If you and your friends wish to share a secret, you can write it in code, and no one else will be able to read it. Codes are one way of writing in secret. Ciphers (暗码) are another. In a code each word is written as a secret code word or a code number. In a cipher each letter is changed.
Codes and ciphers have played an important role in the history of the world. Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler who defeated almost all the countries in Europe about 2,000 years ago, used a cipher when he sent secret messages to his troops. During the American Revolution, George Washington's spies used a kind of code to send his information about the enemy before his military action. In World War II, the Americans“broke”or figured out Japan's most important navy codes and got enough information to destroy a powerful Japanese fleet.
Storekeepers use codes to mark their goods. The codes show how much is paid for the goods or when they are added to the stock. Businessmen use codes to hide plans from their business enemies. Sometimes personal letters or diaries are written in code. Many people enjoy figuring out codes and ciphers simply as a hobby.
In the 16th century, codes and ciphers were very popular among scientists. They wrote messages to each other in code so that no one else would learn their secrets. Geronimo Gardano, an Italian astrologer (占星家), mathematician, and doctor, invented the trellis cipher. He took two sheets of paper and cut exactly the same holes in each one. Then he sent one sheet, which he called a trellis, to a friend and kept the other for himself. Whenever he wanted to write a message, he put his trellis over a clean sheet of paper and wrote the secret message through the holes. There he removed the trellis and filled the rest of the paper with words that would make sense. When his friend received it, he put his trellis over the writing and read the secret message.The best title of this passage would be________.
| A．Codes and ciphers |
| B．Differences between codes and ciphers |
| C．History of codes and ciphers |
| D．Inventors of codes and ciphers |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Ciphers can be broken or figured out more easily than codes. |
| B．You could read some words in Geronimo’s letter without his trellis. |
| C．The first person who ever used a cipher in history was Julius Caesar. |
| D．Fondness of using codes was the hobby of the scientists in the 1600s. |
According to Geronimo Gardano, a trellis is ________.
| A．a piece of paper with many small holes |
| B．a secret message with a lot of small holes |
| C．a letter with unreadable words and sentences |
| D．a sheet of paper with groups of Arabic figures |
It is NOT mentioned in the passage that codes and ciphers are used for the purpose of ________.
| A．military affairs |
| B．commercial secrets |
| C．scientific achievements |
| D．personal enjoyment |
Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas．
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something. These things are difficult to tell their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome.Many teenagers think that ____ can understand them better.
| A．friends | B．brothers | C．sisters | D．parents |
When teenagers have something difficult to tell their parents, they usually____
| A．stay alone at home |
| B．fight with their parents |
| C．discuss it with their friends |
| D．go to their brothers and sisters for help |
The sentence (句子) “Your answers are welcome．” means _______．
| A．You are welcome to discuss the questions with us. |
| B．We have got no idea, so your answers are welcome. |
| C．Your answers are always right. |
| D．You can give us all the right answers. |
Which of the following is the writer’s attitude(态度)?
| A．Parents should choose friends for their children |
| B．Children should choose everything they like |
| C．Parents should understand their children better |
| D．Teenagers should only go to their friends for help |
Part of the purpose of this passage is to ___.
| A．give information for the parents to make their own judgment (判断) |
| B．give advice to children who want to choose their friends |
| C．help parents to find better friends for their children |
| D．get some information from many readers |
Today almost everyone knows computers and the Internet. If I ask you “What is the most important in your life ?” maybe you will say “Computers and the Internet.”
The first computer was made in 1946. It was very big but it worked slowly . Today computers are getting smaller and smaller. But they work faster and faster. What can computers do?
A writer has said, “people can’t live without computers today.”
The Internet came a little later than computers. It is about twenty-five years later than computers. But now it can be found almost everywhere. We can use it to read books, write letters, do shopping, play games or make friends.
Many students like the Internet very much. They often go into the Internet as soon as they are free. They make friends on the Internet and maybe they have never seen these friends. They don’t know their real names, ages, and even sex (性别). They are so interested in making the “unreal friends” that they can’t put their hearts into study. Many of them can’t catch up with others on many subjects because of that.
We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world. But at the same time, we should remember that not all the things can be done by computers and the Internet. The Internet can not be used for ______.
| A．studying | B．shopping | C．thinking | D．playing |
When the computer was invented, it was ______.
| A．large and worked quickly1 |
| B．small and worked |
| C．large but worked slowly. |
| D．small but worked quickly . |
The Internet was born in about _____.
| A．1960 | B．1970 | C．1980 | D．1985 |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Few students like going into the Internet. |
| B．students use the Internet to make “unreal friends.” |
| C．These “unreal friends” often meet each other. |
| D．Students know the friends on the Internet very well. |
What does the writer think of the Internet?
| A．It is wonderful. |
| B．It can make students study harder. |
| C．It is not good for students. |
| D．It is helpful, but we can’t do everything on it. |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor (幽默感) you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It’s better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”The writer thinks that the best way for you to learn a language is ____.
