Henry Ford grew up on an un-electrified farm, and as a young man he followed Edison's career as the inventor became a national role model. Ford took a job at the Edison Illuminating Company working his way up to chief engineer．
In 1896 Ford was thirty-three and, though still working for Edison Co., he had created his first experimental automobile the Ford Quadricycle2 during his off-time. At an Edison company party in New York, Ford had his first chance to meet his hero Edison and was able to explain his new automobile to the great inventor. Edison was impressed. Edison is said to have slammed his fist down_and shouted, “Young man, that's the thing! You have it! Your car is self-contained and carries its own power plant.” Edison himself had been working on the idea, but had only been considering electricity as the power source, so the idea of a gas engine was a somewhat new one．
The words comforted Ford greatly, who immediately set out building a second car which was to become the Model-T.6. The two men became fast friends and would go on camping trips together．When Edison later became limited to a wheelchair, Ford brought an extra one to his house so they could race．At the 50th anniversary of the invention of light-bulb, Ford honored Edison．When Edison spoke, he ended his speech directed at Ford, “ As to Henry Ford, words fail to express my feelings．I can only say that he is my friend.” Therefore it is no surprise that Ford wanted something to remember Edison by after he passed away in 1931.
Once, Ford asked Thomas Edison's son Charles to sit by the dying inventor's bedside and hold a test tube next to his father's mouth to catch his final breath. Ford was a man with many strange behaviors (as was Edison) including some interest in reanimation and spiritualism（夏活通灵术）and some say that he was attempting to catch Edison's soul as it escaped his body in hopes of later bringing the inventor back to life.
The test tube itself didn't turn up until 1950 when it was listed in the Ford possessions after Clara Ford's passing away, and then lost again until 1978 when it was discovered in an exhibit Entitled “Henry Ford-A Personal History” in the Henry Ford Museum. It would then be discovered that the tube was labeled “Edison's Last Breath”.
There is a further mystery of this “last breath” test tube．It would seem as if Edison had quite a last breath indeed, as the Edison Estate holds a collection of 42 test tubes all supposedly containing Edison's last breath．
Regardless of the excitement over the last breath, the test tube is quite touching in its meaning．Although both men were known for all sorts of poor behavior towards their loved ones and mistreatment of employees, between them at least, there was clearly a deep respect and admiration．The purpose of the author writing this passage is to .
| A．remind the readers of the importance of the two inventors |
| B．stress the importance of friendship |
| C．tell the readers some stories about the two inventors |
| D．show that love can lead to some poor behaviors |
From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2, we can learn that .
| A．Edison envied what Ford had achieved |
| B．Edison was annoyed that Ford did better than him |
| C．Edison was angry because Ford stole his idea |
| D．Edison was extremely amazed at Ford's new idea |
“The 1ast breath test tube” can probably be regarded as .
| A．a symbol of a friendship and memory |
| B．a witness to a scientific breakthrough |
| C．a failure to bring Edison back to life |
| D．a sign of the two inventors' poor behavior |
It can be learned from the last paragraph that“ ”.
| A．Great minds think alike |
| B．Nobody is perfect |
| C．Two heads are better than one |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed |
As we all know, getting benched in sports is usually a bad thing. But at one school in Florida, a girl has taken a bench and turned it into something entirely different – a place to find friends. It’s called the Friendship Bench. And it’s the brainchild of a sixth grader at Palm Bay Elementary – a girl named Acacia Woodley.
Acacia’s attitude toward life might be summed up best by a question she recently asked members of the Brevard County School Board – “what if we spend as much time putting the spotlight on kindness as we do on cruelty?” It’s a philosophy Acacias has learned to live her own life -despite having a lot of people would consider a handicap. She was born without a right hand. And her left hand did not form properly. But Acacia says that she has not stopped her from achieving her goals. “You need to believe in your dreams. If you don’t believe in you dreams, I can definitely tell you that they are not going to come true.” She said.
Acacia came up with the idea for the Friendship Bench after seeing kids getting bullied at school. She says she has also experienced bullying herself – kids whispering about her or picking on her because she is different. “Some people say they feel sorry for me. I tell them not to,” she said. “I don’t care that I’m different. I like being different.”
The Friendship Bench looks like a lot of other benches. It has arm sets and a place to lean on. But there are also words painted on it – words such as “hope”, “respect”, “listen” and “dream”. Acacia put the benches together with the help from her mother and brother.
Any time a kid feels he or she needs a friend, all that kid needs to do is sit on the bench. It is then up to the other kids – or grown-ups – to fill that need. “It’s a perfect idea,” Palm Bay Elementary Principal Lori said. “It’s something we’ve needed so badly.”
