Sports account for a growing amount of income made on the sales of commercial time by television companies. Many television companies have used sports to attract viewers from particular sections of the general public，and then they have sold audiences to advertisers.
An attraction of sport programs for the major U. S. media companies is that events are often held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons—the slowest time periods of the week for general television viewing. Sport events are the most popular weekend programs, especially among male viewers who may not watch much television at other times during the week. This means the television networks are able to sell advertising time at relatively high prices during what normally would be dead time for programming.
Media corporations also use sports to attract commercial sponsors that might take their advertising dollars elsewhere if television stations did not report certain sports. The people in the advertising departments of major corporations realize that sports attract male viewers. They also realize that most business travelers are men and that many men make family decisions on the purchases of computers, cars and life insurance.
Golf and tennis are special cases for television programming. These sports attract few viewers, and the ratings (收视率)are unusually low. However, the audience for these sports is attractive to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, including many lawyers and business managers. This is why television reporting of golf and tennis is sponsored by companies selling high-priced cars，business and personal computers，and holiday trips. This is also why the networks continue to carry these programs regardless of low ratings. Advertisers are willing to pay high fees to reach high-income consumers and those managers who make decisions to buy thousands of “ company cars” and computers. With such viewers，these programs don't need high ratings to stay on the air. Television sport programs on weekend afternoons __________.
| A．result in more sport events |
| B．get more viewers to play sports |
| C．make more people interested in television |
| D．bring more money to the television networks |
Why would weekend afternoons become dead time without sport programs?
| A．Because there would be few viewers. |
| B．Because the advertisers would be off work. |
| C．Because television programs would go slowly. |
| D．Because viewers would pay less for watching television. |
In many families, men make decisions on __________.
| A．holiday trips |
| B．sports viewing |
| C．television shopping |
| D．expensive purchases |
The ratings are not important for golf and tennis programs because __________.
| A．their advertisers are carmakers |
| B．their viewers are attracted by sports |
| C．their advertisers target at rich people |
| D．their viewers can afford expensive cars |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Television ratings are determined by male viewers. |
| B．Rich viewers contribute most to television companies. |
| C．Sports are gaining importance in advertising on television. |
| D．Commercial advertisers are the major sponsors of sport events. |
I got my first driver’s license in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte，North Carolina．Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman．Henry and I were living in Baltimore，Maryland．Two weeks before my 20th birthday，Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon．When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’s license，ready to renew，the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21．“Mr. Henry Smith，your husband，will have to sign for you,” he said．
I argued，pointing to a very large belly(肚子) of mine，“I am married．I am having a baby．Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?”He answered coldly．“It’s the law，madam.”
Henry encouraged me to calm down，just go ahead and get the license and be done with it．“No，”I said．I refused to have him sign for me．So I left without a Maryland license．
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle office and renewed my NC license by mail--using my name Susan Brown．And thus it was for the next twelve years．Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license．By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland，and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam．Since then I just go in and renew every four years--sign the name Susan Brown，have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive．Susan got her first driver’s license_______．
| A．before she got married to Henry |
| B．when she was twenty years old |
| C．after she finished high school |
| D．when she just moved to Maryland |
Susan failed to renew her license the first time in Maryland because_____．
| A．she was forbidden to drive by Maryland law |
| B．she lacked driving experience in Maryland |
| C．she was to give birth to a baby soon |
| D．she insisted on signing for herself |
We can infer from the text that in the U.S.___________．
| A．American males should serve in the army |
| B．different states may have different laws |
| C．people have to renew their licenses in their home states |
| D．women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage |
Language-learners who say they never or hardly ever use dictionaries often speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. So they do not have time to read much. Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give only one or two words as translations (翻译) of English. But one English word often has many translations in a foreign language and one foreign word has many translations in English.
The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them too often. When they are reading, these students first try to get the general idea and understand new words from the context. Then they reread and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. If they are not sure how to spell a word, or divide it into syllables (音节), they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check these in a dictionary.Students who never use dictionary speak well but write poor, because_______
| A．They can’t remember words. |
| B．They may make mistakes. |
| C．They are not interested in writing. |
| D．They are afraid of writing. |
According to the passage, which of the following is right?
| A．Students who never use dictionary can speak well and write well. |
| B．Whatever new words you meet while reading, just look them up in the dictionary. |
| C．Small two-language dictionaries are bad for learning English. |
| D．An English word only has one translation. |
When does the writer advise students to use a good dictionary in reading?
| A．At the beginning of the reading |
| B．At the end of the reading |
| C．During the first reading |
| D．After the first reading |
This passage mainly tells us .
| A．that students shouldn’t use small two-language dictionaries |
| B．what were the defects (缺点) of small two-language dictionaries |
| C．why students should use large college edition dictionaries |
| D．what dictionary students should choose and how to use it |
Which is not mentioned in this passage?
| A．How to make good use of a dictionary. |
| B．When to use a dictionary. |
| C．How to improve spoken English. |
| D．How to practice reading fast. |
“This is the BBC News at Eight O’ Clock.”
