Transportation and communication networks bring people together. Yet sometimes people themselves create barriers to transportation and communication. In some countries, laws stop people from moving freely from place to place.
Over the centuries, many groups of people have been denied the freedom to travel because of their race, religion, or nationality. In the Middle Ages, for example, Jews were often forbidden to move about freely within certain cities. South Africa's government used to require black Africans to carry passes when they travel within the country. Some governments require all citizens to carry identification papers and to report to government officials whenever they move.
Countries set up Customs posts at their borders. Foreign travellers must go through a Customs inspection before they are allowed to travel in the country. Usually travellers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas(签证). Some countries even limit the number of visitors to their country each year. Others allow tourists to visit only certain areas of the country, or they may require that travellers be with an official guide at all times during their stay.
Many of those barriers to travel also act as barriers to communication. When two governments disagree with each other on important matters, they usually do not want their citizens to exchange news or ideas freely. Countries often try to keep military or industrial information secret.
Today, people have the ability to travel, to communicate, and to transport goods more quickly and easily than ever before. Natural barriers that were difficult or dangerous to cross a hundred years ago can now be crossed easily. The barriers that people themselves make are not so easy to overcome. But in spite of all the different kinds of barriers, people continue to enjoy travel and the exchange of goods and ideas.The examples in paragraph 2 are used to tell the readers that _______
| A．Customs posts are necessary at the borders of the countries |
| B．people have been allowed to travel freely within the country |
| C．people have not been permitted to travel freely for various reasons |
| D．travellers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas |
Some governments limit the freedom of communication because___
| A．they think such freedom will lead to wars |
| B．they more often than not agree with each other on important matters |
| C．they intend to keep their national secrets unknown to others |
| D．they want to show their authority over communication |
We may learn from the passage that _______
| A．people do not care about the removal of barriers between countries. |
| B．people can not remove the obstacles made by themselves |
| C．barriers should be taken for granted as they always exist |
| D．man-made barriers are sometimes harder to overcome than natural ones |
Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?
| A．Functions of Communication | B．Barriers Made by People |
| C．Restrictions on Transportation | D．Progress of Human Society |
Human beings have used tools for a very long time. In some parts of the world you can still find tools that people used more than two million years ago. They made these tools by hitting one stone against another. In this way, they broke off pieces from one of the stones. These chips of stone were usually sharp on one side. People used them for cutting meat and skin from dead animals, and also for making other tools out of wood. Human beings needed to use tools because they did not have sharp teeth like other meat eating animals, such as lions and tigers. Tools helped people to get food more easily.
Working with tools also helped to develop human intelligence. The human brain grew bigger, and human beings began to invent more and more tools and machines. The stone chip was one of the first tools that people used, and perhaps it is the most important. Some scientists say that it was the key to success of mankind.
Since 1960 a new kind of tool has appeared. This is the silicon chip (硅芯片). It is smaller than a finger nail, but it can store lots of information. It is an electronic brain. Every year these chips get cleverer, but their size gets smaller, and their cost gets less. They are used in watches, calculators and intelligent machines that we can use in many ways. In the future we will not need to work with tools in the old way. Machines will do everything for us. People will have plenty of spare time. But what will they do with it?
Human beings used stone chips for more than two million years, but human life changed very little in that time. We have used silicon chips for only a few years, but life is changing faster every day. What will life be like twenty years from now? What will the world be like two million years from now?From paragraph 1, we can know ________.
| A．why early human beings cut skin from dead animals |
| B．how early human beings discovered the tools |
| C．what early human beings used the tools for |
| D．what food early human beings stored |
The stone chip is thought to be the most important tool because it ________.
| A．was very important to the development of mankind |
| B．led to the invention of machines in the early time |
| C．developed cooking abilities of mankind |
| D．was one of the first tools of mankind |
The silicon chip is mentioned in the passage to ________.
| A．show the changes of tools |
| B．introduce a new kind of tool |
| C．give an example of using tools |
| D．compare the effects of two kinds of tools |
At the end of the passage the author seems to suggest that life in future is ________.
| A．out of order | B．less colorful |
| C．hard to predict | D．full of meanings |
In 1880, fourteen-year-old Matthew Henson loved to hear sailors tell tales of their exciting lives at sea. The travel, the adventure, the danger, and the steady pay were all attracting young Henson. One day, he found a job as a cabin boy on a beautiful ship called the Katie Hinds. For the next five years, Henson sailed around the world. With the help of the ship’s captain and other members of the crew, Henson learned mathematics, navigation, history, geography, and many other subjects. By the time he left the Katie Hinds in 1885, Henson was well educated and had become an excellent seaman.
