Living in a modern society has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that you often have to live closer to other people than you would like to. Sometimes, your neighbors make a noise that you are not comfortable with.
The best way to solve this problem is to talk with your neighbor first. You should be very polite and ask your neighbor if he knows how thin the walls of your homes are. This way doesn’t criticize (批评) his behavior（行为）; it simply points out that he may not realize how far his sound travels. Tell him that you know that sometimes you make noise as well, but that you do your best to keep it down. Often this will solve the problem right away, but sometimes the neighbor may become angry.
If your neighbor becomes angry with you, there are some more steps you can take. You might write a letter to the neighborhood committee. Make sure you write down the source of the noise and the time in the letter. They will review the situation and decide whether your neighbor is out of line. Some noise is considered to be reasonable, even if it bothers you. So you may prepare a good pair of earplugs (耳塞).
Even if your neighbor makes too much noise, you don’t have to live your life in discomfort. It’s always a good idea to be friendly with your neighbors. You may clean the rubbish in front of his door. He’s sure to appreciate behavior like this and be more open to your suggestions about noise level.What is the first step to deal with the noisy neighbor?
| A．To buy a good pair of earplugs |
| B．To offer suggestions to the neighbor |
| C．To ask the neighborhood committee for help |
| D．To tell the neighbor how bad his behavior is |
The underlined word “reasonable” in the third paragraph probably means “____”.
| A．terrible | B．loud | C．proper | D．unpleasant |
What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．You should control your noise as well |
| B．You can live comfortably even if there is noise |
| C．Your neighbor may be more friendly than you think |
| D．You should build good relationship with your neighbor |
The author wrote this passage to tell us ____ .
| A．why we should get on well with neighbors |
| B．how to relax ourselves in a modern society |
| C．how to become known among neighbors |
| D．what we should do with our noisy neighbor |
Have you ever heard anyone say “It’s raining cats and dogs”? It means “It’s raining hard!”
But sometimes cats and dogs do drop from the sky! Here’s how it happens.
Not so long ago, a country far away had many large rats. The people there said, “ We need cats!” So cats were sent to them by airplane. But the country had many mountains. It was hard for an airplane to land. So the cats came down by parachute(降落伞). Did the cats like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are still catching rats!
In another country far away, there is snow the year around. People sometimes got lost in it.
“We need big dogs!” the people said, “The dogs could find people lost in the snow. The dogs could help bring them home. Where can we get big dogs?”
A man across the sea had big dogs to sell. “I will send dogs to you,” he said. “ I have some very big ones. They can find people lost in the snow.”
He sent the dogs by airplane.
But the airplane did not land in the snow. The dogs came down by parachute ---- you guessed it !
Did the dogs like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are well and happy.
They find anyone who gets lost in the snow. Then they help him get home. Good dogs!
Remember it, so you can say, “ Yes, it does rain cats and dogs sometimes. They came down by parachute!”
40.The underlined word “ it” In Paragraph 2 refers to __________.
A．the weather
B．the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
C．the saying “It’s raining hard.”
D．the fact that real cats and dogs drop from the sky.
41. Cats and dogs drop from the sky because ______.
A．there are many mountains in the country.
B. it snows the year around in the country.
C. was hard for a plane to land in the two countries.
D. coming down by parachute could save money.
42．The main purpose of the passage is to _________________.
A．tell the readers cats and dogs do drop from the sky
B．tell the readers of a new meaning about an old saying.
C．show cats and dogs are our good friends.
D．show parachute is an important
The young people who talk of the village as being “dead” are talking nothing but nonsense, as in their hearts they must surely know.
No, the village is not dead. There is more life in it now than there ever was. But it seems that “village life” is dead. Gone for ever. It began to decline about a hundred years ago. When many girls left home to go into service in town many miles away, and men also left home in increasing numbers in search of work, and home was where work was. There are still a number of people alive today who can remember what “village life” meant in the early years of the present century. It meant knowing and being known by everybody else in the village. It meant finding your entertainment in the village of within walking distance of it. It meant housewives tied to the home all day and every day. It meant going to bed early to save lamp oil and coal.
Then came the First World War and the Second World War. After each war, new ideas, new attitudes, new trades and occupations were revealed（展现）to villagers. The long-established order of society was no longer taken for granted. Electricity and the motorcar were steadily operating to make “village life” and “town life” almost alike. Now with the highly developed science and technology and high-level social welfare（福利）for all, there is no point whatever in talking any longer about “village life.” It is just life, and a better life.
Finally, if we have any doubts about the future, or about the many changes which we have seen in our lives, we have only to look in at the school playground any mid-morning; or see the children as they walk homeward in little groups. 0bviously these children are better fed, better clothed, better educated, healthier, prettier and happier than any generation of children that ever before walked the village street.
72．By saying that village is not dead, but “village life” is dead, the writer suggests that .
A．those young people who talk of the village as being “dead” are wrong
B．the two statements are against each other
C．“village life” today is rather uninteresting
D．“village life” today is no longer like what it used to be
73．As is suggested in paragraph 2, villages in the past .
