Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in London. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Then Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry,“Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.
| A．a conductor | B．a worker |
| C．a thief | D．an umbrella maker |
Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?
| A．Because he was lost in thought. |
| B．Because it was much like his own umbrella. |
| C．Because he thought the woman would not notice it. |
| D．Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown. |
When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman thought ______.
| A．Mr. Brown was an umbrella maker |
| B．Mr. Brown was selling his umbrellas |
| C．Mr. Brown had bought four umbrellas for his family. |
| D．Mr. Brown had stolen the other women’s umbrellas |
How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?
| A．He bought them in London. |
| B．He picked them on the train. |
| C．He brought them from his small town. |
| D．He stole them from four women. |
第四部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The Man of Many S
ecrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes — from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.
Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fing
ers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.
Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape, in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.
It was the publicity(宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs(手铐) and toes trained to escape ankle chains. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, passed quickly from her mouth to his.
Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? World-wild fame, and a name remembered today.
1. According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______.
A. his special tricks and supernatural powers
B. his wisdom and magic tricks
C. his magic trick
s and unhuman powers
D. his unusual ability and a skeleton key
2. In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.
A. the year 1898 B. his first prison escape
C. the publicity D. Harry Houdini’s success
3. It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.
A. in 1894 B. before he married
C. when he was about 24 D. at the age of 17
4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. A Man of Many Secrets B. A Skeleton Key
C. World-wild Fame D. Great Escape
Could you stand the noise of a street-sweeping truck going up and down the street outside of your house three times a week at 4 a.m.? The noise—described by Blomberg as “loud as a NASCAR (全国运动汽车竞赛协会) race car but at a speed of 5 miles per hour—annoyed him so much that he tried to persuade the city to rearrange for street sweeping to begin at 6 a. m. He also founded the non-profit Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, an organization that provides research and information to others whose request for quiet might otherwise fall on deaf ears.
Hearing los
s is the most obvious medical consequence of noise pollution, but it is hardly the only one, explains environmental psychologist Airline Bronzaft. In her research, Bronzaft found that constant noise exposure can reduce children’s learning ability and cognitive（认知的） development. “Most importantly, each day, you’ve got to take a break from sound regularly.” says Bronzaft.
“The bad news,” says Blomberg, “is that the last century was the noisiest in history. The good news,” he continues, “is that the greener we get, the quieter we’ll also get.” Electric cars and lawn equipment make less noise, just as more fuel-efficient vehicles. Improved technology can also provide measures to make the problem less serious. Police cars could replace those loud sirens (警报器) with models that better aim the sound in one direction.
“I don’t think you can name a noise source that I can’t find a way to make it quieter,” says Blomberg. But the real challenge is to change people’s attitudes. “ In the 1960s, we made it unacceptable to throw litter out of the window of your car,” he says. Today it’s time to recognize that “noise is to the soundscape as rubbish is to the landscape.” The goal is to “create a culture where you do not throw your ‘noise’ litter out of the window.”
1. What do we know about the Noise Pollution Clearingh
ouse?
A. It was founded by the city leaders.
B. It is supported by NASCAR.
C. It can rearrange the street sweeping time.
D. It aims to help those who want more peace and quiet.
2. What can be inferred from the environmental Psychologist Arline Bronzaft?
A. Hearing loss is the most serious problem caused by noise pollution.
B. Children are the least affected by noise.
C. We should avoid noise for some time every day.
D. We should have a break once in a while if tired.
3. What did Blomberg do when he was greatly annoyed by the noise of a street-sweeping truck?
A. He suggested that the street-sweeping truck should go faster.
B. He suggested that the street-sweeping time should be changed.
C. He called on the citizens to do research on noise pollution.
D. He persuaded the city to change the street-sweeping truck for
a new model.
4. According to Blomberg, _________.
A. it’s impossible to make a noise-maker quieter
B. noise problem can be solved through everyone’s efforts.
C. in the 1960s, throwing ‘sound’ litter out of the window was forbidden
D. street sweeping should be stopped forever
It was 3:00 a.m. Rain beat against the windows. Tamsen Bell’s cellphone began to ring so she jumped out of bed quickly for she knew that someone was in trouble, and it was up to her and the other members of the Marin Search and Rescue Team to help. The team has a motto: “Any time, any place, any weather.” Bell, 18, joined the search-and-rescue team when she was 14 years old, the youngest age at which a person can join. “I remember the first search I ever went on,” Bell says. “I was very nervous.” Thanks to the strict training program, Bell now is no longer nervous and a lot more confident.
When Bell was 16 years old, she took a lead role in a tough search-and-rescue action that she says changed her life. While hiking, a 60-year-old woman fell off a cliff and landed on a mountain ledge(岩石架). Bell slid down in a seated position to get to where the injured woman lay. The situation was very dangerous and she had to make a quick decision which could have endangered the woman’s life. Bell helped to lift the woman onto a litter(担架), and her teammates then pulled the litter up the mountain using ropes. The rescue took more than eight hours , the longest in the history of the team.
Afterwards, Bell said she realized that she could keep cool in stressful situations. The experience inspired her to devote her life to helping others. She remains a search-and-rescue member and plans to study nursing in college.
“Search-and-rescue work may be tough, but it is rewarding. The best part is the support, and the common feeling that everyone on the team wants to make people’s lives better.” Said Bell.
