The octopus’s（章鱼）reputation as a human-killer isn’t simply an exaggeration（夸张）—it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter, but only of its natural victims. Some shellfish（壳类动物）and an occasional sick or incautious fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed hunter, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even the largest among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to swallow a ship, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopus, found on the Pacific coast, weighs around 110 pounds and grows to no more than ten feet in width.
The hard, parrot-like beak（喙）of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open shellfish. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. Instead, it feeds by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A shellfish that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to go close enough to these careful creatures to get a good look at them.This passage is mainly about .
| A．the horrors of the octopus |
| B．the largest octopus in the world |
| C．octopi and their behavior |
| D．the octopus’s deadly hunting method |
It is implied but not stated in the passage that .
| A．people have unreasonable fears about the octopus |
| B．the octopus is not interested in human beings |
| C．the octopus is afraid of human beings |
| D．the octopus is a very cruel sea animal |
What does the underlined part “careful creatures” refer to in the last paragraph?
| A．Octopi. | B．Shellfish. | C．Fish. | D．The victims. |
The hard beak of the octopus is used for .
| A．attacking deep-sea divers | B．cutting up large pieces of meat |
| C．cutting open its victims | D．defending itself |
From the passage, we can conclude that .
| A．the octopus is not dangerous to man |
| B．people often fear creatures that are not dangerous to them |
| C．the octopus only hunts its natural victims |
| D．things described in movies are not to be believed |
四、阅读理解（本题有两节，共16小题，每小题2分，共32分）
第一节：阅读下列材料并做后面的题目。从所给的A, B, C, D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
A
Have you seen big dogs in stores or restaurants and wondered why they were there? Those dogs might have been guide dogs.
People who are blind sometimes use guide dogs called seeing-eyes dogs. These special dogs help people get around. They help them do everyday things. Some people who have hearing problems have hearing-ear dogs. These dogs tell their owners when an alarm clock goes off or when the doorbell rings.
Guide dogs learn to wear something on their backs called a harness. Their owner holds onto it. The dogs learn what words such as “left” and “right” mean. They learn to never take their owner into traffic.
Each guide dog trains for months. Then, it spends one month working with its future owner. At that time ,the owner and dog get to know one another and train together!
Because guide dogs are trained, they are welcome almost anywhere. So, the next time you are out, don’t be surprised if you see a dog. It might just be a guide dog!
46. ______ use guide dogs.
A. People who want dogs to play with B. Babies
C. Anyone wants to D. People who cannot hear or cannot see
47. How long do guide dogs train?______
A. days B. weeks C. months D. They don’t train
48. Guide dogs train with their owner for ______.
A. two days B. one week C. one month D. one year
49. Guide dogs can go _______.
A. almost anywhere B. only stores C. anywhere but restaurants D. only outside places
Should struggling students be banned from clubs and sports?
Getting a bad grade in Rockingham, Vt. could get you kicked off the team! School officials there are considering new guidelines that would prevent students with bad grades from participating in extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs. The proposal would affect students in eighth grade and below.
School board member Mike says the policy would motivate students to work harder in school. He drafted a letter to coaches, parents, and after-school program leaders to encourage them to allow only kids who are meeting certain academic standards into their program.
Not everyone gives such policy an A+. Some people argue that no student should be excluded from after-school activities. They say taking part in extracurricular activities can help kids do better in class by improving their participation and concentration skills. They say a 2009 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that time spent in extracurricular physical activities does not take away from students’ ability to do well in the classroom . In fact, it may even help boost girls’ academic performance.
Students themselves have different opinions.
SCHOOL COMES FIRST
Why not require good grades to participate in those activities?
Kids need to understand that grades are important. School comes first, period. Getting good grades help you with life, help you go to college, get a job, and so on. Banning underachieving students from extracurricular activities not only gives them motivation to get their grades up, but allows more time to study or get help from a tutor.
DON’T BAN STUDENTS
Every student should be able to participate in extracurricular activities, no matter what his or her grades are. Extracurricular activities can help kids concentrate more on doing homework. They can help kids develop mentally and physically.
A school policy that tells kids with bad grades that they can’t be in sports or the school play is like judging a book by its cover. Every student is unique. A kid may have a learning disability, an attention issue, or a difficult time studying in his or her home environment. His or her teachers should find why the student is struggling. Together they should find out a solution that will keep the student in the activity.
72. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “excluded”?
A. protected B. approved C. blamed D. banned
73. What’s the author’s attitude to the policy that prevents students with bad grades from participating in extracurricular activities?
A. supportive B. critical C. neutral D. indifferent
74. In the second paragraph “a 2009 study…”is used by the critics to .
A. To indicate the author is against the policy.
B. To emphasize there is no need to ban the students with bad grades to take part in extracurricular activities.
C. To suggest girls can benefit from extracurricular activities.
D. To prove grades have nothing to do with extracurricular activities.
75. Some don’t think the policy is reasonable for the following reasons EXCEPT .
A. Every kid is unique.
B. Extracurricular activities will benefit students mentally and physically.
C. . Grades will help students get a job.
D. One can learn more that can’t be learned in class.
Welcome to Language upon Thames. This brochure has been designed to give you an overview of our Language School and the courses we offer. If you have some additional questions please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
At Language upon Thames，we feel it is important to be flexible，in order that students can decide what period of study suits them best.
