Once there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time went by --- the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy. “I’m no longer a kid. I wouldn’t play around the tree any more.” the boy replied. “I want toys. I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, I don’t have money. But you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.” The boy picked all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples.
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited, “Come and play with me,” the tree said. “I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help?” “Sorry, I don’t have a house. But you can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was pleased. “Come and play with me!” the tree said. “I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.
Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I don’t have anything for you any more. The only thing left is my dying root,” the tree said with tears.
“Good! Old tree root is the best place to lean on and rest. Come and sit down with me and rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.Why did the boy pick all the apples on the tree?
| A．he wanted to eat them |
| B．he needed money to buy toys |
| C．he liked the tree without apples |
| D．he wanted to share them with friends |
When did the boy come back to the apple tree?
| A．whenever he was happy |
| B．if he missed the apple tree |
| C．when he was in times of difficulty |
| D．as soon as he was free |
What did the boy want at last?
| A．to have a house to live in |
| B．nothing except a place to rest |
| C．the root of the apple tree |
| D．anything that the apple tree had |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．plant more apple trees | B．learn from the boy |
| C．always stay at home | D．be thankful to our parents |
I’m a pig, and my son is a rabbit. I have snakes for daughters, and my wife, believe it or not, is a dragon! Do I live in a zoo? No, of course not! I am talking about Chinese zodiac signs（十二生肖）. Depending on the year of your birth, each person has an animal for a sign. That’s why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon. If you, like me, were born in the year of the pig, then you are brave, thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune.
Now let’s take a closer look at this interesting animal.
Pigs were first raised by man about 9,000 years ago, and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don’t just use pigs for their meat — almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists’ brushes. The fat is used to make floor wax, rubber and plastics.
Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film ‘Babe’ starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated （提名）for 6 more. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money for charity by holding pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don’t just want to eat pigs, it seems!
Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example, if someone says that he will travel to the sun one day, you can say “pigs might fly!” to him. Hungry? Well then, you can “pig out” and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you? Well, you can say that they “saved your bacon”. The writer wrote the first paragraph in a ______ tone.
| A．sad | B．confused | C．serious | D．humorous |
We may know from the passage that ______.
| A．people in England like pigs more than other animals |
| B．pigs are more useful than ordinary people imagine |
| C．pigs are the first animals raised by man |
| D．more people don’t want to eat pigs now |
The underlined sentence “pigs might fly!” in the fifth paragraph means “______”.
| A．What you have just said is impossible |
| B．Pigs are great animals |
| C．I don’t understand your words |
| D．I can’t agree with you more |
Which diagram shows the structure（结构） of the passage?
A B C D
Malaysia is a country of exciting beauty, with a tropical（热带的） climate. Malaysia’s weather is hotter in the lowlands and cooler in the mountains and highlands. Temperatures vary between 20 and 30 centigrade. Rainfall can be expected at any time, with an average of between 200 and 260 centimeters.
The Malaysian population consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians. Its main religions are Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Christianity. Its national language is Malay. English is widely spoken and is used all over the country. Other languages spoken in Malaysia are some Chinese dialects, Tamil, Portuguese and Arabic.
Malaysia is an exciting and fascinating place for tourists, with something special planned throughout the year. The natural attractions are plentiful, with magnificent mountains lying in green, large stretches of sandy beaches and hospitable and friendly people.
Malaysia’s economy is the most advanced in this part of the world. The annual income is M$1, 680, one of the highest in the whole of Asia. Malaysia is the world’s leading exporter of rubber, tin, tropical hardwood, palm oil, pepper, tea, coffee and cocoa and has vast resources of oil.
Malaysia’s capital is Kuala Lumpur in the southwest of the Malay Peninsula. Kuala Lumpur arose in the 1860s when tin was discovered, grew and spread very quickly. It became the state’s capital within forty years of its founding. Now it is home to over one million inhabitants(居民), about 56% of whom are Chinese, 28% Malays and the rest are from anywhere and everywhere.If you visit Malaysia, you will see ________.
| A．people of the white and yellow races |
| B．many temples and churches |
| C．beautiful tropical scenery |
| D．All of the above. |
Though Malay is Malaysia’s national language, ______.
| A．over half of its population speak Chinese |
| B．English is also a popular language |
| C．people don’t know Malay |
| D．it’s only spoken by Malays |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage
| A．Malaysia is one of the richest countries in Asia. |
| B．It rains a little now and a little then in Malaysia. |
| C．Kuala Lumpur became Malaysia’s capital before 1910. |
| D．Malaysia is rich in agricultural products. |
The campaign（竞选）is over. The celebrations have ended. And the work for US president-elect Barack Obama has begun.
