My favorite English teacher could draw humor out of the driest material. It wasn’t forced on us either. He took Samuel Johnson’s dictionary, Addison’s essays, and many other literary wonders from the eighteenth century and made them hilarious, even at eight o’clock in the morning. The thing that amazed me most was that the first time I read these works on my own, some of them seemed dead, but the second time, after his explanation, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen the humor. The stories and poems and plays were suddenly filled with allusions(典故) and irony and hilarious moments. I learned more from him than from any other teacher.
My least favorite English teacher also made people laugh. Some students found him to be wonderfully funny. Many others did not. He assigned journals over a six-week period, to be written every day. At the end of the six weeks I had a notebook full of bits and pieces about my ideas, short stories, reactions to what we had read, and so on. Our teacher announced that we would be grading each other’s journals. Mine was passed to Joe, that class clown, who always behaved in a funny or silly way. He saw it fit to make a joke of and said, “This writing isn’t fit to line the bottom of a birdcage.” Our teacher laughed at that funny remark. It hurt me so much that the anger from it has driven my writing and teaching ever since.
So what makes the difference? Humor is one of the most powerful tools teachers or writers have. It can build up students and classes and make them excited about literature and writing, or it can tear them apart. It is true that humor is either productive or counter-productive and self-defeating. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A.teaching | B.literature | C.humor | D.knowledge |
The underlined word “hilarious” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.
A.funny | B.tiring | C.inspiring | D.brilliant |
The English teacher the writer disliked most ________.
A.was not able to make students laugh |
B.hurt his student’s feelings |
C.didn’t let his students do the grading |
D.had no sense of humor |
第二部分:阅读理解(共两部分,满分45分)
第一节(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的选项A、B、C、D中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Situated in the South West of England, between Exeter and Plymouth, Torquay is one of the most popular holiday resorts(度假胜地)in Britain. It provides sophisticated(精致)entertainment, sports of every kind and cultural facilities, all set in a position of outstanding natural beauty. Visitors can choose between luxury hotels by the sea, with private suites(套房),swimming pools and saunas, and comfortable but less expensive guest houses. There are camping sites, too, and hundreds of houses displaying“B & B”signs.
As well as a number of small quiet bays, which are ideal for beach barbecues away from the crowds, Torquay has large sandy beaches where you can buy refreshments(饮料)and hire deck chairs, boats and even beach huts. There are large areas of grassland overlooking the sea, and miles of winding cliff paths for walkers who just want to enjoy the scenery and what is often said to be the healthiest air in the country. For the sportsmen and women there are opportunities not only for golf, tennis, squash and bowls, but also for water-skiing, hang-gliding and deep-sea fishing.
After a day in the open air, there’s lots to do in the evenings, too. There are plenty of discos, the occasional opera or ballet, and summer variety shows in the seafront theatres. For the children, there is a beautiful model village with a complicated railway layout which is remarkably realistic-especially when the lights are all on at night.
Of course, there’s no need to spend your whole holidays in Torquay. Only a short drive away is Dartmoor National Park, where you can walk for miles through dramatic, unspoiled countryside, or picnic by beautiful rivers and streams. Or, nearer to home, you can sail across Tor Bay to the lovely old fishing village of Brixham.
Torquay seems to have something for everyone. But don’t take my word for it-come and see for yourself.
41.Which of the following best explains what “B & B” means on the signs?
A.Bed and breakfast B.Breakfast and bath
C.Beach and barbecue D.Beautiful and British
42.According to the text Torquay might be described as .
A.comfortable and expensive B.crowed and lively
C.remote and beautiful D.fresh and healthy
43.What is special about the model village?
A.It opens at night.
B.It has something for the children
C.It’s in the open air.
D.It has a real railway system.
44.What is the purpose of writing this text?
A.To introduce the geography of Torquay to students.
B.To make some places known to visitors.
C.To show the beauty of resorts.
D.To attract more tourists.
Machines in the home have a short history. Sewing machines, washing machines and tumble dries are common enough today, but a hundred years ago few people could even imagine such things. However, inventors have designed and built a wide range of household machines since then. In most cases the inventor tried to patent(申请专利)his machine, to stop anyone copying it. Then he tried to produce a lot of them. If the machine became popular, the inventor could make a lot of money.
In 1790 the first sewing machine was patented. The inventor was an Englishman called Thomas Saint. There was nothing to match his machine for forty years, and then someone built a similar device. He was a Frenchman, Bartelemy Thimonier. Neither of these early machines worked very well, however. It wasn’t until 1846 that an inventor came up with a really efficient(高效的)sewing machine. He was an American, Elias Howe and his machine was good enough to beat five skilled sewing women. He didn’t make much money from it, however. The first commercially(商业的)successful sewing machine was patented by Isaac Singer five years later.