Small Group General English Courses
These courses are aimed at students who wish to improve their speaking，listening，reading and writing skills and are offered at the following levels：
BEGINNERS
ELEMENTARY(初级)
PRE-1NTERMEDLATE
UPPER-INTERMEDLATE
Studying one of the above courses will enable you to use English more confidently and competently on a daily basis.
Try our free online test to see which level you are at—CLICK HERE.
Exam Courses
These courses ale aimed at students who wish to gain academic qualifications in English and are offered at the following levels：
University of Cambridge exams：
ADVANCED l — FCE (First certificate)
ADVANCED 2一CAE (Advanced)
ADVANCED 3一CPE (Proficiency)
Studying one of the above courses will enable you to continue your education or enter university in this country. (Students wishing to gain admission to a British university are normally required to have the Cambridge Proficiency Certificate.)
Speaking, Listening & Pronunciation
This course builds on communicative confidence and competence and is aimed at students who wish to develop the important skills of speaking and listening.
Emphasis is also placed on pronunciation，with activities designed to meet the needs of students of different nationalities，who need to focus on different areas.
CLICK HERE to register for a General English course.
Other Languages
At Language upon Thames we offer a wide range of cafeterias，restaurants，shops and bars. Most importantly，we have foreign language classes of French，Japanese，German，Spanish and Italian during the day，evening or on a one-to-one basis.
68. What does this passage mainly talk about?
A. English courses.
B. Ways to improve students’ English.
C. The best way to improve your skills.
D. The importance of English.
69. If you attend Exam Courses，you will .
A. use English as fluently as a native speaker
B. deal with everyday English well
C. . have better pronunciation of English
D. be able to continue your education or enter university in this country
70. Judging from the description，we can tell that this passage must be taken from .
A. a newspaper B. a magazine
C. . the Internet D. a guidebook
71. The following statements are true EXCEPT .
A. Only Englishmen can attend the courses.
B. The courses are designed for learners of different levels.
C. . One can learn French even in the evening.
D. Language upon Thames is a school aimed to offer help with language learning.
Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food，according to a major study．
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its imagined health benefits，creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007．
A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years，however，found there was no significant difference．
“A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally(通常)produced foodstuffs，but these have nothing to do with public health，” said Alan Dangour ，one of the report's authors．
“Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority ．”
The results of research，which was commissioned by the British government’s Food Standards Agency，were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition．
Sales of organic food have fallen in some markets，including Britain，as a slowdown in economic growth has led consumers to cut back on purchases．
The Soil Association said that growth in sales of organic products in Britain slowed to just 1.7percent，well below the average annual growth rate of 26 percent over the last decade．
64. Why does organic food cost more than conventionally produced food?
A. Because people think they are much healthier.
B. Because they are more delicious.
C. Because people prefer organic food.
D. Because they sell better.
65. According to the study，organic food is than conventionally produced food.
A. much healthierB. better
C. no healthierD. less healthier
66. Sales of organic food have fallen because of . .
A. high price B. economic decline
C. bad service D. poor quality
67. Where can you find this passage in a newspaper?
A. Economy B. Science．
C. Food & Nutrition D. Fashion
Don't believe all of the stereotypes (模式化的形象) you may have heard about Americans．Even the ones that are true in general may not be true about specific individuals or a large part of the population．For example，although Americans tend to be louder than people from other cultures(especially at athletic events)，many of the people you meet will be quiet and polite．Some people may be intolerant，but most will be pleasant and welcoming．Remember that American films and television exaggerate(夸张)in order to generate excitement，and so present a rather false picture of what 1ife in the United States is really like．Therefore，tourists in the US are not always on their best behavior．
Americans do tend to be more informal than people from other countries．It is common for Americans to wear casual clothing to school and to greet professors by first name．However，good manners and politeness are always appreciated．If you are polite，and dress a little more formally than your American friends，it will not be poorly thought of.
However，some businesses require their employees to wear a uniform or a suit．It would be improper to wear a T-shirt and blue jeans to a job interview．Some of the more prestigious restaurants require a coat and tie．Americans tend to dress up for cultural events(the opera，theater and ballet)and to dress down for athletic events．Formal wear is required at weddings and funerals，or any other event with religious event．If you rely on the stereotypes，you will likely put yourself into an embarrassing situation
60. The underlined sentence probably means .
A. Some of the stereotypes you may have heard about Americans are not true
B. You should not believe the stereotypes you may have heard about Americans
C. None of the stereotypes you may have heard about Americans should be believed
D. None of the stereotypes you may have heard about Americans should not be believed
61. The passage is probably written for .
A. businessmen
B. visitors to America
C. American students
D. American film--makers
62. The second paragraph suggests that .
A. most Americans are polite
B. people who are polite are welcome
C. casual clothing makes others uncomfortable
D. American students are impolite to their teachers
63. We can learn from the passage that .
A. American films are mostly poor comedies
B. it is good manners to wear blue jeans to a wedding
. Americans usually wear formal clothes in a theater
D. to dress formally makes others feel you are not easy to get on with