When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it’s amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak contemptuously of the poor old Romans because they relished the orgies of slaughter that went on in their arenas. We may despise them because they mistook these goings on for entertainment. We may forgive them condescendingly because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority really justified? Are we any less blood-thirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don’t the spectators who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remains as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungey lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of sophisticated arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long age; sports which are quite as barbarous as, say, public hangings or bearbaiting.
It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull-fighting, that we should be prepared to sit back and watch two men batter each other to pulp in a boxing ring, that we should be relatively unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames. Let us not deceive ourselves. Any talk of ‘the sporting spirit’ is sheer hypocrisy. People take part in violent sports because of the high rewards they bring. Spectators are willing to pay vast sums of money to see violence. A world heavyweight championship match, for instance, is front page news. Millions of people are disappointed if a big fight is over in two rounds instead of fifteen. They feel disappointment because they have been deprived of the exquisite pleasure of witnessing prolonged torture and violence.
Why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? You may well ask. The answer is simple: they are uncivilized. For centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually and emotionally – admittedly with little success. But at least we no longer tolerate the sight madmen cooped up in cages, or public floggings of any of the countless other barbaric practices which were common in the past. Prisons are no longer the grim forbidding places they used to be. Social welfare systems are in operation in many parts of the world. Big efforts are being made to distribute wealth fairly. These changes have come about not because human beings have suddenly and unaccountably improved, but because positive steps were taken to change the law. The law is the biggest instrument of social change that we have and it may exert great civilizing influence. If we banned dangerous and violent sports, we would be moving one step further to improving mankind. We would recognize that violence is degrading and unworthy of human beings.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s opinion of nowadays’ human beings is
| A．not very high. | B．high. |
| C．contemptuous. | D．critical. |
The main idea of this passage is
| A．vicious and dangerous sports should be banned by law. |
| B．people are willing to pay vast sums money to see violence. |
| C．to compare two different attitudes towards dangerous sports. |
| D．people are bloodthirsty in sports. |
That the author mentions the old Romans is
| A．To compare the old Romans with today’s people. |
| B．to give an example. |
| C．to show human beings in the past know nothing better. |
| D．to indicate human beings are used to bloodthirsty. |
.How many dangerous sports does the author mention in this passage?
| A．Three. | B．Five. |
| C．Six. | D．Seven. |
The purpose of the author in writing this passage is
| A．that, by banning the violent sports, we human beings can improve our selves. |
| B．that, by banning the dangerous sports, we can improve the law. |
| C．that we must take positive steps to improve social welfare system. |
| D．to show law is the main instrument of social change. |
Vocabulary
relish 从……获得乐处，享受
orgy 狂欢，放纵
arena 竞技场，活动或斗争的场所
blood-thirsty 残忍的，嗜血的
bear-baiting 逗熊游戏
bull-fight 斗牛
batter 猛击，连续地猛打/捶，乱打
pulp 成纸浆，成软块
burst into flames 突然燃烧起来/着火
grim 令人窒息的，简陋的
coop up 把……关起来
难句译注
bear-baiting 逗熊游戏。这是一种十六、十七世纪流行于英国的游戏――驱狗去咬绑着的熊，很残忍，后被禁止。
…two men batter each other to pulp in the boxing ring.
【结构简析】batter one to pulp =" beat" one to a pulp 狠揍某人，打瘫某人
【参考译文】两个人在拳击场内彼此狠揍，知道一个人被打倒在地，爬不起来。
…unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames.
【参考译文】眼见一辆或多辆赛车相互撞击，突然烧起来而无动于衷。
A world heavy weight championship match is front page news.
【参考译文】世界重量级冠军赛总是头版头条新闻。
写作方法与文章大意
作者采取先对比、后分析的写作手法。先是今人和古罗马人对暴虐体育上对此两者都欣赏。后者坦率成人“欣赏暴力体育”，前者施以各种接口、实际都是嗜血成性者。第二段进一步剖析今人欣赏暴虐体育的种种实例，最后指出改善“暴虐”的根本嗜为改善法律采取积极的步骤，法律才能施以巨大的文明影响，否则人类很难改变。
Today almost everyone knows computers and the Internet. If I ask you “What is the most important in your life ?” maybe you will say “Computers and the Internet.”
