It’s 5:00 in the morning when the alarm rings in my ears. I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom. I turn on the light and put on my glasses. The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully. Usually I go for a long run, but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD insanity. Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes. My heart races as I face my body to finish each movement. As I near the end of the exercise, I feel extremely tired, but a smile is of my face. It’s not a smile because the DVD is over, but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.
Some people enjoy shopping, smoking, food, work, or even chocolate. But I need exercise to get through each day. Some shake heads when they see me run through the town. Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother’s chocolate cake. They raise their eyebrows, surprised by my “ no thank you,” or by my choice to have a salad. Over the years, I have learned it’s okay to just say “ no”. I shouldn’t feel sorry for refusing food that I don’t want to eat.
So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? What gives me the reason to just say to ice cream? Commitment. A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety, increases self –confidence and energy, extends life and above all improve my body shape. This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right. It’s through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out.Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?
| A．Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully. |
| B．Because she finishes her favorite exercise |
| C．Because she enjoys the interesting DVD |
| D．Because she feels a sense of achievement |
Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?
| A．She doesn’t treat others politely |
| B．She likes to make others surprised |
| C．Others don’t understand what she does |
| D．Others try to help her by offering her food |
What does the underlined word “commitment” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Good health | B．Firm belief |
| C．A strong power | D．A regular half |
What can we learn about the author from the text?
| A．She acts in a strange way |
| B．She wants to look different from others |
| C．She aims to develop a good body shape |
| D．She has difficult getting along with others |
Think about the different ways that people use the wind.You can use it to fly a kite or to sail a boat.Wind is one of our cleanest and richest power sources （来源），as well as one of the oldest.Evidence shows that windmills （风车） began to be used in ancient Iran back in the seventh century BC.They were first introduced to Europe during the 1100s,when armies returned from the Middle East with knowledge of using wind power.
For many centuries,people used windmills to grind （磨碎） wheat into flour or pump water from deep underground.When electricity was discovered in the late 1800s,people living in remote areas began to use them to produce electricity.This allowed them to have electric lights and radio.However,by the 1940s when electricity was available to people in almost all areas of the United States,windmills were rarely used.
During the 1970s,people started becoming concerned about the pollution that is created when coal and gas are burned to produce electricity.People also realized that the supply of coal and gas would not last forever.Then,wind was rediscovered,though it means higher costs.Today,there is a global movement to supply more and more of our electricity through the use of wind.From the text we know that windmills.
| A．were invented by European armies |
| B．have a history of more than 2,800 years |
| C．used to supply power to radio in remote areas |
| D．have rarely been used since electricity was discovered |
What was a new use for wind power in the late 19th century?
| A．Sailing a boat. |
| B．Producing electricity. |
| C．Grinding wheat into flour. |
| D．Pumping water from underground. |
One of the reasons wind was rediscovered in the 1970s is that .
| A．wind power is cleaner |
| B．it is one of the oldest power sources |
| C．it was cheaper to create energy from wind |
| D．the supply of coal and gas failed to meet needs |
What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
| A．The advantages of wind power. |
| B．The design of wind power plants. |
| C．The worldwide movement to save energy. |
| D．The global trend towards producing power from wind. |
Experts have put forward detailed plans for a tunnel to join Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.
The shortest proposed route would be 126 kilometers—more than twice the length of the English Channel Tunnel.And the longest proposed route would be 207 kilometers.
A recent conference in Xiamen，Fujian Province brought together more than 70 experts.The event was co-sponsored（共同发起） by universities from Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.
Fujian is the province where both proposed routes would begin.
There is no direct passenger access between the mainland and Taiwan by air or sea at the moment.
Experts say that it is better to start research sooner rather than later，although there is a lack of government funding.There are no technical problems to build a Taiwan tunnel.But it will require an improved political relationship across the Straits（海峡）.
A professor of Tsinghua University said，“A special feature of huge projects is that the period of preparation is longer than the period of construction.”
For example，he said，the English Channel Tunnel took 14 years of planning and had been discussed for two centuries.And preparations for the huge Three Gorges（三峡） dam on the Yangtze River began in the 1950s.
The Xiamen conference focused on the longest southern route，which would use the Taiwan-controlled islands of Jinmen and Penghu as stepping stones.
The first stage of the new project could be a bridge to cross the five kilometres between Xiamen and Jinmen.This would mean that travelling from Xiamen to Jinmen by car would only take five minutes.
