One-hundred-and seventh birthdays aren’t usually celebrated for authors who aren’t alive anymore. But Theodor Seuss Geisel---better known as the children’s books author Dr. Seuss ---who came into the world on 2 March, 1904, was an unusual man.
Like generations of children I was raised on his wonderful stories. But when I now read them to my children it’s not just the childhood memories I enjoy. His writing is brilliant and imaginative and flows with a self-confidence as sure as the words of a Shakespeare poem. Readers ride his characteristic rhythm (韵律) with an effortless joy that cannot be matched by any other modern writer:
You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself any direction you choose
And will you succeed?
Yes indeed, yes indeed!
Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.
Seuss’s brilliant cartoons and clever words make his books a delight for adults but they attract mostly children of course. His stories teach kids moral lessons but in indirect and entertaining ways.
The first Seuss book I was given was The Lorax, written just as the 60s were becoming the 70s. Seuss was ahead of his time, and in this book the dawn of concern for environmental problems are shown as the Lorax “who speaks for the trees” battles against an evil businessman who wants to destroy the forest and make goods “which everyone needs”.
It’s not only a warning of the heavy price of environmental destruction, written well before most people had thought to worry, but it’s also a smart analysis of consumer societies: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This is of course a moral message, but not of the kind designed to persuade the youngsters into behavior that adults want.
I could go on, but hey, it’s a birthday, and I’m sure you folks have some good toasts to raise for the party…What’s the purpose of this passage?
| A．To introduce Dr. Seuss’s life. |
| B．To analyze Dr. Seuss’s books. |
| C．To describe Dr. Seuss’s writing style. |
| D．To celebrate Dr. Seuss’s achievements. |
Why does the author include Dr. Seuss’s poem?
| A．To encourage readers to use their brains and choose their own way. |
| B．To give readers a sample of Seuss’s story The Lorax. |
| C．To provide readers with an example of Seuss’s writing style. |
| D．To explain how relevant Seuss’s stories remain today. |
Why do adults also enjoy Seuss’s books?
| A．His words and pictures are imaginative enough to be enjoyed by all. |
| B．His books give children obvious moral messages to learn from. |
| C．He writes about adult topics in a way that is understandable to children. |
| D．He was the first person to write about the environment. |
When was the book The Lorax written?
| A．Early 1960s. | B．Early 1970s. |
| C．Late 1960s. | D．Late 1970s. |
Which of the following is true about Seuss?
| A．Many of the issues he discussed attracted greater concern in later years. |
| B．He is widely considered as the twentieth-century Shakespeare. |
| C．His books are more popular now than when they were first published. |
| D．Most readers thought his ideas were difficult to understand. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Until I was twelve years old，I thought everyone in the world knew about the grinnies，if I thought about the term at all－which is unlikely. After all，everyone in my family used the word quite naturally，and we understood each other. So far as I knew，it was a word like any other word－like bath，or chocolate，or homework. But it was my homework that led to my discovery that grinnies was a word not known outside my family.
My last report card had said that I was a “C” student in English，but both my parents and teachers decided that no child of theirs would be just an average student of anything. So nightly I spelled words aloud and answered questions about the fine points of grammar. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote every composition until I convinced my mother that I could make no more improvements. And the hard work paid off. One day the teacher returned compositions，and there it was－a big fat，bright red “A” on the top of my paper. Naturally，I was delighted，but I didn't know I was attracting attention until the teacher spoke sharply，“Helen，what are you doing？”
Called suddenly out of my happy thoughts，I said “Oh，I've got the grinnies！” The teacher and my classmates burst into laughter，and then I understood that grinnies was used inside my family. Other people were not so lucky.
And it is really lucky to have the grinnies，an uncontrollable，natural state of great pleasure. Grinnies are shown on the outside by sparkling eyes and a wide，wide smile－not just any smile，but one that shows the teeth and stretches the mouth to its limits. A person experiencing the grinnies appears to be all mouth. On the inside grinnies are characterized by a feeling of joyful anxiety. Grinnies usually last just a few seconds，but they can come and go. Sometimes，when life seems just perfect，I have occasional attacks of the grinnies for a whole day.
The term originated in my mother's family. Her younger sister，Rose，who had deep dimples(酒窝)，often expressed her pleasure with such a grin that the dimples appeared to become permanent. When Rose was about four，she started explaining her funny look by saying，“I have the grinnies.” The term caught on，and it has been an important word in our family now for two generations.
The occasion doesn't matter. Anything can bring on the grinnies－just so long as one feels great delight. When my brother finally rode his bicycle－without training wheels－from our house to the corner and back，he came home with the grinnies. When I was little，my mother's announcement that we would have homemade ice cream for dessert always gave me the grinnies. My father had the grinnies when I was chosen to make a speech at the endofschoolyear ceremony. Grinnies can be brought on by a good meal，a sense of pride，a new friend，a telephone call from someone special，an achievement. Or sometimes one gets the grinnies for no reason at all：just a sudden sense of happiness can bring on a case. Whatever brings them on，an attack of the grinnies is among life's greatest pleasures.
