Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique(古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception(接待). I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth — so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?” “Twenty pounds.” I said. “OK,” he said, “I’ll give you 20 pounds.” “It’s got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that, it’s nothing.”
Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I’ll buy it,” I said. “You’ve just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I am sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You’re right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said ‘Would you mend this chair for me?’” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs. Not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused(感到有趣)by the whole thing.We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer _______.
| A．was rather impolite |
| B．was warmly received |
| C．asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair |
| D．asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair |
The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper _______.
| A．changed his mind | B．accepted the offer |
| C．saw the writer’s purpose | D．decided to help the write |
How much did the writer pay?
| A．＄5 | B．＄7 | C．＄20 | D．＄27 |
From the text, we can learn that the writer was _______.
| A．honest | B．careful |
| C．smart | D．Funny |
Go ahead，talk to your dog.
As many a dog owner will prove, our furry friends are listening. Now, for the doubters, there is scientific proof that they understand much of what they hear. A border collie called Rico can fetch at least 200 objects by name， researchers in Germany say. The dog also appears to learn words for new objects as easily as a 3-year-old child would. Its word-learning skill is as good as that of a parrot or chimpanzee.
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them randomly into 20 sets of 10 objects each. The dog waited with one of his owners in one room, while an experimenter put a set of 10 objects into another room. Then, the owner told the dog to fetch one of the items. The dog had to go to the other room and bring the object back.
In four trials, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. Because the dog couldn't see anyone to get visual clues about what to bring back, the scientists concluded that he must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names he already knew. The dog's owner then told him to fetch the object, using a word Rico had never heard.
In 7 out of 10 trials, Rico picked the right object, suggesting that he figured out the answer by process of elimination. A month later, he remembered half of the new names, which further impressed the researchers.
Rico is probably smarter than the average dog, the scientists say. For one thing, he's a border collie, a breed known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to retrieve toys by their names since he was 9 months old.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your pup every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
48．The passage is probably taken from a book on _____
A．pets B．environment C．culture D．nutrition
49．It is implied that ____
A．Rico is probably cleverer than the average dog
B．Only a few dogs can talk back to its owner
C．if a chimpanzee is trained ,it can also recognize the names of objects
D．All dogs can understand words
50．How long is it since Rico’s owner began to train him?
A．nine months B．3years C．over nine years D．more than eight years
51．Rico can do all the following except _____
A．understanding the meanings of certain words.
B．picking the right object by process of elimination
C．remembering all of the new names he learned D．retrieving toys by their names
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This booklet is designed to help you and your family plan for and survive a major earthquake. By taking action to be prepared, you can lessen the impact of an earthquake on your family. Set aside some emergency supplies, and teach your family what to do at home during and after a disaster. You could be without help for up to 72 hours, so learn to cope for at least that long.
Movement of the ground is seldom the actual cause of death or injury. Most casualties（意外） result from partial building collapse and falling objects and debris, like toppling chimneys, falling bricks, ceiling plaster, and light fixtures. Many of these conditions are easily preventable.第二部分阅读理解（共 25 小题。第一节每小题 2 分，第二节每小题 1 分；满分 45 分）
One of the most important aspects of an image is color. People are very sensitive to color, and different colors have different effects on people .
In general , red is an exciting color , which creates an image of action, energy and danger. Red is also the most frequently used color in flags .Eighty percent of the world’s flags contain red. A study in “Germany showed that football teams wearing red are more successful .Blue is a very calm color .Business executives usually wear dark blue suits .Blue is also a peaceful color. The flag of the United Nations is light blue .Yellow is associated with openness and freedom. Green is a very relaxing color .Surgeons nowadays wear green ,because it’s less tiring than white .Black creates an image of power and authority .It can also be a very threatening color .Gangsters and vampires often wear black .white is a pure and strong color .This is one reason why doctors wear white coats .We trust them more .Grey is a very anonymous color .People wearing grey don’t want other people to notice them .Brown is the opposite of black .It’s warm and friendly ,while black is threatening .
41．What does the author mainly talk about in the passage?
A．Color and Character B．Color and Image
C．Color and Occupation D．People are sensitive to color
42．Which of the following is true about color according to the passage?
A．Eighty per cent of the world’s flags contain green.
