Many years ago，a French naturalist，the Count de Buffon，wrote some books about natural history．The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them．Some critics said，“Count Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist．”
Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World．It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant．
This troubled Thomas Jefferson．He too was a naturalist，as well as a farmer，inventor，historian，writer and politician．He had seen the natural wonders of Europe．To him，they were no more important than those of the New World．
In 1788，Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state，Virginia．While writing，he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon．At that moment．Jefferson created a new word—belittle．He said．“The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic．”
Noah Webster，the American word expert，liked this word．He put it in this English language dictionary in 1806，“Belittle—to make small，unimportant．”
Americans had already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it．In 1797，the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported．“He is an honorable man，”the paper wrote，“so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please．”
In 1872，a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word．He said，“Belittle has no chance of becoming English．And as more critical writers of America，like those of Britain，feel no need of it，the sooner it is forgotten，the better．”
This expert failed to kill the word．Today．belittle is used where the English language is spoken．Why did Thomas Jefferson disagree with the Count de Buffon?
| A．The Count said something silly about the Atlantic． |
| B．The Count wasn’t a true scientist in natural history． |
| C．The Count was a poet from a different country． |
| D．The Count belittled the natural wonders in America． |
We can infer that Jefferson created the word“belittle”out of his ___________．
| A．anger | B．excitement |
| C．kindness | D．responsibility |
From the text we can know that ______________．
| A．all critics thought little of the Count de Buffon |
| B．Europe has better wonders than the New World |
| C．the word“belittle”survived from disagreements |
| D．word experts can change the future of a new word |
Which of the following is true of the word“belittle”?
| A．It is gradually accepted by people． |
| B．It was invented by the Count de Buffon． |
| C．It was used to describe nature． |
| D．The Independent Chronicle made it popular． |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．How the word“belittle”came into being． |
| B．The argument about natural wonders． |
| C．Every word has a long history behind． |
| D．Noah Webster supported Jefferson’s idea． |
When the famous dancer Fred Astaire was interviewed for a job by a Hollywood producer, the movie “expert” turned him down, saying, “Can't sing. Can't act. Dances a little.” Here's another stupid mistake. When the great scientist Albert Einstein was at school, his teachers considered him rather dull. And a final story, the famous Polish pianist Paderewski was told by a teacher that he'd never be a success as a performer because the middle finger on each hand was too short.
What lessons can be drawn from these three experiences? First, true genius(天才) cannot be suppressed(压抑). For some reason or other it works its way out. Second, early judgements of a person's abilities may be unfair or just wrong. Third, when there is a real determination to succeed, obstacles fall by the wayside.
The famous motto “ad astra per aspera” can be translated as “To the stars through hardships.” Astaire, Einstein and Paderewski proved their critics wrong.
45.Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A.Fred Astaire was a famous dancer.
B.True ability will always make itself known.
C.Some people never get discouraged
D.Albert Einstein proved his teachers wrong.
46.When Paderewski's teachers told him he'd never be a success, they were ______.
A.being humorous B.cheerful, though concerned
C.somewhat hesitant D.seriously mistaken
47.“Ad astra per aspera” is used in the passage ______.
A.as a motto for the three men's lives
B.to show the value of Latin
C.to send the reader to the dictionary
D.to point out that genius is always recognized early
48.The writer of the passage thinks that the reader ______.
A.knows that the three men were successes
B.someday dreams to become like one of the men
C.sympathizes with(同情) the poor teachers of the three men
D.knows that Fred Astaire was an actor famous for performing
Shakespeare's plays
第二部分：阅读理解（共两部分，满分45分）
第一节（共20小题；每小题2分,满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Situated in the South West of England, between Exeter and Plymouth, Torquay is one of the most popular holiday resorts（度假胜地）in Britain. It provides sophisticated（精致）entertainment, sports of every kind and cultural facilities, all set in a position of outstanding natural beauty. Visitors can choose between luxury hotels by the sea, with private suites（套房），swimming pools and saunas, and comfortable but less expensive guest houses. There are camping sites, too, and hundreds of houses displaying“B & B”signs.
As well as a number of small quiet bays, which are ideal for beach barbecues away from the crowds, Torquay has large sandy beaches where you can buy refreshments（饮料）and hire deck chairs, boats and even beach huts. There are large areas of grassland overlooking the sea, and miles of winding cliff paths for walkers who just want to enjoy the scenery and what is often said to be the healthiest air in the country. For the sportsmen and women there are opportunities not only for golf, tennis, squash and bowls, but also for water-skiing, hang-gliding and deep-sea fishing.
After a day in the open air, there’s lots to do in the evenings, too. There are plenty of discos, the occasional opera or ballet, and summer variety shows in the seafront theatres. For the children, there is a beautiful model village with a complicated railway layout which is remarkably realistic-especially when the lights are all on at night.
Of course, there’s no need to spend your whole holidays in Torquay. Only a short drive away is Dartmoor National Park, where you can walk for miles through dramatic, unspoiled countryside, or picnic by beautiful rivers and streams. Or, nearer to home, you can sail across Tor Bay to the lovely old fishing village of Brixham.
