Many years ago there was a huge oil refinery fire in a small town. Flames shot hundreds of feet into the air. The sky was thick with grimy black smoke. The heat was intense—so intense that firefighters had to park their trucks a block away and waited for the heat to die down before they could begin to fight the fire. However, it was about to rage out of control.
Then, all of a sudden, from several blocks away came a fire truck racing down the street. With its brakes screeching, it hit the curb in front of the fire. The firefighters jumped out and began to battle the blaze. All the firefighters who were parked a block away saw this, and they jumped into their trucks, drove down the block and began to fight the fire, too. As a result of that cooperative effort, they were just barely able to bring the fire under control.
The people who saw this teamwork thought, “My goodness, the man who drove that lead fire truck—what an act of bravery!” They decided to give him a special award to recognize him for his bravery in leading the charge.
At the ceremony the mayor said, “Captain, we want to honor you for a fantastic act of bravery in leading the charge. You prevented the loss of property, perhaps even the loss of life. If there is one special thing you could have—just about anything—what would it be?”
Without hesitation, the captain replied, “Your Honor, a new set of brakes of my truck would be great!” How was the captain probably feeling when his truck charged down the street to the fire?
| A．enthusiastic | B．encouraged |
| C．embarrassed | D．upset |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The captain was driving his truck fast because he was in a hurry to fight the fire. |
| B．There was something wrong with the brakes of the truck. |
| C．The mayor praised the captain for his honesty. |
| D．The people decided to honor the captain because he fought the fire bravely. |
Why did all the firefighters park their trucks a block away from the fire?
| A．Because they were waiting for the captain to arrive. |
| B．Because the smoke was too thick to see anything. |
| C．Because the fire was about to go out of control. |
| D．Because they had to wait for the intense heat to die down a bit. |
I had been rather proud of myself when my friends and family got the ticket, whether it was for speeding, parking or stop sign violations (违反). It was something that happened to others. But last Friday I joined the club.
I was asked to do a new project last week. On Friday morning on my way to work, I suddenly remembered that I had spent the past six weeks without considering that I had a week’s vacation planned during that time. I was very disappointed with myself for not remembering it.
The truth is that I was not paying enough attention to my driving and I did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign in front of a school. I was so distracted (思想不集中的) that I didn’t even notice I had a policeman on my tail with his lights flashing. Finally I looked in my mirror and caught on.
The policeman was rude and took my papers. Fortunately, I had everything up to date and since I had never had a ticket before, there was nothing for him to do but write me a ticket. While I was sitting there in the seat of “shame”, I felt bad. If I had been that distracted and a child had run onto the road, perhaps I would have not reacted as well as I could have. It was a wake-up call.
People at work asked me if I tried to talk my way out of it（为自己开脱）. Frankly, it never occurred to me. I felt sorry. Now I no longer have a clean driving record. Please be careful out there, as a moment’s distraction can lead to tragedy.What is this passage mainly about?
| A．The writer’s most unforgettable experience. |
| B．How the writer got her first ticket. |
| C．An accident caused by the writer. |
| D．Why the writer is always so careful. |
The underlined part “the club” in Paragraph I here refers to __________.
| A．people who are crazy about driving cars |
| B．a club for drivers without much experience |
| C．people who get tickets for breaking traffic rules |
| D．a club for people to talk about their driving stories |
What made the writer unable to focus on her driving?
| A．Planning how to spend the vacation. |
| B．Thinking of the forgotten vacation. |
| C．Thinking about her work |
| D．Missing her children. |
When the writer received the ticket, she __________.
| A．felt lucky that she was an experienced driver |
| B．was so nervous that she shook all over |
| C．was ashamed（愧疚的）of herself for being distracted |
| D．was worried about being laughed at |
Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by travelling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South Africa. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan.
Magellan sailed from Seville in August 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the severe （凌冽的） winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel （海峡） which is now called Magellan Straits. In November 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America.
They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they didn’t see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were in the Philippines., Magellan was killed in battle.
The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail around Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan’s expedition （探险队）.Magellan Straits were discovered by Magellan ______.
| A．in August 1519 | B．in October 1520 |
| C．in November 1520 | D．in December 1520 |
The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was ______.
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
| A．Dangers from rocks and storms | B．Lack of fresh food and water |
| C．Severe winter in Patagonia | D．The death of Magellan |
For more than twenty years scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio. The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages on spaceships traveling through space, on the chance that someone may be receptive （善于接受的） to such messages.
Scientists are using powerful radio telescope to listen to signals from about 1,000 stars, all within 100 light years of earth. In addition, they will scan (扫视) the entire sky to “listen” for radio messages from more distant stars. Using a computer, they will be able to monitor more than eight channels at one time. Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise.
Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy （银河星系）, scientists find that five percent are like our sun. Perhaps half of them have a planet like earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for the evolution of life. Based on the inhabitable (that can be lived in) planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are likely that one or more of these planets support some life.
