I still remember --- my hands and my fingers still remember --- what used to lie in store for us on our return to school from the holidays. The trees in the school yard would be in full leaf again and the old leaves would be lying around like a muddy sea of leaves.
“Get that all swept up!” the headmaster would tell us. “I want the whole place cleaned up, at once!” There was enough work there, to last over a week. Especially since the only tools with which we were provided were our hands, our fingers, our nails. “Now see that it’s done properly, and be quick about it,” the headmaster would say to the older pupils, “or you’ll have to answer for it!”
So at an order from the older boys we would all line up like peanuts about to cut and gather in crops. If the work was not going as quickly as the headmaster expected, the big boys, instead of giving us a helping hand, used to find it simpler to beat us with branches pulled from the trees. In order to avoid these blows, we used to bribe(贿赂) the older boys with the juicy cakes we used to bring for our midday meal. And if we happened to have any money on us, the coins changed hands at once. If we did not do this, if we were afraid of going home with an empty stomach or an empty purse, the blows were redoubled. They hit us so violently and with such evil enjoyment that even a deaf and dumb person would have realized that we were being whipped so much not to make us work harder, but rather to beat us into a state of obedience(服从) in which we would be only too glad to give up our food and money.
Occasionally one of us, worn out by such calculated cruelty, would have the courage to complain to the headmaster. He would of course be very angry, but the punishment he gave the older boys was always very small --- nothing compared to what they had done to us. And the fact is that however much we complained, our situation did not improve in the slightest. Perhaps we should have let our parents know what was going on, but somehow we never dreamed of doing so; I don’t know whether it was loyalty or pride that kept us silent, but I can see now that we were foolish to keep quiet about it, for such beating were completely foreign to our nature.The statement “my hands and my fingers still remember” (Para.1) means that___________.
| A．the author’s hands were severely injured in the cleaning up |
| B．the author seldom did such hard work as the cleaning up |
| C．the author was bullied by the big boys in the cleaning up |
| D．the author’s hands were his only tool for the cleaning |
The headmaster asked the older boys to_____________.
| A．beat those who worked slowly |
| B．treat the small boys as peanuts |
| C．take charge of the process of the cleaning |
| D．do the cleaning all by themselves |
According to Para. 3, if the author had any money on him, he most probably_________.
| A．gave it to the big boys so as to please them |
| B．gave it as a bride to the headmaster |
| C．spent it all on his midday meal |
| D．spent it buying midday meals for the big boys |
When receiving complaints, the headmaster would deal with the big boys by means of _________.
| A．slight punishment | B．strict criticism |
| C．complete indifference | D．good beating |
A child survivor of the Indian Ocean tsunami and a girl from the United States who offered help met for the first time after the disaster.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami destroyed Nada Luthfiyyah’s small town in Aceh. Her parents and two brothers were among the 160,000 people who died in the disaster. Maggie Hamilton’s classmates in the state of Michigan decided to make and sell bracelets (手镯) to raise money for the victims. Maggie, who was 9 years old at the time, wrote a letter to survivors to offer help. Nada was selected from her class to respond with a letter of thanks.
Three and a half years later, the two girls met for the first time. Their meeting was arranged by the Indonesian government, and was used as a symbol of the two countries’aid relationship. Their letters were quoted by diplomats (外交官)of both countries.
Maggie, visiting the town under reconstruction, said she did not expect that her letter would draw so much attention, but, she said, the experience helped to make her more active in volunteering work. "I’ve been volunteering at a nursing home in Ohio. I just want to help people whenever I can," Maggie said.
Juanda, the spokesman for Indonesia’s tsunami reconstruction agency, says the meeting of the two girls serves as a symbol of their informal relationship. It will represent the international community’s role in Aceh’s future. "I think what we can learn from this experience is that Nada from Aceh and Maggie from the U.S. are able to share their experiences, friendship, knowledge and support," Juanda says.
Maggie says she wants to learn Indonesian and hopes to have Nada visit her home in Michigan sometime, perhaps next year.
1. Nada and Maggie first made contact with each other through ______.
A. letters B. visiting the diplomats
C. arrangements by the government D. informal visits
2. From the text we know that ______.
A. Maggie and Nada’s friendship is a symbol of the two countries’ friendship
B. 16,000 people lost their lives in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
C. Maggie volunteered to work in the reconstruction after the tsunami
D. Maggie is now a volunteer working in Nada’s hometown
3. The text mainly tells us that ______.
A. Indonesian and American girls build friendship after a tsunami
B. the Indian Ocean tsunami influenced the USA
C. letters are an advantage in building friendships
D. Indonesia is under construction after a tsunami
Books, software, and videos, no matter what you are looking for, if you turn on a computer and log (登录) on the Internet, you are sure to find something.
E-books are all over the Internet; some are free, and some are not. E-books are basically electronic books you can read without having to carry heavy books and flip through (翻阅) all the pages. Now authors not only sell regular books in bookstores but also sell e-books on the Internet. Some e-books are sold on CDs, too.
You can get all types of software right from the Internet. After you download it, you have it. It is so convenient that you can get it even without leaving the house. These are the advantages we have in today’s high-tech world.
We can find videos of different people. There are so many websites with videos that it would take you some time to actually go through them all. The cool thing about videos is that some people have their own websites or their own spaces where they can upload (上传) videos of their families or of different events and allow other people to view them. It is amazing.
