May:HappeningsfromthepastMay5,-优题课

For many years, women could only be seen on the seat behind the men operating the two-wheeled motorcycle. Now more and more women are taking the front seat. More than twenty million people in the United States ride motorcycles.
Since 1998 the number of female（女性）bikers has risen sharply. Lady Sport Riders began in 1999 in Washington. The women formed the organization to share their love of motorcycle riding. But later it wanted to be more than just an organization for women to gather and ride motorcycles, so it started to organize events that help national health organizations and women’s shelters. It also permits women to share a strong sisterhood, and gives financial awards to poor students. Like other motorcycle clubs, the members of Lady Sport Riders also help their community.
Different from male riders, female riders ride for more than fun. This sport gives women a sense of freedom and control. Female riders have helped change motorcycle culture. More than five years ago manufacturers began making equipment especially for women. Some bikes now have smaller, softer seats and controls that are easier to reach. Modern clothes for riding now look good and still provide protection. In the past, women rode motorcycles that traveled at a moderate speed. Now theirs are as powerful as the ones men ride. Safety is very important when riding because the risk (危险) of injury is high. So the women wear protective clothing and equipment at all times, especially for the head.
Lady Sport Riders believes women have earned their place in the sport of motorcycle riding. When speaking of male motorcyclists, the members of the club say, “They Made the Game. We Came to Play!”
What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．The number of female motorcyclists is now larger than that of male riders.

B．Motorcycle riding used to be considered a male sport.

C．Female motorcyclists are more skilled at riding than male riders.

D．More and more women have an adventurous spirit.

In the beginning, Lady Sport Riders was organized to .

A．allow women to take up motorcycling

B．offer help to national health organizations

C．share their great interest in the sport of motorcycling

D．supply financial help to poor students

What do men motorcyclists mainly expect to get from motorcycling?

A．Strength and power.

B．Pleasure from this sport.

C．Money and fame.

D．A sense of freedom.

Compared with the past, the present equipment makes riding more ______ for women.

A．difficult	B．expensive
C．risky	D．pleasant

In many countries the standard of living enjoyed by their people has increased rapidly in recent years. Sadly, not everyone in these countries is so fortunate and many people in rich countries are homeless.
The reasons for homelessness are various, but poverty（贫穷）is undoubtedly one of the main causes. The homeless people may have become jobless and then been unable to pay their rent and so no longer have a roof over their heads. Often, the fact that unemployed people get help from the government prevents this from happening, but not always.
Some homeless people are mentally ill and have no one to look after them. Some are young people who, for one reason or another, have left home and have nowhere to live. Many of them have had a serious disagreement with their parents and have left home, choosing to go to a city and live on the streets. Sometimes they have taken such action because they have been unable to get on with a step-parent.
Many homeless people get into the habit of begging to get enough money to stay alive, but many of the general public refuse to give anything to beggars. Often they are moved on by the police, being accused （指控），whether rightly or wrongly, of forceful begging . There are many who disrespect homeless people.
Some cynics（愤世嫉俗的人）declare that homeless people choose to live the life which they lead. But who would willingly choose to live in a shop doorway, under a bridge or in a cardboard box?
According to the text, what causes some people to be homeless?

A．Lack of money.

B．The increased standard of living.

C．No government help.

D．Agreement with their parents.

It can be inferred from the text that________.

A．the homeless are willing to live under a bridge or in a cardboard box

B．you will not find homeless people in countries with a high standard of living

C．the unemployed who receive help may still be among homeless

D．the mentally ill live on the streets because they want the company of other homeless people

In paragraph 2 , “a roof over their heads ”most probably means _________.

A．a cap

B．a car

C．a home

D．a covering

The author thinks that the homeless people are _________.

A．admirable	B．respectable
C．troublesome	D．Pitiful

Reading is very important to help you learn English. To learn as much as you can from reading, you need to read different kinds of English. This book provides not only different kinds of English but also a good way to check your reading ability.
There are four parts in the book:
Part 1 is Messages: In this part somebody wants to send information in writing to somebody else. There is a test on timetable and a test on text messages.
Part 2 is People: In this part all the tests are about people. For example, there is an informal letter between friends. There is formal(正式的) English in biography(传记). There is a job application as a model to help with your writing, as well as testing your reading.
Part 3 is Places: In this part, too, many different kinds of English are shown, some informal and some formal. There is the informal English of a holiday postcard. There is also the formal English in a letter of complaint.
Part 4 is Things: You will find some descriptive(描写的) writing in this part. There are descriptions of clothes and of a computer.
You can do these tests in any order you like, or you can do all the tests with a formal or informal text. I enjoyed writing this book and I hope you enjoy using it.
We can find the introduction to a product in ___________.

A．part 1

B．Part 2

C．Part 3

D．Part 4

Which of the following is most probably written in informal English?

A．A letter of complaint.

B．A letter of a friend

C．A computer handbook.

D．A story of a president.

The passage is most probably written for _________.

A．students	B．test designers
C．test-takers	D．teachers

The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles(风格). It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians(古埃及人) and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn’t see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother’s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn’t stop looking at this painting! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.
The aim of the mother’s plan was to _________.

A．take them to visit the museum

B．introduce them to the world of art

C．ask them to read about artists

D．show them different painting styles

What was the writer’s experience in the museum before the last visit?

A．She came to feel her mother’s love.

B．She could understand the pictures of fat babies.

C．She liked many paintings.

D．She hardly enjoyed herself.

What made the writer go through a change that summer?

A．Artists in the Middle Ages.

B．A strange way of painting.

C．One of Mary’s paintings.

D．Her mother’s instruction.

From the text, we can see _________.

A．the importance of curiosity

B．the power of family education

C．the value of learning

D．the effect of art

My family moved around a lot when I was growing up．In 2nd grade，I lived here in Washington D．C，where I made an amazing group of friends．I was upset when my parents told me we were moving again and I would have to leave all my best friends behind．
In 7th grade．we moved back to Washington D．C．And I could not have been more excited and I felt like I was finally home again．But things had changed．There were two new girls，who decided that they didn’t like me，which meant no one else could，not even all my former best friends．
And then one day during school，I opened my locker，only to find a note lying on the floor．The note said：Die．Nobody likes you．
My heart started beating faster and I felt the blood rushing to my face．I had no idea what to do．The note wasn’t signed and I had no idea who had written it，but I figured the new girls were behind it．I had to sit in class all day with my head down，wondering who else knew about this shame．I felt horrible and sure that nothing would ever be good again．
I decided that the perfect way to end all of this was with another note，left on the bathroom mirror at school．
It’s sad for someone to bully(欺负)other classmates to make themselves feel better or look cool．Bullying others is a way to impress others．It’s common，but that doesn’t mean it's okay．Looking cool is not worth making others feel bad．Obviously I’m very happy now，but it doesn’t mean I’11 ever forget about that note or how it made me feel．And to those of you that are current victims(目前的受害者) of bullying—know that you are NOT alone．It will get better．I promise．
Why was the author unhappy when she left Washington D．C．?
A．She couldn’t adapt herself
B．She had to leave best friends．
C．She was growing up there．
D．She hated traveling a lot．
When the author opened the locker，she felt .

A．satisfied

B．cheerful

C．amused

D．ashamed

In the end，the author turned things around ．

A．under her teacher’s guide

B．by compromising to others

C．with her best friends’ help

D．through her own efforts

What suggestion does the author give to the teenagers?

A．Meet friends whenever possible．

B．Make efforts to fight back hard．

C．Be optimistic and let a thing slide．

D．Go on well with others．