WhenSteveJobswasbornonFebuary2-优题课

The bicycle is the common sight in our daily life, as a great many Chinese use one every day. But you may not know its role in strengthening international relations, as it did in the case of US President George W. Bush’s visit to China .
President Bush arrived in Beijing on November 19, 2005 after he finished the APEC meeting in South Korea.He met with Chinese top leaders and achieved agreements on trade, Taiwan issue and more.
Although Bush’s trip was short as 40 hours, he managed to spare a moment to do some cycling. On November 20, he rode up and down a steep path at Laoshan Olympic Mountain Bike Course in Beijing’s suburbs.
Six young Chinese cyclists accompanied the president, who was dressed in a Chinese training uniform with the “Beijing 2008” logo (标志). He did not go along the arranged route and chose a more zigzag(曲折的) hiking path.
“How do you say, ‘take it easy on the old man’?” Bush joked to his partners before setting out.
“Compared with my bike path on the Crawford ranch (农场) , this one is greater and really difficult,” said Bush when his 45-minute ride ended. He said he will come to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.
This is not Bush’s first cycle ride in Beijing. In 1975 at the age of 29, he visited the Chinese capital for the first time, when his father was head of the US liaison office (联络处) in Beijing, which Bush described as “fantastic”.
However, observers said Bush’s ride is much more than just his favorite pastime. It expressed friendliness with people in China, where the bicycle is an important part of life and culture.
According to the Washington Post, one of the major newspapers in the US, this was a specially arranged activity by the US Government, for they want to send the Chinese a sign of friendship. “The president is by no means hostile (有敌意的) to China,” it said.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. Every Chinese has at least one bicycle
B. The bicycle is the common sight in our daily life
C. Bicycle can play a role in improving relationship between nations
D. President George W. Bush is fond of cycling
2. President George W. Bush went cycling ______.
A. wearing a T-shirt with the “Beijing 2008” logo
B. up and down a path on Laoshan Mountain
C. accompanied by six young Chinese policemen
D. along a more challenging way without arrangement
3. Bush said “take it easy on the old man” to his partners probably because ______.
A. he wanted to make them easy
B. he wanted to make a joke about them
C. he wanted to tell them it would be a more zigzag hiking path
D. he wanted to show them it would be a easy task for an old man
4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Bush’s first cycle ride was in 1975.
B. Bush’s ride was specially arranged by the Washington Post.
C. Bush’s ride is more a sign of friendship than just his favorite pastime.
D. Bush will come to Beijing to take part in the Olympic cycling games in 2008.

More than 20,000 drivers and front seat passengers are killed or seriously injured each year. At a speed of only 30 miles per hour it is the same as falling from a third floor window. Wearing a seat belt saves lives; it reduces your chance of death or serious injury by more than half.
Therefore drivers or front seat passengers over 14 most vehicles must wear a seat belt. If you do not, you could be fined up to $50. It will not be up to the drivers to make sure you wear your belt. But it will be the driver’s responsibility to make sure that children under 14 do not ride in the front unless they are wearing a seat belt of some kind.
However, you do not have to wear a seat belt if you are reversing(倒退) your vehicle; or you are making a local delivery or collection using a special vehicle; or if you have a valid（正当的） medical certificate（证书）which excuses you from wearing it. Make sure these cases supply to you before you decide not to wear your seat belt. Remember you may be taken to court for not doing so, and you may be fined if you cannot prove to the court you have been excused from wearing.
1. This passage is probably taken from ______.
A. medical magazine B. a legal document
C. a textbook D. a government information booklet
2. Wearing a seat belt in a vehicle ______.
A. reduces road accidents by more than half
B. reduces the death rate in traffic accidents
C. saves lives while driving at a speed up to 30 miles per hour
D. saves more than 16,000 lives each year
3. It is the driver’s responsibility to ______.
A. make the front seat passenger wear a seat belt
B. make the front seat children under 14 wear a seat belt
C. stop children from riding in the front seat
D. wear a seat belt each time he drives
4. For some people, it may be better to ______.
A. pay a fine rather than wear a seat belt
B. wear a seat belt for health reasons
C. (not to) wear seat belt for health reasons
D. get a valid medical certificate before wearing a seat belt

