When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.
Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported to other countries like America and West Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.
Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.
Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．How Columbus found Costa Rica. |
| B．How Costa Rica got its name. |
| C．What the Costa Ricans wore. |
| D．What language the Costa Ricans spoke. |
The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.
| A．pink and red. | B．grey and black |
| C．blue and green. | D．yellow and orange |
From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.
| A．have lessons every day |
| B．have their examinations |
| C．help their parents pick coffee beans |
| D．go to separate schools |
This passage is mainly about ______.
| A．Christopher Columbus |
| B．Costa Rica |
| C．some products from Costa Rica |
| D．the education of Costa Rica |
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously ,did not give her good service ,pretended not to understand her ,or even acted as if they did not hear her .
My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she . I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人).I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs.Tan..”
And my mother was standing beside me ,whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send me cheek already two week late.”
And then , in perfect English I said : “I’m getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately , I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs.Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
| A．She was unable to speak good English. |
| B．She was often misunderstood. |
| C．She was not clearly heard. |
| D．She was not very polite. |
From Paragraph 2, we know that the author was ________.
| A．good at pretending | B．rude to the stockbroker |
| C．ready to help her mother | D．unwilling to phone for her mother |
After the author made the phone call, _______.
| A．they forgave the stockbroker |
| B．they went to New York immediately |
| C．they failed to get the check |
| D．they spoke to their boss at once |
What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
| A．It confuses her. |
| B．It embarrasses her. |
| C．It helps her understand the world. |
| D．It helps her tolerate rude people. |
We can infer from the passage that Chinese English ________.
| A．is clear and natural to non-native speakers |
| B．is vivid and direct to non-native speakers |
| C．has a very bad reputation in America |
| D．may bring inconvenience in America |
Discover
News magazine of science devoted to the wonders and stories of modern science, written for the 41-45 ADBCA
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Self
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Issues: 10 issues/12 monthsWhich of the following magazines is published monthly?
| A．Discover | B．Self | C．In Style | D．Wired |
Which two following magazines are published by the same publisher?
A．Wired and In StyleB．Discover and In Style
C．Self and DiscoverD．Self and Wired
43．Which magazine offers the biggest price cut?
A．In StyleB．WiredC．DiscoverD．SelfThose who are interested in management and the use of high technology would probably choose ________ .
| A．In Style | B．Self | C．Wired | D．Discover |
The “Style Lab” in Self provides readers with articles which________.
| A．offer advice to ordinary women on clothes |
| B．show how a woman can become famous |
| C．introduce places with the best food |
| D．discuss ways of training models |
Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion (宗教). So what's the point?
“To see what happens ,”said Liz. “We simply enjoy life with open communication(交流).”
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
“It started as a crazy idea,” Liz said. “We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything.”
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. “That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. “To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good,” she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?
| A．Chatting with people. | B．Setting up street signs. |
| C．Telling stories to strangers. | D．Organizing a speaker's corner. |
What they have been doing can be described as______.
| A．pointless | B．normal | C．crazy | D．successful |
Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?
| A．They knew Liz and Bill very well. |
| B．They happened to meet the writer of the text. |
| C．They organized the get-together in the city park. |
| D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill. |
What will Liz and Bill do in the future?
| A．Go in for publishing. | B．Do more television programs. |
| C．Continue what they are doing. | D．Spend more time reading books. |
How do they like the idea of writing a book?
| A．They have decided to wait a year or two. |
| B．They will think about it carefully. |
| C．They agreed immediately. |
| D．They find it hard to do that. |
People should be warned against using mobile phones outdoors in stormy weather because they may“be struck by lightning”，according to doctors．
Three experts have described how a teenage girl was struck by lightning while using her phone in a large London park．The girl，aged 15，recovered，but a year later was still wheelchair-bound and found to be suffering complex physical and emotional problems.
