An African-American man named John Henry was the hero of former slaves and the people who built the railroads in the US in the 19th century.
John Henry was born a slave. He was known for his strength. Many people say he represents the spirit of growth in America during that period.
John Henry grew up in a world that did not let children stay children for long. Before he was six years old, he was carrying stones for workers building a nearby railroad. By the time John Henry was a young man, he was one of the best railroad workers in the country.
John Henry was asked to lead workers on a hard project, creating a tunnel through a mountain. The project required about 1,000 laborers and lasted three years. Hundreds of men became sick as a result of the hot weather and tiredness. John Henry was the strongest and fastest man. Concerned his friends might lose their jobs, he picked up their hammers and began doing their work. He worked day and night, rarely stopping to have a rest.
One day, a salesman came to the work area with a new drilling machine powered by steam. He said it could drill holes faster than twelve men working together.
John Henry looked at the machine and saw images of the future. He saw machines taking the place of America’s best laborers. He saw himself and his friends unemployed and sanding by a road, asking for food. He decided he would never let the machine take their jobs. Therefore, a competition between a man and a machine began .At first, the steam-powered drill worked twice faster. Then, John Henry started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. People cheered when the machine broke down and was pulled away. But they were sad to find John Henry fall to the ground, with blood spilling all around, and still holding a hammer in one of his hands.“I beat them,”he said. Then he took his last breath.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
| A．Many children in those days starved to death. |
| B．Children at that time grew much faster. |
| C．Children in those days had to work like adults. |
| D．Children at that time couldn’t stay together. |
Why did hundreds of workers become sick?
| A．Because they had to work long hours. |
| B．Because the weather was hot and they were tired. |
| C．Because the project was too hard. |
| D．Because they didn’t have time to eat. |
John Henry helped do his friends’ work .
| A．because he was the strongest and fastest man |
| B．for fear that his friends would lose their jobs |
| C．so that they could regain their strength |
| D．in order be the hero of the railroad workers |
Which of the following best describes John Henry?
| A．Kind and determined. | B．Cautious and considerate. |
| C．Brave and strict. | D．Hardworking and stubborn. |
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（ABCD）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑
The first thing my host father “warmed” me was that almost everyone in America was a big hugger.
I didn’t understand what he meant until my first party. Whether they were friends or strangers, teenagers or elders, girls or guys, everyone I met gave me a big hug.
However, as time went on, I began to understand America’s hugging culture. When a friend broke up with me, I was sad. When I told my best American friend about it, she said nothing but put her arms around me. Then warmth of the hug was a greater comfort than anything she could have said to me.
One winter day I was walking along the street, shivering（颤抖）. It was then I saw two women, each holding a paper board, on which there were two words：FREE HUGS. Their were red because of the freezing weather and they were jumping up and down to keep themselves warm. “Hi, girl! Do you want a hug?” One of them asked me. I went up and opened my arms. The hug was short but warm and it took some of the coldness of the day away.
After that I became a big hugger myself. One time my host father and I were traveling to another town. When we reached a restaurant where my friend Cindy worked, he stopped the car.
“What’ wrong?” I asked.” “Alice, why don’t you go inside and give Cindy a hug?” He suggested. I went into the restaurant, ran straight up to Cindy, and gave her a hug before she realized what was going on. “That was a big surprise! And you got my day sweetie! ” She told me later.
A hug is a way to communicate love and care. Do you want a hug? My arms are wide open.
56．The point of the first three paragraphs is to explain__________.
A．how body language is more important than actual words
B．why hugging is so important in American culture
C．how expressing, feelings can be difficult for Chinese
D．how the author’s attitude toward hugging culture changed
57．We can infer from the passage that the host father__________.
A．seldom has has time to spend with the author
B．often shares his experience with the author
C．warns the author of the possible danger
D．teachers the author to show her care for her friends
58．According the passage, a hug can make us feel__________
A．comforted, loved and cared for B．happy, understood and amazed
C．excited, wise and surprised D．cared for, wise and happy
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential( 必要的 ) for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing as it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital (有必要的) to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can stand depends very much on the person himself. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously important for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever from, we react both chemically and physically.In fact we make choice between “fight or fight” and in more unlikely to be so extreme, but how little the stress is, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered conditions as high blood pressure and heart diseases have diseases have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives ( it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.
6. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because ________ .
A. they do not know how to enjoy themselves
B. they do not believe that relaxation is important for health
C. they are traveling fast all the time
D. they are becoming busier with their work
7. Accoding to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his _______ .
A. not fearing stress B. knowing the art of relaxation
C. high sense of responsibilities D. having control over performance
8. Which of the following statement is true ?
A. We can find some ways to avoid stress.
B. Stress is always harmful to people.
C. It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.
D. Different people can withstand different amount of stress.
9. The underlined words “such a reaction” refer back to_________ .
A. asking a choice between”fight of fight”
B. “reaction to stress both chemically and physically”
C. “responding to crises quickly”
D. “losing heart at the signs of difficulties”
10. In the last sentence of the passage “do so” refers to________ .
A. “expose ourselves to stress”
B. “find ways to deal with stress”
C. “remove stress from our lives”
D. “establish links between diseases and stress”
七．阅读理解 (20分)
At first, the earth’s surface layer (层 ) was made up of huge blocks of hard, solid rocks.There slowly, the rocks broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. Finally stones, pebble(卵石) and grains of sand were formed. Many sorts of plants and animals lived and died on the surface of the earth. Their remain mixed up with the stones, pebbles and formed soil. The outmost layer of the earth is soil.