Unable to find work anywhere else, Henson took a job in a hat shop in Washington, D.C. One day in 1887, a man came in to buy a hat. The man, Robert Peary, asked the owner if he knew anyone with experience at sea. Peary would soon travel to South America for the U.S. government. He needed experienced men to accompany him. The shop owner knew about his young employee’s skills and experience on ocean journeys, so he introduced Peary to Henson.
Using his map-reading and sailing skills, Henson proved himself to be a worthy and smart seaman. Peary soon made Henson his assistant, and they became close friends. One day Peary told Henson about his real dream: to be the first man to stand on “the top of the world” at the North Pole. He asked Henson to help him make his dream come true. Over the next five years, the two explorers made two trips together to the Arctic. However, they were not able to reach the pole either time. The cold, wind, and ice were worse than either of them had ever imagined.
In 1908, Peary and Henson were ready to make their final attempt at reaching the North Pole. Both men were over forty years old. The years of hardship in the arctic cold had made them suffer a lot. This would be their last chance. With four Inuit guides, they made a mad rush straight across the ice toward the pole. Peary’s feet were injured and he had to be pulled on a dogsled. In April 1909, Henson’s instruments showed they were standing at the North Pole. Together Henson and Peary planted the American flag in the snow.
In later years, Robert Peary and Henson were greatly honored for their achievements. Today, the two friends and fellow explorers lie in heroes’ graves not far apart in the Arlington National Cemetery.In paragraph1, the author shows how Henson became ________.
| A．a skilled seaman |
| B．a highly educated captain |
| C．employed in a restaurant |
| D．interested in helping others |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us ________.
| A．how Matthew Henson met Robert Peary |
| B．why Matthew Henson went to the hat shop |
| C．why Matthew Henson stopped working on the Katie Hinds |
| D．how Robert Peary knew that Matthew Henson had sea experience |
On their trip to the North Pole, Henson and Peary could best be compared to ________.
| A．treasure hunters seeking big fortunes |
| B．generals seeking power over another country |
| C．soldiers going to war to fight for their freedom |
| D．fighters performing a task in an unknown land |
The information presented in this passage is mainly organized ________.
| A．by cause and effect |
| B．by comparing and contrasting |
| C．in the order that the events happened |
| D．with main ideas and supporting examples |
You may have seen a talking parrot on a TV show, in a movie, or even in someone’s home. The parrot has learned to copy sounds that people make. Birds are not the only animals that can copy the noises they hear. Dolphins, bats, and some apes also copy sounds. Now we can add elephants to this list of copycats.
Dr. Joyce Poole is a zoologist. She studies the sounds of elephants. While she was in Kenya, she would hear strange noises made by Mlaika after sunset. Mlaika was a 10-year-old African elephant.
Mlaika lived near a highway. Dr. Poole says, “I could not tell the difference between Mlaika’s call and the distant truck noise.” She and other scientists studied Mlaika’s sounds. It turned out that Mlaika was copying the sounds of the trucks driving by. Why would Mlaika copy trucks that she heard going by on the highway? Animals that are able to copy sounds may enjoy practicing new sounds. When they are kept outside of their natural environment, they may copy unusual sounds. That may be why an elephant would copy the sound of a truck.
“Mlaika was not the only copycat elephant,” Dr. Poole says. Calimero is a 23-year-old male African elephant. He spent 18 years with two female Asian elephants. Asian elephants make chirping sounds (sounds made by birds) to talk with one another. African elephants usually do not make chirping sounds. But Calimero now does. He is copying his Asian elephant friends. Dr. Poole says that elephants need to form bonds with their family and friends. She says, “They make sounds to communicate with each other. When they are separated, they use sounds to keep in contact.”