The girl also had a perforate eardrum(打孔耳膜)on the side where she had been holding the mobile phone．She was having general recovery in Northwick Park Hospital，Middlesex．
Swinda Esprit，a senior house officer, said that while the brain and muscle damage was similar to that of many lightning victims—who can experience heart attacks on being struck—the ear problems were not．
She said that the damages were particularly relevant for people who might be involved in less serious lightning incidents，who might otherwise recover, but would never get their full hearing back if struck while on the phone．
“We were shocked by the damage，which is why we wanted to draw attention to it，”Dr Esprit said．“A year on and she still was suffering these difficult hearing．”
They added that three other cases had been reported in newspapers in China，South Korea，and Malaysia．In the Malaysian case，a sales executive was killed by lightning while talking on his phone during a thunderstorm near Kuala Lumpur．
“All these events resulted in death，”the doctors wrote．“This rare phenomenon is a public health issue，and education is necessary to stress the risk．”
The Australian Lightning Protection Standard recommends that metallic objects，including cordless or mobile phones，should not be carried outdoors during thunderstorms．However, “the United States National Weather Service says on its website that both are safe to use “because there is no direct path between you and the lightening”．
Paul Taylor, of “the Met Office'’，said the ear injuries were a consequence of mobile phones being metal，and not related to radio waves．
Mr. Taylor said that mobile phones should be treated as another piece of metal，similar to carrying coins or wearing rings，and people need to be warned against the possible danger．What do we know about the teenage girl?
| A．She was struck by lightning at schoo1． |
| B．She completely recovered from being struck． |
| C．She still suffered from mental problems． |
| D．She had to press her ear all day． |
It can be inferred that damage done by lightening while using mobile phones.
| A．is more serious than that when one is not using a mobile phone |
| B．can be healed quickly except for heart attacks |
| C．is less serious because the victims can usually recover |
| D．is mainly in the brain and muscle of the victims |
Why did doctors stress the risk about using phones outside in lightening?
| A．Because more people are faced with it． |
| B．Because some deaths have been caused． |
| C．Because lightning is harmful for the brain． |
| D．Because a teenage girl got killed． |
We can infer from the last three paragraphs that.
| A．both cordless and mobile phones are safe to use outside in lightning |
| B．there is no direct connection between lightning and ear injuries at all |
| C．opinions differ as to whether it is safe to use mobiles phones in lightning |
| D．ear injuries are the result of carrying coins or wearing rings in lightning |
The purpose in writing this passage is.
| A．to draw attention to the risk of using mobile phones in lightening |
| B．to focus on various damages done to lightning victims |
| C．to tell us the news that a teenage girl was struck by lightning |
| D．to stress the danger of making phone calls in lightning |
The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place．Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes．
For thousands of years，Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru，far from western civilization．The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798．He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship．He called the island Pleasant Island．
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first．The whaling ships and other traders began to visit，bringing guns and alcohol．These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island．A ten-year civil war started，which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru's real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate(磷酸盐)on the island．In fact，it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate，which was a very important fertilizer for farming．The company began mining the phosphate．
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground；it is a strip mine．When a company strip-mines，it removes the to player of soil．Then it takes away the material it wants．Strip mining totally destroys the land．Gradually, the lovely island or Nauru started to look like the moon．
In 1968，Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world．Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate．
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition，they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem—their phosphate was running out．Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing．By 2000，Nauru was financially ruined．Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000 and more than 20 years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?
| A．To seek help for Nauru's problems． |
| B．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war． |
| C．To show the importance of money |
| D．To give a warning to other countries |
What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
APeaceful and attractive B．Modern and open
C．Rich and powerful D．Greedy and aggressiveThe ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from
| A．soil pollution | B．phosphate overmining |
| C．farming activity | D．whale hunting |
Which of the following was a cause of Nauru's financial problem?
| A．Its phosphate mining cost much money |
| B．It spent too much repairing the island |
| C．Its leaders misused the money |
| D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war. |
What can we learn about Nauru from me last paragraph?
| A．The leaders will take the experts' words seriously |
| B．The ecological damage is difficult to repair. |
| C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans |
| D．The phosphate mines were destroyed |