第三部分：阅读理解（共20题；每小题2分，共40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
You have heard the expression “horse sense”. As you may imagine, it came from the time when the majority of people traveled in vehicles drawn by horses. A horse does have a lot of common sense, and there are many true stories about horses having saved their drivers from danger of death.
Today for the most part, people travel by train, ship, airplane, and car, but very little by the use of horses. Modern vehicles are propelled by engines, and an engine does not have any sense. In case of danger, many horses could be depended on to help. Not so with the engine; the driver must do all the things.
In recent years, the speed of travel has increased greatly. With the increased speed comes greatly increased danger. The driver of a powerful engine needs to be careful. A moment of being careless may cost a life. In order to drive today, a person must be able to see clearly, and he must learn and follow carefully the rules for safety on the road. Greater attention is the price we pay for using a machine instead of a horse.
1. The passage mainly talks about ______.
A. engines B. safe driving C. using horses D. modern machines
2. The underlined word “propel” in the second paragraph means ______.
A. repair B. raise C. push forward D. made
3. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. a driver must know the rules of safety
B. a driver needs to be able only to tell red from green
C. an eye test is an important part of a driver’s examination
D. greater attention is needed for a driver while driving a machine
4. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. A driver must be able to see and hear well.
B. The driver of a car must follow the rules of safety.
C. Horses are known to have saved their drivers from injury.
D. It is better for vehicles to be pulled by horse than to be pushed by engine.

Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake capitals of the world – Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey – rats will soon be man’s new best friends.
What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.
How does it work? First , the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal（信号）.This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.
Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, “Robots’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that. ” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity!
The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we couldn’t get to, and a rat would get out if it wasn’t safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building（but only after an earthquake, of course.）
1．In the world earthquake capitals, rats will bee man’s best friends because they can .
A．take the place of man’s rescue jobs
B．find the position of people alive who are trapped in buildings
C．serve as food for people alive who are trapped in buildings
D．get into small spaces
2．From the third paragraph we know the rescuers can judge a person is alive by .
A．the noise made by the rat
B．the rat’s unusual behaviour
C．the signal sent by the radio on the rat’s back
D．the smell given off by the person
3．In doing rescue jobs, .
A．rats smell better than dogs
B．dogs don’t need to be trained to smell people
C．robots’ sense of smell can be affected by other smells around
D．rats can see in the dark and smaller than robots
4．Rats have all the following advantages except that .
A．they are more fantastic than other animals
B．they are less expensive to train than dogs
C．they don’t need electricity
D．they are small and can get into small places
5．After reading the passage we can know .
A．at present rats have taken the place of dogs in searching for people
B．the “rat project” has been finished
C．people are now happy to see a rat in a building
D．now people still use dogs and robots in saving people

Parking has long been a major headache for drivers in Shanghai. The Transportation Department is mapping out a new plan for the city’s parking system. There are one million cars on the road in Shanghai but only enough public parking space to provide room for 15percent of them. It is no wonder that local drivers get so worried trying to find a place to park.
The city is seeing a rise in private car owners. In March, the city sent out 2,000 private car licenses, the highest number of licenses ever sent out in a month. And prices rose to 14,600 yuan, 500 more than in February. Industry experts say this suggests that local people have a strong, active interest in buying cars.
By the year 2020, the number of automobiles in Shanghai will probably reach two million. If one parking lot is for each car, then a lot of parking space should be built for these vehicles.
Downtown Shanghai is most short of parking space. However, experts point out that simply building more parking lots in downtown areas is not practical and doesn’t provide an ideal solution. The idea of “ Park & Ride” system has been suggested. This means that drivers can leave their vehicles in car par nearby subway or bus stations and ride public transport to go downtown. Based on this idea, the city will limit the number of parking lots in downtown areas and demand higher parking fees but build more parking areas near main subway and bus stops.
1.The underlined phrase “ mapping out ” in the first paragraph means __________.
A. making B. arguingC. controlling D. inspiring
2. About __________ drivers can find places to park their cars in Shanghai now.
A. 850,000 B. 1,000,000 C. 150,000 D. 2,000,000
3. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us ?
A. The city sent out more private licenses in February.
B. Less and less people bought cars in March.
C. The city sent out less private licenses in March.
D. More and more people are going to buy cars.
4. According to the idea of a “ Park & Ride ” system, the city will __________.
A. send out more private car licenses
B. build more parking lots near bus stops
C. encourage people to buy more cars
D. build more parking areas in downtown