Ed Viesturs grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where the tallest thing on the horizon was the water tower. But on Thursday, Viesturs became the only American to climb to the top of the world's 14 highest mountains.
His last hike was up Mount Annapurna, in Asia's snowcapped Himalayas. At 26, 545 feet, its peak is the 10th highest in the world. It is the mountain that inspired him to start climbing.
"It tends to be the trickiest, the most dangerous, said Viesturs."There's no simple way to climb it. There are threatening avalanches (雪崩) and ice falls that protect the mountain."
In high school, Viesturs read French climber Maurice Herzog's tale of climbing the icy Annapurna. Herzog's story was of frostbite (冻伤) and difficulty and near-death experiences. Viesturs was hooked right away.
Viesturs got his start on Washington's Mount Rainier in 1977, guiding hikes in the summer. Fifteen years ago, he set out to walk up to the world's highest peaks. Finally, he's done.
The pioneering climber talks about mountains as if they were living creatures that should be treated with respect. "You have to use all of your senses, all of your abilities to see if the mountain will let you climb it," said Viesturs. "If we have the patience and the respect, and if we're here at the right time, under the right circumstances, they allow us to go up, and allow us to come down."
What's next for a man who can't stop climbing? "I'm going to hug my wife and kids and kind of kick back and enjoy the summer," says Viesturs. But for a man who's climbed the world's 14 tallest mountains, he will probably soon set off on yet another adventure.What record has Ed Viesturs set?
| A．He has succeeded in climbing to the world's 14th highest mountain. |
| B．He has been to the top of the world's 14 highest mountains. |
| C．He has become the first to climb to the height of 26, 545 feet. |
| D．He has become the first man to climb to the top of 14th highest mountains in the world. |
The underlined word "hooked" in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by "__________".
| A．frightened |
| B．discouraged |
| C．interested |
| D．upset |
The author used Viestures' words in Paragraph 6 to support a view that __________.
| A．mountain climbing is a dangerous sport |
| B．mountains should be regarded as living creatures |
| C．mountain climbing needs more skills than physical energy |
| D．those who like mountain climbing won't stop climbing |
What's the next probable plan of Viestures?
| A．Stopping climbing and staying with his family. |
| B．Climbing to the top of the world's 14 tallest mountains again. |
| C．Climbing another one of the highest mountains. |
| D．Writing down the experiences about his adventure. |
A man was walking on a mountain when he found an amazing cave. Stored inside were all kinds of treasure and precious stones. When he saw it, he concealed the cave entrance and stayed there, guarding it.
From that day on, the man hid all his valuables in the cave, and to avoid anyone suspecting he was rich, he gave up his job, his home, and his friends. He constantly watched the approaches to his cave, wanting no one to find out about it. Fearing thieves, he guarded the cave all night long.
He was so devoted to the cave that he hardly ate or drank. Before long, he fell ill. Many days passed, and he got thinner and sicker, losing all his strength. One day, when he could hardly move at all, he realized that it was his greed that had brought him to this extreme end. He understood that guarding his treasure had been of no use and no good. He decided to share it with others.
He crawled (爬) into the cave to fetch some jewels, but discovered that the cave was almost empty. All he could find was a small emerald (绿宝石). He took it and left the cave, intending to give it to the first person passing by. Soon a woman approached and accepted the emerald with great joy. The man said to her, “I could have given you many more riches, but I don’t know where they went. This is all I have now.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing else?” replied the woman. The man shook his head and pointed to the cave. He found that some riches were still there; he saw some gold coins. He said, “Take them with you.” The woman took both the emerald and the coins, and went away happily.
In a while, an old man passed by and asked the man what he was doing there. The man replied, “What bad luck! Just a moment ago I gave a woman the few riches left over from the treasure I was guarding.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing else?” The old man asked him.
The man showed him the cave, and they found a box filled with jewels and gold. The man was shocked. The old man explained to him, “At last! At last someone has freed himself from the spell (咒语) of this cave. You see, this is a magic cave, and you’re the first to pass its great test. Many people have devoted their lives to this cave, only to end up realizing there’s nothing here ...”