| A．writing | B．using it | C．listening | D．learning grammar |
What should you do in learning English?
| A．Be careful not to make any mistake. | B．Write as quickly as you can. |
| C．Speak English as much as you can. | D．Laugh more often. |
When people laugh at your mistakes, you should _____．
| A．not care | B．be happy | C．feel worried | D．be unhappy |
The story tells us_______.
| A．only foolish people make mistakes |
| B．few people make mistakes |
| C．people never make mistakes |
| D．there is no one who does not make mistakes |
The writer of the text has a _______ attitude towards people’s mistakes while using the language.
| A．agreeable | B．negative（否定的） | C．neutral (中立的) | D．humorous |
根据短文内容，从下框的A---F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。 选项中有一项为多余选项。
Americans have learnt more about drinks than they were 20 years ago. Now, encouraged by recent studies suggesting that it can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease and slow the aging process, tea is enjoyed by more and more people. Enough fashionable tea houses are appearing to make even longtime coffee drinkers consider changing drinks.
Tea is found in more places than ever. The Tea Association of the United States reports that from 1990 to 1999, yearly sales of the drink grew to $4.6 billion from $1.8 billion. “Green tea is seen by people as a ‘functional food’” — bringing health beyond food itself, says Vierhile.
Recently published studies point out that only teas that come from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis contain health benefits. Other teas may taste good, yet they do little more than warm up the drinker. But for Camellia sinensis, the evidence is powerful. In a 1998 study, Harvard University researchers found that drinking one cup of black tea a day lowered the danger of heart disease by as much as 44 percent compared with non-tea drinkers, and other studies have suggested that the antioxidants (抗氧化剂) in these so-called real teas can also prevent cancer.
One such antioxidant in green tea is ECGC, a chemical 20 times as powerful as vitamin E and 200 times as powerful as vitamin C. “When people ask me for something good and cheap they can do to reduce their cancer risk, I tell them to drink real tea,” says Mitchell Gaynor, director of medical oncology (肿瘤学) at New York City’s Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center.
Driving Offence Points System
What is Driving Offence Points System?
After the introduction of this system, certain traffic offences will make the driver lose points besides other punishment (惩罚). A driver makes any of these offences, the points will be recorded．When the driver gets a certain number of points, he will be forbidden (禁止) to drive for a certain amount of time.
This is a system designed to make road much safer. It can improve standards (水平) of driving and reduce accidents.
Which traffic offences will result in Driving Offence Points?
Of course, not all traffic offences are covered by this system. Only those that have direct effect on road safety are included．There are fourteen items in all.
| Code |
Offence |
Points |
| 1 |
Causing death by dangerous driving |
10 |
| 2 |
Dangerous driving |
10 |
| 3 |
Careless driving |
5 |
| 4 |
Driving after drinking or taking drugs |
10 |
| 5 |
Driving over speed limit by more than15 km/hour |
3 |
| 6 |
Driving in a motor race on the road |
10 |
| 7 |
Failing to stop after an accident |
3 |
| 8 |
Failing to give information after an accident |
3 |
| 9 |
Failing to report an accident |
3 |
| 10 |
Failing to obey directions of police officers |
3 |
| 11 |
Crossing double white lines |
3 |
| 12 |
Failing to obey traffic signals |
3 |
| 13 |
Failing to give way to walkers at a crosswalk Failing to stop for people walking |
3 |
| 14 |
Failing to stop at school crossing |
3 |
What will happen if you have got up to 10 points?
If you have got 10 points or above, but still less than 15 points, you will receive a warning (警告) letter from the Transport Department. This letter will tell your record of Driving Offence Points and remind you of the result of getting more points. It is hoped that this warning will change your driving behavior for the better.
What will happen if you have got 15 points?
If you have got 15 points or more within two years, the first time you are found guilty (犯错的) and you will not be able to drive for three months, but if you are caught a second time you will not be able to drive for six months.The underlined word “Offence” (paragraph 1) refers to ______.
| A．a driving habit |
| B．an official of road safety |
| C．bad behavior in the office |
| D．an action against the traffic law |
The Driving Offence Points _________.
| A．is a system that helps to improve the driving standards |
| B．are points given because of dangerous driving |
| C．shows traffic offences of different kinds |
| D．is a guide dealing with (处理) traffic offences |
What will happen to you if you have got 13 points?
| A．You will be punished for the points. |
| B．You will be forbidden to drive. |
| C．Your record will be sent to the Transport Department. |
| D．You will get a warning letter from the Transport Department. |
What will happen to you if you are caught driving dangerously and two months later you are caught careless driving?
| A．You will take the driving test again. |
| B．You will be taken to the police station. |
| C．You will not be able to drive for 6 months. |
| D．You will not be able to drive for 3 months. |