Once upon a time, there was a lovely vegetable field, on which grew a very thick tree. Both the vegetables and the tree gave the place a wonderful appearance, which was the joy of the garden’s owner. What no one knew was that the vegetables in the field and the tree couldn’t stand each other. The vegetables hated the tree’s shadow, because it left them only just enough light to survive. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water before it could get to him, leaving him with just enough to survive.
The situation became so extreme that the vegetables got totally fed up and decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would dry up. The tree answered back by refusing to give the vegetables shadow from the hot midday sun, so they both began to dry up. Before long, the vegetables were really thin and the tree’s branches were drying up.
Neither of them thought that the gardener, on seeing his vegetable field becoming worse, would stop watering it. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables really learned what thirst was. There seemed to be no solution, but one of the vegetables, a small courgette（小胡瓜）, understood what was going on, and decided to deal with it. Despite the little water and the unbearable heat, the little courgette did all he could to grow, grow...He managed to grow so big that the gardener started watering the field again. The gardener wanted to enter that beautiful big courgette in some gardening contest.
And so the vegetables and the tree realized that it was better to help each other than to fight. They should really learn how to live in harmony with those around them, doing the best they could. So they decided to work together, using both the shadow and the water in the best combination to grow good vegetables. Seeing how well they were doing, the gardener now gave the best of care to his vegetable field, watering it better than any other field for miles around.What is the problem between the tree and the vegetables?
| A．They looked down upon each other. |
| B．They didn’t leave water to each other. |
| C．They couldn’t stand each other. |
| D．They didn’t know how to protect themselves. |
What is the result of the fight between the tree and the vegetables?
| A．They grew taller and stronger. |
| B．They were both drying up. |
| C．The tree defeated the vegetables. |
| D．The vegetables defeated the tree. |
The courgette thought of ways to solve the conflict by .
| A．making peace with the tree | B．working together with other vegetables |
| C．entering the gardening contests | D．growing big enough |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．We ought to live in harmony with others. |
| B．We ought to save as much water as possible. |
| C．We ought to learn from each other in some ways. |
| D．We ought to learn to respect each other. |
At present, in many American cities especially, many teachers in the public schools say they are underpaid. They point to jobs such as secretary or truck driver, which often pay more to start than that of a teacher. In many other fields, such as law, medicine, computer science, a beginning worker may make more than a teacher who has taught for several years.
Teaching has never been a profession that attracted people interested in high salaries. It is by history a profession that has provided rewards in addition to money—the satisfaction of sharing knowledge, of influencing others, of guiding young people. But in the past several years, there are more difficulties in teaching, for many, than there are rewards.
Unruly students, especially in big cities, large classes and a lack of support from the public in terms of money and understanding have led many public school teachers to leave the profession.
As a result, many of the best students, who would have chosen teaching as their life career in the past, are going into other fields.
Another reason for this change in teacher candidates is the changing status of women in the United States. Until the late 1960s and 1970s, one of the most popular choices for women was teaching. But as other professions, such as law and medicine opened up to women, women stopped pouring into teacher training programs. Thus, a major pool of excellent candidates for the teaching profession dwindled.
Bit by bit government officials and others realized that the status of the teacher had suffered. They talked about change. But the change in a vast society like the United States is not easy. People’s attitudes have formed over many years, and sometimes change takes many years.
63. The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refers to “ ”.
A. money B. job C. secretary D. truck driver
64. What is the present situation of the teaching?
A. Teachers work harder and get underpaid.
B. Teachers have no opportunities to work in other fields.
C. Teaching can attract best students to work as a teacher.
D. Teaching can provide rewards as well as high salaries.
65. Many public school teachers turn to other professions because .
A. the unruly students and large classes
B.the difficulties of teaching as well as a lack of money, support and understanding
C.the attracting power of other jobs
D.a lack of satisfaction of sharing knowledge and influencing others
66. The author believes that change in teachers’ status in the United States .
A. is not great B. impossible
C. influences people’s attitude D. needs time
Summer Holiday Fun 2010 !
The summer holidays are upon us again. Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!
Peterborough Museum
The Age of the Dinosaurs’ is the museum’s main attraction this summer．Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands—on exhibits! Watch out for monsters lurking (潜伏) around every ember! The museum is open from 10：00am to 5：00pm Monday to Saturday，and from 12:00pm to 4:00 pm on Sundays in August．
Call 01733 864663 for details
Saxon Youth Club
School holiday fun：Young people aged 13－19 will be able to produce their own music, compete in spots activities, or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club, Saxon Community Centre, Norman Road, Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3:00pm. PLUS an aero ball tournament will take place on Thursday 12th August between 3:30pm and 6:30pm.
Call 01353 720274 for details
Houghton Mill
Alice through the Looking Class—a new production of the family favorite on Monday 30th. August. Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play. Gates open 5 : 30 pro performance 6:30pm—8:30pm. Tea room will be open until end of the interval. Adult ￡10. Child￡7. Family ￡20.
Booking advisable on 0845 4505157.
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey
Farmland Gaines：From Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches，come and join the Farmland Team．Collect your sporting stickers and create a colorful rosette (玫瑰形饰物) that is fit for a winner！No need to book, just turn up between 12: 00pm and 4:00pm on Thursday 19th August Suitable for children aged four and above，each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price Tickets Cost￡7 per child.
