Imagine when you are sailing an ocean for the first time, you see a big fish swimming near your ship. You might be scared, and worried about whether it will turn over your ship for a meal. In fact, it is not a fish at all, but a gentle giant whale.
Whales are not fishes but mammals (哺乳动物). Their body temperature stays the same, and does not change with the temperature of their environment. They breathe air, so they have to come out of the water to get oxygen. Thus, they cannot afford to fall into a sleeping state for too long, since they need to be awake in order to breathe. It is thought that only half of their brains sleep at a time, so that whales are never completely asleep. Females give birth to the young. They have hair. Although they are not covered in hair or fur like many mammals, whales have some bristles (胡子), usually on their heads.
Whales are highly social animals with complex languages and intelligence. They communicate with each other using romantic sounds, called “whale songs”. Being so large and powerful, these sounds are also loud.
Whales are endangered as a result of whaling (捕鲸) from the eleventh century to the twentieth. It has attracted the attention of environmentalists and some measures (措施) have been taken to protect whales.How many aspects show that whales are mammals?
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
We can infer from the second paragraph that ____.
A.whales can breathe in the water |
B.if a whale sleeps too long, it will get drowned |
C.in order to breathe, whales never sleep |
D.whales give birth to the young on the land |
How do whales communicate with each other?
A.By body language. | B.By speaking languages. |
C.By making song-like sounds. | D.By giving off a smell. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Whales are cold-blooded mammals like fishes. |
B.Whales are hunted for food by people. |
C.Whales are very harmful to human beings. |
D.Whales are in danger because of being killed by people. |
The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is plagues (瘟疫) that flesh receives.
The most widespread fallacy (谬误) of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches (战壕) cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.
In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp (奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.
At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be dipped with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains- research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain-killer pills such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms.
36. The writer offered examples to support his argument.
A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 3
37. Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage?
A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.
B. Colds are not caused by cold.
C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.
D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.
38. Arctic explorers may catch colds when .
A. they are working in the isolated arctic regions
B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather
C. they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions
D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world
39. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit .
A. suffered a lot B. never caught colds
C. often caught colds D. became very strong
40. The passage mainly discusses .
A. the experiments on the common colds B. the fallacy about the common cold
C. the reason and the way people catch colds
D. the continued spread of common colds
Where to stay in Boswell? The following are some choices for you:
First Hotel. 222 Edward Road. Tel. 414-6433. Number of Rooms: 120. Price: Single: $ 25; Doulbe $ 35; Special attractions: Airconditioned rooms, French restaurant, Night club, Swimming pool, Shops; Coffee shop and bar, Telephone, Radio and TV in each room, close to the city center. |
Fairview Hotel. 129 North Road. Tel. 591-5620. Number of Rooms: 50. Price: Single:$ 12; Double: $ 18; Special Attractions: Close to the airport, Telephone in each room, Bar, Restaurant, Garage, Swimming-pool. |
Orchard Hotel. 233 Edward Road. Tel.641-6641. Number of Rooms: 150. Price: Single: $ 15; Double: $ 20; Special Attractions: Facing First Hotel, European restaurant, Coffee shop, Dry-cleaning, Shops, TV, Night-club. |
Osaka Hotel. 1264 Venning Road. Tel. 643-8206. Number of Rooms: 180. Price: Single: $ 30; Double: $ 50. Special Attractions: Air-Conditioned rooms, Japanese and Chinese restaurant, Shops, Swimming pool, Large garden. |
49. The number of the room in Osaka Hotel is :
A. 50 B. 120 C. 150 D. 180
50. If a Japanese traveller likes to eat in French restaurant, _______ is the right place for him to go to.
A. 233 Edward RoadB. 1264 Venning Road
C. 222 Edward Road D. 129 North Road
51. Which hotel faces the Orchard Hotel?
A. The First Hotel B. The Osaka Hotel
C. The Fairview HotelD. No Hotel
52. If you want to book a cheapest single room, which number will you call?
A. 414-6433 B. 591-5620 C. 641-6641 D. 643-8206
A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper for a boy to work in his office. Out of the nearly fifty men who came to apply, the man selected one and dismissed(解散) the others.
