There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight, immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.
From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3: 00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle waved with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug. I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.The author had expected the train trip to be _________.
| A．adventurous | B．pleasant |
| C．boring | D．exciting |
What touched the author during the train trip?
| A．The mountains along the way. |
| B．The friendly country people. |
| C．The crowds of people in the streets. |
| D．The simple lunch served on the train. |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “relish” in Paragraph 2?
| A．dislike | B．enjoy | C．release | D．choose |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．Smiles brighten people up. |
| B．Pleasure of living in the country. |
| C．Reading gives people delight. |
| D．Comfort in traveling by train. |
NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues①for water and possible signs of life.
The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples②to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.
Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes③existed in the ice.
Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. “The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth,” Peter Smith said.
True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous④missions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet’s south pole after its rocket engine shut off prematurely, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.
The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.
Notes:
①clue n. 线索
②sample n. 标本，样品
③microbe n. 微生物
④previous adj. 先前的The passage mainly tells readers that _________.
| A．clues of water will be found in Phoenix |
| B．Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars |
| C．August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off |
| D．the Mars Scout program will be carried out |
The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.
| A．on time | B．behind the time | C．out of work | D．ahead of time |
According to the passage, we know Phoenix will land on Mars _________.
| A．in May 2008 | B．in August 2007 |
| C．in August 2008 | D．in September 2008 |
According to the passage, the name “Phoenix” is after the meaning of _________.
| A．rebirth | B．death | C．energy | D．hope |
After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly _________.
| A．find soil samples and send them to the earth |
| B．look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples |
| C．take photos and send them to the earth |
| D．find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander |
CALCUTTA, IndiaMar 24, 2006(AP) —One of the world’s oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life.
Addwaita, which means “the one and only” in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century. Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial① rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767. Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive②, living in Clive’s garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875.
“According to records in the zoo, the age of the giant tortoise, Addwaita, who died on Wednesday, would be about 250 years,” said zoo director Subir Chowdhury. That would have made him much older than the world’s oldest documented③ living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo’s Web site. She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.
Aldabra tortoises come from the Aldabra atoll④in the Seychelle islands in the Indian Ocean, and often live to more than 100 years of age. Males can weigh up to 550 pounds. Addwaita, the zoo’s biggest attraction, had been unwell for the last few days, said local Forest Minister Jogesh Burman.
“We were keeping a watch on him. When the zoo keepers went to his enclosure on Wednesday they found him dead,” Burman said.
Notes:
①colonial adj. 殖民的
②thrive v. 茁壮成长
③documented adj. 备有证明文件的
④atoll n. 环礁
Choose the best answers according to the above:According to the passage, Addwaita ________.
| A．was sent to India as a gift by British government |
| B．was sent to India by British sailors in 1767 |
| C．lived together with three other Aldabra tortoises in India |
| D．belonged to Lord Robert Clive for some time |
By now, the oldest animal in the world is about at ________.
| A．176 years old | B．100 years old | C．250 years old | D．200 years old |
In the last few days before Addwaita died, he ________.
| A．had been sent to hospital for treatment |
| B．had been playing with travelers |
| C．had been found not better than before |
| D．had stayed in his enclosure for days |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．An Old Aldabra Tortoise Died in India |
| B．A Remarkable Life: Tortoise Dies at 250 |
| C．A Special Kind of Tortoise — Addwaita |
| D．The Oldest Animal Aldabra Tortoise Died |
In the past ten years, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players.
When Michael Jordan and Larry Bird won gold in Barcelona in 1992, the Americans were praised for teaching the world how to play basketball. This season, however, 20 percent of NBA rosters① will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.
The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.
“Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy② in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of Chinese centre Yao Ming has paved the way for the NBA marketing blitz in China. The NBA, which is broadcasted in more than 200 countries in 42 languages, will put that to the test in October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.
“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout③ internationally,” said Terry Lyons, the NBA’s vice-president of international public relations. “It has increased the level of competition here.” As Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Emanuel Ginobili showed in winning championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs last season, many people can earn the respect of their American peers. Others, such as the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 —and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic —number two overall in this year’s draft —are icons④in-waiting. It is the ultimate⑤ revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.
Notes:
①roster n. 花名册
②strategy n. 战略，策略
③scout vt. 寻找，觅得
④icon n. 偶像
⑤ultimate adj. 最后的，根本的
Choose the best answers according to the above: According to the report, ___.
| A．Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA |
| B．the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great |
| C．Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA |
| D．European countries will host the 2004 NBA games |
The underlined phrase “take China by storm” has the meaning of ___.
| A．NBA intends to make China its “marketing center” |
| B．NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China |
| C．there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings |
| D．the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China |
. What seems to be the biggest change that is happening to NBA?
