Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get
information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbacks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbooks, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge |
| B．cinemas are the best choice in getting information |
| C．reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun |
| D．newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself |
What does the underlined sentence in the second paragraph “Television has not killed reading, however.” suggest?
| A．People only need reading, though. |
| B．Reading is more fun than television. |
| C．Reading is still necessary today. |
| D．Watching television doesn’t help reading. |
Where can you probably see this passage?
| A．In a travel booklet. |
| B．In a science report. |
| C．In a fashion show magazine. |
| D．In an education book review. |
A car drew up outside the Swan Hotel and a young man got out．Pausing only for a moment to see that he had come to the right place，he went into the hotel and rang the bell on the counter of the bar．
Mrs．Crump，the landlady，who was busy in the kitchen at the time，hurried out，wiping her hands．The young man raised his hat．
“Excuse me，”he said．“I’m looking for my uncle，Mr．White．I believe he is staying here．”
“He was staying here．”Mrs．Crump corrected him．“But I’m afraid that he went back to London yesterday．”
“Oh，dear，”said the young man，looking disappointed．“I understood that he was going to stay here until the end of the month．At least that is what his servant told me when I rang up his house．”
“Quite right，”said Mrs，Cramp．“He planned to stay here the whole of July，as he always does． But yesterday he got a telegram to say that his relative was ill．So he caught the train back to London immediately．”
“I wish he had let me know, ”The young man said．“I wrote him a letter saying that I was coming．I’ve had all this trouble for nothing．Well，since he isn’t here，there’s no point in waiting．”
He thanked Mrs．Grump and went out．Mrs．Grump went to the window and watched him drive off．When his car was out of sight，she called out：“You can come out now, Mr．White. He’s gone．”
Mr．White came out of the kitchen，where he had been waiting．
“Many thanks，Mrs．Grump，”he said，laughing，“you did that very well．These nephews of mine never gave me any peace．That young man is the worst of them all．As you see，when he needs money, he even follows me into the country．Well，perhaps next time he won’t warn me by writing a letter!”This story is about a man．
| A．who was very much loved by his nephews |
| B．whose nephew went to visit him at the hotel |
| C．who was not willing to meet his nephew |
| D．whose nephew is always asking him for help |
When his nephew came to the hotel，Mr．White．
| A．took the train back to London |
| B．left to visit a sick relative |
| C．went to pick up a telegram |
| D．hid himself in the kitchen |
Mr. White didn’t like his nephews because．
| A．they always follow him around |
| B．they frequently disturb their relatives |
| C．they won’t write to him often |
| D．they usually visit him in hotels |
China news, Beijing, Feb. 9 – Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate market, the International Finance News reported.
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.
The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?
At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate(控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.What is the average housing price per square meter in China?
| A．8000 yuan | B．10000 yuan |
| C．7000 yuan | D．It’s not mentioned here |
Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China
is even higher than in the United States?
| A．Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. |
| B．American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. |
| C．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. |
| D．There are more people who need houses in China. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
A The housing price in China is so high that the government should do something useful to
prevent it.
B. There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market
C. The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States
D. Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public.How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing
prices?
| A．Four | B．Three | C．Five | D．Two |
Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, U.S.A.,is in the central part of the state, on the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Rio Grande 35 kilometres west of the city. More than two thousand metres above sea level, it lies in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with the Ortiz Mountains to the southeast.
Santa Fe was founded in 1609 by the Spanish (西班牙人)on an old Indian village.In 1680 the Indians seized the place but only held it for twelve years before the Spanish retook it. The city remained under Spanish rule until Mexico won its independence (独立) in 1821. From then on it was a Mexican city until 1846 when it was taken over by American troops.
With a population of 48,953, Santa Fe is now the second largest city in the state. Because of its sunny weather, rich history and surrounding mountains, it is a good place for holiday makers. Besides hunting and skating in the mountains people enjoy shopping in the Indian and Spanish shops, which brings a large income to the city every year. In summer there is an international opera (歌剧) season when operas are shown in a partly-roofed ,open-air theatre daily for people from all over the world.At present Santa Fe belongs to.
| A．India | B．Mexico | C．Spain(西班牙) | D．the United States |
Which of the drawings below gives an idea of what Santa Fe is like?
