Below are descriptions of six famous states in the U. S.
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is the most populous U.S. state and was admitted as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east. Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually. The California Gold Rush happened in San Francisco and there is also a famous Silicon Valley. Hollywood exists in Los Angeles, making it the center of entertainment. “The Golden State” has long been a popular designation for California and was made the official State Nickname in 1968.
Florida is a state in the southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Miami is the largest metropolitan area in the southeastern United States.The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. Its economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation. Florida is also known for its amusement parks, the production of oranges, and the Kennedy Space Center. Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports.
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896. Utah is the most religiously homogeneous state in the Union. Approximately 63% of Utahans are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS, which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life. The state is a center of transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, and a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation.
Texas is the second most populous and the second-largest of the 50 states in the United States of America. Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former independent republic and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal today. The term "six flags over Texas" came from the several nations that had ruled over the territory. In 1845 it joined the United States as the 28th state. One Texas industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle. Due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy.
Virginia, is a U.S. state located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there. It is unique in how it treats cities and counties equally, manages local roads, and prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. Virginia's economy has many sectors: agriculture in the Shenandoah Valley; federal agencies in Northern Virginia, including the headquarters of the Department of Defense and CIA; and military facilities in Hampton Roads, the site of the region's main seaport. Virginia's public schools and many colleges and universities have contributed to growing media and technology sectors. As a result, computer chips have become the state's leading export.
Kentucky, is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. In 1792 it became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on the bluegrass found in many of its pastures because of the fertile soil. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources, including the world's longest cave system, Mammoth Cave National Park, the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United States, and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River.Kentucky is also home to the highest per capita number of deer and turkey in the United States. Which state is called the “golden state” and why?
| A．California, because of the gold rush. |
| B．Texas, because of the stars there. |
| C．Virginia, because of a famous mother there. |
| D．Kentucky, because of the famous “KFC” there. |
The famous writer of “The Old Man and the Sea” once lived in____.
| A．Virginia | B．Texas | C．California | D．Florida |
How is the correct time order for different states to join the U.S.?
| A．California – Utah—Texas – Kentucky |
| B．Kentucky–Texas – California – Utah |
| C．Kentucky–California – Texas —Utah |
| D．California –Kentucky—Texas –Utah |
Which of the following match is WRONG?
| A．Cowboys in Texas. |
| B．Utah and religions. |
| C．Hollywood in Virginia. |
| D．Kennedy Space Center in Florida. |
Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
| A．Because she didn't want others to hear her play. |
| B．Because she didn't mean to disturb others. |
| C．Because she didn't have her own room. |
| D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors. |
Brenda started to give concerts _______.
| A．after she practiced in her space bubble |
| B．when she became part of the unique space journey |
| C．after she became a real musicalastronaut |
| D．when people came to see her in the space bubble |
Brenda became famous because _______.
| A．she was good at music and science | B．she became a real musical astronaut |
| C．she invented a special way of practice | D．she played well and had a talent |
Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
| A．Kind, hardworking and clever. | B．Brave, kind and hardworking. |
| C．Lovely, brave and kind. | D．Nervous, kind and clever. |
It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
| A．He laughs best who laughs last | B．It's never too old to learn |
| C．Two heads are better than one | D．One good turn deserves another |
The website FarmersOnly.com calls itself an online dating and friendship finder. The idea started in the mind of a man, Jerry Miller in Ohio. He wondered how farmers could meet new people who understand the life of a farmer. Jerry Miller is not a farmer but he represents a lot of farmers.
As he tells it, the idea for the site was planted when a farmer told him one day that she was recently divorced and would like to date. But someone would invite her to meet for coffee at nine o’clock at night, when she had to start her day at five the next morning.
So, in 2005, Jerry Miller launched his website. “You don’t have to be a farmer to be on FarmersOnly.com, but you do have to have the good old-fashioned traditional values of America’s Heartland.”
You also have to live in the United States or Canada to be a member of the site. Some services are free, but a full membership costs fifty dollars for a year. As of last week the site listed more than 58,000 members. Many of them are farmers in the United States. Others are students or workers involved in some way with agriculture. Jerry Miller tells us about thirty marriages in the last year have resulted from his website.
