She once said: "When people ask me if writing has been a hard or easy road I always answer with the famous saying, "the end is nothing; the road is all.'” That is what I mean when I say writing has been a pleasure. I have never faced the type-writer (打字机) with the thought that one more task had to be done."
Like most writers, Willa Cather did not write books for the money that they brought her, but rather for the pleasure that came in their writing. Her works were, like her, simple and full of the vigor (活力) of her days in Nebraska, where she grew from childhood to young womanhood and where she developed a deep love for the treeless land of the Great Plains with its wild flowers, wheat fields and rivers.
"It's a rather strange thing about the flat country," she wrote later. "It takes hold of you, or it leaves you perfectly cold. A great many people find it very dull; they like a church tower, an old factory, a waterfall country all made to look like a German, Christmas card... But when I come to the open plains, something happens. I'm home. I breathe differently."What did Cather mean by "the end is nothing; the road is all"?
| A．Writing is the only path to success. |
| B．I feel happy when I finish writing a book. |
| C．I enjoy writing whether it is hard or easy. |
| D．Writing itself, not its result, is important. |
What was the place like where Cather grew up?
| A．It was cold, plain and without a church. |
| B．It was a colorful world of wild flowers. |
| C．It was like a German Christmas card |
| D．It was vast, open, flat and wild. |
When she said "It takes hold of you, or it leaves you perfectly cold", Willa Gather meant ______.
| A．you either love the place or hate it |
| B．you decide either to stay or to leave |
| C．some find the place warm; others find it cold |
| D．some find the place peaceful; others find it wild |
What happens when Cather comes to the open plains?
| A．She breathes differently from others: |
| B．She wants to make the place her home. |
| C．She finds the place similar to her home. |
| D．She feels completely comfortable |
Television has changed our lives in many ways. Many people now spend more time watching TV than doing anything else. Researchers in the USA has estimated(估计)that when most students leave school they have spent 11,000 hours in the classroom and 22,000 hours watching television. But what effect does this have?
Benefits(好处) of television:
1. Television helps us to learn more about the world and to know and see many mew things. Television can offer present information to us in a more effective way than books. It can also make things more memorable.
2. It entertains (使欢乐) us. It is an enjoyable way to relax. For millions of people around the world, television is a source of companionship and helps them to cope with everyday life.
3. It has increased the popularity of sports and arts.
4. It has made us aware of our global responsibilities. In 2000, for example, 1.5billion people in 147 countries watched a TV pop concert and helped to collect more than $100million for people in Africa.
Dangers:
1. Television can make us passive (消极的). We don't have to think and our brains become lazy.
2. It encourages us to buy things that we don’t need, and can make us unhappy with our own life.
3. It takes time away from activities such as reading, conversation, and games.
4. It gives a false picture of society. A study in 2003 showed that people who watch a lot of TV are more afraid of crime. They also think that there is a lot more crime than there really is .
5. Some critics(批评家) say that television make people violent. A ten-year study in the United States showed that children who watch violent television programmes are more likely to be violent themselves. What’s the proper description of the time American students spend on TV and study?
| A．They spend twice as much time on TV as in the classroom. |
| B．They spend twice as much time in the classroom as on TV. |
| C．They spend as much time on TV as in the classroom. |
| D．They spend less time on TV than in the classroom/ |
The underlined word “memorable” is closed in meaning to.
| A．easy to be remembered | B．remembered forever |
| C．interesting | D．knowledgeable |
Which of the following number is NOT true of the pop concert mentioned in the passage?
| A．People in more than 140 countries watched it on TV |
| B．It helped to collect more than $100 million |
| C．It was held in 2000. |
| D．1.5million people watched it on TV. |
According to the passage, the dangers of watching TV too much included all the following except that.
| A．television can make us active |
| B．television encourages us to buy things that we don’t need |
| C．television gives us a worse picture of society |
| D．television takes time away from a lot of activities |
The British are very polite and have good manners—they are never tired of saying “Thank you”，“I am sorry”， or “Excuse me.” They have good table manners. They enjoy their breakfasts and most of all the traditional tea around 4 or 5 o’clock.
The normal working week has five days. Factory workers usually start at 8 am and offices, shops and schools open at 9 am. Workers have 3 weeks’ holidays and professional workers(people with higher education ) have usually longer holidays (a month or more). Except these holidays they have public holidays: e.g. New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
An average Englishman like to live in his own house. Houses are made of red bricks, stone and wood. The house usually has from 4 to 6 rooms, two floors, small front and back gardens. On the ground floor there is a hall, a kitchen, a living room with a fireplace and on the first floor there are parents’ and children’s bedrooms and a bathroom. The prices of houses depend on the area—the most expensive are the houses in London and South England (about 200,000 pounds); smaller houses in other areas may cost about 50,000 pounds.
Social Welfare—The National Health Service gives largely free treatment for everyone living in Britain. People can choose their family doctors. In case of emergency you can call the ambulance by dialing 999 from everywhere. Health centres are run by local authorities. About 7 percent of hospitals, dentists and family doctors work as private.