“And why does this happen?” said the man. “Why does the treasure appear and disappear?”
“My son, this magic cave has as many riches as does your own heart. When someone discovers it, the cave fills with the treasure they bring with them, but later, when they all devote themselves to guarding the treasure, their hearts begin emptying, and so does the cave. The only way to fill it is to fill your heart with all that is good, as you did by giving that last jewel to the woman. That’s the reason why the cave was filling up again ...”
And so, the man understood it was better to share than to keep things to himself. And, from that day, thanks to the cave and the old man, the man became ever more noble (高尚的) and generous.The underlined word “concealed” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “_____”.
| A．built | B．covered |
| C．discovered | D．used |
After the man fell ill, he intended to ______.
| A．tell others about his story |
| B．take all the treasure home |
| C．give some of the treasure to other people |
| D．return the treasure to the woman and the old man |
What happened to the man in the end?
| A．He became more generous. |
| B．He became the richest man in the world. |
| C．He became more careful about his health. |
| D．He became more grateful to others for their help. |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．Be a good listener. |
| B．Don’t be angry with others. |
| C．We should learn to share. |
| D．We ought to help each other. |
Today, roller skating （滑旱冰）is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball(化妆舞会). He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forget Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!The text is mainly about ____.
| A．a strange man |
| B．an unusual party |
| C．how roller skating began |
| D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he ____.
| A．often gave others surprises |
| B．was a gifted musician |
| C．invented the roller skates |
| D．was full of imagination |
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ____.
| A．impress the party guests |
| B．arrive at the party sooner |
| C．test his invention |
| D．show his skill in walking on wheels |
What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
| A．The roller skates needed further improvement. |
| B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool. |
| C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation. |
| D．Merlin got himself into trouble. |
Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially our spoken English.
Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers. You may find the information you need.
| Global English Centre * General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing * 3-month (700 yuan ), 6-month ( 1,200 yuan ) and one-year (2,000 yuan ) courses. * Choice of morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day, Mon.—Fri. * Experienced college English teachers. * Close to city centre and bus stops. Tel: 67605272 Add: 105 Zhongshan Road 100082 |
| Modern Language School * Special courses in English for business, travel, banking, hotel management and office skills. * Small classes (12 — 16 students) on Sat.& Sun. from 2:00 — 5:00 pm. * Native English teachers from Canada and USA. * Language lab and computers supplied. * 3-month course:1,050 yuan; 6-month course: 1,850 yuan Write or phone: Modern Language School, 675 Park Road, 100056 Tel: 67353019 |
| The 21st Century English Training Centre * We specialize in effective(卓有成效的)teaching at all levels. * We offer morning or afternoon classes, both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan. * We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holidays. * Entrance exams: June 1 and Dec. 1 * Only 15-minute walk from city centre. Call 67801642 for more information |
| The International House of English * Three / Six-month English courses for students of all levels at very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient(方便的)class hours: 9:00 — 12:00 am and 2:00 — 5:00 pm. * A four-month evening program for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes). * Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as a second /foreign language. * Free sightseeing and social activities(活动) * Very close to the Central Park. For further information call 67432308 |
You work from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm every day. Which schools will you choose?
| A．Global English Centre and Modern Language School |
| B．Global English Centre and the International House |
| C．Modern Language School and the 21st Century |
| D．The 21st Century and the International House |
The 21st Century is different from the other three schools in that ____.
| A．its teaching quality is better |
| B．it is nearest to the city centre. |
| C．its courses are more advanced |
| D．it requires an entrance examination |
If you take the evening program at the International House, you will pay ____.
| A．60 yuan | B．240 yuan |
| C．720 yuan | D．960yuan |
If your friend wants to take a course in English for hotel management, he may call at _____ for class information.
| A．67605272 | B．67353019 |
| C．67801642 | D．67432308 |
Peter Onruang, a Hollywood businessman, has paid $310,000 to clone his best friend Wolfie, a lovely dog. He said, “Wolfie was more than just a pet to me.” Wolfie died two years ago, at the age of 15. But long before she and her sister Bubble passed away, Onruang had plans to bring them back to life. Onruang said, “I buried them at home. Each time I visit them, I say, ‘Hi, I’m making a new body for you.’”