Parrots, dolphins, humans, and elephants show that being a copycat is one way that animals and people make new friends and keep old ones.According to the passage, what does Mlaika copy?
| A．The sound of people. | B．The sound of trucks. |
| C．The sound of Calimero. | D．The sound of birds. |
Why is Calimero mentioned in the passage?
| A．To clarify the meaning of copycat elephants. |
| B．To show the cleverness of African elephants. |
| C．To add another example of copycat elephants. |
| D．To introduce a special life skill of Asian elephants. |
From paragraph 4, we can know________.
| A．how long it takes for an elephant to learn a new sound |
| B．why the African elephant can make chirping sounds |
| C．why the Asian elephants make noises after sunset |
| D．how Asian and African elephants are alike |
According to the passage, why do some animals like to be copycats?
| A．To keep in touch with nature. |
| B．To please people and other animals. |
| C．To make new friends and keep old ones. |
| D．To avoid the danger from the outside world. |
It’s not easy being a teenager---nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager．You can make your child feel angry, hurt or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself．It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that you’ll still be there for him when he needs you．
Expect a lot from your child, just not everything．Except for health and safety problems，such as drug use or careless driving, consider everything else open to discussion．If your child is unwilling to discuss something, don’t insist he tell you what’s on his mind．The more you insist，the more likely that he’ll calm up．Instead, let him attempt to solve things by himself．At the same time, remind him that you’re always there for him should he seek advice or help．Show respect for your teenager’s privacy（隐私）．Never read his mail or listen to personal conversations．
Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family．If your child talks on the family’s telephone for too long, tell him he can talk for l5 minutes, but then he must stay off the phone for at least all equal period of time．This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls, but teaches your teenager moderation（节制）．Or if you are open to the idea, allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job．The main purpose of the text is to tell parents_________．
| A．how to get along with a teenager |
| B．how to help a teenager grow up |
| C．how to understand a teenager |
| D．how to respect a teenager |
What does the phrase "calm up" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．refuse to talk | B．show respect |
| C．become excited | D．seek help |
The last paragraph is about how to teach a teenager______．
| A．to share the phone with friends |
| B．to pay for his own telephone |
| C．to use the phone in a sensible way |
| D．to answer the phone quickly |
What should parents do in raising a teenager according to the text?
| A．Not allow him to learn driving or take drugs． |
| B．Not talk about personal things with him． |
| C．Let him have his own telephone． |
| D．Give him advice only when necessary． |
| Eco reading We offer new, used and out-of-print books, supplied by over 3,000 people from 50 countries．We ship your order directly to you．We also take in used books from schools, libraries, students—anyone with old books—and resell them at low prices．If you order on the Internet, you will get 20% off the cost of your entire order． |
| Name Your Music Name Your Music carries personalized music CDs for kids．The songs have a lot of styles, and most of them are familiar to your kids．Every song has a child’s name and they’ll be excited to hear their own name come up in the song．We also do several names on one CD, which is designed for a family with more than one kid． |
| Fast Flower It was founded over 77 years ago．We are sure that your order will be filled and sent the same day by a local fast flower shop to your total satisfaction．All of our flowers are put in safe containers．We provide many types of gifts for every holiday．We have over 16,000 member shops throughout the U．S．With the largest flower-sending network, we promise to fill your order within 24 hours． |
| Down To Earth Fun Personalized toys can be found at Down To Earth Fun which is owned and run by a work-at-home mother．With over 90% of our toys made in the USA, we offer good service to those who are searching for safe toys．If you are looking for special, high quality toys for a child, Down To Earth Fun is the place for you． |
If you buy books from Eco Reading, you can _______．
| A．get to know a lot of teenage students． |
| B．select textbooks in fifty languages |
| C．make small savings by ordering online． |
| D．spend little time finding what you want |
In what way is Fast Flower different from the other three shops?
| A．It provides safe and beautiful products． |
| B．It provides chances of replacing containers． |
| C．It offers gift packaging on holidays． |
| D．It offers a quick door-to-door service． |
Both Name Your Music and Down To Earth Fun try to _______．
| A．start a well-known business | B．meet the needs of kids |
| C．work to save the earth | D．help busy working moms |
The passage is most probably．
| A．an advertisement | B．a news report |
| C．a notice | D．a survey paper |