When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.
In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words. Jack brought the couple their food very fast because[_______________.
| A．the manager asked him to do so | B．he respected the elderly |
| C．the couple wanted him to do so | D．he wanted more pay |
When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became[____________.
| A．nervous | B．satisfied |
| C．unhappy | D．excited |
In Jack’s hometown,______________.
| A．people dislike being called “old” |
| B．people are proud of being old |
| C．many people reach the age of seventy or eighty |
| D．the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants |
After this experience, Jack___________.
| A．lost his job in the restaurant |
| B．made friends with the couple |
| C．no longer respected the elderly |
| D．changed his way with older people |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got. |
| B．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience. |
| C．The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple. |
| D．From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture. |
Whatever our differences as human beings are we all think we’re more like the rest of the animal world than we realize. It is said that we share 40 per cent of our genetic（遗传的）structure with the simple worm.
But that fact has helped Sir John Sulston win the 2002 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Sir John is the founder of the Sanger Institute in Cambridge, which was set up in 1992 to get further understanding of the human genome（染色体组）.
To help them do this, they turned to the worm. The nematode（线虫类的）worm is one of the earliest creatures on planet earth. It is less than one millimeter long, completely transparent and spends its entire life digging holes through sand. But it still has lots to say about human life, and what can be done to make it better.
What the worm told Sir John and his colleagues was that each of the cells in the human body is programmed like a computer. They grow, develop and die according to a set of instructions that are coded in our genetic make-up.
Many of the diseases that humans suffer from happen when these instructions go wrong or are not obeyed. When the cell refuses to die but carries on growing instead, this leads to cancer. Heart attacks and diseases like AIDS cause more cell deaths than normal, increasing the damage they do to the body. Sir John was the first scientist to prove the existence of programmed cell death.Sir John Sulston got a Nobel Prize for Medicine because he has .
| A．found that human beings are similar to the worm |
| B．got the fact we share 40 per cent of our genetic structure with the simple worm |
| C．found the computer which controls each of the cells in the human body |
| D．proved that cell death is programmed |
People might be seriously ill if the cells in their body .
| A．grow without being instructed | B．die regularly |
| C．fail to follow people’s instructions | D．develop in the human body |
The underlined word“they”（paragraph 5）refers to .
| A．cell deaths | B．diseases | C．instructions | D．cells |
What is the subject discussed in the text?
| A．The theory of programmed cell deaths. | B．A great scientist—Sir John Sulston. |
| C．The programmed human life. | D．Dangerous diseases. |
The 12—year—old CEO（首席执行官）of a Web site design company will be one of 300 business and political leaders accompanying Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on a trade visit to China in March.
Keith Peiris, who founded Cyberteks Design in June 1999 and now has 25 clients （客户）in North America ,insisted in an interview that he is “just like any other kid.”
He and his father will spend nine days on the Team Canada trip to Beijing ,Shanghai and Hong Kong ,where Chretien aims to showcase the best of Canadian business in the most populous country in the world .
A glance at the complex ,elegant animations （动画）on his www.cybertecks.com site shows the extent of Peiris’ talent . “He doesn’t want to be No.2,”his father Deepal said proudly .
His father ,who is now vice president of operations at Cyberteks ,said , “I am teaching my son what I know .We make decisions together .I haven’t done anything my son disagreed with .He makes the final decision .”
The company has seven offices in the United States and five part—time employees who ,like the Peiris family ,work from their London homes .
Keith Peiris admitted some potential clients change their minds when they learn his age ,but the well—informed not—yet—teenager tries to ignore them .
“Suddenly ,I’ve been called a whiz kid or geek ,which I am not too happy about .A few people have asked if they should call me ‘mister’, but I stay casual , I am still a kid .That Keith Peiris insisted that he is “just like any other kid” shows he is .
| A．proud | B．modest | C．honest | D．excited |
Who makes the final decision on operations at Cyberteks Design?
A．Keith Peiris B．Deepal Peiris C．Jean Chretien D．Both A and B.According to the information in the passage ,which is the best and fastest way to know more about the Web giant ?
| A．We can go to Canada to pay him a visit . |
| B．We can make an international telephone call to him. |
| C．We’d better visit his web site—www.cyberteks.com. |
| D．We can write to his father for the kid’s information. |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．Keith Peiris is a Canadian boy . |
| B．All the employees of the child’s company work at home . |
| C．The Canadian Prime Minister means to show off Keith’s success during his stay in China . |
| D．Keith always tries his best to be the best in the field of web site designing . |
New York’s streets were covered by people dressed in elephant costumes (服装) and others waving antiwar posters with pictures of US President George W. Bush on them last week. But this was no carnival (狂欢节) – it was the Republican Party’s National Convention (共和党全国大会), which attracted thousands of protestors (抗议者). It was the largest protest ever at a US political convention, with at least 120,000 people marching through Manhattan on August 29. They demanded that the US leave Iraq and a new president be chosen.