In fact，now when I look back on the experience，I feel sorry for my seventhgrade teacher. I think it's a pity that she didn't know the word grinnies，It's such a useful term for saying，“I'm really，really pleased！”After the writer was twelve years old，she________.
| A．thought everyone knew the meaning of “grinnies” |
| B．equaled “grinnies” to bath or chocolate in meaning |
| C．got to know “grinnies” was used only inside her family |
| D．discovered the word “grinnies” through her mother |
When her English teacher called her name，the writer was________.
| A．looking at the big “A” on the top of her paper |
| B．listening to her English teacher attentively |
| C．too happy to notice what was happening around her |
| D．busy rewriting her composition |
According to the writer，the word “grinnies” originates from________.
| A．her mother |
| B．her aunt |
| C．her brother |
| D．her father |
The writer feels sorry for her seventhgrade teacher because the teacher________.
| A．had no pity on her students |
| B．should not have laughed at her |
| C．didn't have any luck to meet her parents |
| D．had no idea of what “grinnies” was |
What method does the writer use to explain “grinnies”？
| A．Cause and effect. |
| B．Examples. |
| C．Comparison and contrast. |
| D．Process. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
(Reuters)President Barack Obama－bolstered(加强)by a stronger economic outlook and recent job growth－would win in a matchup against the two leading Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich，a poll on Monday showed.
A Washington PostABC News survey of 1,000 adults found that，for the first time，Obama's prospects have brightened against his potential rivals as his overall job approval rating climbed on his handling of the slowly recovering economy.
If the election were held now，Obama would win 51 percent of the vote compared to 45 percent for Romney，the former Massachusetts governor and current Republican frontrunner，according to the poll. He would win with 54 percent compared to 43 percent for Gingrich，the former speaker of the House of Representatives who has vowed to continue seeking his party's nomination.
The poll，conducted by telephone from February 1 through February 4，showed Obama won higher marks than Romney when it comes to protecting the middle class and taxes. Those polled also said they trusted Obama more to handle international affairs and terrorism.
But Obama and Romney tied(不分胜负)when it came to creating jobs and more of those surveyed said they trusted Romney to handle the economy and the federal budget deficit(赤字)．
In a statement，the Romney campaign's polling strategist，Neil Newhouse，said the survey was flawed and “introduced specific negative information about Governor Romney immediately prior to asking the ballot matchup against President Obama”．
The president's job approval rating rose to 50 percent，according to the survey，which has a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
When asked if Obama deserved a second term as president,49 percent said yes and 49 percent said no.
In an NBC interview on Sunday，Obama said he deserved another term when Americans vote in November. A jobs report on Friday showed the U．S. economy created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January .The unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 8.3 percent，its lowest level in three years.Who is better concerning protecting the middle class and taxes?
| A．Newt Gingrich |
| B．Neil Newhouse |
| C．Mitt Romney |
| D．Barack Obama |
In which aspect did Obama and Romney tie?
| A．Creating jobs. |
| B．Improving the economy. |
| C．Handling the federal budget deficit. |
| D．Handling international affairs and terrorism. |
What is the percentage of Americans who support President Obama's reelection in the survey?
| A．51% |
| B．54% |
| C．43% |
| D．49% |
What can we learn from Neil Newhouse's words?
| A．The survey was unfair to Romney. |
| B．The survey was against Obama. |
| C．The survey had negative effect on people's voting. |
| D．The survey was made in a rush. |
According to the last paragraph，which of the following is true?
| A．Obama is selfconfident in reelection. |
| B．The U．S. created jobs at the fastest pace than other countries. |
| C．The unemployment rate is the lowest on record. |
| D．Americans vote for president in January. |
A pioneering head teacher is calling for all high schools to follow his lead and start classes at 11 am，allowing teenagers two hours extra in bed.
Dr. Paul Kelley，head of Monkseaton Community High School in North Tyneside，said it would mean the end of sleeping in lessons before lunch，after experiments showed teenagers could have different body clocks from adults and younger children.
Russell Foster，an Oxford professor of neuroscience(神经系统科学)，tested the memory of 200 Monkseaton pupils at 9 am and 2 pm using pairs of words，and discovered a 9% improvement in the afternoon. Students correctly identified 51% of word pairs in the later session，compared with 42% in the morning. Tayler McCullough,15，one of the test subjects，said the majority of students would welcome the extra hours in bed.“I'm extremely hard to get up in the morning. One or two people like to get to school early，but most of us would be up for going in later. I'm sure it would make a big difference to our learning ability.”
Kelley is adamant that a change of school timetable will have a meaningful effect on exam performance. He wants his school's governors to approve his plan and put the new timetable in place before the opening of Monkseaton's new school building，the most technologically advanced in the country，in September.
Kelley hopes his latest idea will be just as successful.“We have to be practical. But this proves that，by starting later，children's learning improves，as does their health.”