The 47-year-old politician rose to the highest post because of his stand against the war in Iraq and his plans to fix a weak economy. But what will the first 47-year-old African-American president do for race relations?
Obama’s victory appears to have given blacks and other minorities（少数民族）a true national role model. For years, many looked to athletes and musicians for inspiration. As Darius Turner, an African-American high school student in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, “Kobe doesn’t have to be everybody’s role model anymore.”
However, Bill Bank, an expert of African-American Studies, says that eventually young blacks need to find role models in their own communities. “That’s not Martin Luther King, and not Barack Obama,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s actually the people closest to them. Barack only has so much influence. ”
In the opinion of black British politician Trevor Phillips, Obama’s rise will contribute more to multiculturalism than to race relations in the US.
“When the G8 meets, the four most important people in the room will be the president of China, the prime minister of India, the prime minister of Japan and Barak Obama,” he told London’s The Times newspaper. “It will be the first time we’ve seen that on our television screens. That will be a huge psychological shift（心理转变）for both the white people and the colored ones in the world. ” For years, before Obama was elected president of the US, __________.
| A．Kobe was the only role model for all the blacks |
| B．blacks could only find role models on the basketball court |
| C．minorities in America couldn’t find role models in their real life |
| D．American blacks had no role model who was successful in political area |
According to Bill Bank, ____________.
| A．it’s better for young blacks to find role models in those who are close to them |
| B．young blacks should not be so much influenced by Obama |
| C．blacks should find other role models because Obama is far from their reality |
| D．Obama is not the proper role model for African-Americans |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The First African-American President | B．America’s New Role Model |
| C．Obama-- A Successful Black. | D．Choosing a Right Role Model |
What will be the huge psychological shift Trevor mentioned at the end of the passage?
| A．The other three leaders all support Obama. |
| B．Obama is an African-American president. |
| C．None of the four leaders is white. |
| D．The other three leaders except Obama are from Asian countries. |
The law is a great mass of rules, showing when and how far a man is possible to be punished, or to be made to hand over money or property to his neighbors, and so on. These rules are contained in books. A lawyer learns them mainly by reading books.
He begins by doing nothing but read, and after he has prepared himself by three years study practice, still, all his life long and almost every day, he will be looking into books to read a little more than he already knows about some new questions which he has to answer.
The power to use books, then is a special skill which the would - be lawyer ought to possess. He ought to have enough flexibility（灵活性）to make it easy for him to collect ideas from printed words. He ought to have no difficulty in finding what a book contains, and something of an instinct（直觉）for where to look for what he wants.
But although this is the power of which he will first feel the need, it is not the most important. A lawyer does not study law to recite it; he studies it to use it and act upon the rules which he has learned in real life. His business is to try cases in court and to advise men what to do in order to keep out or get out of trouble. After three years of reading________.
| A．he can study law |
| B．he can stop reading |
| C．he still has to continue reading |
| D．he is able to give clever answers |
The major business of a lawyer is________.
| A．to discuss the material he has read |
| B．to advise people who have law problems |
| C．to learn about real life |
| D．to study the law |
According to the passage, a good lawyer should know how to________.
| A．understand and use what he reads |
| B．be convenient in everything |
| C．collect ideas from different source |
| D．use power in the court |
Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasnt easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball（化装舞会）. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!The text is mainly about ________.
| A．a strange man | B．an unusual party |
| C．how roller skating began | D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.
| A．often gave others surprises | B．was a gifted musician |
| C．invented the roller skates | D．was full of imagination |
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .
| A．impress the party guests | B．arrive at the party sooner |
| C．test his invention | D．show his skill in walking on wheels |
What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
| A．The roller skates needed further improvement. |
| B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool. |
| C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation. |
| D．Merlin got himself into trouble. |