London Underground
The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time，the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work， they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems，the idea of the London Underground，the first subway system，was born.
The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays， but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long. About 30，000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed),and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However，the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰)，as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems，riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.What led the British government to build the London Underground？
| A．Traffic jams and pollution. |
| B．Population and pollution. |
| C．Overcrowding and traffic jams. |
| D．The poverty and subway problems. |
How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem？
| A．It made the tunnels larger. |
| B．It put fans in the tunnels. |
| C．It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels. |
| D．It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train. |
The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “______”.
| A．be troublesome |
| B．become popular and fashionable |
| C．keep up with |
| D．seize |
Which of the following is TRUE？
| A．To relocate the workers’homes outside London，the government built the subway. |
| B．There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened. |
| C．The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic. |
| D．There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened. |
It seems that the writer is going to talk about ______in the next paragraph.
| A．more problems with subways |
| B．subways around the world later on |
| C．the history and culture of London |
| D．the Beijing subway |
It is easy to find your way about in New York. It is laid out so regularly. Instead of streets winding and twisting (迂回) as they do in London, they are all regular and well planned. The streets running north and south are called “avenues” and are numbered, e.g. 1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue, etc. The streets going east and west are called “streets” and are also numbered, e.g. 51st Street, 63rd Street. It is all much more logical (合理的) than London’s street names. But I couldn’t help thinking how much more interesting than these dull cold numbers are London’s illogical but colorful names of streets, e.g. “Bishopgate” (which is not a gate and hasn’t a Bishop in it); “Haymarket” or “Corn market” (where you won’t see any hey or corn) or “Poultry” (without a living chicken anywhere in sight) or “Thread needle Street” (where you won’t find little girls learning to sew).In the second sentence of the passage, “laid out” means ______.
| A．built | B．be put | C．designed | D．cut down |
The streets running from north to south are called _______.
| A．avenues in London | B．streets in America |
| C．avenues in New York | D．streets in London |
According to the writer’s opinion, ______.
| A．avenues and streets are the same |
| B．streets in America are better than avenues in England |
| C．streets in New York are better than those in London |
| D．the writer didn’t agree with the London streets planners |
The names of streets both in London and New York ______.
| A．are quite good | B．are interesting |
| C．are not practical | D．differ greatly in form |
The writer tells his readers that he prefers (更喜欢) _____.
| A．London streets | B．New York streets |
| C．both | D．neither |
Mr Smith is an English man. He teaches English well. His English classes are very interesting. He likes us and we like him, too. Mr Smith has two children-Tom and Mary. Tom is seven and his sister, Mary, is four. Tom goes to school but Mary doesn't. Mr Smith likes wearing a T-shirt and jeans(牛仔裤). Football is his favorite sport. After school we often have a baseball match. Sometimes Mr Smith watches and joins us. He plays baseball just for fun. Mr Smith is ______.
| A．a Chinese teacher | B．an English driver |
| C．a Japanese teacher | D．an English teacher |
How many sons does Mr Smith have?
| A．Only one. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Not many. |
Mary doesn't go to school because ______.
| A．she looks beautiful | B．she is seven |
| C．she is only four | D．she doesn't like school |
______ is Mr Smith's favorite sport.
| A．Baseball | B．Football | C．Running | D．Volleyball |
The story (故事) is about ______.
| A．Mr Smith's son | B．Mr Smith | C．Tom and Mary | D．a basketball |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced trends in fruit and vegetable consumption(食用) among adults. Since 2000, the CDC has made efforts with goals of getting 75% of Americans to eat two or more servings of fruit a day and 50% of Americans to eat three or more servings of vegetables a day. Unfortunately, Americans aren’t meeting these modest targets.
Although a diet high in fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of many diseases, Americans just aren’t getting enough. In fact, since 2000, the amount of vegetables Americans are eating has stayed the same and the amount of fruit Americans are eating has gone down. The CDC also finds that only about a third of adults are eating their expected servings of fruit, and just over a quarter of adults are eating their expected servings of vegetables.
So why aren’t Americans getting their expected servings of fruit and vegetables? It turns out that Americans might be spoiled when it comes to their produce. A national survey conducted by Fruit2day reveals that nearly half of Americans leave fruit in their fridges until it rots with people in Boston among the worst and those in New York and Los Angeles among the best. Sadly, most Americans admit to leaving fruit in the fridge for more than a week.