The Republicans say the opposition – Democrat Party (民主党) encouraged the people on to the streets. They believe it is a democratic move to help win presidential election, to be held on November 2. The election is described as “the decisive battle between donkey and elephant”. The two animals are the symbols of the two major political parties in the US. The elephant represents (象征) the Republicans, whose candidate (侯选人), President George W. Bush, is trying to defeat the donkey to win his second them. The donkey represents the democrats, whose candidate, John Kerry, is trying to kick the elephant out of the White House.
Republicans think the elephant is powerful and clever, but the Democrats argue it is stupid and conservative (守旧的). In return, the Republicans regard the donkey as stubborn (倔强的) and silly but the Democrats say it is humble, plain, smart and courageous.
The Republicans have been sending emails to Bush supporters and journalists with the heading, “An Elephant Never Forgets”, said party spokeswoman Heather Layman. Elephants are known for their long memories. The emails suggest that Bush will keep his promises, while Kerry will not stick to his words.
It is interesting that both symbols were created by a single person, Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist of the late 19th century. During the election in 1874, Nast drew a cartoon, in which a donkey in a lion’s skin frightened an elephant marked “Republican”.What does “kick the elephant out of the White House” mean?
| A．Drive the animal out of the White House. | B．Drive President Bush out of power. |
| C．Keep the elephant out of the White House. | D．Insist on Bush’s being elected. |
In the eyes of the Republicans, the donkey is considered as .
| A．clever | B．foolish | C．polite | D．brave |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The same artist created the two symbols. |
| B．The emails suggest Kerry will not carry out his promises. |
| C．“An Elephant Never Forgets” means that an elephant has a good memory. |
| D．John Kerry is a Democrat. |
Indonesia’s coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are in trouble. Coral mining, Industrial pollution and poisonous agricultural runoff all play a role in their destruction, but the fishermen have been the worst offenders. They not only bomb fish but also poison them with cyanide, an equally destructive practice. The fishermen are also among the biggest potential victims(受害者). Two thirds of Indonesia’s 7, 000 coastal villages are close to coral reefs and thus depend for their livelihood on the harvest of reef fish. The disappearing reefs are already leading to a dramatic decline in the productivity of coastal fisheries and to increasing fights among fishermen.
Indonesia’s reefs are vast – they cover 51, 000 square kilometers, surround 17, 500 islands and stretch 3,500 kilometers – but they are not infinite. Many foreign experts and Indonesians fear that the region’s entire marine environment could be seriously damaged if the reefs keep dying at their present rate. “The overall picture is depressing,” says Ian Dutton, Indonesian director of an environmental group.
Depressing, but not hopeless. Despite the destruction, environmentalists have in recent years made significant progress in changing the hearts and minds of the fishermen. Working closely with local Indonesian authorities in North Sulawesi and less populated eastern Indonesia, where most of the country’s reefs are located, they have succeeded in preventing destructive fishing practices and coral mining from overwhelming the reefs.
Increasing numbers of fishermen are waking up to the threat and protecting the life-sustaining coral before it’s too late. Nuhung, a 56-year-old fisherman, says, “I always knew blast fishing was harmful. Then I suddenly realized that by bombing the reefs I was destroying not only my own but my children’s future.”The fishermen are named “worst offenders” because .
| A．they defend their rights of mining the coral reefs too eagerly |
| B．they wake up too late to realize the terrible situation |
| C．they use the fishing ways, which destroy the coral reefs |
| D．they pretend to follow the government’s rules |
In the text the author .
| A．presents us some facts and people’s opinions as well |
| B．shows that he’s worried about the situation, but still feels a little hopeful |
| C．says he’s delighted and meanwhile, depressed |
| D．disagrees with what’s being done and gives suggestions |
The underlined word “infinite” in the 2nd paragraph most probably means .
| A．incomplete | B．short | C．unfit | D．limitless |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the text?
| A．But for the fishermen’s protection, the reefs would disappear soon. |
| B．More and more fishermen have realized their mistakes. |
| C．Without the coral reefs, the fishermen would have nothing for their livelihood. |
| D．Some practical measures have been taken to stop the situation worsening. |
This passage may be taken from______.
| A．a magazine | B．a novel | C．a newspaper | D．a storybook |
Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist.She was born on
May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child.
Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris.
Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous French painter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes(笔画) in their work. They recognized Mary 's spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows.
Mary painted what she saw: gardens, and paintings of persons, especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today.
Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately,all her life, she refused to accept students. Mary left Pennsylvania for Europe at age 20 mainly because_____.
| A．she wanted to learn another style of paintings |
| B．she didn’t learn anything in Pennsylvania |
| C．her desire for the learning wasn’t satisfied well |
| D．her father didin’t want her to learn painting again |
Which year was the most critical to her career and life?
| A．1860 | B．1864 | C．1877 | D．1914 |
Which of the statements about Mary Cassatt is supported by the passage?
| A．Her father had a decisive effect on her painting |
| B．Her painting featured scenes of everyday living |
| C．She used various colors and long lines in her works |
| D．She studied the paintings of the masters in U.S.A |
Mary Cassatt stopping painting because of_____.
| A．her poor eyesight | B．her old age | C．lack of interest | D．her family |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．during the last ten year of life, she painted nothing. |
| B．the paintings of Edgar Degas belong to realism |
| C．her works were controversial though highly recognized |
| D．her students showed great respect for her |