There are about 130 daily and Sunday newspapers and a lot of weekly papers and magazines. The oldest newspaper is The Times. Other famous newspapers are Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Financial Times, etc.If you are a student in Britain, when do you begin to go to school?
| A．At 6 am . | B．At 9 am . | C．At 8:00 am . | D．At 9:30 am . |
Which of the following about the British is false according to the passage?
| A．They have good manners when at table. |
| B．They always have the traditional tea around 4 or 5 am. |
| C．They love families and pets. |
| D．They feel very tired when they say “Thank you”,“Sorry ” or “Excuse me.” |
Who has the longest holiday?
| A．A shop assistant. | B．A doctor. |
| C．A factory worker. | D．A nurse. |
If you find someone seriously ill in Britain, what is the best thing you should do?
| A．Phone his family doctor. | B．Take him to hospital. |
| C．Dial 999. | D．Find a doctor for him. |
Scientists are trying to make the deserts into good land again． They want to bring water to the deserts， so people can live and grow food． They are learning a lot about the deserts． But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time． Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time．
Why is more and more land becoming desert？ Scientists think that people make deserts． People are doing bad things to the earth．
Some places on the earth don't get much rain． But they still don't become deserts． This is because some green plants are growing there． Small green plants and grass are very important to dry places． Plants don't let the sun make the earth even drier． Plants do not let the wind blow the dirt away． When a bit of rain falls， the plants hold the water． Without plants， the land can become desert more easily． Deserts＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．never have any plants or animals in them | |
| B．can all be turned into good land before long | |
| C．are becoming smaller and smaller | D．get very little rain |
Small green plants are very important to dry places because＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．they don't let the sun make the earth even drier | |
| B．they don't let the wind blow the soil away | |
| C．they hold water | D．All of the above． |
Land is becoming desert little by little because ＿＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．plants can't grow there | B．there is not enough rain |
| C．people haven't done what scientists wish them to do | |
| D．scientists know little about the deserts |
Which is the main idea of the first paragraph？
| A．Scientists know how to change desert into good land． |
| B．Land is becoming desert faster than scientists can change it back into good land． |
| C．If scientists can bring water to desert， people can live and grow food there． |
| D．More and more places are becoming deserts all the time． |
In Canada you can find dogs， cats， horses， etc． in almost every family． These are their pets． People love these pets and have them as their good friends． Before they keep them in their houses， they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections（注射） so that they won't carry disease． They have special animal food stores， though they can get animal food in almost every kind of store． Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food． When you visit people's houses， they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them． You will also find that almost every family has a bird feeder in their garden． All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal． They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada． They have a law against killing wild animals． If you killed an animal，you would be punished． If an animal happened to get run over by a car， people would be very sad about it．
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals． One of them might be：Their family ties are not as close as ours． When children grow up， they leave their parents and start their own life． Then the old will feel lonely． But pets can solve this problem． They can be good friends and never leave them alone． The passage mainly talks about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．how to keep disease from pets | B．pets in Canada |
| C．how to take good care of pets | D．life of the old in Canada |
They give their pets injections before keeping them at their houses because ＿＿＿ ．
| A．the pets are sick |
| B．the pets are wild |
| C．they want to stop them from carrying disease |
| D．they want them to sleep on the way home |
This passage shows that Canadians＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．hate animals | B．often kill animals |
| C．love animals | D．don't keep pets inside houses |
In Canada， children leave their parents when they grow up because＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．they don't love their parents any more |
| B．they can only find jobs far from their parents |
| C．their parents' houses are too small |
| D．they wouldn't depend on their parents any more |
More American people take their troubles with them on holiday, according to a new survey. Although 40 percent said that the main reason for going away is to escape pressure (压力) from work, almost all said they worry more than they do at home. Only four in every 100 said that they are happy and free of care.
The most common worry is burglary ( 入室盗窃) , with four out of 10 worrying about their homes being broken into while they’re abroad．More than a quarter fear they will feel crazy with some other noisy and rough holiday-makers and 22 percent worry they may be attacked or their possessions will be missing. One in five think the car may break down; and the same number worry about the chances of bad weather.
The survey also showed that the stay-at-home Americans are no more. Three out of every five want to have a holiday abroad, a great increase from the figures only three years ago. The hotel holiday is still a winner, with about one third of all Americana preferring to go on a self-catering ( 自助 ) holiday.The underlined word “survey” in the first paragraph most probably means ______.
| A．research | B．review | C．exhibition | D．examination |
According to the text, about ____ of people worry more on holiday than when they are at home.
| A．25% | B．40% | C．80% | D．95% |
The third most common worry of American holiday-makers is that they may ______.
| A．be attacked or lose their possessions |
| B．have problems with their cars on the road |
| C．have bad weather on holiday |
| D．get mixed with some rough fellow holiday-makers |
Where do American holiday-makers like to stay most?
| A．At a hotel. | B．In a quiet place. |
| C．At a friend's house. | D．Where they can cook for themselves. |