It’s such a happylooking library，painted yellow，decorated with palmtree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof.About the size of a microwave oven，it’s pedestrianfriendly，too，waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach County Estates，along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago，shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization，a Wisconsinbased nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available，she announced to her family of four，“That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break！”
Son Austin，now a 10thgrader，didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox.But Janey insisted，and husband Peter unwillingly got to work.The 51yearold owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses，and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches (装点)，the family hung a signboard on the front，instructing users to“take a book，return a book，”and making the Henriksen library，now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world，the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read，a mix of science fiction，reference titles，novels and kids’ favorites.“I told them，keep in mind that you might not see it again，”said Janey，a stayathome mom.
Since then，the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself，thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers.The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff，says Peter，are the thankyou notes left behind.“We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.”In what way is the library “pedestrianfriendly”？
| A．It owns a yellow roof. |
| B．It stands near a sidewalk. |
| C．It protects book lovers from the sun. |
| D．It uses palmtree stickers as decorations. |
Janey got the idea to build a library from________.
| A．a visit to Brian Williams |
| B．a spring break with her family |
| C．a book sent by one of her neighbors |
| D．a report on a Wisconsinbased organization |
The library was built________.
| A．by a ship supply company |
| B．on the basis of toy horses |
| C．like a mailbox |
| D．with glass |
What can we infer about the signboard?
| A．It was made by a user of the library. |
| B．It marked a final touch to the library. |
| C．It aimed at making the library last long. |
| D．It indicated the library was a family property. |
The passage tells us that the users________.
| A．donate books to the library |
| B．get paid to collect books for the library |
| C．receive thankyou notes for using the library |
| D．visit the library over 5 times on average daily |
C
On May 8, last Thursday morning, the Olympic flame was lit on the top of Mount Qomolangma! It was a historic moment for China exactly three months ahead of the Beijing Games.
Tibetan female climber Cering Wangmo reached the summit with a special extreme-altitude Olympic torch. This event is what China has promised to the world as the high point of the torch relay, the longest and mostchallengingof all time.
Five torchbearers(火炬手) finished the highest relay ever—three of the climbers are Tibetan athletes.
Team members said “Beijing welcomes you!” in Chinese, English and Tibetan, as they stood at the summit celebrating, with the event broadcast on national television.
“I finally fulfilled the last dream of my husband,” said Gyigyi with tears in her eyes. She was the first torchbearer. Her husband lost his life in an attempt to climb all 14 mountains in China more than 8,000 meters three years ago.
“We are on top of the world! One world, one dream,” shouted Nima Cering, at the top of his voice. He said that although he had climbed the peak（峰顶）several times, this was the most significant ascent(登高). “As a Tibetan and a Chinese I pray for the success of Beijing 2008,” he added.
The special torch is different from the one currently touring the Chinese mainland, after an around-the-world relay. Officials organizing the trek up the peak had earlier set an April 26 target to begin the ascent, but high winds and heavy snow had delayed the mission.
The Xinhua News Agency said that the Qomolangma leg of the torch relay represents the Olympic motto, “higher, faster and stronger,” in practice and will promote unity among all 56 ethnic groups in China.It was a historic moment because ______.
| A．some Tibetan torchbearers took part in it |
| B．it was lit three months before the Olympic Games were held |
| C．it was the first time that the Olympic torch had been lit on the top of Mount Qomolangma |
| D．it was the longest attempt in history |
Which is RIGHT according to the whole passage?
| A．All the five torchbearers are men. |
| B．Only the five torchbearers reached the summit. |
| C．Team members said “Beijing welcomes you!” in their native language. |
| D．At least two of the five torchbearers are females. |
What does the word “leg” underlined in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．One part of a journey or race. |
| B．One of the long parts that connect the feet to the rest of the body. |
| C．The leg of an animal, especially the top part, cooked and eaten. |
| D．The part of a pair of trousers that covers the leg. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．One world, one dream |
| B．Torch relay reaches its highest point |
| C．Qomolangma, the highest summit in the world |
| D．A special torch |
Where can you read about this passage?
| A．In the English textbook. |
| B．In the newspaper. |
| C．In the science report. |
| D．On the street wall. |
It may help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech. At some point in every speech, every speaker says something that is not understood exactly as he has planned. Fortunately, the moments are usually not obvious to the listeners. Why? Because the listeners do not know what the speaker plans to say. They hear only what the speaker does say. If you lose your place for a moment, wrongly change the order of a couple of sentences, or forget to pause at a certain point, no one will be any the wiser. When such moments occur, don’t worry about them. Just continue as if nothing happened.
Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech, that doesn’t really matter .If you have ever listened to Martin Luther King’s famous speech — “ I have a dream”, you may notice that he stumbles（结巴）his words twice during the speech. Most likely, however, you don’t remember. Why? Because you were fixing your attention on his message rather than on his way of speech-making. People care a lot about making mistakes in a speech because they regard speech-making as a kind of performance rather than as an act of communication. They feel the listeners are like judges in an ice-skating competition. But, in fact, the listeners are not looking for a perfect performer. They are looking for a well-thought-out speech that expresses the speaker’s ideas clearly and directly. Sometimes a mistake or two can actually increase a speaker’s attractiveness by making him more human.
As you work on your speech, don’t worry about being imperfect. Once you free your mind of this, you will find it much easier to give your speech freely. The underlined part in the first paragraph means that no one will ______ .
| A．be smarter than you |
| B．notice your mistakes |
| C．do better than you |
| D．know what you are talking about |
You don’t remember obvious mistakes in a speech because ___________.
| A．your attention is on the content |
| B．you don’t fully understand the speech |
| C．you know what the speaker plans to say |
| D．you find the way of speech-making more important |
It can be inferred from the passage that ___________.
| A．giving a speech is like giving a performance |
| B．one or two mistakes in a speech may not be bad |
| C．the listeners should pay more attention to how a speech is made |
| D．the more mistakes a speaker makes, the more attractive he will be |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．How to Be a Perfect Speaker |
| B．How to Make a Perfect Speech |
| C．Don’t Expect a Perfect Speech |
| D．Don’t Expect Mistakes in a Speech |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．If you are careful enough, you can make a perfect speech. |
| B．Speech-making is a kind of performance. |
| C．Listeners are not judges and they pay more attention to the message. |
| D．Martin Luther King is not a good speaker. |
As a professor at a large American university, there is a phrase that I often hear from students: “I’m only a 1,050.” The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Schoolastic Aptitude Test (SAT), which is used to determine whether they will be admitted to the college or university of their choice, or even if they have a chance to get a higher education at all. The SAT score, whether it is 800, 1,100 or 1,550, has become the focus at his time of their life.
It is obvious that if students value highly their test scores, then a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number. Students who perform poorly in the exam are left feeling that it is all over.The low test score, they think, will make it impossible for them to get into a good college. And without a degree from a prestigious university, they fear that many of life’s doors will remain forever closed.
According to a study done in the 1990s, the SAT is only a reliable indicator of a student’s future performance in most cases. Interestingly, it becomes much more accurate when it is set together with other indicators--like a student’s academic proficiency(学业水平).They will never be able to test things like confidence, efforts and willpower, and are unable to give us the full picture of a student’s potentialities. This is not to suggest that we should stop using SAT scores in our college admission process. The SAT is an excellent test in many ways, and the score is still a useful means of testing students. However, it should be only one of the many methods used. The purpose of the SAT is to test students’ _________.
| A．strong will |
| B．academic ability |
| C．full potentialities |
| D．confidence in school work |
Students’ self-respect is influenced by their_______.
| A．scores in the SAT |
| B．achievements in mathematics |
| C．job opportunities |
| D．money spent on education |
“ A prestigious university” in para.2 is most probably _______.
| A．a famous school |
| B．a technical school |
| C．a traditional school |
| D．an expensive school |
The passage is mainly about_______________.
| A．how to prepare for the SAT |
| B．stress caused by the SAT |
| C．American higher education |
| D．the SAT and its effects |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the SAT?
| A．Subjective |
| B．Objective |
| C．Critical |
| D．Approving |
A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language(修辞). The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be love we see it. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.