The first computer was made in 1946. It was very big but it worked slowly . Today computers are getting smaller and smaller. But they work faster and faster. What can computers do?
A writer has said, “people can’t live without computers today.”
The Internet came a little later than computers. It is about twenty-five years later than computers. But now it can be found almost everywhere. We can use it to read books, write letters, do shopping, play games or make friends.
Many students like the Internet very much. They often go into the Internet as soon as they are free. They make friends on the Internet and maybe they have never seen these friends. They don’t know their real names, ages, and even sex (性别). They are so interested in making the “unreal friends” that they can’t put their hearts into study. Many of them can’t catch up with others on many subjects because of that.
We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world. But at the same time, we should remember that not all the things can be done by computers and the Internet. The Internet can not be used for ______.
| A．studying | B．shopping | C．thinking | D．playing |
When the computer was invented, it was ______.
| A．large and worked quickly1 |
| B．small and worked |
| C．large but worked slowly. |
| D．small but worked quickly . |
The Internet was born in about _____.
| A．1960 | B．1970 | C．1980 | D．1985 |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Few students like going into the Internet. |
| B．students use the Internet to make “unreal friends.” |
| C．These “unreal friends” often meet each other. |
| D．Students know the friends on the Internet very well. |
What does the writer think of the Internet?
| A．It is wonderful. |
| B．It can make students study harder. |
| C．It is not good for students. |
| D．It is helpful, but we can’t do everything on it. |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor (幽默感) you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It’s better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”The writer thinks that the best way for you to learn a language is ____.
| A．writing | B．using it | C．listening | D．learning grammar |
What should you do in learning English?
| A．Be careful not to make any mistake. | B．Write as quickly as you can. |
| C．Speak English as much as you can. | D．Laugh more often. |
When people laugh at your mistakes, you should _____．
| A．not care | B．be happy | C．feel worried | D．be unhappy |
The story tells us_______.
| A．only foolish people make mistakes |
| B．few people make mistakes |
| C．people never make mistakes |
| D．there is no one who does not make mistakes |
The writer of the text has a _______ attitude towards people’s mistakes while using the language.
| A．agreeable | B．negative（否定的） | C．neutral (中立的) | D．humorous |
根据短文内容，从下框的A---F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。 选项中有一项为多余选项。
Americans have learnt more about drinks than they were 20 years ago. Now, encouraged by recent studies suggesting that it can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease and slow the aging process, tea is enjoyed by more and more people. Enough fashionable tea houses are appearing to make even longtime coffee drinkers consider changing drinks.
Tea is found in more places than ever. The Tea Association of the United States reports that from 1990 to 1999, yearly sales of the drink grew to $4.6 billion from $1.8 billion. “Green tea is seen by people as a ‘functional food’” — bringing health beyond food itself, says Vierhile.
Recently published studies point out that only teas that come from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis contain health benefits. Other teas may taste good, yet they do little more than warm up the drinker. But for Camellia sinensis, the evidence is powerful. In a 1998 study, Harvard University researchers found that drinking one cup of black tea a day lowered the danger of heart disease by as much as 44 percent compared with non-tea drinkers, and other studies have suggested that the antioxidants (抗氧化剂) in these so-called real teas can also prevent cancer.
One such antioxidant in green tea is ECGC, a chemical 20 times as powerful as vitamin E and 200 times as powerful as vitamin C. “When people ask me for something good and cheap they can do to reduce their cancer risk, I tell them to drink real tea,” says Mitchell Gaynor, director of medical oncology (肿瘤学) at New York City’s Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center.
Driving Offence Points System
What is Driving Offence Points System?