There are many reasons why Americans don’t eat their fruit or vegetables, including the inconvenience of having to wash or peel it. Fruit2day offers consumers a surprising and convenient way to enjoy the goodness of fruit.
“With no added sugar, natural juices and two full servings of fruit, our Fruit2day line has really captured the imaginations of health-conscious consumers who are actively looking to get more fruit in their diets,” said Hanno Holm, president and chief executive officer of Hero-White Wave. “Fruit2day makes getting more fruit in one’s diet easier for any daily snack routine.”For 4 million American adults, how many of them are eating two or more servings of fruit a day?
| A．About 1.3 million. | B．About 2 million. | C．About 3 million. | D．About 1 million. |
We can learn from the first two paragraphs that __________ .
| A．Americans have been eating fewer vegetables since 2000. |
| B．most Americans eat less fruit to reduce the risk of diseases. |
| C．most Americans prefer fruit to vegetables. |
| D．over 25% of adults are eating three or more daily servings of vegetables. |
In which city are people most likely to leave fruit in their fridge?
| A．In Boston. | B．In New York. | C．In Los Angeles. | D．Not mentioned. |
With the help of Fruit2day, Americans can __________ .
| A．easily get rid of their bad eating habits |
| B．conveniently have more fruit in their diets |
| C．add sugar and natural juices to their diets |
| D．find another excuse for not eating healthily |
Americans don’t eat their fruit or vegetables because __________ .
| A．they are relatively forgetful |
| B．they are too busy with their work |
| C．they don’t think it convenient to eat them |
| D．they prefer daily snacks with added sugar |
To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, but actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the 11th century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe.
Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made , in a whole variety of colors.According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.
| A．China | B．Egypt | C．Greece | D．Rome |
Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
| A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was |
| B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun. |
| C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century |
| D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. |
A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.
| A．protection against rain | B．a symbol of honor and power |
| C．a shade against the sun | D．women’s decoration |
In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.
| A．during the Middle Ages | B．in Rome | C．by the 18th | D．in Greece |
This passage talks mainly about_______________.
| A．when and how the umbrella was invented |
| B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe |
| C．the development of the umbrella |
| D．The history and use of the umbrella |
Before Alaska became part of the U.S., it had been owned by Russia. Trading posts and small settlements were scattered along the coast. The rest of land was left unexplored. The Russians were mainly interested in the wealth of furs from the vast herds of seals they found there.
By the mid-1800’s, most of the seal herds had been wiped out, and Russia no longer wanted to keep Alaska. William Seward, Secretary of State for President Johnson, believed the United States should buy Alaska from Russia. President Johnson wasn’t so sure it was a wise way to spend U.S. money, but he agreed to let Seward discuss it with the Russians. Acting quickly, Seward made a deal. On March 30, 1867, he signed an agreement for the U.S. to pay seven million dollars for the land.
Many people thought it was a foolish waste of America’s money. They called the deal “Seward’s folly”. Then gold was discovered in Alaska and public opinion changed quickly.
Seward did not live to see the true value of Alaska. He died in 1872, five years after making the purchase (购买). Each year, Alaska’s natural resources have brought in many times the $7,000,000 paid for it. Natural gas, coal, oil, lumber, seafood and other minerals, besides the gold first found, have made it a valuable addition to the United States. In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state of the United States. The Russians wanted to sell Alaska because ______.
| A．they thought it wasn’t a good place |
| B．they thought it didn’t belong to Russia |
| C．they couldn’t find enough seals there |
| D．they wanted to earn more money from the U.S. |
When Seward signed the agreement, many people thought ______.
| A．he wasted U.S. money | B．it had its true value |
| C．it was a successful deal | D．he was clever |
Which of the following things was found first in Alaska?
| A．Gas. | B．Coal. | C．Oil. | D．Gold. |
Before 1959, the United States had ______.
| A．37 states | B．48 states | C．49 states | D．50 states |
The best title for this passage would probably be ______.
| A．Alaska, a beautiful place | B．Alaska with natural resources |
| C．Alaska, home to seals | D．Alaska, the 49th state of the U.S. |