speak a foreign language.D.He used to be a housekeeping manager.
64.The underlined word“downside”in paragraph 5 probably means_______.
A.disappointment B.disadvantage C.failure D.loss
65.Which of the following is true?
A.Estrella doesn’t often feel homesick because of his work.
B.The work on the ship is not suitable for a married person.
C.Estrella can find no other job except the one on the ship.
D.The people on the ship are from 94 countries.
66.In the last paragraph, the writer thinks that life on the ship is_______.
A.not a tiring journey at all B.just an interesting voyage
C.far from a voyage for pleasure D.more than a pleasant travel by sea