The longest tunnel now being planned anywhere in the world is the 54-kilometre land tunnel to link Lyon in France with Turin in Italy.The tunnel will not be completed until 2015-2020.Which is the longest tunnel in the world at present？
| A．The English Channel Tunnel. |
| B．The tunnel between Lyon and Turin. |
| C．The Taiwan Straits tunnel. |
| D．The passage doesn’t mention it. |
The example of the English Channel Tunnel shows
.
| A．it’s not easy to complete a huge project |
| B．there are many problems to be solved before doing something |
| C．discussions among countries usually take a lot of time |
| D．the preparation takes longer time than the construction |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Universities both at home and abroad have sponsored the plan. |
| B．If the project is completed，the world’s longest tunnel will appear. |
| C．You can’t reach Taiwan from the mainland directly at present. |
| D．The starting point of the proposed tunnel is in Fujian. |
What is the possible difficulty in carrying out the plan？
| A．The lack of money for the project from the government. |
| B．Improving the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland. |
| C．The detailed plans for the tunnel. |
| D．The technical problems with the tunnel. |
A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species.
The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard Universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant,African forest elephant,and African savanna elephant.
Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石)，mammoths and mastodons,the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants.They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.
The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephant and the African forest elephant have been distinct species for several million years.The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths.This result amazed all the scientists.
There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species,but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.
Previously,many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species,despite the elephants’ significant size differences.The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5 metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5 metres.The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons,roughly double the weight of the forest elephant.But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species.However the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.
Alfred Roca,assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois,said,“We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purposes.Since 1950,all African elephants have been conserved as one species.Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinctive animals,the forest elephant should become a bigger priority(优先) for conservation purposes.”One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of .
| A．the Asian elephant |
| B．the forest elephant |
| C．the savanna elephant |
| D．the mastodon elephant |
The underlined word “divergence” in Paragraph 4 means “ ”.
| A．evolution |
| B．exhibition |
| C．separation |
| D．examination |
The researchers’ conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s .
| A．DNA |
| B．height |
| C．weight |
| D．population |
What are Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?
| A．The conservation of African elephants. |
| B．The purpose of studying African elephants. |
| C．The way to divide African elephants into two units. |
| D．The reason for the distinction of African elephants. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Naturalists’ Beliefs about Elephants |
| B．Amazing Experiments about Elephants |
| C．An Unexpected Finding about Elephants |
| D．A Long Scientific Debate about Elephants |
Vincent Van Gogh，for whom color was the main symbol of expression，was born in Groot-Zundert，Holland in 1853.He was brought up in a cultured family. Vincent was highly emotional and wasn’t self-confident. Between 1860 and 1880，when he finally decided to become an artist，Van Gogh had two unhappy love stories and worked unsuccessfully in Belgium. He remained there to study art，and decided to give happiness by creating beauty. Of the works of his early Dutch period，the most famous is “The Potato Eaters”.
In 1886 he went to Paris to join his brother Théo ，the manager of Goupil’s gallery. In Paris，Van Gogh studied with Cormon ，later met Pissarro，Monet，and Gauguin，and began to lighten his very dark palette(调色板).His nervousness made him a difficult person to get along with and night-long discussions and painting all day undermined his health. He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help set up a school of art. Gauguin did join him but with bad results. Near the end of 1888,Van Gogh ran after Gauguin with an open razor(剃须刀),was stopped by him，but ended up cutting a part of his own ear off. It led Gauguin to finally leave Arles.
In the May of 1890，Van Gogh seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the eye Dr Gachet. Two months later he was dead，having shot himself “for the good of all”. During his life he had sold one painting. Van Gogh’s finest works were produced in less than three years. Vincent Van Gogh expressed himself in his works mainly _______.
| A．by shape |
| B．by color |
| C．with brush lines |
| D．with words |
Before Vincent Van Gogh started to learn art_______.
| A．he did a good job |
| B．he was popular with the other artists |
| C．he lived a frustrating life |
| D．he had no interest in art |
The underlined word “undermined” in the second paragraph could be replaced by “_______”.
| A．affected |
| B．protected |
| C．tested |
| D．changed |
Why didn’t Gauguin want to work with Van Gogh any longer?
| A．Gauguin hated to be a teacher. |
| B．Van Gogh didn’t like him at all. |
| C．Gauguin cut off a part of Van Gogh’s ear. |
| D．Something was wrong with Van Gogh’s mind. |
Which of the following about Van Gogh is TRUE?
| A．He was a confident boy when he was young. |
| B．He was born in Belgium and once worked in Holland. |
| C．He lost a part of his ear at the age of 35. |
| D．He had never sold any paintings during his life. |
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Fax(800)123-6461 Email: sakes@fitness. Com What is ROM?
| A．A piece of exercise equipment |
| B．A club membership card |
| C．A commercial health club |
| D．An electric wheelchair |
How many people bought ROM after trying it out?
| A．92% |
| B．88% |
| C．97% |
| D．90% |
One setting point of ROM is that ____
| A．it makes full body exercise possible in 4 minutes |
| B．it can kill back and shoulder pains in 10 minutes |
| C．it needs no repair in the first 20years |
| D．it is sold on a 3-month trial basis |
The advertisement is made believable by ___
| A．telling stories |
| B．using figures |
| C．making comparisons |
| D．asking questions |