Torquay seems to have something for everyone. But don’t take my word for it-come and see for yourself.
41．Which of the following best explains what “B & B” means on the signs?
A．Bed and breakfast B．Breakfast and bath
C．Beach and barbecue D．Beautiful and British
42．According to the text Torquay might be described as .
A．comfortable and expensive B．crowed and lively
C．remote and beautiful D．fresh and healthy
43．What is special about the model village?
A．It opens at night.
B．It has something for the children
C．It’s in the open air.
D．It has a real railway system.
44．What is the purpose of writing this text?
A．To introduce the geography of Torquay to students.
B．To make some places known to visitors.
C．To show the beauty of resorts.
D．To attract more tourists.
Machines in the home have a short history. Sewing machines, washing machines and tumble dries are common enough today, but a hundred years ago few people could even imagine such things. However, inventors have designed and built a wide range of household machines since then. In most cases the inventor tried to patent（申请专利）his machine, to stop anyone copying it. Then he tried to produce a lot of them. If the machine became popular, the inventor could make a lot of money.
In 1790 the first sewing machine was patented. The inventor was an Englishman called Thomas Saint. There was nothing to match his machine for forty years, and then someone built a similar device. He was a Frenchman, Bartelemy Thimonier. Neither of these early machines worked very well, however. It wasn’t until 1846 that an inventor came up with a really efficient（高效的）sewing machine. He was an American, Elias Howe and his machine was good enough to beat five skilled sewing women. He didn’t make much money from it, however. The first commercially（商业的）successful sewing machine was patented by Isaac Singer five years later.
Today, we take washing machines for granted, but there was none before 1869. The revolving drum（旋转桶）of that first machine set a pattern for the future, but it was crude by today’s standards. The drum was turned by hand, and needed a lot of effort. Eight years passed before someone produced an electric washing machine. The world had to wait even longer for a machine to dry clothes. The first spin-drier was another American invention, patented in 1924; but it was 20 years before such machines were widely used.
It was yet another American, called Bissell, who introduced the carpet sweeper. He patented the original machine back in 1876. It didn’t pick up dirt very well, but it was quicker than a dustpan and brush. Thirty-six years later, even the carpet sweeper was old-fashioned: modern homes now have a vacuum cleaner（吸尘器）with an electric motor to suck the dust.
57. Inventors patent the inventions so as to __________ .
A. produce more machines B. avoid being copied by others
C. make the inventions more popular D. make more money
58. Whose sewing machine could do far more than the work that was done by five skilled sewing women?
A. Thomas Saint’s. B. Bartelemy Thimonier’s.
C. Elias Howe’s. D. Isaac Singer’s.
According to the article, modern inventors __________ .
A. follow the pattern of the first revolving drum but improve it much
B. only imitate the first washing machine
C. power the first ever-made washing machine by electricity
D. have to wait for the first spin-drier for a long time
60. The underlined word “crude” in the sentence “but it was crude by today’s
standards”probably means __________ .
A. useless B. ugly-looking C. rough D. not skillfully made
We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowded. When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration（迁移）is probably the migration of the fish, which is called “salmon”. This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends its life. When it is old, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies there. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mice. They leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.
Recently, scientists have studied the migration of a kind of lobsters（龙虾）. Every year, when the season of bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go. So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.
Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to __________ .
A. give birth B. enjoy warmer weather
C. find food more easily D. find beautiful places
54. The mice in northern Europe move when __________ .
A. they give birth B. the weather is bad
C. the place gets too crowdedD. they haven’t enough food
55. The lobsters move __________ .
A. to the fresh water B. to the sea floor
C. to find more food D. at a certain time
56. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Animals move in order to find food more easily.
B. The migration of the fish called “salmon” is the most famous migration.
C. Living things move from one place to another because they like to travel.
D. Sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another but we don’t sometimes.
When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well.“I've never seen anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again.“No?” he said politely. Then he added, “But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for a moment. “I think you will find it will be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years from now.” He smiled.
The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish oils. I admit that.”“So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.
“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr Johnson?” Johnson smiled again.
“Would I be showing it to you if I had?”
“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.“It would be expensive to do that, even if you could,” Johnson said gently.“Besides,” he added,“I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your best fish oils. Cheaper than any vegetalbe oil, in fact.”
“Perhaps,” said the manage.“Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement, Mr Johnson. Shall we discuss it?”
“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as long as possible. That is, of course, the best way.” The manager nodded. He knew plenty about all that.
“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.” The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking), “Oh?”
“The other way,” continued Johnson,“is to produce yourself before the trouble starts.”
49.The manager thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it ______.
A.cheaper than the new oil B.more quickly
C.more expensive D.as good as the new oil
50.Johnson's new oil would be ______.
A.more expensive than fish oil, but betterB.less expensive, and better
C.less expensive, but not goodD.more expensive, and not so good
51.Johnson expressed his regret that the manager ______.
A.could not stop the new oil being made B.would never know how to make it
C.had spent a lot of money on it D.didn't know enough about it
52.Johnson showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted ______.
A.to produce it himself B.to prevent it being produced
C.to be paid not to produce it D.the manager to produce it