“I should like to know,” said a friend, “the reason you preferred that boy, who brough not a single letter—not a recommendation(介绍信).”
“You are wrong,” said the gentleman. He had a great many. He wiped his feet at the door and closed the door after him, indicating that he was careful. He gave his seat immediately to the crippled (跛的) old man, showing that he was kind and thoughtful. He took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions immediately, showing that he was polite and gentlemanly.
“All the rest stepped over the book which I had purposely put on the floor. He picked it up and placed it on the table; and he waited quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding.
When I talked to him, I noticed his tidy clothing, his neatly brushed hair, and his clean fingernails(指甲). Can’t you see that these things are excellent recommendations? I consider them more significant(明显的) than letters.”
45. A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper _____
A. in order to hire an office boy
B. so as to dismiss the others
C. in order to select one among the fifty applicants
D. so as to select one and dismiss the others
46. The underlined word “indicatiing” probably means _______
A. drawing B. saying C. showing D. speaking
47. _______ was the very person the gentleman preferred.
A. He who had many letters
B. He who had no letters
C. He who wiped his feet
D. He who was careful,kind, polite and thoughtful
48. According to the passage, we know that the gentleman hired the boy by________
A. his good manners B. the relationships between them
C. by the feelings D. his letters
Soong Mei-ling was one of the most well-known Chinese women of the twentieth century.
Mei-ling was born in Hainan in 1898, the youngest daughter of Charlie Soong. At the age of 8, she was sent to the United States to go to school, where she did well. She graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1917 with a degree in English Literature. Because of her education Mei-ling spoke excellent English.
After graduation Mei-ling returned to China and she met Chiang Kai-shek(蒋介石) in 1920. She married him in 1927 after his divorce. During the war against Japan, Mei-ling acted as her husband’s interpreter and translator. She worked hard to promote the Chinese cause during the war, especially in the United States. In 1943 she became the first Chinese national and only the second woman to speak before the US Congress(国会).
After the defeat(溃败) of her husband’s government in 1949, Mei-ling moved to Taiwan. She lived there until her husband’s death in 1975. She then emigrated to the USA and lived on her family’s estate(别墅) in Lattington, Long Island, near New York. She spent much of time painting.
Mei-ling died peacefully at her apartment in New York on October 23, 2003 at the age of 105.
41. Mei-ling was born in ______
A. 1920 B. 1927 C. 1917 D. 1898
42. After graduation Mei-ling_______
A. went back to China B. studied English Literature
C.. lived in Massachusetts D. spoke little English
43. During the war against Japan, Mei-ling________
A. was her husband’s interperter and translator
B. toured the United States
C. spent her time in Long Island
D. lived in Tai’wan
44. Soong Mei-ling ______
A. was the oldest Soong sister B. loved money
C. died in the USA D. married Dr Sun Yat-sen(孙中山)
Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists’ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.
Predictions are improving. “We’re gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzbach, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. “For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right, ” Klotzbach says.
First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the vapor(水蒸气)cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation of a hurricane.
If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “tropical storm”, and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane.
Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast of Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.
On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or higher.
The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September, and October.
1. According to the passage, hurricanes usually ________.
A. form off the coast of Africa and America
B. travel at 40 miles per hour and get its name
C. cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea
D. hit parts of the world in summer and autumn
2. The underlined word “evaporates” (in Paragraph 5) probably means “________”.
A. begins to move B. gets lost C. becomes hot D. changes into gas
3. Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is the correct order?
a. The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air.
b. Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase.
c. The vapor cools.
d. The ocean water is warm enough.
e. The vapor changes back into liquid.
f. This course gives out heat.
A. a, d, e, b, c, f B. a, b, c, f, d, e C. d, a, c, e, f, b D. d, a, b, c, e, f
4. According to the passage, the speed of the biggest two hurricanes reaches ______.
A.115 miles per hour B.110 miles per hour
C.75 miles per hour D.95 miles per hour