For further information, call 01223 810080.
59. If you are interested in cooking, you can go to .
A. Peterborough Museum B. Houghton Mill
C. Saxon Youth Club D. Farmland Museum
60. You want to watch the new play with your parents，so it will cost you．
A. ￡21 B. ￡17 C. ￡27 D. ￡20
61. Which of the following activities needs parents’ company?
A. Playing farmland games. B. Watching a new play.
C. Competing in spots activities. D. Visiting the dinosaur exhibition.
62. If Tom comes to Peterborough for amusement on August 19, he will have activities
to choose from for himself.
A. one activity B. two activities
C. three activities D. four activities
The World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is to be staged in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31, 2010. If you plan to visit the Shanghai Expo this summer, the
China Pavilion is a must-see area for you.
The China Pavilion, which is called Oriental Crown
(东方之冠), is located at the center of the Expo site. Standing 63 meters tall, the China Pavilion takes the shape of an emperor’s crown, with the upper layers larger than the lower ones. Covering 160,000 square meters in floor space, the pavilion consists of a national hall and a regional hall. Construction on the China Pavilion began on Dec. 18, 2007. The design of the China Pavilion was picked from a total of 344 designs put forward by Chinese from around the world. The pavilion possesses both traditional and modern features, which helps develop the theme of the 2010 Expo “Better City, Better Life”. For example, it is red in appearance, which contains the elements of traditional Chinese culture, and it is green indoors, with the use of energy-saving techniques. The Shanghai World Expo is expected to attract 70 million visitors from across the globe. It is estimated that 400,000 people will visit the Expo and its 140 pavilions every day during the period, but the China Pavilion is only able to receive about one tenth of the total. How to accommodate so many people in the pavilion remains a tough task. Luckily, the China Pavilion is built as a permanent landmark.
During the Expo, the main structure will be used for an exhibition based on the theme of “Chinese wisdom in urban development" by explaining the values of harmony, nature and spirit. The three-story pavilion has three sections. The top floor’s "Footprint of the East" will show some of the changes in Chinese cities. There, you can see a film which shows how Chinese cities have changed, especially in the past 30 years. According to Lu Chuan, director of the film, the scenery is like something from The Lord of the Rings. On the second floor, "Journey of Wisdom” will explain China’s four great inventions. And the ground’s “Blossoming City” will display scenes from cities of the future.
55. Which of the following words can be used to describe the China Pavilion?
A. Tiny. B. Round.
C. Foreign. D. Environment-friendly.
56. The China Pavilion can receive visitors at most per day.
A. 40,000 B. 400,000 C. 100,000 D. 20,000
57. We can infer that .
A. the China Pavilion will be pulled down after the World Expo 2010 is over
B. the China Pavilion will probably continue to be open to visitors after the Expo is over
C. you can continue to visit the Japanese Pavilion after the Expo is over
D. some foreign friends took part in the designs of the China Pavilion
58. On the second floor of the China Pavilion, you can .
A. enjoy a film about the changes of cities in China
B. learn what Shanghai looked like in the 1920s
C. find out how paper was invented
D. see how Chinese cities will look like in the future
A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer's hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.
The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. "It's getting late," she thought, "I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am."
She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.
It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn't understand what was going on.
She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: "Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking." Ellen was her mother but－where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents' room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn't slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different－she wasn't in her mother's room and she wasn't wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas.
It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, "Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared."
51. Three days later Jennifer came back home .
A. at sunrise B. at sunset C. at night D. at midday
52. What does the underlined phrase "This thought" most probably mean?
A. The idea of going back home.
B. Her anxiety about her parents.
C. The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.
D. The feeling of getting back home safely.
53. Her father didn't take care of the garden because .
A. he was busy looking for her
B. he had to look after his wife
C. he was not strict with his job
D. he no longer enjoyed working in the garden
54. What can we infer from this passage?
A. In fact Jennifer's mother had been sick for days.
B. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.
C. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.
D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.
My house is made out of wood, glass and stone. It is also made out of software.
If you come to visit, you’ll probably be surprised when you come in. Someone will give you an electronic PIN （个人身份号码）to wear. This PIN tells the house who and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it’s dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights nearest you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.
Of course, you are also able to tell the house if you want something. There is a home control console (控制台), a small machine that turns things on and off around you.
The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you my car keys, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the keys. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.
I believe that ten years from now, most new homes will have the systems that I’ve put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I’ve put in today.
I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, “How will I live without them?”
61. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. How to develop a new system. B. The function of the PIN.
C. A home for the future. D. Easy life in the future.
62. What’s the purpose when the writer wrote the fourth paragraph?
A. To let readers know why his ideas are new.
B. To let readers know how special his house is.
C. To explain the importance of the PIN and the console.
D. To explain more easily what the functions of the PIN and the console are.
63. The writer’s new house is different from ordinary ones mainly because _____.
A. it has been controlled by computers
B. you can make a telephone call anywhere
C. it has your favorite music following you
D. the writer is able to change his new idea into practice
64. What is the writer most likely to be according to the passage?
A. An IT expert. B. A famous doctor.
C. An idealist D. An experienced teacher.
65. What can’t be done in the writer’s new house?
A. turns on the lights
B. play music
C. get a telephone call
D. go swimming