After the introduction of this system, certain traffic offences will make the driver lose points besides other punishment (惩罚). A driver makes any of these offences, the points will be recorded．When the driver gets a certain number of points, he will be forbidden (禁止) to drive for a certain amount of time.
This is a system designed to make road much safer. It can improve standards (水平) of driving and reduce accidents.
Which traffic offences will result in Driving Offence Points?
Of course, not all traffic offences are covered by this system. Only those that have direct effect on road safety are included．There are fourteen items in all.
| Code |
Offence |
Points |
| 1 |
Causing death by dangerous driving |
10 |
| 2 |
Dangerous driving |
10 |
| 3 |
Careless driving |
5 |
| 4 |
Driving after drinking or taking drugs |
10 |
| 5 |
Driving over speed limit by more than15 km/hour |
3 |
| 6 |
Driving in a motor race on the road |
10 |
| 7 |
Failing to stop after an accident |
3 |
| 8 |
Failing to give information after an accident |
3 |
| 9 |
Failing to report an accident |
3 |
| 10 |
Failing to obey directions of police officers |
3 |
| 11 |
Crossing double white lines |
3 |
| 12 |
Failing to obey traffic signals |
3 |
| 13 |
Failing to give way to walkers at a crosswalk Failing to stop for people walking |
3 |
| 14 |
Failing to stop at school crossing |
3 |
What will happen if you have got up to 10 points?
If you have got 10 points or above, but still less than 15 points, you will receive a warning (警告) letter from the Transport Department. This letter will tell your record of Driving Offence Points and remind you of the result of getting more points. It is hoped that this warning will change your driving behavior for the better.
What will happen if you have got 15 points?
If you have got 15 points or more within two years, the first time you are found guilty (犯错的) and you will not be able to drive for three months, but if you are caught a second time you will not be able to drive for six months.The underlined word “Offence” (paragraph 1) refers to ______.
| A．a driving habit |
| B．an official of road safety |
| C．bad behavior in the office |
| D．an action against the traffic law |
The Driving Offence Points _________.
| A．is a system that helps to improve the driving standards |
| B．are points given because of dangerous driving |
| C．shows traffic offences of different kinds |
| D．is a guide dealing with (处理) traffic offences |
What will happen to you if you have got 13 points?
| A．You will be punished for the points. |
| B．You will be forbidden to drive. |
| C．Your record will be sent to the Transport Department. |
| D．You will get a warning letter from the Transport Department. |
What will happen to you if you are caught driving dangerously and two months later you are caught careless driving?
| A．You will take the driving test again. |
| B．You will be taken to the police station. |
| C．You will not be able to drive for 6 months. |
| D．You will not be able to drive for 3 months. |
Happy April Fool’s Day．In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes in history．They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them．
INSTANT COLOUR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white．The station’s technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display colour reception．All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color．Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people were taken in．Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970．
SAN ERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement （增刊）in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean．A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this unknown nation．The Guardian’s phones rang all day as readers asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot．Few noticed that everything about the island was made up．
NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again．His new campaign slogan was, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his election speech．Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger．Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke, Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little．The underlined phrase “taken in” in the 2nd paragraph means ________.
| A．deceived | B．pleased | C．innocent | D．broadcast |
What can be inferred from the text about Color TV?
| A．The Swedish People didn’t watch color TVs until 1970． |
| B．The Swedish People began to watch color TVs in 1962． |
| C．Kjell Stensson was a TV host． |
| D．Not many people believed Kjell Stensson． |
Which of the following statements about San Serriffe is True?
| A．San Seffiffe is located in the Indian Ocean． |
| B．San Seffiffe became a republic in 1967． |
| C．San Seffiffe is a beautiful place． |
| D．San Seffiffe doesn’t exist． |
We get to know from the passage that _____．
| A．Richard Nixon didn’t win the election in 1992． |
| B．Richard Nixon didn’t do anything wrong |
| C．Richard Nixon was not liked by the American people |
| D．Richard Nixon asked Rich Little to speak for him |