A long time ago people thought that the sun went round the earth. In some countries people even said that the sun was a god (神). They thought the god drove across the sky each day on a golden horse. Now we know the earth goes round the sun. It takes the earth a year to go all way round the sun. Today men even know how far it is for the earth to go round the sun. They tell us that the earth travels over a thousand miles a minute on its journey round the sun.
The sun is really a star. It is much bigger than the earth and it is very hot. Some people have been to the moon but we know that no one can ever go to the sun. It is far too hot for people to live anywhere near it. The sun is three hundred thousand times heavier than the earth and more than million times larger.A long time ago, people said the sun was ____.
| A．a golden horse of god | B．a god on a golden horse |
| C．a god with golden dress | D．a god and a golden horse |
The earth travels over ____ miles an hour.
| A．1,000 | B．100,000 | C．6,000,000 | D．60,000 |
One year is ____
| A．the time for the earth to turn round. |
| B．the time the earth travels one thousand miles. |
| C．one circle the earth goes round the sun. |
| D．the journey of the earth. |
One girl decided to study judo(柔道) although she had lost her left arm in a car accident.
The girl began lessons with an old Japanese judo instructor. The girl was doing well. So she couldn’t understand why, after three months of training, the instructor had taught her only one move.
“Instructor,” the girl finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?”
“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the instructor replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in her teacher, the girl kept training.
Several months later, the instructor took the girl to her first tournament. Surprising herself, the girl easily won her first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, her opponent became impatient and charged. The girl skillfully used her one move to win the match. Still amazed by her success, the girl was now in the finals.
This time, her opponent was bigger, stronger and more experienced. For a while, the girl appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the girl might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. She was about to stop the match when the instructor intervened(干预).
“No,” the instructor insisted, “Let her continue.”
Soon after the match restarted, her opponent made a serious mistake: she dropped her guard. Instantly, the girl used her move to pin her opponent. The girl had won the match and the tournament. She was the champion.
On the way home, the girl and her teacher reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the girl gathered the courage to ask what was really on her mind.
“Instructor, how did I win the tournament with only one move?”
“You won for two reasons,” the teacher answered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”
The girl’s biggest weakness had become her biggest strength.What can we learn about the girl?
| A．She was disabled in an accident. | B．She disliked judo training. |
| C．She learnt several moves. | D．She won the first two matches hard. |
The underlined word “overmatched” probably means .
| A．impatient | B．depressed | C．defeated | D．trapped |
The girl won the championship because of .
| A．her bravery | B．her skills | C．her tricks | D．her strength |
Which of the following is probably the best title of the story?
| A．The Story of a Girl. | B．A Disabled Girl. |
| C．Defense Matters. | D．Weakness Becomes Strength. |
Americans are thinking about national education standards recently developed by teachers and other education experts. The National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led the effort.
The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. What is the reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution. That document limits the responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilities, like education, fall to each state.
Local control of education probably was a good idea two hundred years ago. People stayed in the same place and schools knew what students needed to learn. But today, people move to differentcities. And some people work at jobs that did not exist even twenty years ago.
Many American educators say that getting a good education should not depend on where you live. They say that some states have lowered their standards in order to increase student scores on tests required by the No Child Left behind Act.
Kara Schlosser is communications director for the CCSSO. She says the new standards clearly state what a student should be able to do to be successful in college and work.
Forty--eight states have already shown approval for the standards. Two states refuse to accept the idea. Critics say that working toward the same standards in every state will not guarantee excellence for all. Some educators in Massachusetts say adopting the national standards will hurt their students because the state standards are even higher. Others say the change will be too costly, requiring new textbooks and different kinds of training for teachers. Still others fear federal control.
Supporters say the standards are goals and do not tell states or teachers how to teach. They also say the federal government is not forcing acceptance. However, approving the standards will help states qualify (取得资格) for some federal grant money.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Local Control of Education Standards out of Date |
| B．American National Education Standards under Consideration |
| C．Education Standards in Each State--Good or Bad. |
| D．Acceptance of the New Standards in the United States |
Why is local control of education no 1onger a good idea today?
| A．Because local standards are limited. |
| B．Because it is required by the federal government. |
| C．Because people today moves among states more often than before. |
| D．Because America has never had the same school standards throughout the country. |
Some people are against the nationa1 education standards because__________
| A．the standards are higher than those of each state |
| B．they are not yet prepared for the new standards |
| C．the standards may prevent some students gaining excellence |
| D．they don't want the federal government to train their teachers |
If a state agrees to accept the national standards, it will probably get ________.
| A．more students | B．advice on how to improve teaching |
| C．better textbooks | D．money from the federal government |
Virginia is set to begin enforcing the toughest drunken-driving punishment, one that will require thousands of first-time offenders—whether they were highly drunk or slightly over the limit—to install in their cars blood- alcohol testing devices that can lock the ignition. The devices work like this—A driver must blow into a blood alcohol device linked to the car’s ignition. If the result is higher than the legal limit, the car will not start. The device also requires random “rolling retests” once the driver is on the road.
