In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue(烤肉) restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity(一致性), for the brothers had developed a strict routine(程序) for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers’ fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise(特许经营) other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate(复制) the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches(拱门).
Today McDonald’s is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald’s had over $ l billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising success stories in modern American business history.This passage mainly talks about _______.
| A．the development of fast food services |
| B．how McDonald’s became a billion-dollar business |
| C．the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald |
| D．Ray Kroc’s business talent |
Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except _______.
| A．a drive-in | B．a theater |
| C．a cinema | D．a barbecue restaurant |
We may infer from this passage that _______.
| A．Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their idea to Kroc. |
| B．the place the McDonalds chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in |
| C．forty years ago there were lots of fast-food restaurants |
| D．Ray Kroc was a good businessman |
The passage suggests that _______.
| A．creativity is an important element of business success |
| B．Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers |
| C．Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc |
| D．California is the best place to go into business |
Dear son,
The day that you see me old and I am already not in good health, have patience and try to understand me.
If I get dirty when eating, if I can not dress, have patience and remember the hours I spent teaching it to you. If, when I speak to you, I repeat the same things thousand and one times, do not interrupt me, listen to me. When you were small, I had to read to you thousand and one times the same story until you got to sleep. When I do not want to have a shower, neither shame me nor scold me. Remember when I had to chase you with thousand excuses I invented, in order that you wanted to breathe. When you see my knowing little about new technologies, give me the necessary time and do not look at me with your mocking(嘲弄) smile. I taught you how to do so many things: to eat good, to dress well, to confront life… When at some moment I lose the memory or the thread of our conversation, let me have the necessary time to remember, and if I cannot do it, do not become nervous, as the most important thing is not our conversation but surely to be with you and to have you listening to me.
If ever I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well when I need to and when not. When my tired legs do not allow me to walk, give me your hand, the same way I did when you made your first step. And when someday I say to you that I do not want to live anymore—that I want to rest forever, do not get angry. Someday you will understand.
Try to understand that my age is not lived but survived. Some day you will discover that, despite my mistakes, I always wanted the best thing for you and that I tried to prepare the way for you. You must not feel sad, angry or impotent for seeing me near you. You must be next to me, try to understand me and to help me as I did it when you starting living. I will pay you by a smile and by the immense love I have had always for you.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．To show that he needs his son’s understanding. |
| B．To show he has educated his son well. |
| C．To teach his son how to be a good father. |
| D．To tell his son why he couldn’t behave well. |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．My life is so hard that I cannot live longer. |
| B．I cannot live so long for my old age. |
| C．If you treat me better, I can live longer. |
| D．I cannot live so long although I am in good health. |
What does the father mainly want to say to his son in short?
| A．“ Help me to understand my life.” |
| B．“ Teach you how to live and survive.” |
| C．“ Share you how I taught you.” |
| D．“ Help to end my way with your love and patience.” |
When couples get married, they usually plan to have children. Sometimes, however, a couple can not have a child of their own. In this case, they may decide to adopt a child. In fact, adoption is very common today. There are about 60 thousand adoptions each year in the United States alone. Some people prefer to adopt infants, others adopt older children, some couples adopt children from their own countries, and others adopt children from foreign countries. In any case, they all adopt children for the same reason --- they care about children and want to give their adopted child a happy life.
Most adopted children know that they are adopted. Psychologists and child-care experts generally think this is a good idea. However, many adopted children, or adoptees, have very little information about their biological parents. As a matter of fact, it is often very difficult for adoptees to find out about their birth parents because the birth records of most adoptees are usually sealed. The information is secret so no one can see it. Naturally, adopted children have different feelings about their birth parents. Many adoptees want to search for them, but others do not. The decision to search for birth parents is a difficult one to make. Most adoptees have mixed feelings about finding their biological parents. Even though adoptees do not know about their natural parents, they do know that their adopted parents want them, love them and will care for them.According to the passage, some couples adopt children because_________
| A．They care a lot about children. |
| B．They need looking after in their old age. |
| C．They want to enrich their life experience. |
| D．They want children to keep them company. |
Why is it difficult for adoptees to find out about their birth parents?
| A．They are usually adopted from distant places. |
| B．Their birth parents often try to conceal（隐藏）their birth information. |
| C．Their birth information is usually kept secret. |
| D．Their adoptive parents don’t want them to know their birth parents. |
Adoptees find it hard to make the decision to search for their birth parents, because____
| A．They generally hold bad feelings towards their birth parents. |
| B．They do not want to hurt the feelings of their adoptive parents. |
| C．They are fully aware of the expenses involved in the search. |
| D．They have mixed feelings about finding their natural parents. |
74.What does the underlined word “infants” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?
| A．teenagers | B．babies over 2-year old |
| C．new babies | D．persons under the age of 18 |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Early adoption makes for closer parent-child relationship. |
| B．Most people prefer to adopt children from overseas. |
| C．Understanding is the key to successful adoption. |
| D．Adoption has much to do with love. |
If cars had wings，they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011.The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012.
