Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants（商人） passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B.C. to about 1300 A.D., when sea travel offered new routes. It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion (宗教). It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed ____________.
| A．to remember the entire trade route |
| B．to deal with a lot of difficulties |
| C．to receive certain special training |
| D．to know the making of products |
The Silk Road became less important because ____________.
| A．it was made up of different routes |
| B．silk trading became less popular |
| C．people needed fewer foreign goods |
| D．sea travel provided easier routes |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．Silk was the most prized product. |
| B．The Silk Road led to world-wide business. |
| C．People traded many goods along the route. |
| D．The Silk Road used to be the world’s longest highway. |
New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people ___________.
| A．traded goods along the route |
| B．shared each other’s beliefs |
| C．learned from one another |
| D．earned their living by traveling |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Silk Road: East Meets West |
| B．The Silk Road: Past and Present |
| C．The Silk Road: Routes Full of Dangers |
| D．The Silk Road: Pathways for Learning |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（Ａ、Ｂ、Ｃ、Ｄ）中，选出最佳选项。
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities, others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "flight or fight" and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Since we can't remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.
60．People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because _____.
A．they regard working as their greatest enjoyment
B．they believe that work is superior to relaxation
C．they are traveling fast all the time
D．they are becoming busier with their work than ever before
61．According to the author, the most important character for a good manager is his _____.
A．strong will to hold out stress
B．knowing the art of relaxation
C．high sense of responsibility
D．having control over performance
62．Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?
A．We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress.
B．Stress is always harmful to people's health
C．It's easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.
D．Different people can bear different amount of stress.
63．In the last sentence of the passage, "do so" refers to _____.
A．"expose ourselves to stress"
B．"find ways to deal with stress"
C．"remove stress from our lives"
D．"establish links between diseases and stress"
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（Ａ、Ｂ、Ｃ、Ｄ）中，选出最佳选项。
Get a reward for every bug you bring to live in new science museum exhibit.
In a city with trillions of American cockroaches(蟑螂), the Houston Museum of Natural Science has agreed to pay a quarter per bug－up to 1,000－as it seeks to populate a new insect exhibit alongside its Cockrell Butterfly Center.
Nancy Greig, the museum’s director insists the public payday for roaches isn’t just a marketing ploy(炒作).
“Absolutely, this wasn’t devised as a joke,” Greig said. “We needed more roaches for the exhibit, so I sent this message out to everyone in the museum asking people to bring them in. Well, someone decided to tell the press, and all hell has broken loose.”
“But we really do need cockroaches.”
“One might be forgiven for never considering how to catch a live cockroach. But it’s simple enough to fool them,” Greig said, “and even easier to catch them.” American cockroaches are the most common kind in Texas, measuring up to 2 inches long and invading homes.
Despite their less-than-attractive reputation, cockroaches actually aren’t that dirty. Greig even went so far as to call them “fastidious” saying they don’t enjoy rooting(用嘴拱食) in waste. They’re only dirty if, say, they used a sewer(下水道)line to gain access into a home.
The roaches collected by the museum will become part of a display in a new exhibit that showcases insects such as cockroaches, dung beetles and termites.
There’s more to like about roaches, too. They don’t bite, and they don’t carry diseases like a mosquito, so they’re generally safe to handle.
56．For what does the museum pay for cockroaches?
A．For a marketing ploy. B． It’s devised to make fun.
C．People really need them. D． For a new exhibit.
57．The underlined word “fastidious” probably means extremely ________.
A．clean B．dirty C．unpleasant D．fast
58．What do we know about American roaches?
A．It’s not easy for people in Houston to collect roaches.
B．They all measure 2 inches and are often found in homes
C．They don’t bite and they are free of disease.
D．We have reasons to like them.
59．Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage?
A．The Houston Museum of Natural Science
B．A new exhibit
C．Quarters for cockroaches
D．A cockroach is lovely
Jeremy Wirick, 9, has been back in school for less than two months, but he has already had several asthma(哮喘)attacks. A recent attack happened on October 2, after he pushed himself too hard in gym class. Running, power walking, jogging and push-ups took their toll. When Jeremy got home an hour or two later, he was out of breath. He needed to use a nebulizer, a machine that helps send medicine quickly to the lungs, to get his breathing back to normal.
Asthma attacks like Jeremy increase in September and October. More than six times as many asthma sufferers who are elementary-school age need hospital treatment in the fall as in the summer.
Experts believe many factors can contribute to back-to-school asthma. Kids get together in close spaces, they start passing viruses around. A viral infection can cause an asthma attack. There are also certain fall allergies(过敏症)that can cause attacks. Exercise is another common cause of an attack. Besides, the stress of school can make asthma worse.
Parents can play a big role in helping kids with asthma start the school year right. Dawne Gee’s10-year-old son, Alexander, has had asthma since he was a baby. Before the school year starts, she tells school workers in writing about her son’s asthma.
The Gees live in Kentucky, which has passed laws allowing students to carry their asthma medication(药物治疗)with them at school. Alexander’s mom makes sure he has his inhaler(人工呼吸器)with him when he goes to school and that he keeps it on hand at all times. In Delaware, where Jeremy lives, kids are allowed to carry their inhalers at school.