The Internet is an exciting place and it plays a big part in our lives today. You can even pay your bills on the Internet if that’s what you want to do. The marketing industry is also doing a lot better because of the Internet. Companies can communicate very quickly with each other over the Internet.
1. What can we know from the second paragraph?
A. People are free to read e-books on the Internet.
B. People prefer e-books to paper books.
C. Some authors sell e-books in bookstores.
D. Some people sell e-books on CDs.
2. What can we know about the videos online according to the passage?
A. They are making human rights harder to protect.
B. They can include a lot of personal information.
C. They allow viewers to get to know each other more easily.
D. It’s a waste of time to watch videos online.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. people have to pay to download software
B. people usually pay their bills on the Internet these days
C. the Internet allows people to communicate more quickly
D. a lot of people still like paper books
4. The purpose of the passage is to______.
A. suggest that people start reading e-books on the Internet
B. advise people to form good computer habits
C. introduce many uses of the Internet
D. discuss problems people have online
三，阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
During his college years, Rogers spent his summer holidays at an Idaho logging camp (伐木场). When Roy, the manager, had to leave for a few days, he put Rogers in charge. "What if the workers refuse to follow my orders?" Rogers asked. He thought of Tony, a worker who was always giving the other men a hard time. "Fire them," Roy said. Then, as if reading Rogers’ mind, he added, "I suppose you want to fire Tony if you get the chance. I’d feel bad about that. Tony is the most reliable worker I’ve ever had. I know he complains a lot, but he comes first and leaves last. There has not been an accident on the hill where he works for eight years." Rogers took over the manager’s job the next day. He went to Tony and spoke to him, "Tony, did you know that I’m in charge today?" Tony didn’t show any respect or interest. "I was going to fire you because you once gave me a hard time, but I want you to know I’m not," he told Tony, adding what Roy had said. When Rogers finished, tears streamed down Tony’s face. That day Tony worked harder than ever before —and he smiled for the first time! Rogers went back to school after that summer. Twelve years later he met Tony again. He was in charge of one of the largest logging companies in the West. Rogers asked him how he managed to become so successful. Tony replied, "If it were not for that time you spoke to me back in Idaho, I would not be myself today. That one minute changed my whole life." Have you got one minute to appreciate someone? It can make a difference for a lifetime.
1. Which of the following statements about Tony is TRUE?
A. He didn’t care about his work.
B. He never showed respect to his co-workers.
C. Nobody liked Tony because of his bad temper.
D. He worked hard but he always complained.
2. The manager’s attitude towards Tony is _____.
A. strict B. doubtful C. satisfied D. negative
3. Rogers changed his mind and didn’t fire Tony because _______.
A. Tony smiled at him
B. he learned more about Tony’s work
C. Roy didn’t give him the power to fire anyone
D. Tony didn’t give him a hard time anymore
4. What can we learn from Tony’s success?
A. It’s never too late to learn.
B. Well begun is half done.
C. It’s necessary to work with a wise boss.
D. It’s important to recognize others’ good qualities.
The United States government wants to know what the public thinks about its findings on the safety of cloned animals．
The Food and Drug Administration says meat and milk from clones of adult animals are safe to eat．They called them “as safe to eat as the food we eat every day”．
And when those clones reproduce sexually(有性繁殖)，the agency says，their offspring(后代) are safe to eat as well．
The United States this year could become the first country to allow the sale of foods from cloned animals．
First，however，the public will have ninety days to comment on three proposed
documents．On December 28th the F．D．A．released a long report，called a draft risk assessment，along with two policy documents．
The agency says it must receive comments by April second．The F．D．A． seemed ready to act several years ago，but an advisory committee called for more research．
For now，the government will continue to ask producers to honor a request that
they not sell foods from cloned animals．
Clones are still rare．They cost a lot and are difficult to produce．
The F．D．A．says most food from cloning is expected to come not from clones themselves，but from their sexually reproduced offspring．It says clones are expected to be used mostly as breeding animals to spread good qualities．
Public opinion studies show most Americans do not like the idea of food from cloned animals．But this research also shows the public knows little about cloning．
Cloning differs from genetic engineering．A cell taken from a so-called donor animal is grown into an embryo(胚胎)in the laboratory．Next，the embryo is placed into the uterus(子宫)of a female animal．If the process is successful，the pregnancy reaches full term and a genetic copy of the donor animal is born．
1．From the passage，we can conclude________．
A．cloned adult animals are safe to eat
B．foods from cloned animals are popular in America
C．cloned animals will be easy to produce
D．most foods from cloning is expected to come from clones themselves
2．The main purpose of the text is to________．
A．tell a story B．give a report
C．give advice D．compare opinions
3．Who believe that foods from cloning are safe to eat?
A．Most Americans． B．An advisory committee．
C．Critics． D．The F．D．A．
4．It can be inferred from the last paragraph that________
A．cloning has much in common with genetic
B．not every cell taken from a donor animal can grow into a genetic copy
C．the donor animal should be a female one
D．cloned animals grow faster than normal ones
China news, Beijing, Feb. 9 – Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate (房地产) market, the International Finance News reported.
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.
The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?
At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate (控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.
1．Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States?
A．Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities.
B．American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people.
C．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses.
D．There are more people who need houses in China than in the United States.
2．What is the main idea of this passage?
A．The Chinese government should do something to control the housing price.
B．There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market.
C．The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States.
D．The Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public.
3．How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing prices?
A．Four B．Three C．Five D．Two