I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have porridge, eggs or toast. When others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. But at least I wasn’t alone when I was sad. My sister and two brothers had the same mean(刻薄的) mother as I did.
My mother preferred to know where we were all the time. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. We had to clean clothes and take a bath every day. The other kids got to wear the same clothes for days. We could not lie in bed “sick” in order to miss school.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and get up at eight the next morning. We couldn’t sleep till noon like our friends. So while they slept, my mother was brave to break the Child Labour Law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook and all sorts of things at home. I believe she lay awake thinking up all things for us to do.
My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Two of her children received higher education. None of us have ever been arrested (taken away by the police) or divorced. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. I am trying to raise my three children this way. I am filled with pride when my children call me “mean”. Why? Because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.How many children does the writer’s mother have?
| A．Four | B．Two | C．Three | D．Six |
What can you infer(推测) from the passage?
| A．My family was rich, so I ate a sandwich for lunch. |
| B．My mother was a great success. We love her. |
| C．If we didn’t want to go to school, the best way was to pretend to be sick. |
| D．We needn’t share the housework at home. |
The best title for this passage may be________.
| A．My childhood | B．The meanest mother |
| C．I do as my mother did | D．Unforgettable memories |
Stricter Traffic Law Can Prevent Accidents
From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous（不平凡的）age. We are immunized from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once fatal illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery. It is almost certain that one day remedies will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible slaughter of men, women and children on the roads. Man versus the motor-car ! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel, his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They swear, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-years-olds and utterly selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments and jealousies seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so benignly on the motorist and seems to condone his behaviour. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy tragic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is desecrated by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten.
It is high time a world code were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are notoriously lax and even the strictest are not strict enough. A code which was universally accepted could only have a dramatically beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through stringent annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be mad much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately harsh. But surely nothing should be considered as to severe if tit results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.The main idea of this passage is
A Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.
B Thousands of people the world over are killed each year.
C The laws of some countries about driving are too lax.
D Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents.What does the author think of society toward motorists?
A Society smiles on the motorists. B Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.
C Victims of accidents are nothing. D Society condones their rude driving.Why does the author say:’ his car becomes the extension of his personality?’
A Driving can show his real self. B Driving can show the other part of his personality.
C Driving can bring out his character. D His car embodies his temper.Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?
A Build more highways. B Stricter driving tests.
C Test drivers every three years. D raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.The attitude of the author is
A ironical B critical C appealing D militant
While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.
But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles (柴油机) by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.
“We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them,” said an official.
Efforts are being made to improve the capital’s environment with tighter controls on emissions (排放). Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.
Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index (指数) gave just 100 days as good.
“I am glad to see an improvement,” said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn’t see a car only metres away from me in frog.”
In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off.
Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes (烟) and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city’s bad air.The passage is mainly about ________?
| A．a programme to improve Beijing’s air quality |
| B．progress made in Beijing’s air quality |
| C．Beijing’s air pollution |
| D．the difference between Hainan and Beijing |
Which of the following is not the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijing’s air?
| A．Clean fuel technology will be used in public transportation. |
| B．Some factories have been asked to cut production. |
| C．Some construction sites have been told to be closed. |
| D．A display show of airplanes has been called off. |
We can infer from the passage that, with the aim of being an ecological (生态的) city by the 2008 Olympics, ________.
| A．far more still needs to be done |
| B．nothing else needs to be done |
| C．all traffic has to be closed |
| D．the development of the city has to be slowed down |
Which is not correct according to the passage?
| A．Beijing’s air quality is getting worse and worse. |
| B．Development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality. |
| C．Clouds of smoke in the sky is the common feature in the winter of Beijing. |
| D．The government is making every effort to stop air pollution. |
How men first learned to invent words is unknown, in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters, we call words.
The power of words, then, lies in their association—the thing they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and the sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increase.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should, therefore, learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they make our speech silly and vulgar. What is the origin of language?
| A．It is unknown. |
| B．It is a matter that is unclear. |
| C．It is a question difficult to answer. |
| D．It is a problem not yet solved. |
Which of the following about a real poet is NOT true?
| A．He is less than a master of words. |
| B．His style is always charming. |
| C．His poem can move men to tears. |
| D．He can express his ideas in words that sing like music. |
Where does the real power of the words come from?
| A．From the words themselves. |
| B．From their characteristics. |
| C．From their peculiarity. |
| D．From their association. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The importance of choosing words. |
| B．Where the real power of words come from. |
| C．What great writers are like. |
| D．We should learn to choose words carefully. |
George Washington Carver showed that plant life was more than just food for animals and humans. Carver’s first step was to analyze plant parts to find out what they were made of. He then combined these simpler isolated substances with other substances to create new products.