The Friendship Bench has been such a success at Palm Bay Elementary that other schools are now interested in installing one too. “There’s a saying in my teacher’s classroom,” Acacia said. “It says, ‘it you can dream it, you can achieve it.’”What is the function of the first sentence in Paragraph One?
| A．To explain the meaning of getting benched is sports. |
| B．To introduce the important role “bench” plays in sports. |
| C．To introduce what the author wants to say in the text to us. |
| D．To tell us that the passage is connected with the word “bench”. |
What can be learned about Acacia from the passage?
| A．She is disabled but leads an active life. |
| B．She has a deep understanding of life. |
| C．She finds it difficult to achieve her goals. |
| D．She finds herself always in need of help. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Acacia has also suffered from other kids’ bullying. |
| B．The kids who sit on the bench feel they need friends. |
| C．Grown-ups are allowed to offer their help to the one in need. |
| D．The Friendship Bench is different from others in the arm sets. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．More Friendship Benches will be installed in other schools soon. |
| B．Students stop bullying other schoolmates at Palm Bay Elementary. |
| C．The students at Palm Bay Elementary have become more friendly. |
| D．Acacia has become a very important figure at Palm Bay Elementary. |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Acacia’s New Invention |
| B．The Friendship Bench |
| C．Help from a Special Bench |
| D．Getting Benched in School |
C.O.P.D(慢性障碍性肺病) blocks air flow through the lungs. It makes breathing difficult. The leading cause of C.O.P.D. is cigarette smoking. Experts at the National Institutes of Health in the United States say there is no cure to the damage to the lungs.
Dawn Demeo is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. She said, “By 2020, C.O.P.D. may be the third leading cause of death across the world.”
C.O.P.D. is a new name for emphysema（肺气肿） and chronic bronchitis（慢性支气管炎）. These are the two most common forms of the disease. Many people with C.O.P.D. have both of them. And Doctor Demeo says more women than men now die from the disease.
She is the lead author of a study by a team from Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Bergen in Norway. The new study adds to findings that women may be more at risk than men from the damaging effects of smoking.
The team examined results from a Norwegian study of 954 people with C.O.P.D. Inga-Cecilie Soerheim co-wrote the team’s findings. Doctor Soerheim says they show that women suffered the same level of C.O.P.D.as men. But the female smokers were younger and had smoked a lot less.
The team also looked at two groups among the people in the study. These were people under the age of 60 and those who had smoked for less than 20 years. In both cases, women had more serious C.O.P.D. and a greater loss of lung function (功能）than men.Which of the following statements about C.O.P.D is NOT true ______.
A. Cigarette smoking is likely to cause C.O.P.D.
B. C.O.P.D. makes it hard for a person to breathe
C. C.O.P.D will be one of the most life-threatening diseases.
D. Many people with C.O.P.D. have either emphysema or chronic bronchitis.It can be known from the study that_____.
A. female smokers die faster than male ones.
B. women are more likely to suffer from the damaging effects of smoking than men.
C. women who suffer the same level of C.O.P.D as men were older and weaker.
D. in the group of people under the age of 60, men suffered more from C.O.P.D than women.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A .Smoking Kills
B. Smoking Triggers Diseases
C. The Leading Causes of C.O.P.D.
D. Women Suffers More from C.O.P.D. than MenIn which part of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?
| A．Science | B．Health report | C．Education | D．Business report |
There has been a large increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years, and it is believed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in thefuture. Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves.
London
London’s flood defences are getting older. Since 1982, the Thames Barrier(水闸)has protected the city from the threat (威胁)of flooding, but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years. About 31 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions, by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not solved
There are 26 underground stations, 400 schools, 16 hospitals, an airport and 80 billion worth of property(财产）in London’s flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous.
Paris
Over a six week period in July and August 2003, more than 1 1,400—mainly elderly people—died in France from dehydration(脱水)and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave. Heat waves of similar intensity(强度)are expected every seven years by 2050, so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?
One solution is to have air-conditioners installed（安装）in elderly care homes. But this is considered a short-term solution, as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions(排放).
In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings such as the building “Flower Tower,” which uses a covering of bamboo to act as a natural air-conditioner.
Shanghai
Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth. It has a population of 18 million and is only 4 meters above sea level. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century.
