A quarter of US adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos survey. The typical person said that he / she read four books in the last year and, excluding those who had not read any books at all, the usual number of books read was seven.
Of those who did read, women and pensioners (领养老金者) were the most eager readers, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices. The number of books read was nine books for women and five for men. The number also showed that those with college degrees read the most, and people aged 50 and over read more than those who are younger.
People from the West and Midwest are more likely to have read at least one book in the past year. Southerners who do read tend to read more books — mostly religious books and romance novels — than people from other regions.
Those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many books as those who attend frequently, but the Bible and religious works were read by two thirds of the people in the survey, more than all the other categories. Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries took up about half, while one in five read romance novels. Politics, poetry and classical literature were named by fewer than 5% of readers. More women than men read every major category of books except for history and biography books. Men tend to prefer non-fiction.
Book sales in the US have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way, which, experts think, results from competition from the Internet and other media, and the unsteady economy.The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．the number of Americans who read books last year dropped |
| B．the book sales in the US have been dropping in recent years |
| C．the reasons why one in four Americans read no books last year |
| D．about region differences in the number and kind of books read last year |
Which kind of Americans read the most last year according to the survey?
| A．Older men with college degrees from the South. |
| B．Older women with college degrees from the South. |
| C．Younger educated men from the Midwest. |
| D．Younger educated women from the West. |
What kind of books was read most according to the passage?
| A．Religious works. | B．Popular fiction. |
| C．Poetry. | D．History. |
Which of the following reasons why people read fewer books is true?
①. Competition from the Internet.
②. Competition from other media.
③. The unsteady economy.
④. People attend religious services
⑤. No time for reading.
| A．①②③ | B．②③⑤ | C．①③⑤ | D．②③④ |
Terry was a middleaged leather trader whose repeated failure in career made him a depressed man, often____that he had been cheated by others. One day he told his wife he was so__
_with the city that he had to leave.
So his family moved to another city. It was the evening of a weekend. When Terry and his wife were busily__up their new home, the light suddenly__
__.Terry was regretful to have forgotten bringing along__
_and had to wait__
__in a low mood. Just then he heard light, hesitant__
__on his door that were clearly audible (听到) in the_
__night.
“Who's it？” he wondered, since Terry was a____to this city. And this was the moment he especially hated to be__
__， so he went to the door and opened it__
_. At the door was a little girl, shyly asking, “Sir, do you have candles? I'm your neighbor.”“No，” answered Terry in anger and shut the door__
__. “What a nuisance (讨厌)！” he complained over it with his wife. “No sooner had we settled down than the neighbor came to_
__things.”
After a while，the door was knocked again, he opened it and found the same girl outside.___this time she was__
__two candles，saying, “My grandma told me the new neighbor downstairs might need candles. She__
__me here to give you these.” Terry was very__
__by what he saw.
At that moment he suddenly realized what caused his___in life. It was his__
__and harshness (刻薄) with other people. The person who had cheated him in life was__
__nobody else but himself, for his eyes had been blurred (蒙蔽) by his unsympathetic mind.
A. complaining B. reflecting
C. praying D. pretending
A.inspired B．disappointed
C．thrilled D．encouraged
A.looking B．turning
C．coming D．tidying
A.went on B．went down
C．went out D．went through
A.candles B．matches
C．lights D．flashlights
A.happily B．patiently
C．hopefully D．helplessly
A.steps B．words
C．knocks D．screams
A.dark B．quiet
C．noisy D．crowded
A.newcomer B．stranger
C．guest D．settler
A.called B．disturbed
C．watched D．offered
A.surprisedly B．delightedly
C．impatiently D．willingly
A.gently B．kindly
C．politely D．violently
A.lend B．sell
C．purchase D．borrow
A.And B．But
C．So D．For
A.holding B．hiding
C．fetching D．seeking
A.suggested B．forbade
C．sent D．forced
A.frightened B．pleased
C．puzzled D．surprised
A.failure B．success
C．complaint D．determination
A.warmth B．coldness
C．kindness D．sympathy
A.doubtfully B．hardly
C．really D．probably
On a sunny day last August, Tim heard some shouting. Looking out to the sea carefully, he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea.
Two 12-year-old boys, Christian and Jack, rowed out a boat to search a football. Once they’d rowed beyond the calm waters, a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water. The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore. But they were no match for
it and the boat was out of control.
Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves.
“Everything went quiet in my head,” Tim recalls（回忆）. “I’m trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line.”
Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water. Every 500 yards or so, he raised his head to judge his progress. “At one point, I considered turning back,” he says. “I wondered if I was putting my life at risk.” After 30 minutes of struggling, he was close enough to yell to the boys, “Take down the umbrella!”