B．Brown is the opposite of pink, presenting warmth.
C．Red creates an image of energy , danger and freedom.
D．Blue is a peaceful and calm color.
43.The underlined word “anonymous” roughly means ______
A outstanding B．beautiful C．exciting D．unknown
Even plant can run a fever, especially when they’re under attack by insects or disease. But unlike human, plants can have their temperature taken from 3, 000 feet away - straight up. A decade ago, adopting the infrared （红外线）scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites, physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide （杀虫剂）spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don’t have pest （害虫）problems.
Even better, Paley’s Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they became visible to the eye. Mounted on a plane flown at 3, 000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured the heat emitted by crops. The data were transformed into a color - coded map showing where plants were running“ fevers”. Farmers could then spot - spray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide than they otherwise would.
The bad news is that Paley’s company closed down in 1984, after only three years. Farmers resisted the new technology and long - term backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation. Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. “This technique can be used on 75 percent of agricultural land in the United States, ” says George Oerther of Texas A & M. Ray Jackson , who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade. But only ff Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.
56．Plants will emit an increased amount of heat when they are________.
A. sprayed with pesticides B. facing an infrared scanner
C. in poor physical condition D. exposed to excessive sun rays
57．In order to apply pesticide spraying precisely, we can use infrared scanning to________.
A. estimate the damage to the crops B. measure the size of the affected area
C. draw a color -coded map D. locate the problem area
58．Farmers can save a considerable amount of pesticide by________.
A. resorting to spot – spraying B. consulting infrared scanning experts
C. transforming poisoned rain D. detecting crop problems at an early stage
59．The application of infrared scanning technology to agriculture met with some difficulties________.,
A. the lack of official support B. its high cost
C. the lack of financial support D. its failure to help increase production
60．Infrared scanning technology may be brought back into operation because of________.
A. the desire of farmers to improve the quality of their produce
B. growing concern about the excessive use of pesticides on crops
C. the forceful promotion by the Department of Agriculture
D. full support from agricultural experts
Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially your spoken English.
Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers. You may find the information you need.
| Global English Center *General English in all four skills：listening，speaking，reading，and writing． *3-month（700 yuan），6-month（1，200 yuan）and one-year（2，000 yuan）courses． *Choice of morning or evening classes，3 hours perday，Mon—Fri． *Experienced college English teachers． *Close to city center and bus stops． Tel：67705272 Add：105 Ahongshan Road，100082 |
| Modem Language School *Special courses in English for business，travel，banking．hotel management and office skills． *Small classes（12-16 students）on Sat. & Sun. from 2︰00-5︰00 p. m. *Native English teachers from Canada and USA． *Language lab and computers supplied． *3-month course：1，050 yuan；6-month course：1，850 yuan． Write or phone；Modem Language School，675 Park Road．100056 Tel：67353019 |
| The 21 st Century English Training Centre *We specialize in effective（卓有成效的）teaching at all levels． *We offer morning or afternoon classes．both three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan． *We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holidays． *Emrance exams：June 1 and Dec．1． *Only 15-minute walk from city center． Call 67801642 for more information． |
| The International House of English *Three／Six-month English courses for students of all levels at very low cost：60 yuan for 12 hours per week；convenient（方便的）class hours：9︰00-12︰00 a. m. and 2︰00-5︰00 p.m. *A four-month evening programmer for developing speaking skills （same cost as day classes）. *Free sightseeing and social activities（活动）． *Very close to the Central Park．For further information call 67432308. |
52．You work from 9︰00 a. m. to 4︰30 p. m. every day. Which school will you choose?
A. Global English Center and Modem Language School.
B. Global English Center and the International House.
C. Modern Language School and the 21st Century.
D. The 21st Century and the International House.
53．The 21st Century is different from the other three schools in that________.
A. its teaching quality is better B. it is nearest to the city center
C. its courses are more advanced D. it requires an entrance examination
54．You will probably prefer to go to the International House because it________.
A. offers free sightseeing and social activities B. has a special course in spoken English
C. costs less than the other schools D. has native English teachers
55．If you take the evening programmed at the International House, you will pay about________.
A. 60 yuan B. 240 yuan C. 720 yuan D. 960 yuan