There are many ways in which large pieces of rock break into smaller ones. Wind, water, heat and cold help to break up rocks. When winds blow grains of sand against a large rock for a long time, the softer layer of the rock are slowly worn away. These leave holes and crack(裂缝) in the rock, which become bigger and finally the rock breaks up into smaller pieces.
The moving water of streams and rivers also help to break up rocks. As the water moves along, it carries with it small pieces of rock. These rub the larger ones, Thus, the larger rocks are worn down to smaller pieces.
The heat of the sun also help to breaking up rocks. When the sun shines, the rocks become very hot. If these rocks are suddenly cooled, they may crack. Ice also plays a part in making soil. Water in the cracks can turn into ice in cold weather. As this happens, it becomes bigger and cracks become wider, and finally break into smaller pieces.
1. According to the passage, soil _________ .
A. forms very slowly
B. is a mixture of stones, pebbles and sand
C. make up the layer of the earth
D. is becoming smaller and smaller
2. How many factors are mentioned in helping the forming of soil ?
A. Three B. Four C. Five D.More than five
3. Which of the following speeds up the breaks of rocks most ?
A. Hot weather B. Cold water
C. Sharp changs in temperature D. More dead plants in the cracks
4. Which of the following is NOT true ?
A.The remains of many plants of animals formed soil.
B. If a large rock never moves, it will never break up.
C.Even if a large rock never moves, it will break up.
D. Ice in the cracks helps to break up rocks.
5. The best titl for this passage should be ________ .
A. Soil from Rocks B. Ways to Break Rocks
C. Soil on the Earth D. Soil, Outmost Layer of the Earth
Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was there the incident of tragedy involving murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.
One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in a rage when he said; “This isn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years.
The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disorder. It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the US had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury (评审委员会) debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.
Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in present organization of Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism (爱国主义).
51. The author thinks that in recent years Olympic Games have _____.
A. showed little international friendship
B. greatly encouraged international brotherhood
C. created goodwill between the nations
D. created only misunderstanding and hatred
52. What did the manager mean by saying “This isn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished”?
A. This is not a standard hockey match.
B. The federation would not exist any longer after this match was over.
C. His team would not enter the game in three years.
D. The unfair decision ruined both hockey and the Federation.
53. The basketball match showed that _____.
A. aggressive patriotism was displayed in the incident
B. the Russian team should not have taken advantage of the last three seconds
C. the appeal jury was too inefficient in making a decision
D. the American team should have taken the first place
54. The author gives two examples in the 2nd and the 3rd paragraphs in order to show that _____.
A. contests often end in disorder
B. no contests are fair in Olympic Games
C. competition discourages international friendship
D. unfair decisions are common in sports
55. Which statement best summarizes this passage?
A. Athletes should compete as individuals.
B. The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved.
C. Any team that has disrespectful behavior should be suspended.
D. Different teams often have disputes when fighting for the first place.
Did you ever wonder why leaves change colors in autumn, or how it happens? Here’s a quick explanation.
First of all, you’ve probably noticed that not all trees lose their leaves. There are two major types of trees: deciduous trees and evergreens. Evergreens keep their leaves and stay green all year long. The deciduous trees are the ones that lose their leaves each year.
In autumn, the days begin to get shorter. The sun is also lower in the sky at noon, which causes temperatures to be cooler. The combination of less sunshine and lower temperatures is what causes the deciduous trees to drop their leaves. In winter, deciduous trees “go to sleep”, sort of like a bear goes into hibernation.
Leaves are the food factories for a plant. Unlike animals，plants make their own food by taking energy directly from the sun. Plants do this by using a chemical in their leaves called chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is green. During the spring and summer the leaves of a deciduous tree look green because there is a lot of chlorophyll there. In autumn, however, the sunshine becomes more scarce and the leaves on the trees stop making new chlorophyll. As the old chlorophyll starts to break down, the green color of the leaf begins to go away.
You’ve probably also noticed that the leaves of different kinds of trees change different colors. The leaves of some trees turn yellow or orange, while the leaves of other trees turn bright red or purple. The different colors are caused by the different chemical reactions that are happening in the leaves.
For example, the leaves of some trees turn yellow when the chlorophyll breaks down. When the green chlorophyll goes away, a yellow pigment in the leaf becomes visible. The yellow pigment, called cartenoid, was already there during the summer, but is was not easily seen because there was too much green chlorophyll.
In other trees where the leaves turn red or purple a different chemical reaction takes place. In those leaves the chlorophyll also breaks down, but another chemical reaction takes place at the same time. Chemicals in the leaves, called starches, begin to change into chemicals called anthocyanins, which give the leaves their red and purple colors.
So next time you see the beautiful colors of autumn you will also know the science behind that beauty.
46. What is the correct term for trees that lose their leaves in the autumn?
A. Evergreens B. Deciduous C. Cartenoids D. Anthocyanins
47. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of trees dropping their leaves?
A. A change in temperature B. The amount of daylight available
C. Extra chlorophyll D. Chemical changes in the leaves
48. If there are 50 evergreens and 10 deciduous trees in a forest, in autumn what color are most of the leaves in the forest likely to be?
A. Green B. Red and purple
C. Yellow D. not enough information to determine the answer
49. Which of the following is only present in leaves during the autumn?
A. Chlorophyll B. Starch C. Cartenoids D. Anthocyanins
50. Where would such an article mostly likely be published?
A. In a book B. In a primary school science text book
C. In a magazine for young people D. All are equally likely