It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog's legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future, but the dream didn't last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn't just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn't been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning. From paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers ________.
| A．worked very hard for centuries |
| B．dreamed of having a better life |
| C．were poor but somewhat content（满意的） |
| D．lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．The frogs were easy money. |
| B．They needed money to buy medicine. |
| C．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children's sickness?
| A．The crops didn't do well. |
| B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visits brought in diseases. |
| D．The pesticides were overused. |
GU Zhaodi, 60, had taken water for granted for years. In fact, no one in the beautiful lake city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province had bothered to spare a thought on water.
But all that changed dramatically overnight last month when taps in the city ran dry. Due to a blue-green algae(藻类) outbreak in Taihu Lake, China’s third largest freshwater lake and the source of drinking water for 4 million Wuxi residents(居民),water from the city’s taps became dark and smelly.
“I can’t believe there is no water for drinking, let alone cooking and washing,”said Ｇu.
The lake was blanketed with the algae, giving off a strong smell of rotting meat. A stone thrown into it took a long time to sink. Experts said that algae usually boom because of hot water and rich chemicals like phosphor(磷)in the water.
“High temperature and a lack of rain in the past few months helped the growth of algae,”said Zhang Lijun, an official from the State Environment Protection Administration. “However, pollution from human activity should be most blamed for the disaster.”
Taihu Lake is surrounded by many small factories, whichsprang up in the 1980s.Inthe 1990s,many foreign-funded(外资的) companies joined in. The industries prospered(繁荣)，Wuxi has grown into one of the wealthiest cities in East China.
But that came at the price of pollution. The lake was treated like a waste dump(垃圾堆)，with factories emptying industrial waste and untreated sewage(污水)into it.
Although, after the government's effort, life in the city has gone back to normal, the one-week crisis（危机）rang a bell for the government and local people.“It's time to rebuild the beauty of nature, or our lives will be at risk,”said Gu.
“A safe environment comes first. Economic growth will be nothing without fresh water to drink and clean air to breathe.” said China Daily.The following can not help the blue green algae grow______
| A．high water temperature | B．rich chemicals in the water |
| C．a lack of rain | D．plentiful water and sunshine |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The one-week disaster has made the local people realize the importance of building a beautiful city. |
| B．It is human activity rather than the algae that is to blame for the water pollution. |
| C．Only when the environment is safe and friendly can man live a better and healthier life. |
| D．Environment should be taken into consideration first if a city plans to develop its economic. |
According to the passage ,Taihu Lake________
| A．is the third largest lake in China. |
| B．is surrounded by many foreign-funded factories and companies. |
| C．used to be a waste dump. |
| D．suffered from industrial waste，untreated sewage and algae. |
The underlined phrase “sprang up” in the sixth paragraph means______
| A．develop quickly | B．produce goods quickly |
| C．come to life | D．grow up |
When a rather dirty, poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg for a few coins, do you hurry on, not knowing what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly hand over some money? What should our attitude to beggars be? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories. It must be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from. It seems cruel not to give some money to beggars.
Certainly, most of the world’s great religions (宗教) order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally (道德方面) right in the old days, when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their arguments.
First, some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually make a good living from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil (恶行). Secondly, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs. Thirdly, there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of pride and self-dependence.
Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people. Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and receive help.
It is hard to come to any final conclusion; there are various cases and we must deal with them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take sway the moral goodness of the giver.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．Moral deeds of people. |
| B．Religious activities of the church. |
| C．Moral goodness of the giver. |
| D．Arguments on giving to beggars. |
What can we infer from the sentence “But has the world changed?” in the second paragraph?
| A．People no longer know who suffers misfortune in the village. |
| B．Some people will not do what was morally right in the past. |
| C．We don’t meet with those who need help any more. |
| D．Now it is the government’s duty to help the beggars. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Some people dress up to pretend to be beggars. |
| B．Some beggars want money to help their children go to school. |
| C．Some beggars use the money to buy drugs. |
| D．Some beggars have no excuse for begging. |
In the last paragraph, the writer thinks that it is hard to come to any final conclusion, because .
| A．the cases can be so different |
| B．there are so many beggars |
| C．there is so much money wasted |
| D．there are so many different arguments |
Every day we go to school and listen to teachers, and the teacher will ask us some questions. Sometimes, the classmates will ask your opinions of the work of the class. When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying. You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat with friends --- you are in a situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say. You must speak so that they can hear you loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout or appearing to force yourself.
Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you. The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease in ordinary conversation but the situation is somewhat different from that of an ordinary conversation. You must take special care that you can be heard.When you speak to the class, you should speak __________.
| A．as loudly as possible | B．in a low voice | C．loudly | D．forcefully |
The situation in the class is _________ that in your house.
| A．not very different from | B．sometimes the same as |
| C．sometimes not the same as | D．not the same as |
If you are having a conversation with an official, the most important thing for you is _____________.
| A．to show your ability | B．to be very gentle |
| C．to make sure that you can be heard | D．to put the official at ease |
The main idea of this passage is __________.
| A．that we must use different ways at different situations |
| B．that we must speak loudly |
| C．that we must keep silent at any time |
| D．that we must talk with the class |
The most frightening words in the English language are “our computer is down.” You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said, “I’m sorry, I can’t sell you a ticket. Our computer is down.”
“If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket.”
“I can’t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so.” I looked down at the counter and every passenger was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the black screen. Then I asked her, “What do you do?”
“We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly with us or not.”
“So when it goes down, you go down with it.”
“That’s right, sir.”
“How long will the computer be down?” I wanted to know.
“I have no idea. Sometimes it’s down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours. There is no way we can find out without asking the computer, and since it’s down, it won’t answer us.”
After the girl told me they had no backup computer, I said, “Let’s forget the computer. What about your planes? They are still flying, aren’t they?”
“I can’t tell without asking the computer.”
“Maybe I could just go to the gate and ask the pilot if he’s flying to Washington.” I suggested.
“I wouldn’t know what gate to send you to. Even if the pilot was going to Washington, he couldn’t take you if you didn’t have a ticket.”
“Is there any other airline flying to Washington within the next few hours?”
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, pointing at the desk screen. “Only IT knows. It can’t tell me.”
By this time there were quite a few people standing in line. The words soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down. Some people went, some people started to cry and still others kicked their luggage.The word “down” in the sentence ‘Our computer is down.’ means _____________.
| A．falling | B．downcast | C．drop | D．dead |
The best title of the article is _________.
| A．Asking the Computer |
| B．The Computer of the Airport |
| C．The Most Frightening Words |
| D．When the Computer Is Down |
What could the girl in the ticket office do for the passengers without asking the computer?
| A．She could answer the passengers’ questions |
| B．She could do nothing. |
| C．She could sell a ticket. |
| D．She could write out a ticket. |
“Slow City” — a recently launched project focused on preserving the traditional quality of life enjoyed in some of Italy’s smaller cities and towns. The project was born from the idea of the “Slow Food” movement — started in Italy in the 1980s — which promotes leisurely eating and the growing of local, healthy products to fight against the American fast-food style.
“The American urban model has invaded our cities, making Italian towns look the same. We want to stop this kind of globalization,” says Paolo Saturnini, an Italian mayor.
The “Slow City” project plans to emphasize the rich, cultural, culinary(厨房的) and artistic local traditions of each community.
Walking areas will be enlarged and squares and parks will be made greener with more plants. Car alarms and other noise that disturbs the peace will be banned, and ugly TV aerials(天线), advertising posters, and signs will be taken down.
City councils will also insist on the use of recycling and renewable energy sources, and will also introduce ecological transport systems. Parking will be made stress-free by creating more public parking areas, and easily accessible walkways and bike lanes will cross the city. But in the “Slow City” way, all improvements will probably come about slowly.
Thirty-two Italian city councils, which joined the “Slow City” program, have decided to take further steps in this direction by increasing the numbers of traditional family-style eating establishments, reducing noise pollution, and concentrating on making their towns friendlier for people to live in.
Organic local produce will be promoted in all restaurants and genetically modified foods(转基因食品) will be banned. “We can’t stop large, fast-food chains from coming here, but we hope that people who come to our towns will not want to eat exactly the same hamburger they can eat in Melbourne, London or Paris, but want something genuine and different,” said Saturnini.According to the passage, the “Slow City” project aims at _____.
| A．preventing Italy from being affected by America |
| B．beautifying the environment of small Italian cities and towns |
| C．calling on Italians to enjoy stress-free life |
| D．protecting the traditional Italian lifestyle |
From Paragraphs 4-5, we can infer that ______.
| A．cars in “Slow City” will have to go slowly |
| B．people can park their cars free of charge in “Slow City” |
| C．“Slow City” will take on an environmentally friendly look |
| D．advertising in “Slow City” will be banned |
Further measures will be included in the “Slow City” program EXCEPT _____.
| A．cutting down noise pollution |
| B．stop genetically modified foods |
| C．getting more towns involved in the project |
| D．building more family-style restaurants |
In Saturnini’s opinion, when traveling in “Slow Cities”, visitors_____.
| A．aren’t provided with fast food |
| B．will see few fast-food chains |
| C．can enjoy themselves like in London |
| D．can enjoy real Italian-style healthy food |