Today, we take washing machines for granted, but there was none before 1869. The revolving drum(旋转桶)of that first machine set a pattern for the future, but it was crude by today’s standards. The drum was turned by hand, and needed a lot of effort. Eight years passed before someone produced an electric washing machine. The world had to wait even longer for a machine to dry clothes. The first spin-drier was another American invention, patented in 1924; but it was 20 years before such machines were widely used.
It was yet another American, called Bissell, who introduced the carpet sweeper. He patented the original machine back in 1876. It didn’t pick up dirt very well, but it was quicker than a dustpan and brush. Thirty-six years later, even the carpet sweeper was old-fashioned: modern homes now have a vacuum cleaner(吸尘器)with an electric motor to suck the dust.
57. Inventors patent the inventions so as to __________ .
A. produce more machines B. avoid being copied by others
C. make the inventions more popular D. make more money
58. Whose sewing machine could do far more than the work that was done by five skilled sewing women?
A. Thomas Saint’s. B. Bartelemy Thimonier’s.
C. Elias Howe’s. D. Isaac Singer’s.
According to the article, modern inventors __________ .
A. follow the pattern of the first revolving drum but improve it much
B. only imitate the first washing machine
C. power the first ever-made washing machine by electricity
D. have to wait for the first spin-drier for a long time
60. The underlined word “crude” in the sentence “but it was crude by today’s
standards”probably means __________ .
A. useless B. ugly-looking C. rough D. not skillfully made
We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowded. When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration(迁移)is probably the migration of the fish, which is called “salmon”. This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends its life. When it is old, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies there. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mice. They leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.
Recently, scientists have studied the migration of a kind of lobsters(龙虾). Every year, when the season of bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go. So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.
Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to __________ .
A. give birth B. enjoy warmer weather
C. find food more easily D. find beautiful places
54. The mice in northern Europe move when __________ .
A. they give birth B. the weather is bad
C. the place gets too crowdedD. they haven’t enough food
55. The lobsters move __________ .
A. to the fresh water B. to the sea floor
C. to find more food D. at a certain time
56. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Animals move in order to find food more easily.
B. The migration of the fish called “salmon” is the most famous migration.
C. Living things move from one place to another because they like to travel.
D. Sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another but we don’t sometimes.
When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well.“I've never seen anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again.“No?” he said politely. Then he added, “But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for a moment. “I think you will find it will be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years from now.” He smiled.
The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish oils. I admit that.”“So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.
“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr Johnson?” Johnson smiled again.
“Would I be showing it to you if I had?”
“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.“It would be expensive to do that, even if you could,” Johnson said gently.“Besides,” he added,“I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your best fish oils. Cheaper than any vegetalbe oil, in fact.”
“Perhaps,” said the manage.“Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement, Mr Johnson. Shall we discuss it?”
“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as long as possible. That is, of course, the best way.” The manager nodded. He knew plenty about all that.
“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.” The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking), “Oh?”
“The other way,” continued Johnson,“is to produce yourself before the trouble starts.”
49.The manager thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it ______.
A.cheaper than the new oil B.more quickly
C.more expensive D.as good as the new oil
50.Johnson's new oil would be ______.
A.more expensive than fish oil, but betterB.less expensive, and better
C.less expensive, but not goodD.more expensive, and not so good
51.Johnson expressed his regret that the manager ______.
A.could not stop the new oil being made B.would never know how to make it
C.had spent a lot of money on it D.didn't know enough about it
52.Johnson showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted ______.
A.to produce it himself B.to prevent it being produced
C.to be paid not to produce it D.the manager to produce it
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. It is the poorest of the poor. Only small sums are available for excavating(挖掘)and even less is available
for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day. Besides, there is the problem of unlawful excavation, resulting in museum-quality pieces being sold to businessmen at the highest price..
I would like to make a suggestion that would at once provide money for archaeology and reduce the amount of diggings against law. You might say that professionals excavate to get knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient artifacts(古器
物) are part of our global cultural heritage(遗产), which should be there for all to appreciate, not sold at the highest price. I agree. Sell nothing that has scientific value. But, you might reply, everything that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here,
we disagree. In theory, you may be correct in saying that every artifact has hidden scientific value..
People can not help appreciate every unearthed treasure but there is not enough money even to put the finds in good order; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of the Internet, sold artifacts could be more reachable than are the pieces stored in museum basements. Before sale, each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific purposes.
53.What’s the problems that archaeology as a profession has to face?
A. Money and unlawful excavation . B. Effectively duplicates.
C. Scientific purposes. D. Excavation law.
54.To let most people enjoy ancient artifacts, the practical way could be_______.
A. putting them in the museumB. having sold artifacts returned
C. making use of the Internet D. solving the money problem
55.Which of the following four suggestions about archaeology is from the author?
A. No selling of any unearthed ancient artifacts.
B. Some money should be raised for the purpose.
C. Selling some unearthed ancient artifacts and having them returned when needed.
D. Ancient artifacts, our global cultural heritage, should be evenly shared by us all.