Silk production has a long and colourful history unknown to most people. Scientific discoveries have shown that silk production existed in China from around 2500 B.C., although it could be much older. For hundreds of years, China kept the secret of silk to itself as one for the most closely protected secrets in history. Anyone revealing the secret of silkworms or trying to take silkworm eggs out of ancient China was punished by death.
At one time silk was reserved only for the Chinese emperor. Gradually, others began wearing silk. In addition to being used for clothing, silk came to have industrial uses in ancient China, something that happened in the West only in modern times. Silk was used to make musical instruments, fishing lines, weapons, ropes and even paper. During the Han Dynasty silk became a form of money. Farmers paid taxes in both rice and silk. The prices of goods were calculated in lengths of silk just as they had once been calculated in gold. The importance of silk is even reflected in the Chinese language. For example, of the 5000 most common Chinese characters, around 500 have silk as their “key”.
In spite of their secrecy, the Chinese eventually lost their monopoly on silk production. It reached Korea in around 200 B.C. when immigrants from China arrived there. Silk production came to India in 300 A.D.. It was not until 500 A.D. that silk production came to Europe when travellers smuggled out silkworms in hollow tubes of bamboo. These were used to establish silk industry in Rome (modern-day Italy), although Chinese silk was still considered to be the best.
Silk was brought to Rome from China by means of the Silk Road. There were actually two Silk Roads, one over land and one on the sea. The land route in particular had a huge effect in history. All sorts of trade goods — silver, gold, jade, porcelain — passed along this road. Ideas travelled the Silk Road too. For example the religion of Buddhism was carried to China from India by traders on the Silk Road. The Silk Road created the first international culture, exposing many people to the ideas and treasures of both Western and Chinese cultures.How was China able to keep the secret of silk production?
| A．It refused to sell its silk to other countries. |
| B．Foreigners were not permitted to enter China. |
| C．The silkworms needed were not able to survive outside China. |
| D．Chinese passing on the secret to foreigners were seriously punished. |
Which of the following uses of silk is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．A way of purchasing goods people sold. |
| B．A material used for making different products. |
| C．A method of paying money to the government. |
| D．A valuable gift given to foreigners travelling in China. |
In what order did silk production spread throughout the world according to the passage?
| A．Europe àIndia àKorea àChina. | B．China àKorea àIndia àEurope. |
| C．China àIndia àKorea àEurope. | D．China àEurope àIndia àKorea. |
The underlined phrase “smuggled out” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．quietly traded | B．openly removed |
| C．illegally transported | D．violently stole |
Which of the following is true about the Silk Road?
| A．It allowed for economic and cultural exchanges between countries. |
| B．It made China the most powerful country in the ancient world. |
| C．It could only be completed by travellers with access to a boat. |
| D．It was first developed for transferring religious ideas. |
An American man from Las Vegas opened a dog and cat hotel recently. Pats can rest on soft rugs(小地毯), watch television and get to know some new friends while their masters have fun in the city
The American Dog and Cat Hotel opened officially on a Wednesday in March. There is everything a pet could want --- and more.
“We hear time and time again. ‘This is so nice, I’d like to stay here.’ ” the hotel manager said in an interview. He believed that people would want for their pets what they wanted for themselves.
Kennels(狗舍) have been around for a long time, but nowadays masters want to put their loved pets in some better places, he added.
He said the cats and dogs like to watch images(图像) on TV although they may not understand them. Anyway, they don’t have to know Britney Spears or Emimem to enjoy the pop music. Also, “The dogs don’t know it is a rug, but they know it is soft,” he said.
Pet masters can book a dog suite(套房) for $79 a night. Baths and other services are also offered.
The pet hotel manager believes that all the animal lovers in the world will love this great idea.
40. By “--- and more” in the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph the writer means that ______.
A. there’re also things for the pet masters
B. some of the things are unnecessary
C. there’re things a pet cannot fully enjoy
D. all the things are plenty in amount
41. In the pet masters’ opinion, the kennels are _____.
A. not good enough B. too old to live in
C. just an equal choice D. no longer in existence
42. The 5th paragraph suggests that ______.
A. some pets know some pop stars
B. “rug” is a difficult word for a pet to learn
C. pets enjoy things the same way humans do
D. pets enjoy things at a sensational level
Einstein, a great scientist of the age, was almost as strange as his Theory of Relativity.
Once, while riding a street car in Berlin, he told the conductor that he had not given him the right change. The conductor counted the change again and found it to be correct, so he handed it to Einstein, saying, “The trouble with you is that you don’t know your figures.”