“Let’s aim for the pier（码头）,” Jack said. Tim turned the boat toward it. Soon afterward, waves crashed over the boat, and it began to sink. “Can you guys swim?” he cried. “A little bit,” the boys said.
Once they were in the water, Tim decided it would be safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier. Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs. Tim swam toward land as water washed over the boys’ faces.
“Are we almost there?” they asked again and again. “Yes,” Tim told them each time.
After 30 minutes, they reached the pier. Why did the two boys go to the sea?
| A．To go boat rowing |
| B．To get back their football. |
| C．To swim in the open water |
| D．To test the umbrella as a sail. |
What does “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．The beach |
| B．The water |
| C．The boat |
| D．The wind |
Why did Tim raise his head regularly?
| A．To take in enough fresh air . |
| B．To consider turning back or not. |
| C．To check his distance from the boys. |
| D．To ask the boys to take down the umbrella. |
How can the two boys finally reach the pier?
| A．They were dragged to the pier by Tim. |
| B．They swam to the pier all by themselves. |
| C．They were washed to the pier by the waves. |
| D．They were carried to the pier by Tim on his back. |
I was very fond of hunting when I was a young man. In the autumn of 1915, I was in the northwest of India. One evening, after hunting in the forest all
, I was returning alone to the place where I had
up my tent. I was tired
hungry. It was getting
and darker, and I was walking slowly
a narrowpath. On my right was a wide river; on my left, a
, dark forest. All of a
I saw two green eyes looking at me from among the trees. I knew it
be a man-eating tiger. The tiger was getting ready to
on me.
My heart . What could I do? Should I jump
the river and hope to save my life
swimming? Ilooked to the
. In the river there was a
crocodile waiting to welcome me with its mouth
open. I was so
that I shut my eyes. And I thought it would be the end of my
. I heard branches moving
the tiger roared (咆哮) and jumped.
then I opened my eyes. What do you think had happened? The tiger had jumped right over me and now in the jaws (嘴) of the crocodile.
A. practicing B. studying C. planting D. traveling
A. day B. night C. the time D. the year
A. turned B. put C. made D. brought
A. but B. and C. or D. nor
A. colder B. warmer C. brighter D. latter
A. by B. beside C. along D. on
A. thick B. strong C. tall D. short
A. shock B. joy C. sudden D. surprise
A. could B. can C. must D. should
A. live B. depend C. look D. jump
A. beat B. sank C. ached D. jumped
A. across B. over C. into D. from
A. on B. of C. with D. by
A. front B. back C. left D. right
A. big B. small C. dead D. dying
A. long B. short C. wide D. narrow
A. tired B. excited C. frightened D. surprised
A. work B. study C. day D. life
A. though B. asC. but D. or
A. Just B. Even C. Still D. Only
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项.选项中有两项为多余选项.
Kids' health: Four steps for fighting stress
Everybody gets stressed from time to time. Some ways of dealing with stress- like screaming or hitting someone - don't solve（解决）much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.
Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed:
(1) Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent or other relatives. They might have had similar problems, such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.
(2) Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear, that's not a good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself.
(3) Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends, it's time to get down to business.Even if you can't solve it all,you can solve a piece of it.
(4) Be positive. Most stress is temporary (暂时的). Remember stress does go away,especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.These steps aren't magic, but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time, you'll help yourself feel better even faster.
| A．Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation. |
| B．Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them. |
| C．Different people feel stress in different ways. |
| D．Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone. |
E. You need to figure out what the problem is.
F. And don't forget about your friends.
G. Then, find a way to calm down.
Saturday，March 24th
We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok. This is our first trip to Thailand (泰国). All the different smells make us want to try the food. We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight. The hotel we are staying in is cheap and very clean. We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.
Tuesday, March 27th
Bangkok is wonderful and surprising! The places are interesting. We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables. Everything is so colourful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai. We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.
Friday，March 30th
Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring. We visited a small village in the mountains. The village people here love the quiet life—no computers or phones. They are the kindest people I have ever met. They always smile and say “hello”. Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness. I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year. The diaries above show the writer’s ______ days in Thailand.
| A．3 |
| B．7 |
| C．15 |
| D．8 |
It seems that visitors ______ in Bangkok.
| A．often feel hungry |
| B．can’t take any photos |
| C．can enjoy themselves |
| D．feel a little bored |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand. |
| B．The writer left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai by bus. |
| C．The writer is traveling alone in Thailand. |
| D．The writer will take a bus to Chiang Mai. |
The people in the village _______.
A. are friendly to others
B. like to speak English
C. hope to live in the cities
D. Live a very busy life
5. The best title of this article is_________.
A. My First Travel
B. The Outside World
C. Traveling in Thailand
D. My Trip to Chiang Mai