The branch of chemistry that studies and finds ways to use raw materials from farm products to make industrial products is called chemurgy. Carver was one of the first and greatest chemurgists of all time. Today the science of chemurgy is better known as the science of synthetics(合成纤维织物). Each day people depend on and use synthetics made from raw materials. All his life Carver battled against the disposal of waste materials, and warned of the growing need to develop substitutes(代用品) for the natural substances being used up by humans.
Carver never cared about getting credit for the new products he created. He never tried to patent(申请专利) his discoveries or get wealthy from them. He turned down many offers to leave Tuskegee Institute to become a scientist in private industry. Thomas Edison, inventor of the electric light, offered him a laboratory in Detroit to carry out food research. When the United States government made him a collaborator in the Mycology and Plant Disease Survey of the Department of Agriculture, he accepted the position with the understanding that he wouldn’t leave Tuskegee. An authority on plant disease—especially of the fungus(真菌) variety—Carver sent hundreds of specimens(标本) to the United States Department of Agriculture. At the peak of his career, Carver’s fame and influence were known on every continent. What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．It mainly tells us about Gorge Washington Carver, a great chemurgist. |
| B．It mainly tells us about chemurgy. |
| C．It mainly tells us about the research made in Tuskegee. |
| D．It mainly tells us about the development of making synthetics. |
The underlined word “disposal” in the second paragraph mean “________”.
| A．control | B．throwing away |
| C．management | D．keeping |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Make a study of plant parts. |
| B．Make new products out of farm products. |
| C．Carver helped the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| D．Make a study on animal disease. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Carver never patented what he discovered. |
| B．Carver refused many offers to work in private companies. |
| C．Carver made little money out of his discoveries. |
| D．Carver helped Edison invent electric light. |
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23—The House of Representatives, which prides itself on being “the People’s House” has been turning into a rich man’s club.
The representatives newly elected in 1984 were almost four times as wealthy as the first term lawmakers elected only six years before, according to a new study on the members’ financial reports.
Behind this remarkable swing, the study says, are two main factors: a court decision that outlawed limits on what candidates could give to their own campaigns, and the enormous growth in the cost of pursuing a seat in congress. As a result, it is increasingly difficult for candidates of modest means, particularly women to amount successful challenge to entrenched office holders.
One solution, the authors contend, is a system of public financing for campaigns, but congress seems in no mood to change the political rules any time soon.
“The lower chamber is going upper class,” said Mark Green, the president of The Democracy Project, a public policy institute based in New York. “But this evolution from a House of Representatives to a House of Lords denies the diversity of our democracy. It establishes a de facto property qualification for office that increasingly says: low and middle income need not apply.
The Democracy Project produced the study in cooperation with the United States Public Interest Research Group, a similar institute situated in Washington. But their research was not entirely theoretical. In 1980 Mr Green was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 15th District, in Manhattan. The winner was Bill Green, one of the wealthiest members of CongresWhat can we know from the passage?
| A．The House of Representatives is poor men’s club. |
| B．The House of Representatives was made up of people with low and middle income. |
| C．The House of Representatives was rich men’s club. |
| D．The House of Representatives is made up of people with low and middle income. |
What does “this remarkable swing” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．The House of Representatives prides itself on being “the people’s House”. |
| B．The new study based on the members’ financial reports. |
| C．A court decision that outlawed limits on what candidates could give to their own campaigns. |
| D．The representatives elected now are much wealthier than those elected a few years ago. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the study?
| A．Any honest man can become a representative of the House. |
| B．Women are more difficult than men to be an entrenched office holder. |
| C．Limits on what a candidate could give to his campaign are outlawed. |
| D．One must spend much money getting a seat in the Congress. |
What is the United States Public Interest Research Group like?
| A．The House of Representatives. |
| B．A public policy institute based in New York. |
| C．A public policy institute based in Washington. |
| D．The House of lords. |