“It’s the next ‘wow’ vehicle，”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh.“ Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car plane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute—and fold(折叠) back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go. When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport—you park it in the garage at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000, But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS. Another option is a full-plane parachute. “If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option,” Gersh said.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits. “We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.We can learn from the first paragraph that.
| A．car- planes will be popular in 2012 |
| B．people might drive a car-plane in 2012 |
| C．both Transition and Ferrari can take off and land |
| D．Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts |
lt takes the car-plane one minute to.
| A．fold and unfold its wings |
| B．unfold wings for flying |
| C．land in the airport |
| D．meet flying safety regulations |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.The car-plane needs a runway to take off and land.
B.To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA.
C.The car-plane may fly as high as normal planes.
D.People can park the car-plane in the garage at their home.The underlined word“it”in the last but one paragraph refers to.
| A．the radio | B．the transponder |
| C．the GPS | D．the full-plane parachute |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．A more Convenient and Cheaper Way to Fly. |
| B．Which to Choose: A Ferraris or a Car Plane? |
| C．Cars With Wings May Be Just Around The Corner. |
| D．Cars With Wings Can Fly as Fast as Planes. |
At first, the earth’s surface layer (层) was made up of huge blocks of hard, solid rocks. Then slowly, the rocks broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. Finally stones, pebbles (卵石) and grains of sand were formed. Many sorts of plants and animals lived and died on the surface of the earth. Their remains mixed up with the stones, pebbles and formed soil. The outmost layer of the earth is soil.
There are many ways in which large pieces of rock break into smaller ones. Wind, water, heat and cold help to break up rocks. When winds blow grains of sand against a large rock for a long time, the softer layers of the rock are slowly worn away. These leave holes and cracks in the rock, which become bigger and finally the rock breaks up into smaller pieces.
The moving water of streams and rivers also helps to break up rocks. As the water moves along, it carries with it small pieces of rock. These rub the larger ones. Thus, the larger rocks are worn down to smaller pieces.
The heat of the sun is also helpful to breaking up rocks. When the sun shines, the rocks become very hot. If these rocks are suddenly cooled, they may crack. Ice also plays a part in making soil. Water in the cracks can turn into ice in cold weather. As this happens, it becomes bigger and the cracks become wider, and finally break into smaller pieces.According to the passage, soil____________.
| A．forms very slowly |
| B．is a mixture of stones, pebbles and sand |
| C．makes up the layers of the earth |
| D．is becoming smaller and smaller |
How many factors are mentioned in helping break up rocks?
| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．More than five. |
Which of the following speeds up（加速） the breaks of rocks most?
| A．Hot weather. |
| B．Cold water. |
| C．Sharp changes in temperature. |
| D．More dead plants in the cracks. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The remains of many plants and animals formed soil. |
| B．If a large rock never moves, it will never break up. |
| C．Even if a large rock never moves, it will break up. |
| D．Ice in the cracks helps to break up rocks. |
The best title for this passage should be____________ .
| A．Soil From Rocks |
| B．Ways to Break up Rocks |
| C．Soil on the Earth |
| D．Soil, Outmost Layer of the Earth |
Popeye the Sailor first became a popular cartoon in the 1930s.The sailor in that cartoon ate lots of spinach to make him strong. People watched him, and they began to buy and eat a lot more spinach. Popeye helped sell 33 percent more spinach than before! Spinach became a necessary part of many people’s diets. Even some children who hated the taste began to eat the vegetable.
Many people thought that the iron in spinach made Popeye strong, but this is not true. Spinach does not have any more iron than any other green vegetable.
People only thought spinach had a lot of iron because the people who studied the food made a mistake. In the 1890s, a group of people studied what was inside vegetables. This group said that spinach had ten times more iron than it did. The group wrote the number wrong, and everyone accepted it.
Today, we know that the little iron there is in spinach cannot make a difference in how strong a person is. However, spinach does have something else which the body needs—folic acid. It is interesting to point out that folic acid can help make a person strong. Maybe it was really the folic acid that made Popeye strong all along.A good title for this reading passage is______.
| A．Popeye the Sailor | B．The Truth About Spinach |
| C．Mistake with Numbers | D．Folic Acid Makes You Strong |
Why did many people eat spinach after they saw Popeye the Sailor?
| A．They thought spinach made them strong. |
| B．They thought Popeye was funny. |
| C．Spinach had a lot of iron. |
| D．People liked folic acid. |
A research group told people that spinach______.
| A．made Popeye strong |
| B．was a green vegetable |
| C．had less iron than other green vegetables |
| D．had more iron than other green vegetables |
The reading passage says that perhaps Popeye got his strength from______.
| A．iron | B．folic acid |
| C．spinach | D．exercise |
Folic acid is ______.
| A．something in food | B．a vegetable |
| C．dangerous | D．a certain kind of spinach |