Larry was on another of his underwater expeditions(探险)but this time, it was different. He decided to take his daughter along with him. She was only ten years old. This would be her first trip with her father on what he had always been famous for.
Larry first began diving when he was his daughter’s age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children his age were not even allowed to dive.
After the first expedition, Larry’s later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, his was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures.
Larry’s first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them .Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different
Spots for free. Larry didn’t even know what the time was how many spots he dived into or how many photographs he had taken. The diving spots afforded such a wide array of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.
Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition.In what way was this expedition different for Larry?
A.His daughter had grown up. |
B.He had become a famous diver. |
C.His father would dive with him. |
D.His daughter would dive with him. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph2?
A.Larry had some privileges. |
B.Larry liked the rented diving suits. |
C.Divers had to buy diving equipment. |
D.Ten-year-old children were permitted to dive. |
What can be learned from the underlined sentence?
A.Larry didn’t wear a watch. |
B.Larry was not good at math. |
C.Larry had a poor memory. |
D.Larry enjoyed the adventure. |
D
February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
68. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?
A. Because there were few women in his country at that time.
B. Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers.
C. Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people.
D. Because he wanted to control the birth rate.
69. Valentine was put into prison because ______.
A. he killed one of the soldiers B. he stole a lot of food
C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order D. he didn’t want to be a soldier
70. The last paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A. students in China send cards to their teachers
B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now
71. The best title for this passage should be ______.
A. Valentine’s Day B. A Brave Priest C. Valentine’s Day in China D. A Romantic Man
C
Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humour. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
64. That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.
A. to see one of his friends
B. because he wanted to do something there for his writing
C. because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there
D. to see one of his relatives
65. The waiters felt sorry because _____.
A. they did something wrong to Mark Twain B. their hotel was too small
C. the room was not very clean
D. there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room
66. All the people present laughed heartily because _____.
A. the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room
B. the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number
C. Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents
D. Mark Twain made a joke
67. From the story we know _____.
A. no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night
B. the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night
C. Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night
D. there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer
B
“Fingers were made before forks.” When a person gives up good manners, put aside knife and fork, and dives into his food, someone is likely to repeat that saying.
The fork was an ancient agricultural tool, but for centuries no one thought of eating with it. Not until the eleventh century, when a young lady from Constantinople brought her fork to Italy, did the custom reach Europe.
By the fifteenth century the use of the fork was wide-spread in Italy. The English explanation was that Italians were unwilling to eat food touched with fingers, “seeing all men’s fingers are not alike clean.
Anyone who used a fork to eat with was laughed at in England for the next hundred years. Not until the late 1600’s did using a fork become a common custom.
60. The custom of eating with a fork was ________.
A. brought to Europe from America B. begun when forks first invented
C. brought to Europe from Constantinople D. thought of by the Italians
61. By the fifteenth century, forks were used________.
A. all over ItalyB. only in Constantinople
C. by the kings and queens of Europe D. in England
62. The English thought that Italians used forks in order to________.
A. imitate(模仿)the people of the East B. keep their food clean
C. impress visitors with their good manners D. amuse (逗笑) the English
63. The best title of the passage is “_________’.
A. Eating with a Fork B. The History of Eating with a Fork
C. A Way of Eating D. A Custom of Eating
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题; 每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文, 然后从各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
A
In England, afternoon tea, taken between four o’clock and five o’clock is the most informal meal of the day. If you are a friend of the family, you may drop in for tea without an invitation or telling you are coming. Very often it is not served at table. The members and visitors take tea in the sitting-room. Each person has a cup and saucer(一套杯碟), a spoon and a small plate for bread-and-butter and cake. By the way, do not help yourself to cake first, but bread-and-butter first, then cake if there is any. Another piece of advice: do not put more than one piece of bread or cake at the same time.
56. In England, tea is usually taken _______.
A. early in the morning B. shortly after lunch
C. between lunch and supper D. any time in the afternoon
57. A typical(典型的) English tea consists of__________.
A. either tea or food B. tea food and vegetable
C. both tea and food D. the same thing as other meals
58. If you want to have tea in a friend’s home, __________.
A. it is important to wait for his invitation;
B. you must send him a message before you start out;
C. you call on him any time you think proper;
D. you should ask for his permission first.
59. Which of the following is not true according to the passage? __________.
A. Very often people can share a set of tea things;
B. Tea is often had in the sitting-room;
C. The things do not consist of cups and spoons only;
D. Cake is not always served at tea.
E
Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen. More people are working harder than ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunchrooms. In almost all lines of work, emphasis now falls on ever-increasing output thus the “ typical” Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart of only a generation ago he gains in creature comfort and ease of life what he loses to some extent is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.
Some say that France has been Americanized. This is because the United States is a world symbol of the technological society and its consumer products. The so-called Americanization of France has its critics. They fear that “assembly-line life” will lead to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more graceful and leisurely (but less productive) old French style.
What will happen, they ask, to taste, elegance, and the cultivation of the good things in life- to enjoy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local café?
Since the late 1950’s life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit of material gain. Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students. They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by the triumph of this competitive, goods-oriented culture. Occasionally, they have reacted against the trend with considerable violence.
In spite of the critics, however, countless Frenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world. They find that the present life brings more rewards, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is preferable to the old.
The passage is about ______.
A. changes in the life style of the French B. criticism of the old life style
C. approval of the new life style D. analysis of the old way of life in France
73. The old French way of life mainly featured ______.
A. elegance, leisure and romanticism B. efficiency, elegance and leisure
C. elegance, leisure and taste D. efficiency, leisure and taste
74. Which of the following about the French is NOT true?
A. They show more concerns about money than before
B. They do enjoy working on the assembly line.
C. Many of them prefer the new life style to the old.
D. They are more competitive than the elder generation.
75. What is the attitude of the general Frenchmen towards the new life style?
A. They fear that France is threatened by the new trend
B. They are unsatisfied with the new way of life
C. They welcome the new life style enthusiastically
D. They confuse the traditional life style with the new one