The American Lung Association says that about 6.2 million American children suffer from asthma. Asthma is the chronic (慢性) illness that causes students to miss the most days of school. There are many things that schools can do to help students control their asthma
1. The passage mainly deals with _______.
A. how to prevent and treat Asthma. what Asthma is and its symptoms
C. the side-effects Asthma has on kids
D. the causes of Asthma and its treatment
2. By saying “Running, power walking, jogging and push-ups took their toll.”, the writer means that_____.
A. physical exercise affected their health
B. physical exercise gave them a deep thought
C. asthma attacks made them like physical exercise
D. asthma attacks could be cured through physical exercise
3. Which of the following statements is NOT supported by the passage?
A. Kids are likely to suffer asthma attacks in the fall
B. Stress can add to the risk of asthma attacks
C. Medical officials should be blamed for asthma attacks
D. Asthma attacks will need necessary medical treatment
4. The passage lists many factors that cause asthma attacks except_____.
A. A viral infection B. unhealthy habits
C. certain fall allergies D. physical exercise
5. The following paragraph is probably going to talk about______.
A. tips on asthma for schools B. a survey on students with asthma
C. the effects asthma has on students D. further understanding of Asthma
Over 70 percent of the "double single-child couples" in China need help from their parents in taking care of their own kids, according to a recent survey.
"Women of China" magazine and a consulting company carried out a survey recently on young couples of the "single-child" generation, the Morning Post reports. The couples surveyed were around 29 and have been married for three years on average, with university education and monthly income of 4.000 yuan ($531). Among them, 43.5 percent have kids.
Results show that 71.9 percent of the young couples have help from their parents in taking care of their kids.
Grown up as the "single-child", the only child in a family since the family planning policy was adopted in 1979, this generation depends much on their parents.
The parents of the "single-child" generation focused more on their children's physical well-being rather than their attitudes and values, according to some psychologists.
The research also found that the "double single-child couples" follow a rather traditional value system.
Survey shows that 27.5 percent of them got married after dating for one to two years, 25.2 percent two to five years, and 20 percent didn't tie the knot until dating for five years. Also, 30 percent of the couples were schoolmates, while 43.8 percent were introduced by someone.
Since their marriage are based on enduring relationships, 65.2 percent of the husbands and 62.9 percent of the wives think that compromise(妥协)and tolerance(宽容)are necessary in their marriage. Meanwhile, 21.7 percent of the husbands and 37.1 percent of the wives support the idea that happiness is the key standard for a marriage.The best title for the passage should be_______.
| A．Mom and Dad, Take Care of My Kid Please | B．Double Single-child Couples |
| C．The Problem of the Single Child | D．A Recent Survey By Woman of China" |
Which of the following is NOT supported by the passage?
| A．The majority of the "double single-child couples" in China depend much on their parents. |
| B．The parents of the “single-child” generation more care about their study and education. |
| C．One-fifth of the couples surveyed didn't get married until dating for five years. |
| D．All the couples surveyed have university education and 30 percent of them were schoolmates |
Which of the following descriptions about “double single-child couples” is True ?
| A．They are single child in either family and independent of their parents |
| B．They are single child in either family and they are dependent on their parents |
| C．They have at least two children and can afford to support themselves |
| D．They, who were introduced by someone, follow a rather traditional value system |
According to the passage, we can learn that ______ is necessary in marriage.
| A．wealth | B．health | C．understanding | D．education |
People turn to magic(魔力)chiefly as a form of insurance--that is, they use it along with actions that actually bring results. For example, hunters may use a hunting charm(咒语). But they also use their hunting skills and knowledge of animals. The charm may give hunters the extra confidence they need to hunt even more successfully than they would without it. If they shoot a lot of game(猎物), they credit the charm for their success. Many events happen naturally without magic. Crops grow without it, and sick people get well without it. But if people use magic to bring a good harvest or to cure a patient, they may believe the magic was responsible.
People also tend to forget magic's failures and to be impressed by its surface successes. They may consider magic successful if it appears to work only 10 per cent of the time. Even when magic fails, people often explain the failure without doubting the power of the magic. They may say that the magician made a mistake in reciting the spell or that another magician cast a more powerful spell against the magician.
Many anthropologists(人类学家) believe that people have faith in magic because they feel a need to believe in it. People may turn to magic to reduce their fear and uncertainty if they feel they have no control over the outcome of a situation. For example, farmers use knowledge and skill when they plant their fields. But they know that weather, insects, or diseases might ruin the crops. So farmers in some societies may also plant a charm or perform a magic rite to ensure a good harvest.From the passage, we can learn that the writer of the passage may be _______.
| A．a hunter | B．a farmer | C．a magician | D．an anthropologist |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．Magic and Hunting. | B．Magic and Farming. |
| C．Why Magic Works? | D．Why People Believe in Magic? |
The underlined word “spell”(Paragraph 2) most likely means______.
| A．magic words. | B．magic events. | C．words or expressions | D．magicians. |