Foster said，“This is preliminary(初步的) data，but what's exciting is that it matches more detailed studies carried out in Canada and the US. Teenagers get up late not because they are lazy but because they are biologically programmed to do so.”How many professors are mentioned in the passage?
| A．One. |
| B．Two. |
| C．Three. |
| D．Four. |
According to Russell Foster's research，________.
| A．the students tested had very good memories |
| B．the students tested did better jobs in the afternoon |
| C．42% of the students tested could do very good jobs |
| D．51% of the students tested could master 9% of words |
What does the underlined word “adamant” in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A．Angry. |
| B．Absorbed. |
| C．Adaptable. |
| D．Determined. |
Foster's opinion on teenagers' getting up late is that ________.
| A．teenagers are practical |
| B．teenagers are lazybones |
| C．it's based on their body development |
| D．it's good for their learning and health |
Powered by courage and determination，Felicity Aston,33，became the first person to ski alone across Antarctica on 15，Jan,2012.
Aston finished the 59day trip almost exactly a century after Roald Amundsen first reached the South Pole in 1911.Aston crossed 1,084 miles from the Ross Ice Shelf to Hercules Inlet.
Aston，a freelance travel writer，and explorer，faced temperatures that averaged－25 degrees as she pulled two sleds across the ice and thick snow on her nearly twomonth trip. The scariest moment came when her two lighters failed to work while she was in the Transantarctic Mountains. The lighters started working again at lower altitudes.
While early Antarctic explorers were cut off from the outside world，Aston's access to a satellite phone meant that friends and family could follow her online as she regularly tweeted(在Twitter上发微博)and made almost daily podcasts(播客)about her journey. An interactive map showed Aston's progress in real time. And while she skied，Aston listened to bands.
On New Year's Eve she noted that there would be no champagne.“No wine with me to toast the new year but treating myself to spoonfuls of the peanut butter，” Aston tweeted as the new year approached.
In Aston's last podcast，the emotional traveler recorded after she reached Hercules Inlet, “I seem to have got here in a rush or something and I don't really feel prepared for it，”said Aston.“It feels amazing to be finished and greatly sad that it's over at the same time.”
Weather permitting，Aston will return home today where she says she is looking forward to some “red wine and a hot shower”．What is Aston's most possible purpose to ski alone across Antarctica?
| A．To memorize human's arrival at the South Pole. |
| B．To become the first woman to cross the South Pole. |
| C．To make an exploration by herself and write about it. |
| D．To explore Antarctica and do science researches. |
What is the difference between Aston's trip and the early explorers'?
| A．She brought an electronic map with her. |
| B．She was monitored by a special satellite. |
| C．She suffered much lower temperatures. |
| D．She was followed online all through the trip. |
It was the most difficult for Aston when ________.
| A．the temperatures fell below－25 degrees |
| B．her two lighters failed to work in mountains. |
| C．there was no champagne on New Year's Eve |
| D．her trip across Antarctica was coming to an end |
Aston feels ________ about the ending of her trip.
| A．depressed and sorry |
| B．amazed but sad |
| C．excited and proud |
| D．tired but cheerful |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
If cars had wings，they could fly and that just might happen，beginning in 2011.The company Terrafugia，based in Woburn，Massachusetts，says it plans to deliver its carplane，the Transition，to customers by the end of 2011.
“It's the next ‘wow’ vehicle，” said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh.“Anybody can buy a Ferrari，but as we say，Ferraris don't fly.”
The carplane has wings that unfold for flying－a process the company says takes one minute－and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies，although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations，and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports：You drive the car to the airport and then you're good to go. When you land，you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don't have to store it at an airport－you park it in the garage at home.
The carplane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds，including fuel and passengers. Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under the bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界的) conditions.
The Transition's price tag：$194,000.But there may be additional charges for options like a radio，a transponder or a GPS. Another option is a fullplane parachute.
“If you get into a very awful situation，it is the necessary safety option，” Gersh said.
So far，the company has more than 70 orders with deposits. “We're working very closely with them，but there are still some remaining steps，” Brown said.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that ________.
| A．carplanes will be popular in 2011 |
| B．people might drive a carplane in 2011 |
| C．both the Transition and Ferrari can take off and land |
| D．Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts |
It takes the carplane one minute to ________.
| A．fold and unfold its wings |
| B．unfold wings for flying |
| C．land in the airport |
| D．meet flying safety regulations |
According to the passage，which of the following is NOT true?
A．The carplane needs a runway to take off and land.
B．To meet aircraft regulations，the company has been working with FAA.
C．The carplane may fly as high as normal planes.
D．People can park the carplane in the garage at their home.The underlined word “it” in the last but one paragraph refers to ________.
| A．the radio |
| B．the transponder |
| C．the GPS |
| D．the fullplane parachute |
What's the best title for the passage?
| A．Cars with wings may be just around the corner |
| B．Which to choose：a Ferrari or a carplane? |
| C．A more convenient and cheaper way to fly |
| D．Cars with wings can fly as fast as planes |