When you practice reading with passages shorter than book length, do not try to take in each word separately, one after the other. It is much more difficult to grasp the broad theme of the passage this way, and you will also get the stuck on individual words which may not be absolutely essential to a general understanding of the passage. It is a good idea to skim through the passage very quickly first to get the general idea of each paragraph. Titles, paragraph headings and emphasized word can be a great help in getting this skeleton outline of the passage. It is surprising how many people do not read titles, introductions or paragraph headings. Can you, without looking back, remember the title of this passage and the heading of this paragraph?
Most paragraphs of a passage or chapter have a 'topic sentence' which expresses the central idea. The remaining sentence expand or support that idea. It has been estimated that between 60% and 90% of all expositive（说明的）paragraphs in English have the topic sentence first. Always pay special attention to the first sentence of a paragraph; it is most likely to give you the main idea.
Sometimes , though , the first sentence in the paragraph does not have the feel of 'main idea' sentence. It does not seem to give us enough new information to justify a paragraph. The next most likely place to look for the topic sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph.
Remember that the opening and closing paragraphs of a passage or chapter are particularly important . The opening paragraph suggests the general direction and content of the piece, while the closing paragraph often summarizes the very essence （精髓）.It is a good idea to skim through a passage quickly first ________.
| A．at about 350 w. P.m.(words per minute) |
| B．to get the general idea of each paragraph |
| C．so that you can take in each word separately |
| D．to make sure you get to the end at least once |
The topic sentence of an expository paragraph in English_______.
| A．usually comes in the middle |
| B．is most likely to be found at the end |
| C．is most often at the beginning |
| D．is usually left out in expository writing |
Most expository paragraphs in English have a clearly defined topic sentence. In such paragraphs the topic sentence comes first ________.
| A．in about 40% of cases | B．in about 80% of cases |
| C．in about 20% cases | D．very rarely |
Some times we know the first sentence is not the topic sentence because ________.
| A．it does not seem to give us enough new information |
| B．it is not long enough |
| C．it does not come at the beginning |
| D．it does not make complete sentence |
After her parents separated, things at tam’s house changed. Her mom, still working, and Tami became responsible for the house and making meals for herself and her younger sister. Though money was right, they never went without. They had a nice home in a modest neighborhood food, belching and shelter. What Tami missed most of all, though, was family.
Tami spent the summer during her ninth grade year working at a park to ear exam spending money. Her job was to organize activities for the kids who spent their summer days at the park. The kids absolutely loved Tami. She was constantly going out of her way to do things for them. She would plan picnics, organize field trips and even buy ice cream for all of them, using her own money. She always did more than the job required, even if it did mean using her own money.
She got to know one little boy who lived in an apartment across the street from the park. His parents both worked at fast – food restaurants, and she knew that they didn’t have much money. The boy talked about his upcoming birthday and the fire truck he wanted so badly. He said he was going to be a fireman some day and needed the truck to practice. He told Tami more details about the truck than she knew a boy truck could have.
The boy’s birthday came and went. The next day when Tami saw the boy, she expected to see a shiny red truck in his arms. When he arrived empty – handed, she asked whether he had got the truck. The boy said no. his parents were going to get it for him later, when things were better. He seemed a little sad.
That week, Tami eased her paycheck and headed for the toy stores. She found the truck easily – after all, from his descriptions, she felt she knew it inside out. She used the money from her paycheck to buy the truck, and then had it wrapped in birthday paper.
61．What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A．They didn’t need in worry too much about their living.
B．Tami’s sister became more responsible.
C．Tami began to earn money.
D．Her mother changed her job.
62．Why did Tami buy the birthday present for the boy using her own money?
A．Because he was poorer than she.
B．Because he was her best friend.
C．Because she wanted him to be a fireman.
D．because she wanted him to feel love around him.
63．What can we learn from the underlined sentence?
A．She knew how much money she would pay.
B．She knew she should check the toy truck inside out.
C．She was fully aware which toy truck the boy wanted.
D．She walked inside and then out of the toy store several times.
64．Which of the following could be the opening sentence of the next paragraph?
A．The next morning, Tami rode to the boy’s house and left the truck at the door.
B．When the boy showed up at the park that day, he was more excited than ever.
C．He showed off his new truck to Tami, and then played with it all day long.
D．That afternoon, the boy’s mom came to the park and walked over to Tami.
China reported blistering growth for the last three months of 2009, raising expectations of interest rate increases and other measures to head off inflation.
China has declared that it is recovering from the global economic crisis.
Ma Jiantang, of the National Bureau of Statistics, said Thursday the country's economy grew by 10.7 percent in the last three months of 2009.
Ma says China has managed to quickly hold back what he described as “the sliding of the national economy.” He says China has become the first country, on the whole, to achieve economic recovery and stabilization.
According to previous estimates, Ma says China's gross domestic product for 2009 rose 8.7 percent to nearly five trillion dollars.
This goes beyond the official growth rate target of eight percent. The government has long considered eight percent growth essential to creating enough jobs for the country's more than one billion people.
At the same time, Ma says some problems and contradictions are natural.
Ma says the Chinese government will give more priority to economic restructuring and improving peoples’ livelihoods.
To reduce the effects of the global economic crisis that began in 2008, China loosened lending practices, cut interest rates and began massive spending programs. But the government wants to make sure those measures do not contribute to inflation, which can be politically sensitive in a country where hundreds of millions of people remain poor.