RG="the" Rio Grande SFR="the" Santa Fe River OM="the" Ortiz Mountains
Santa Fe was under the rule of the Mexicans in.
| A．1675 | B．1695 | C．1816 | D．1833 |
One of the reasons for visitors to come to Santa Fe is that it.
| A．has fine weather |
| B．is the state capital |
| C．has historical monuments |
| D．is on the Santa Fe River |
John once told me a story about his friend, Michael. Michael happened to be on a train sitting next to a young man who seemed worried. Finally the young man told the friend that he was a convict (罪犯) returning home from a prison far away. What he did had brought shame (羞耻) on his family, and they had neither visited him nor written to him. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too busy to write.
When he was set free he had written to tell them he wanted to go home. To make matters easy for them, however, he had asked them to put up a signal (信号) for him when the train passed their little farm. If the family had forgiven (原谅) him, they were to put up a white ribbon (丝带) in the big apple tree near the railway. If they didn't want him back, they were to do nothing, and he would stay on the train, and go far away.
As the train neared his hometown his suspense became so great that he was afraid to look out of the window. He asked Michael to watch for the big apple tree. They changed seats. In a minute, Michael put his hand on the young convict’s shoulder, "There it is," His eyes was filled with sudden tears. "It’s all right. The whole tree is white with ribbons."According to the passage, the white ribbon in the big apple tree means ________.
| A．pleasure | B．forgiveness(原谅） | C．happiness | D．education |
The word "suspense" underlined in the last paragraph can best be replaced by ________.
| A．anger | B．interest | C．worry | D．happiness |
Why was Michael asked to watch for the apple tree?
| A．The young man was afraid that he was refused by his family. |
| B．The young man’s seat was far from the window. |
| C．The young man was afraid of seeing the white ribbons in the tree. |
| D．The young man was sure that his family would accept him. |
Why did Michael cry at the end of the story?
| A．The young man couldn’t live with his family. |
| B．There were many white ribbons on the apple tree. |
| C．He was afraid. |
| D．The young man was very sad. |
Teenagers in England do much the same as children in America do. They enjoy sending messages by their mobile phones and they also like swimming, listening to the latest music, watching TV and surfing the Internet.
How do teenagers in England spend their free time and holidays? Let’s follow Sally, a British teenager, and spend five days with her during her school holiday.
Day One
After breakfast, Sally’s mother went out and left her alone at home. She checked her mobile phone during lunch —one of her friends sent her a message early in the morning. Dinner was at 6:30 p.m. After that, she finished her English home-work. Then she surfed the Internet.
Day Two
Sally and her mother paid a visit to their friends and went swimming together. Later, they went shopping for clothes and books, and had dinner in a restaurant.
Day Three
She went to the supermarket with her mother to buy fish and chips for lunch as well as some pens. After she got back home, she spent the next few hours surfing the Internet and watching TV.
Day Four
She surfed the Internet. Her mother took her out for lunch before she went to work. She then read stories after lunch.
Day Five
She woke up at 2 p.m., and so did her mother. They went to a park. Her mother met some friends there. When they got home, it was already time for dinner. Afterwards, she did her homework until 10 p.m.When did Sally do her homework?
| A．In the morning. | B．In the afternoon. |
| C．At lunch time. | D．In the evening. |
Sally and her mother went shopping for the second time to buy __________.
| A．food for lunch and pens | B．some books and pens |
| C．some fish and clothes | D．food and books |
Which of the following things did Sally do on Day Four?
| A．She went swimming. | B．She went out for breakfast. |
| C．She read books. | D．She went shopping. |
According to the passage, it can be inferred that ________.
| A．surfing the Internet has become an important part of teenagers’ lives |
| B．parents shouldn’t leave teenagers alone at home |
| C．teenagers don’t usually do their homework during their school holidays |
| D．a park is the best place to meet a friend |