A. NBA is expecting more foreign players to join the league.
B. China’s rapid development in sports affects NBA.
C. Yao Ming has taken the place of Michael Jordan.
D. The NBA will stop teaching the world how to play basketball. When the writer talked of “home soil”, he was referring to __.
| A．farms in the States | B．native Americans |
| C．the NBA training center | D．the USA |
Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?
| A．The Non-American Basketball Players | B．NBA Is Coming to China |
| C．The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA | D．NBA Is Making Big Progress |
A typical① Chinese Internet user is a young male who prefers instant messaging to e-mail, seldom makes online purchases② and favors news, music and games sites. According to a study, about two-thirds of survey participants③ use the Internet for news — often entertainment-related — or for online games. About half download music and movies.
They also tend to prefer instant messaging to e-mail, and they are depending on the Internet more frequently than before to communicate with others who have the same professions, hobbies and political interests. Online purchases still remain unpopular in China. Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet, and only 10 percent make purchases even once a month. Among those who do buy online, most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards, or computer hardware or software.
“Many people don’t trust the quality of goods bought online,” Guo said Wednesday. “If they buy it in a store and don’t like it, they can easily bring it back.”
The survey was done in five major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha. Results do not necessarily project countrywide because Internet use in rural areas is lower than in cities. Guo describes the typical netizen④ in the five cities surveyed as young, male, richer and more highly educated. Males make up two-thirds of the Internet community, and more than 80 percent of users are under 24. Among people ages 25 to 29, 60 percent to 80 percent go online.
China has more than 100 million people online, second in the world to the United States.
Notes:
① typical adj.典型的
② purchase n. / v. 购买
③ participant n. 参与者
④ netizen n. 网民
Choose the best answers according to the above:A typical Chinese Internet user will be the one who _________.
| A．likes to send e-mails | B．likes to buy goods online |
| C．likes to pay for entertainment | D．likes the games sites |
Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because _________.
| A．it is more difficult for sales returns |
| B．people haven’t computers |
| C．people can’t have a look at the goods |
| D．goods bought online are of low quality |
Which of the following words fails to describe the typical netizens in the five cities?
| A．well educated | B．richer | C．female | D．young |
According to the text, which of the following shows the right relation between online people and their ages?
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
Japanese scientists have taken the first photographs of one of the most mysterious creatures in the deep ocean — the giant squid①.
Until now the only information about the behavior of the creatures which measure up to 18 meters (59 feet) in length has been based on dead or dying squid washed up on shore or captured②in commercial fishing nets.
But Tsunemi Kubodera, of the National Science Museum, and Kyoichi Mori of the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association, both in Tokyo have captured the first images of Architeuthis attacking bait③900 meters below the surface in the cold, dark waters of the North Pacific. “We show the first wild images of a giant squid in its natural environment,” they said in a report in the journal Proceedings B of the Royal Society.
Little is known about the creatures because it has been so difficult to locate and study them alive. Large ships and specialist equipment, which is costly, are needed to study deep sea environments.
The Japanese scientists found the squid by following sperm whales, the most effective hunters of giant squid, as they gathered to feed between September and December in the deep waters off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands in the North Pacific. They used a remote long-line camera and depth logging system to capture the giant squid in the ocean depths.
The most dramatic character of giant squids is the pair of extremely long tentacles④, distinct from the eight shorter arms. The long tentacles make up to two-thirds of the length of the dead specimens⑤to date. The giant squid appear to be a much more active meat-eating animals than researchers had thought.
Notes:
① squid n. 鱿鱼
② capture vt. 捕获
①bait n. 鱼饵
②tentacle n. 触角，触须
③specimen n. 标本，样本The passage mainly tells us that ________.
| A．Scientists captured a giant squid alive |
| B．Scientists captured a giant squid on camera |
| C．giant squids are special meat-eating animals |
| D．giant squids mainly live in the deep sea |
According to the passage, we can infer that the word “Architeuthis” should refer to ________.
| A．a scientist | B．the sperm whale | C．a big ship | D．the giant squid |
Which of the following about giant squids is TRUE?
| A．They like living the cold and deep waters. |
| B．They mainly feed on the dead fish. |
| C．They like playing, using their tentacles. |
| D．They have only eight arms around the mouth. |
According to the passage, the scientists located the giant squid ________.
| A．through a remote long-line camera |
| B．by using depth logging system |
| C．by following sperm whales |
| D．by using the bait to attract them |