Some farmers have also found love through a group, Singles in Agriculture, which was formed as a nonprofit organization in 1986. It organizes gatherings that usually end with a dance, but is not a dating service. The purpose is to support educational and social activities that offer people a chance for friendship. Its website, singlesinag.org, says there are more than 1,000 members across the nation and as far away as France. Jerry Miller started singlesinag.org in order to .
| A．help farmers | B．support traditions |
| C．understand farmers | D．represent farmers |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 indicate?
| A．She dislikes city lifestyle. |
| B．She prefers late night coffee. |
| C．Country life isn’t well understood. |
| D．It’s tiring to get up early. |
Which of the following is true of singlesinag.org?
| A．Its services are free. |
| B．It provides dating services. |
| C．Only farmers can become its members. |
| D．Farmers in France can’t benefit from it. |
The author of the text intends to .
| A．advertise for the two websites |
| B．introduce two websites |
| C．encourage social activities |
| D．urge readers to help farmers |
It can be inferred from the text that .
| A．all farmers desire marriage |
| B．farmers are easy to meet new people |
| C．more farmers get divorced in the USA |
| D．the Internet helps improve farmers’ social life |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Have you ever wondered why birds sing? 1After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy.
2Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory. Do you know what a "territory" is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims(声称) as its won. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. 3If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. 4But he expects an outsider almost all the time, especially at nesting(筑巢) season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird' s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
5Most of it has to do with attracting males and setting up territories.
| A．A bird does the same thing. |
| B．Maybe you thought that they were just happy. |
| C．Shouting loudly is just like a bird's screaming. |
| D．You can see that birds have a language all their own. |
E. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
F. However they sing most of the time for a very different reason.
G. So, just like human beings, birds sing for almost the same reasons.
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime(消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A．Those who often do sports. |
| B．Those who often watch television. |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because ______.
| A．they can't choose what to eat |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play |
| C．their parents often cook meals for them |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around |
The word "steering" underlined in the last sentence most probably means ______.
| A．forcing |
| B．guiding |
| C．driving |
| D．moving |
The main purpose of the text is to ______.
| A．tell a story |
| B．provide facts |
| C．give advice |
| D．compare opinions |
We were on tour a few summers ago, driving through Chicago, when right outside of the city, we got pulled over(被迫停车). A middle-aged policeman came up to the ear and was really being troublesome at first. He said, "You were speeding. Where are you going in such a hurry?" Our guitarist, Tim, told him that we were on our way to Wisconsin to play a show. Then his way towards us totally changed. He asked, "Oh, so you boys are in a band?" We told him that we were. He then asked all the usual band questions about the type of music we played, and how long we had been at it.
Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Tim, you want to get out of this ticket, don't you?" Tim said, "Yes. " So the officer asked him to step out of the car. The rest of us, inside the car, didn' t know what to think as we watched the policeman talk to Tim. Then the policeman put Tim in the back of the police car and threw the car into reverse(倒车), stopping a few feet in back of our car.
Now we suddenly felt frightened. We didn't know if we were all going to prison. Suddenly, the policeman's voice came over in a loudspeaker. He said, "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, we have Tim here singing on Route 90." Later we knew, the policeman had told Tim that if he sang one of our songs over the loudspeaker in the police car, we would get out of the ticket. Seconds later, Tim started screaming into the receiver. The policeman enjoyed the performance, and sent us on our way without a ticket.Why did the policeman stop the boys?
| A．Because they drove too fast. |
| B．Because they were late for their show. |
| C．Because they didn't see the policeman. |
| D．Because they had to answer the band questions. |
The policeman became friendly to the boys when he knew they ______.
| A．had long been at the band |
| B．played the music he loved |
| C．were driving for a show |
| D．promised him a performance |
The underlined word "ticket" in paragraph 2 means "a piece of paper that ______".
| A．allows you to enter a cinema |
| B．shows the price or size in a shop |
| C．shows that you have paid to travel on a bus |
| D．orders you to pay money because you have done something wrong |
How did the boys probably feel when they went on their way again?
| A．Happy. |
| B．Calm. |
| C．Angry. |
| D．Frightened. |