Einstein said that there were only twelve people living who understood his Theory of Relativity although a good many books had been written to explain it.
He had nothing but contempt(蔑视) for the things most people set their hearts on --- for fame and riches(财富) and luxury(奢华).
He didn’t want money or praise. He made his own happiness out of such simple things as his work and playing the violin and sailing his boat. Einstein’s violin brought him more joy than anything else in life. He said that he often thought in music.
36．The conductor thought Einstein _____ ．
A． wasn’t good at maths B．had good memory
C． was either mad or strange D．liked to make trouble
37．Einstein meant that many people _____ ．
A. knew his Theory of Relativity well because they could explain it
B．had written to have grasped his theory correctly
C．pretended to have grasped his abstract theory
D．admired him very much
38．Which of the following statements is true?
A. Einstein care little for fame or wealth.
B. Einstein had nothing but enough fame and riches and luxury.
C. Einstein was eager for the things most people set their hearts to.
D. In the eyes of Einstein, most people had a strong wish to publish book on the theory.
39. The underline part “set their hearts on” means _____.
A. believe B. have C. loveD. hate
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外在的) result or a product that can easily be identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts．
By contrast (对照) , the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have , and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process, the journey never really ends；there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept．
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt (适应) change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge．Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．
These feelings of insecurity (不安全) and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow．If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．
1．In the author’s eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ______．
A．succeed in climbing up the social ladder
B．grow up from his own achievements
C．face difficulties and take up challenges
D．aim high and reach his goal each time
2．Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?
A．Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges．
B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition．
C．Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris．
D．Father’s salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000．
3．For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following EXCEPT _______．
A．being curious about more changes
B．being quick in self-adaptation
C．having an open mind to new experiences
D．staying away from failures and challenges
4．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．It is not so easy to measure personal growth．
B．To try and fail on the new road facing the unknown is unavoidable．
C．There are only two ways to see a person’s growth．
D．If you are too shy to take any risks in life, you cannot grow up．
5．The best title for this passage should be ______．
A．Facing New Challenges B．Growth—Product or Process
C．Two Basic Ways of Growth D．Overcoming Internal Fears
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human conditions is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful（有压力的）conditions. Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely. Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting（转移注意力）us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support — money aid, material resources, and needed services — that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems.
1. Interpersonal relationships are important because they can _______.
A. make people live more easilyB. smooth away daily problemsC. deal with life changesD. cure types of illnesses
2. The researches show that people's physical and mental health _______.A. lies in the social medical care systems which support themB. has much to do with the amount of support they get from othersC. depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troublesD. is related to their courage for dealing with major life changes
3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “cushions” ?A. takes place of B. makes up ofC. lessens the effect ofD. gets rid of
4. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work in spare time is an example of _______.A. instrumental support B. informational supportC. social companionship D. the strengthening of self-respect
All plant cells are capable of taking up water. Even dead ones do to a certain degree. Absorption（吸收）of water by dead cell walls makes wood become larger. In common land plants, the living cells of roots take up most of the water. Land plants without roots do exist, however. Those greenish-yellow lichens（苔藓）you see on rocks in the high mountains have no roots. Half a billion years ago, when water plants started to enter the land, the first land plants did not have roots.
Even among the flowering plants, one finds rootless forms. These flowering plants are “the higher plants” because they evolved（进化）recently and are thus considered higher on the evolutionary scale（进化度）. In the Peruvian desert, there grows one of these rootless higher plants, a bromeliad. It is a relative of the pineapple. Even if this plant had roots, they would be of no use, because where the plant grows, it never rains. The plant gets its water only from the dew（露水）it collects at night, when its leaves cool off. Such rootless plants, of course, can be moved with ease, but they will only grow when they are placed out in the open. If they are placed too near a house, the radiation from the heat of the house prevents the leaves from cooling and so prevents dew from forming, and the plant dies. In the southern United States and in Puerto Rico, one sees bromeliads growing high above the streets on the insulation（绝缘物）of electric wires. These plants get their water from rain, and the only soil they ever come in contact with is the dust that may blow on their leaves.
1．Wood becomes larger because of .
A．dead cell walls B．water entering dead cells
C．the growth of cells D．the death of cells
2．The “bromeliad” is a plant that .
A．has useless rootsB．is a pineapple
C．can grow anywhere D．takes up water through its leaves
3．The most suitable title for this passage is “ ”.
A．Absorption of water by plants B．Rootless plants
C．Plants in the desert D．Higher plants