Let’s analyze this remarkably unsophisticated metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is spectacular in its beauty; its petals(花瓣) are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on(近似于)perfection, each petal seemingly symmetrical(对称的) in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be? A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect. However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns(刺). The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky(机警的). So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns: Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering. This is the poet’s perception of love--a warning. What is the point? Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.According to the passage, what is a metaphor?
| A．A comparison between two different objects with similar features. |
| B．A contrast between two different things to create a vivid image. |
| C．A description of two similar objects in a poetic way. |
| D．A literary device specially employed in poetry writing. |
The main idea of this passage is that .
| A．rose is a good image in poetry | B．love is sweet and pleasing |
| C．metaphor is ambiguous | D．metaphor is great poetic device |
It can be inferred from the passage that a metaphor is .
| A．difficult to understand | B．rich in meaning | C．not precise enough | D．like a flower |
As is meant by the author, thorns of a rose_________.
| A．protect the rose from harm | B．symbolize reduced love |
| C．add a new element to the image of love | D．represent objects of one’s affection |
The meaning of the love-is–a-rose metaphor is that____________-
| A．love is a true joy | B．true love comes once in a lifetime |
| C．love does not last long | D．love is both good and bad experiences |
The Mystery of the Flashing Fireflies
During summer nights fireflies flash in the darkness. They look like bright spots of light dancing on the breeze. Catching them in a jar for a few minutes can be fun. Fireflies are not really flies, though. They are winged beetles. Scientists are using these special beetles to learn more about our world.
The reason a firefly flashed its light is to find a mate. There are around two thousand species, or kinds, of fireflies. Fireflies mate only with their own species. Each kind of firefly has its own flash pattern. It is important that fireflies recognize this pattern. That way they can find bugs of their own kind. The male firefly flies around in the sky while the female firefly stays close to the ground.
For many years, how a firefly flashes its light was a mystery. Scientists now know that a firefly’s light is a cold light. It gives off all of its power as light. It does not produce heat. A normal light bulb gives off only ten percent of its power as light. The rest of the power is wasted as heat. That is why a light bulb that has been on for a while is very hot. The firefly’s light does not feel hot like a light bulb.
Scientists have also learned that fireflies have a small built-in lantern. This special lantern is located inside a firefly’s body. To create light, a gas flows through tiny tubes. This causes the firefly to light up. A firefly can also turn its light on and off quickly. This puzzled scientists. They learned that short bursts of this gas make the firefly glow. When the gas fades, the light goes out. This process happens very quickly.
Scientists know that what they learn from fireflies will be important. Medical studies using fireflies are helping scientists fight illnesses in human beings. They have made new medicines from the chemicals used by fireflies to make light. Fireflies have also helped with new discoveries. New flashlights and flares have been made based on fireflies. These new flashlights and flares produce a cold light like a firefly. This way all the power makes the light shine. This little bug may be a pleasure to watch, but it is also an important part of our lives.Why did the author most likely include Paragraph 4?
| A．To explain how fireflies make light. | B．To describe different kinds of fireflies. |
| C．To show how much power fireflies use. | D．To describe why fireflies make light. |
Which of these is the best choice for a heading for Paragraph 5?
| A．The Cool Light of Fireflies | B．Watching Fireflies Flash |
| C．Understanding the Patterns | D．Learning from Fireflies |
According to the passage, a firefly’s light is different from a light bulb’s light because the firefly’s light _______.
| A．shines brighter | B．does not fade | C．lasts longer | D．is not hot |
A reader asks this question about the passage: “ How many different kinds of fireflies are there?” Which paragraph from the passage answers the question?
| A．Paragraph 2 | B．Paragraph 3 | C．Paragraph 4 | D．Paragraph 5 |
The author most likely wrote this passage in order to __.
| A．tell why fireflies light up | B．give facts about fireflies |
| C．show how fireflies help doctors | D．compare a firefly to a light bulb |