However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent （有智力的） life exists on other planets. Some believe that twenty years of searching without any intelligible （可理解的） messages shows that no one is out there. They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely.
Other scientists believe that our search hasn’t been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our sun family in only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billions years old. In that time, some scientists think it is likely that civilizations are much more advanced than ours. Perhaps these civilizations （文明） send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking.According to the passage, how many planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable?
| A．5 billion | B．10 billion | C．15 billion | D．200 billion |
The first paragraph in this passage is mainly about ______.
| A．how scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
| B．why scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
| C．where scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
| D．when scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
The underlined word “monitor” in the passage means “______”.
| A．find | B．follow | C．check | D．form |
Which of the statements is TRUE based on the information in the passage?
| A．The earth is one of the oldest planets in our galaxy. |
| B．Most scientists believe that there is intelligent life on other planet. |
| C．Scientists are trying different ways to find signs of life on other planet. |
| D．Scientists don’t believe that there might be life on other planets. |
People celebrate birthdays in almost every country on earth. And they celebrate them in many different ways.
In China and in Japan, for example, the arrival of New Year is more important than a person’s birthday. So everyone adds a year to celebrate their ages on New Year’s Day, instead of on their birthdays,
In Brazil, the special birthday food isn’t cake, but special candles. In China, it’s long noodles—for long life. In Iceland, people have pancakes with candies rolled inside them on birthdays.
In Britain, a birthday is an all-day celebration. At school, the birthday child is lifted up and “bumped” by his classmates. This means the child is lifted by the feet and arms and bumped to the ground, once for each year once for good growth. In Israel, the same custom is followed, except the birthday person is lifted and lowered while sitting in a chair.
In Holland, children not only get presents, but also give things out. They give cakes, cookies and candles to their classmates and teachers on their birthdays.
In Mexico, it’s good luck to give birthday greetings as early in the day as possible. So it’s usual for the birthday child to be woken up at midnight by fiends singing birthday songs.
In India, birthday celebrations also begin before dawn. Prayers and blessings must be said before morning comes.
In Thailand, two tall candles are lighted the night before the birthday. One is as tall as the birthday person. If it goes out early, it’s bad luck. Another customs of Thailand is that they buy live fish and birds for the birthday person and then the birthday person frees the animals, and it brings good luck.
In Nigeria, people in a certain age group celebrate their birthdays together, on a certain day.
In many countries birthday customs are changing. Old customs are giving way to western style of birthdays, with candle topped cakes. But one thing never changes—birthdays are special days for everyone!It’s a custom to lift and lower the birthday person in a chair in _____.
| A．Britain | B．Israel |
| C．Britain and Israel | D．Israel and Thailand |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．In Thailand people give fish and birds to the birthday person as presents. |
| B．In Holland people give presents to unbirthday persons on their birthdays. |
| C．In Nigeria people who were born in the same period may celebrate their birthdays on the same day. |
| D．In Thailand a candle will be lighted on the birthday night. |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．Different countries have different birthdays. |
| B．Celebrating birthdays is exciting. |
| C．Different ways of celebrating the birthday in different countries. |
| D．Everyone likes celebrating his or her birthday. |
Every day, about one-quarter of American adults eat at fast-food restaurants. Cheap, tasty, and convenient, fast food is rich in fat and calories, and it’s low in fiber and nutrients. Thanks in large part to fast food, half of America’s adults and one-quarter of its children are fat, double the rate of a generation ago. In the past two decades, eating habits have changed as people pay more attention to their health. However, many Americans continue to eat red meat (beef in particular) as well as pork, chicken and other foods. Although beer and wine are popular in most areas, many Americans abstain from alcohol, because they think they will become healthier without drinking it. Various kinds of mineral water are commonly available.
Eating styles and habits vary between people of different backgrounds, but Americans generally eat with the fork in the hand with which they write. A knife is used for cutting and spreading; otherwise, it is laid on the plate or table. Fast foods, such as chips, fried chicken, hamburgers, and pizza, tend to be eaten with the fingers. There is an obvious difference between what people may do at home or in a fast-food restaurant, and how they act in a more formal restaurant. Because both parents often work outside the home, some Americans are less likely to sit down as a family to eat once the children are older and able to prepare their own food or serve themselves.How many adults became fat after eating fast foods a generation ago?
| A．12.5% of them | B．25% of them |
| C．50% of them | D．75% of them |
American have changed their eating habits in the past twenty years because ______.
| A．they want to keep healthy |
| B．economy develops faster |
| C．they have different backgrounds |
| D．they have to work outside |
The underlined phrase “abstain from” in Para. 1 probably means ______.
| A．feel like | B．get close to | C．suffer from | D．get rid of |
We can infer from the passage ______.
| A．some fast foods aren’ t eaten with tools in America |
| B．Americans always eat fried chicken with a knife |
| C．Americans prefer to eat outside than at home |
| D．Americans always go home having meals as a family |
Which would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Fast foods in the US. |
| B．Various cultures of the US. |
| C．Diet and eating in America. |
| D．Changes about Americans eating. |