Beijing resident Ms. Wang says she is worried. She says she thinks prices are rising really fast. She points to the price of cabbage, which has increased more than 10 times in the past year.
The head of the Chinese Banking Regulatory Commission, this week said the government will step up monitoring of banks and rein in lending to prevent speculative bubbles (投机泡沫)in real estate(房地产) and other assets.
The World Bank on Thursday released a report that predicts China's economy will grow by nine percent this year. This contrasts with forecasts of 2.5 percent growth rate for the United States and one percent growth for European economies in 2010, because of weaknesses remaining from the global financial crisis.
68. What does the underlined phrase in the first paragraph mean?
A. prevent B. begin C. continue D. reduce
69. How many measures did China take to reduce the sliding of the national economy?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
70. The global economy in 2010 will ________.
A. increase more quickly than in 2009
B. recover immediately if proper measures are taken
C. remain weak as a result of the global financial crisis
D. remain the same standard as that in 2009
71. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. jobs created for more than one billion people
B. lending practices loosened in China in the new year
C. rapid growth of Chinese economy in last months of 2009
D. fast growth in economy leading to inflation
Living in a foreign culture there are many times when I realize that my perspective (观点) on life is drastically different from those Koreans I interact (相互影响) with on a daily basis. This past week I have been greatly challenged to change my perspective and here is why.
My dream in life is to become a doctor, one who changes the world. But last week I opened an email from UBC that contained the words “regrets”, no interview. I didn’t get an interview to medical school, thus will not be entering school for September 2009. My immediate reaction was one of extreme disappointment and anger—mostly directed at myself for not working hard enough, for not seeking out the opportunities necessary to have a good application, for simply not being good enough. My mind was full of hopelessness and despair that left me with no desire to further seek for the dream that I’ve held for quite a time now.
During the past week two things happened. At church our pastor mentioned perspective in a section of his sermon (说教). He stated that when we take our eyes off ourselves and realize God’s greatness, our circumstances will be seen through a new perspective.
The second thing that reminded me to look at perspective was reading a book. The Mitford Series is so good if you are looking for books to read. So last night I was reading and one of the main characters (who is a priest) is trying to figure out what to say at church. His sermon ended up saying “In everything we give thanks.” It is easy to give thanks when we feel successful in life. It is easy to give thanks when we receive a blessing. But seriously, who in their right mind says thanks for the financial problems I have?
64. Where does the author probably live now?
A. In the USA. B. In Britain.C. In China. D. In Korea.
65. How did she feel when the author received the email from UBC?
A. Surprised. B. Disappointed. C. Excited. D. Pleased.
66. In the first pastor’s view, when we face disappointment or despair, we should _________.
A. turn to God for help B. say thanks to it
C. see it in another way D. praise others for it
67. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The author can’t really free from the disappointment.
B. The author thinks the second sermon is wiser.
C. The author still wants to be a doctor.
D. The author thanks God for not being admitted by the university.
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60. This passage is written to ________.
A. offer some wonderful stories to readers
B. encourage people to write something
C. show that making money is not difficult
D. remind people that life is full of joy
61. The underlined word “karma” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. wish B. explanation C. luckD. imagination
62. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The magazine is mainly intended for entertainment.
B. The more words you write, the more money you get.
C. Anecdotes and Jokes isn’t paid much attention to.
D. New jokes can be sent in for Life’s Like That.
63. Where can you most probably see this passage?
A. In a library. B. In a magazine. C. In a story book. D. On a website.
Instead of hitting the beach, fourteen high school students traded swimming suits for lab coats last summer and turned their attention to scientific experiments.
The High School Research Program offers high school students guidance with researchers in Texas A & M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Jennifer Funkhouser, academic adviser for the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management, directs this four-week summer program designed to increase understanding of research and its career potential.
Several considerations go into selecting students, including grades, school involvement and interest in science and agriculture. And many students come from poorer school districts. Funkhouser says, “This is their chance to learn techniques and do experiments they would never have a chance to do in high school.” Warner Ervin of Houston is interested in animal science and learned how to tell male from female mosquitoes. His adviser, Craig Coates, studies the genes of mosquitoes that allow them to fight against malaria and yellow fever. Coates thought this experience would be fun and helpful to the high school students.
The agricultural research at A&M differs from stereotypes. It’s “molecular(分子)science on the cutting edge,” Funkhouser says. The program broadened students’ knowledge. Victor Garcia of Rarcia of Rio Grande City hopes to become a biology teacher and says he learned a lot about chemistry from the program.
At the end of the program, the students presented papers on their research. They’re also paid $600 for their work—another way this program differs from others, which often charge a fee.
Fourteen students got paid to learn that science is fun, that agriculture is a lot more than milking and plowing and that research can open many doors.
72. The research program is chiefly designed for ________.
A. high school advisers from Houston
B. college students majoring in agriculture
C. high school students from different places
D. researchers at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
73. It can be inferred from the text that the students in poorer areas ____.
A. found the program useful to their future
B. could often take part in the program
C. had little chance to go to college
D. showed much interest in their high school experiments
74. When the program was over, the students ________.
A. entered that college B. wrote research reports
C. paid for their research D. found ways to make money
75. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. A program for Agricultural Science Students
B. A program for Animal Science Students
C. A program for Medical Science Lovers
D. A program for Future Science lovers