Finally, Onruang found the South Korean biotechnology company RNL Bio, which can and will clone animals. Onruang collected his dogs’ stem cells (干细胞), and then he started a website MyFriendAgain.com, so he could earn and save the $310,000 that the cloning would cost.
The new dogs should look identical (完全相同的) to Wolfie and Bubble. When the cloning process is done, Onruang may end up with several clones of each dog. But Onruang admits he’s still not sure that they will be exactly the same.
Scientists cloned the first animal, a sheep named Dolly, in 1996 in Scotland. That project has raised ethical (伦理的) questions about where science should draw the line. Another question is whether such technique will lead to a day when humans could be cloned.
“If I had an opportunity to clone myself, I would do it readily,” Onruang said. “Because it’s me, I’m raising myself. I have already known exactly my strengths and weaknesses. This person is going to be the new and improved me, and will live the life I’ve always wanted to live.”Onruang started the website MyFriendAgain.com in order to .
| A．encourage more people to clone their pets |
| B．draw people’s attention to cloning |
| C．raise money to pay for the cloning |
| D．collect his dog’s stem cells |
The purpose of the fourth paragraph is to tell us .
| A．when and where scientists cloned the first sheep Dolly |
| B．people are in favor of the clone technology |
| C．cloning will be of great benefit to humans |
| D．there are arguments about the clone technology |
What is Onruang’s attitude towards cloning humans?
| A．He is enthusiastic about it. |
| B．He doesn’t care about it. |
| C．He strongly opposes it. |
| D．He never thinks about it. |
Tracey Hermanstorfer's heart stopped beating and her son Coltyn appeared lifeless after the Caesarean(剖腹产术)section on Christmas Eve. However a few minutes after he was born, both began breathing again. Dr Stephanie Martin told Good Morning America she could not explain how the pair survived. Mrs Hermanstorfer and her husband Mike told the American television show that their baby was now healthy and that they were doing “good” following the drama at Colorado Springs Memorial Hospital.
The couple, who already had two children, had to go into the hospital seven weeks earlier than planned. Her husband, 37, said his wife was tired after receiving an epidural(硬脑膜外麻醉)during the labour(分娩)but after closing her eyes, she “wasn't waking up”．She stopped breathing and she is believed to have suffered a heart attack before her heart stopped beating entirely.
Dr Martin said she was called in and that the outlook was grim（严酷的） since in most situations like this，“despite the best efforts of the team”, the mother was often unable to be revived. In that case doctors then tried to focus on delivering the baby but when he was born he was “completely lifeless”．
Mr. Hermanstorfer told the Associated Press news agency，“I had everything in the world taken from me, and in an hour and a half I had everything given to me.”
Dr Martin said she did not have a“great explanation”for why Mrs Hermanstorfer's heartbeat returned. “Somewhere between four and five minutes she had been without heart rate and had stopped breathing a minute or two prior to her heart stopping，”she said. The doctors were then able to bring the baby back to life, and the mother was alive after that.
Despite tests, she said doctors were still not sure about what had happened. However Mrs Hermanstorfer and her husband Mike have said they believed it was down to a miracle. She said：“I got a second chance in life.”What might have happened to Tracey Hermanstorfer just before her heart stopped beating?
| A．She became unconscious. |
| B．She took a nap. |
| C．She had a bad headache. |
| D．She suffered a heart attack. |
Which of the following is the correct order of what happened to Tracey Hermanstorfer?
a．suffering a heart attack
b．stopping heart beating entirely
c．stopping breathing
d．coming back to life
e．receiving an epidural
f．producing a baby
| A．a c f d b e | B．f c a d b e |
| C．e a c b f d | D．e a b c f d |
Which of the following words best expresses Dr Martin's attitude towards Tracey Hermanstorfer's coming back to life?
| A．Shocked. | B．Puzzled. |
| C．Normal. | D．Curious. |