A．lived a simpler life than villagers today
B．knew fewer people than villagers today
C．found it difficult to enjoy themselves
D．like to wash themselves with cold water
74．The expression “…there is no point whatever in talking about…” in paragraph 3 means that .
A．there is no end to the talking about …
B．it is harmful to talk about …
C．it is not meaningless to talk about …
D．there is no reason for talking about …
75．What does the writer think of the “village life today”? .
A．Dead. B．Worse C．Better. D．Unclear.
A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure（闲暇）. As part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted.
The figures support the western prejudice（偏见） that the Japanese are all work and no play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day week by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and stock markets will be closed on Saturdays, staff of civil service will be forced out of their offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice.
But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitors may not cut hours. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say that shorter hours are a disguised（隐性的） pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government’s plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off, either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching television, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves, too.
68．The purpose of getting the Japanese to have more spare time is that .
A．the government wants to show more concern for the health of the people
B．the government needs to get more goods from abroad
C．the Japanese have been working too hard
D．the Japanese hope to change the western prejudice
69．The group of people who welcome the shorter-hour system in Japan is .
A．the small companies B．the industrialists
C．the unions D．the younger generation
70．The unions think that .
A．the shorter hours they work, the higher pay the can get
B．the more they work, the less leisure they can enjoy
C．the shorter hours they work, the less pay they can have
D．the greater pressure the government is forcing on them, the less happy they can be
71．The best title for this passage can be .
A．Oh no! Not Saturday Again! B．Leisure: the Greatest Threat!
C．Enjoy While You are Young! D．Less Work and More Play!
The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological （地质学的）Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today .
Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt（喷发）in 1991 ?
A: Volcanoes （火山）each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years .
Q: So nothing caused it ?
A: There’s nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that .
Q: What is “the ring of fire” ?
A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world’s volcanoes lie .
Q: Why such a concentration（集中）there ?
A: That’s based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When they move , one might ride up over the other one . In this case , the Pacific Ocean goes under the continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma （熔岩）at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring .
64．What kind of writing do you think this passage is ?
A．A text taken from a geography book . B．An interview published in the press .
C．A conversation carried out in a film . D．An oral test recorded as an example .
65．Which of the following statements can correctly explain why we have so many volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean ?
A．The movement of the surface of the earth makes it possible.
B．The Pacific Ocean produces magma and presses it everywhere.
C．The oceans and the continents are separated from each other.
D．The earth’s surface around the Pacific is thinner than any other part.
66．Barbara Reynolds’ main purpose here is .
A．to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world
B．to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption
C．to warn the world of the existence of “the ring of fire”
D．to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public
67．Which of the following can be considered as the best conclusion of the conversation?
A．There are so many volcanoes in the world and we are always in danger.
B．Volcanoes have erupted more frequently than ever before.
C．Volcanoes are waiting to be better known.
D．Something must be done to protect the people near the ring of fire.
We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life , but most of us don’t do a very good job . This article gives some suggestions on how to give an effective speech .
So , you have to give a speech—and you’re terrified . You get nervous , you forget what you want to say , you stumble over words , you talk too long , and you bore your audience . Later you think , “Thank goodness , it’s over . I’m just no good at public speaking . I hope I never have to do that again .”
Cheer up ! It doesn’t have to be that bad . Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making . Ask yourself the purpose of your speech . What is the occasion ? Why are you speaking ? Then , gather as many facts as you can on your subject . Spend plenty of time doing your research . Then spend plenty of time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow . Use as many examples as possible , and use pictures , charts , and graphs if they will help you make your points more clearly . Never forget your audience . Don’t talk over their heads , and don’t talk down to them . Treat your audience with respect . They will appreciate your thoughtfulness .
Just remember : be prepared . Know your subject , your audience , and the occasion . Be brief . Say what you have to say and then stop . And be yourself . Let your personality come through so that you make person-to-person contact with your audience .
If you follow these simple steps , you’ll see that you don’t have to be afraid of public speaking . In fact , you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches! You’re not convinced yet ? Give it a try and see what happens .
59．The main idea of this article is .
A．you can improve your speaking ability B．a poor speaker can never change
C．always make a short speech D．it is hard to make a speech
60．Paragraph 2 implies that.
A．many people are afraid of giving a speech
B．many people are happy to give a speech
C．many people do not prepare for a speech
D．many people talk too long
61．The phrase “talk over their heads” means .
A．speak too loudly B．look at the ceiling
C．look down upon them D．use words and ideas that are too difficult
62．All of the following statements are true except that .
A．few people know how to make good speeches
B．a lecturer does not need to organize his speech
C．research is important in preparing a speech
D．there are simple steps you can take to improve your speaking ability
63．The title for this passage may be .
A．Do Not Make a Long Speech B．How to Give a Good Speech
C．How to Prepare for a Speech D．Try to Enjoy a Speech