“Tom!”
There was no answer.
“Tom!”
Still no answer.
“Where’s that boy gone? Tom!”
The old lady looked all around the room. She looked under the bed, but found only the cat.
“If I catch that boy, …” she murmured to herself.
She opened the door and looked out into the garden.
“Tom!” she shouted.
Then she heard a slight noise behind her. She turned round just in time to catch the boy as he came out of a cupboard.
“And what have you been doing in there?”
“Nothing,” said the boy.
“Nothing! Look at your hands and your mouth! What is that stuff?”
“I don’t know, Aunt.”
“Well, I know. It’s a jam. I’ve told you forty times that if you touched that jam, I’d skin you.
Give me that stick.”
“Look out, Aunt! Look behind you!”
The old lady turned round and Tom was out of the door in a flash, over the garden fence and away.
“Damn that boy! Will I never learn? He’s always playing tricks on me. And he seems to know just now how far he can go, too. But I can’t take a stick to him. I really can’t. After all, he’s my dead sister’s boy. Ah well, he’ll play truant today and I’ll have to make him work tomorrow.”
At supper Aunt Polly tried to trick Tom into admitting that he hadn’t gone to school.
“It was rather hot today, wasn’t it, Tom?”
“Yes,” answered Tom.
“You didn’t have to open your shirt collar where I sewed（缝） it, then.”
Tom was confident, now. He opened his jacket. His collar was securely sewed.
“Oh Tom,” said Aunt Polly. “You’re a good boy really.”
She was sorry that she had been wrong about him.
“But Aunt,” came a voice. It was Sidney, Tom’s younger brother. “Didn’ t you sew Tom’s collar with white cotton? Look! Now it’s black.
Tom was already running out of the door.
---The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainThe underlined word “skin” probably mean in the passage?
| A．praise | B．cheat | C．touch | D．beat |
Which of the following words can be best used to describe Tom?
| A．stupid | B．clever | C．naughty | D．brave |
What can be inferred from Sidney’s words in the passage?
| A．Tom made his jacket dirty on purpose. |
| B．Tom didn’t go to school that day. |
| C．Tom was a dirty boy. |
| D．Sidney hated Tom so he wanted to punish him. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Tom’s mother passed away. |
| B．Tom’s aunt was a good sewer. |
| C．Tom was good at sports. |
| D．Aunt Polly felt sorry for his misunderstanding to Tom. |
Everyday we talk about and use the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?
Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer network didn't work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way computer network system would keep on working all the time.
At first the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made "surfing" in the Internet more convenient.
Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students. The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people's life.The Internet has a history of more than __________ years.
| A．sixty | B．forty | C．fifty | D．twenty |
A new network system was set up to __________.
| A．make computers cheaper |
| B．make itself keep on working all the time |
| C．break down the whole network |
| D．make computers large and expensive |
__________ made "surfing" the Internet more convenient.
| A．Computers | B．Hardware | C．Software | D．Information |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．In the 1960s, computer network worked well. |
| B．in the early 1970s, the Internet was easy to use. |
| C．Today it's still not easy to get on-line. |
| D．Sending e-mail is now more popular among students than before. |
People around the world used their computers to buy goods, communicate with others, listen to music, see pictures and learn about different places and ideas. In 2006, more people around the world used new ways to communicate and connect with each other through the Internet.
The blog is one form of communication that enjoys growing popularity. Blog is a short way of saying Web log. Through these personal websites, people can share their experiences, ideas and opinions with anyone on the Internet.
People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writings and other forms of self-expression.
Many websites offer free services to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. These sites include "MySpace" used mainly by teenagers and young adults. My Space is an online community that lets people share messages and pictures with an increasing number of friends. It is the most popular social networking site on the Web.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular this year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. People can watch almost anything on YouTube: news, sports and entertainment events. There are music videos, and videos made by people in their own homes. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and one half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet this year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.People all around the world use blogs to __________.
| A．buy goods | B．express themselves |
| C．listen to music | D．watch videos |
Blogs are popular with young people because they can __________.
| A．share ideas with their friends there |
| B．download videos or music there |
| C．make lots of money there |
| D．live a new life there |
MySpace is one of the most popular __________ on the Internet.
| A．Web pages | B．blogs |
| C．space stations | D．websites |
People visit YouTube and __________ there.
| A．create and share videos |
| B．sing and dance to music |
| C．get personal information |
| D．raise animals |
In American schools there is something called Homecoming. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a Homecoming game. This can be the most important event of the year except graduation or commencement (授奖典礼) day. Students plan Homecoming for many weeks in advance.
Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation.
The members of school clubs build booths (摊位) and sell lemonade, apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors. During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school.
Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Homecoming Queen or King appears. All the students vote a most popular student Homecoming Queen or King. It is a great honor to be chosen.
Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering.The most important event of the year in high schools and colleges is __________.
| A．Homecoming | B．the football game |
| C．graduation | D．winning the game |
Which of the following is NOT done on Homecoming?
| A．To see old friends. |
| B．To call on teachers they remember. |
| C．To watch the football game. |
| D．To go home to see their family. |
The underlined word "vote" in the fifth paragraph means __________.
| A．attend | B．elect or choose |
| C．hold | D．have |
Who can probably become Homecoming Queen or King?
| A．The student who is liked most by the others. |
| B．The guest who is most popular with the students. |
| C．The student who is most liked by the guests. |
| D．The player who plays best in the football game. |
This article can be adapted from __________.
| A．Textbook | B．Entertainment Journal |
| C．Sports Journal | D．Science Report |
There is an English saying that "Laughter is the best medicine. "Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter can really improve people's health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works on several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effects of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated (, 忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．Laughter is good for health. |
| B．Laughter can make you become old quickly. |
| C．Laughter helps to reduce pain. |
| D．Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body. |
The underlined word "diminishes" in the third paragraph means" __________ "
| A．delays | B．prevents |
| C．increases | D．reduces |
Why do some doctors hold laughter clinics?
| A．Because they want to earn more money. |
| B．Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses. |
| C．Because they want to improve their patients' condition. |
| D．Because they want their patients to practice how to laugh. |
According to the author, we should __________.
| A．laugh as much as possible |
| B．watch more funny films |
| C．smile all the time |
| D．spend more time in laughter clinics |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health |
| B．Laughter clinics help patients improve their condition |
| C．Laughter can reduce the effects of pain |
| D．Laughter is the best medicine |
Harvard researchers have created a tough, low-cost, biodegradable (可生物降解的) material inspired by insects' hard outer shells. The material's inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp (奸) shells and proteins produced from silk, is called "shrilk. "It is thin, clear, flexible and strong.
A major benefit of the material is its biodegradability. Plastic's toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and ’ 60s. Decades later, however, plastic's very durability (耐用性) is raising questions about how appropriate it is for one-time products such as plastic bags, or short-lived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1, 000 years?
Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer (肥料), and so will enrich the soil.
Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk low cost, and its mass production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material.
Work on shrilk is continuing in the lab. The inventors said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they're exploring ways to use it in wet environments. They're also developing simpler production processes, which could be used for non-medical products, like for computer cases and other products inside the home. They're even exploring combining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.Paragraph 1 of the passage is mainly about shrilk's __________.
| A．remarkable design | B．interesting name |
| C．major features | D．basic elements |
What has become a concern about plastic?
| A．Using it properly. |
| B．Producing it cheaply. |
| C．Developing its properties quickly. |
| D．Evaluating its contributions fairly. |
According to the inventors, shrilk has great potential partly because __________.
| A．it can help plastic degrade |
| B．it can be found in living things |
| C．its mass production has been realized |
| D．its raw materials are abundant in nature |
What are the inventors doing in the lab?
| A．Replacing carbon fibers with shrilk. |
| B．Testing shrilk's use in wet conditions. |
| C．Making shrilk out of used household goods. |
| D．Improving shrilk's flexibility for medical purposes. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Recent Progress in Environmental Protection |
| B．Benefits of Insects in Scientific Research |
| C．The Harm of One-time Products |
| D．A Possible Alternative to Plastic |