1. According to the passage, we know that Bell ______.
A. was the youngest member in the team
B. plays a leading role in every task
C. majored in nursing in college
D. learned a lot through the training program
2. Why does Bell say that the tough action changed her life?
A. She learnt to make quick decisions when in danger.
B. She learnt to transport the injured to safety through a litter.
C. The experience inspired her to devote herself to helping others
D. The experience made her realize that she could calm down even in danger.
3. Which of the following is TURE about Bell’s tough task?
A. It was the toughest task in the history of the team.
B. Bell slid down the cliff seated in a litter.
C. It’s the first task Bell took part in after the training program.
D. Bell played a very important role in the action.
4. The passage is mainly about_______.
A. a tough task Bell carried out
B. Bell’s job as a young search-and-rescue member
C. how people keep cool in dangerous situations
D. what search-and-rescue tasks are
BEIJIG—The two-day visit to Washington has been heavy for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as he attempts to improve ties with Washington and promote his international image ahead of the upcoming G-20 economic summit in London.
Special Relationship
Brown had been praising the “ special relationship” between Britain and the United States before he traveled to Washington. “There is no international partnership in recent history that has served the world better than the special relationship between Britain and the United States,” Brown said in an article in The Sunday Times of London. Su
ch enthusiasm was quickly responded by Barak Obama, the new leader of the world’s largest economy. “The special relationship between the United States and Great Britain is one that is not just important to me, it is important to the American people,” told reporters after meeting with Brown.
Brown was the first European leader to meet Obama at the White House, and this might help the British leader make his image smooth among countrymen in a turbulent(动荡)time and put him in a bette
r position to appear side by side with Obama at the April G-20 summit that will consider the international economic crisis.
Global New Deal
The talks between Brown and Obama were expected to focus mainly on measures to jump-start international economic growth in the most serious downturn in decades. Brown will first promote his “goal new deal” with Obama before taking the G-20 talks. The prime minister, who is chairing the G-20 gathering, has said he would push for deep adjustable changes and joint efforts from all of the world’s major economies, developed and developing, to correct financial rules and inspire the global economy.
However, as pointed out by many analysts, there is the potential for bitterness between Britain and the United States. That’s because no small number of Britons believe themselves to be victims of a crisis which they say was set off by the United States. Meanwhile, analysts say it was unrealistic to expect another honeymoon for British-US ties as Obama seems to have attached more importance to the Pacific region than to Europe.
1 Brown paid the two-day visit to Washington in order to _______.
A. improve the ties with the US and his image
B. make Obama’s international image better
C. congratulate Obama on coming into power
D. prepare for the coming G-20 economic summit
2. The April G-20 summit will mainly focus on how ________.
A. to solve the international energy crisis
B. to solve the international economic crisis
C. to relax current international tension
D. to achieve the double-win goal lately
3. According to many analysts, there is the potential for bitterness between the UK and the US because___________.
A. Obama is less friendly to Brown than Brown to Obama
B. Obama hasn’t visited the UK yet as a new president
C. Obama seems to have attached more importance to Europe than to the Pacific region
D. many Britons believe themselves to be the victims of a crisis caused by the US
4. The underlined part in the last paragraph suggests that___________.
A. Britons expect too much from Obama
B. Britain and USA used to have close relationship
C. the relationship between the two countries will break up
D. Obama and the first lady will not spend their honeymoon in Britain
| The Darwin Myth: The Life and Lies of Charles Darwin By Benjamin Wiker List Price: $ 27.95 Price:$ 18.45 for a club member or when your orders are over $50 You Save: $9.50 (34%) |
Product Description
In the 150 years since the publication of Origin of Species, Charles Darwin has been considered between two extremes--- a great biologist or heretic（持异端学说者）. However, the truth is much more difficult to understand than that. In any case, Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection had the greatest influence in history.
In The Darwin Myth，author Benjamin Wiker offers a full-side analysis of Darwin’s theories as well as the social, scientific, and religious effect of his work. Scientists often cause debates(争论) that will last for generations for their new theory. Still, no scientist has caused more debates than Charles Darwin. To some he is the revolutionary “father” of evolution. To others his theory of evolution unconsciously disagrees with many ideas in modern eugenics.（优生学） In The Darwin Myth: The Life and Lies of Charles Darwin, author Benjamin Wiker will make them clear.
Contents
So who is Charles Darwin? What did he really believe and what did his research really prove? In this book, Benjamin Wiker cuts through the myths. In The Darwin Myth, Wiker tells us:
★
How Darwin set out to create a godless Theory of Evolution
★Why many of his best friends criticized Darwin’s theory, and why he never defended himself;
★Why Darwin’s theory in a certain way supported slavery, an institution he hated;
★How much of what we know about Darwin comes from his autobiography(自传), which the key points are completely misleading.
1. If you buy three copies of The Darwin Myth at a time, how much should you pay?
A. $88.35 B.$55.35 C. $50 D. $27.97
2. According to the passage, what is The Darwin Myth mainly about?
A. An analysis of Darwin’s theory and the debates about him.
B. A brief introduction to Darwin’s life.
C. How Darwin created Theory of Evolution.
D. Why many people criticized Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
3. From the passage, we know that ________.
A. The Darwin Myth is Darwin’s autobiography
B. The debate about Darwin’s theory has been going on since Origin of Species was published.
C. Darwin theory agrees with modern eugenics.
D. Darwin himself supported slavery.
4．We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. Darwin lost many of his best friends because of his theory
B. Darwin’s autobiography has misled many readers.
C. Benjamin Wiker was one of Darwin’s friends who knew him well
D. The Darwin Myth will end the debates about Darwin