About 250，000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption（消耗）. China depends heavily on coal—fired power stations, but these emissions increase temperatures and, in turn, warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons.What problem should be settled now in London?
| A．How to protect the city’s property |
| B．Where to build its flood defences |
| C．How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city |
| D．How to improve the function of the old flood defences |
Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?
| A．Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo. |
| B．Having air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes. |
| C．Forbidding the city to build “Flower Tower”. |
| D．Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings. |
The major threats to Shanghai are __________.
| A．increasing population and coal-fired power stations |
| B．rising sea levels and typhoons |
| C．extremely high temperature and rising sea levels |
| D．extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons |
The purpose of the passage is __________.
| A．to tell us how to protect the big cities |
| B．to give advice on how to defend natural disasters |
| C．to explain what causes flood and heat waves |
| D．to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities |
He is talent and charm(魅力) have made him the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world. He played in the grand Beijing Olympic opening ceremony last summer, watched by a TV audience of 5 billion.
Lang Lang, 26, is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world’s top orchestras, making his debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York at 18, while still a student.
Lang Lang’s charm and fondness for sharp clothes make him a natural fit to represent（代表）China’s new international image. According to the British newspaper the Times, “The Lang Lang effect” is responsible for driving 36 million Chinese children to learn the piano.
Now in China children are learning Chopin(肖邦) and Western orchestras are touring Chinese cities, but can China ever export（出口）its own music to the west? Lang is trying. His cooperation with the London Symphony Orchestras this month includes a performance of Dragon Songs, an album of traditional Chinese classics.
Behind the international recognition, however, is a fascinating story of a gifted child. Lang grew up with his father’s own musical ambition and high expectations. It is not hard to imagine how boring it must be to practice the piano every day. Lang said that he once hated his hands and the piano. He injured his right hand six years ago and had to rest. “That was the best month,” he says, without hesitation. “I had a date. I saw a Broadway show and saw Britney Spears in concert.”Which of the following is NOT the reason why Lang Lang is the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world?
| A．He played in the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony last summer. |
| B．He has as many as 5 billions fans in China. |
| C．He is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world’s top orchestras. |
| D．He plays the piano so well and has a good international image. |
The underlined word “debut” in the second paragraph probably means____.
| A．first class | B．first performance | C．first plan | D．first choice |
Which of the following statements about Lang is true?
| A．He has 36 million Chinese students in China. |
| B．He is touring China giving concerts. |
| C．He is trying to export Chinese music to western countries. |
| D．He only played traditional Chinese classics in his cooperation with the London Symphony Orchestra. |
From the last paragraph we can infer _____.
| A．Lang didn’t like his father when he was little |
| B．he was happy to practice the piano everyday |
| C．his father’s desire and expectations played an important role in his childhood |
| D．he injured his right hand on purpose six years ago |
In countries around the world, food has been used to celebrate at our holidays, our rituals and our family gatherings. The food eaten at holiday time has made the deepest impact on our culture and memories. Different holidays bring different types of food. Much of the food we eat during the holidays comes from old traditions handed down for hundreds of years.
New Year's Eve always brings parties and get-togethers, but where you live in the world may determine what food graces your table. In the southern US, partiers eat black eyed peas, which are thought to bring good luck and prosperity(繁荣). The Japanese also eat food for good luck on New Year's, but their choice is red snapper, the color red being considered good luck in Japan. The Jewish celebrate New Year by eating apples dipped in honey and in Madrid, Spain the last minutes of the New Year are counted down with the popping of grapes into the mouth. A pet is a cake prepared by the Greek with a coin baked into it. The person who gets the slice of cake with the coin in it should have good luck in the upcoming year.
In the United States, a typical Christmas feast can contain a variety of foods ranging from turkey to chicken, from ham to goose, but other countries celebrate this holiday differently. Perhaps these choices have been taken from the traditions of our heritage(遗产). In Denmark, a traditional Christmas meal is roast goose, Greece, leg of lamb. Traditionally, Italians keep their Christmas Eve meal meatless. The traditional Christmas dinner in New Zealand is a picnic eaten on the beach.
Though holidays around the world are celebrated in different ways, it is food, feast and family that bring us together.According to the passage, in different holidays people usually ______.
| A．have different kinds of food to eat |
| B．recall the interesting life when they were young |
| C．have a wide variety of parties. |
| D．get together to play games. |
All the following can bring people good luck except_____.
| A．a cake with a coin |
| B．red snapper |
| C．black eyed peas |
| D．apples dipped in honey. |
We can know from the third paragraph that ______.
| A．roast goose is American’s favorite food during Christmas |
| B．people in Denmark and Greece share the same food during Christmas |
| C．Italians don’t have meat during Christmas |
| D．people in New Zealand like playing games on the beach |
Which of the following can be the main idea of the passage?
| A．Holiday foods vary from culture to culture. |
| B．Different countries have different cultures. |
| C．People have a good appetite during holiday. |
| D．Different foods are served during Christmas. |