Virginia’s current law requires only repeated offenders or those with a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher to have an ignition interlock device in their cars.
The new law, which takes effect in July, will roughly increase the number of people required to use ignition interlock devices four times, and offenders will have to pay about $ 480 for a typical six-month installation.
The measure has caused a debate between groups battling drunken driving and those representing offenders. Such groups as Mother Against Drunken Driving and The Washington Regional Alcohol Program say that Virginia’s 274 alcohol-related road deaths and more than 5,500 injuries in 2010 remained unacceptably high despite years of cracking down on drunken driving. Ignition interlock devices, they say, reduce repeat offenses. But some public defenders and lawyers argue that the devices are too severe a punishment for offenders at the legal blood alcohol limit 0.08, and that the court system will be burdened by more cases going to trial and lower-income drivers will be affected by the fees.
Del. Sal R. Iaquinto, who sponsored the bill, had a simple reply for concerns about the costs of the interlock devises: “How much does a life cost?” “Blowing into a tube for six months, you will remember that,” Iaquinto said, “And you’re not likely to offend again.” The underlined word “ignition” in Paragraph 1probably refers to the part in a car where ___________.
| A．the alarm goes off | B．the engine starts | C．the door opens | D．the car is fueled |
Who are required to install the blood alcohol devices according to the current law?
| A．The first time drunken-driving offenders. |
| B．The drivers who are not able to pay offence fees. |
| C．The repeat drunken-driving offenders. |
| D．Drivers whose blood alcohol level is below 0.15. |
The reason why some defenders and lawyers oppose the new law is that ____________.
| A．fewer cases go to trial |
| B．lower-income drivers will not afford to drink again |
| C．interlock devices increase repeat offenses |
| D．the devices are too severe a punishment for offenders |
The debate aroused by the measure implies that ___________.
| A．prevention is better than cure | B．no law is absolutely perfect |
| C．punishment is the key to all | D．justice has long arms |
What is Del. Sal R. Iaquinto’s attitude towards the new law?
| A．Negative. | B．Indifferent. | C．flexible. | D．workable. |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending sometimes deeply into both families.
ericans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily. Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home. In which part of a newspaper can this article be found?
| A．Culture. | B．News. | C．Story. | D．Travel. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
The underlined words “flower”(in Line 5) probably means ___________.
| A．weaken | B．develop | C．stretch | D．disappear |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be___________.
| A．treated hospitably at his home | B．offered a ride to his home |
| C． warmly welcomed at the airport | D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
The writer mainly talks about ___________ in the text.
| A．friendships between Chinese | B．Americans’ hospitality |
| C．different views of friendship | D．friendships between Americans |
Ammie Reddick from East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, was only 18 months old when she had the accident that had scarred（留下创伤） her for life. The curious child reached up to grab the wire of a hot kettle in the family kitchen and poured boiling water over her tiny infant frame.
Her mother Ruby turned round and, seeing Ammie horribly burnt, called an ambulance which rushed her daughter to a nearby hospital. Twenty percent of Ammie’s body had been burned and all of her burns were third-degree. There, using tissue taken from unburned areas of Ammie’s body, doctors performed complex skin transplants to close her wounds and control her injuries, an operation that took about six hours. Over the next 16 years, Ammie underwent 12 more operations to repair her body.
When she started school at Maxwelton Primary at age 4, other pupils made cruel comments or simply wouldn’t play with her. “I was the only burned child in the street, the class and the school,” she recalled, “some children refused to become friends because of that.”
Today, aged 17, Ammie can only ever remember being a burned person with scars; pain is a permanent part of her body. She still has to have two further skin transplants. Yet she is a confident, outgoing teenager who offers inspiration and hope to other young burns victims.
She is a member of the Scottish Burned Children’s Club, a charity set up last year. This month, Ammie will be joining the younger children at the Graffham Water Center in Cambridgeshire for the charity’s first summer camp. “I’ll show them how to get rid of unkind stares from others,” she says. Ammie loves wearing fashionable sleeveless tops, and she plans to show the youngsters at the summer camp that they can too. “I do not go to great lengths to hide my burns scars,” she says, “I gave up wondering how other people would react years ago.”How many operations has Ammie already had?
| A．Twelve | B．Thirteen | C．fourteen | D．Fifteen |
What did other children do when Ammie first went to school?
| A．They were friendly to her. | B．They showed sympathy to her. |
| C．They were afraid of her. | D．They looked down upon her. |
Ammie will teach the younger children at the Graffham Water Center to___________.
| A．face others’ unkindness bravely | B．hide their scars by proper dressing |
| C．live a normal life | D．recover quickly |
Which of the following words can’t properly describe Ammie?
| A．Courageous | B．Confident | C．sensitive | D．Outgoing |
What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Seriously Burned Girl Survives | B．Ways to Get Rid of Unkind Stares |
| C．Permanent Scars And Pain For a Girl | D．A seriously burned angel of Hope |