…
“Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year. This year it has increased to 140 billion yuan.”
“The children of Beijing No.2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate the 20thanniversary. They had been sister schools since 1986. They spent about two weeks together in Beijing. They visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park.”
“Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by Japanese company could be the answer. The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags. The robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006. ”
“About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 “Rock Paper Scissors(剪刀)” World Match in Canada. This event was founded in 1842. It is said playing this game is fun, and also a good way to solve problems among people.”
…
“And now it’s time for Morning Music.”The students from Canada and Beijing No. 2 Middle School didn’t ________.
| A．take photos | B．visit the Great Wall |
| C．visit the Summer Palace | D．have a football match |
This year during the first three days of the May Golden Week, it cost Chinese people ___________ yuan more than that of last year.
| A．260 billion | B．120 billion | C．140 billion | D．20 billion |
Which of the following is not talked about in the news?
| A．The robot can help with shopping bags. |
| B．A Japanese company invented the robot. |
| C．The robot was tested at a shopping centre. |
| D．There are such robots in people’s homes now. |
The underlined word “anniversary” means .
| A．founding |
| B．yearly return of the date of an event |
| C．university |
| D．the new beginning of something important |
Which of the following is a game?
| A．Rock Paper Scissors | B．May Golden Week |
| C．Shopping assistant robot | D．A visit to the school |
At present time, roller skating (滑旱冰) is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments (工具). In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll (滚动). Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise.
Nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.The first paragraph tells us that people began to skate on wheels from 1750 because _______.
| A．it is very easy | B．it is very exciting |
| C．Joseph Merlin’s instruments | D．it is very popular |
People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________. .
| A．he slept and dreamed a lot |
| B．he was full of different ideas and dreams |
| C．he invented the first roller skates |
| D．he always made people’s dreams come true |
___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.
| A．Merlin’s work | B．Merlin’s violin |
| C．A huge mirror | D．An important party |
What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?
| A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating. |
| B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention. |
| C．Everyone was surprised at him. |
| D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Joseph Merlin’s Story |
| B．How Roller Skating Was Invented |
| C．A Surprising Entrance to the Party |
| D．Violin and roller skating |
When he was a boy, Tim was much influenced（影响） by the books about the sea, but in fact by the age of fifteen he had decided to become a doctor rather than a sailor. His father was a dentist and as a result, Tim had the opportunity of meeting many doctors either at home or elsewhere. When he was fourteen he was already hanging around the clinic (诊所) of a local doctor where he was supposed to help to wrap up medicine bottles, but was actually trying to listen to the conversations taking place between the doctor and his patients in the next room.
During the war Tim served in the Navy (海军) as a surgeon (外科医生). “That was the happiest time of my life. I was dealing with very real suffering and on the whole making a success of it.” In California he taught the country people simple facts about medicine. He saw himself as a life-saver. He had proved his skills to himself and his ability to take decisions. Thus, while he was able to tell them what to do, he could feel he was saving them. After the war, he got married and chose to be a doctor in the countryside, working under an old doctor who was popular in the area, but who hated the sight of blood and believed that the secret of medicine was faith. This gave the young man many opportunities to go on working as a life-saver.Tim decided to be a doctor when he was________.
| A．fourteen | B．fifteen |
| C．serving in the Navy | D．working in clinic |
Tim decided to become a doctor mainly because________
| A．his father wanted him to be so. |
| B．his father was a surgeon. |
| C．he had read many books about medicine. |
| D．he had chances to know many doctors and know about what doctors did. |
Which of the following is not true?
| A．during the war, Tim was a surgeon in the Navy. |
| B．he taught the country people simple facts about medicine in California. |
| C．after the war, he married the old doctors’ daughter. |
| D．Tim worked as a life-saver after war. |
From the passage we can infer(推出) that Tim_________.
| A．was sent to Europe during the war. |
| B．was not afraid of blood. |
| C．decided to give up his doctor career. |
| D．regarded himself as a life-saver. |
The passage is mainly about________
| A．Tim’s life story | B．Tim’ dreams | C．Tim’s marriage | D．Tim’s patients |