阅读理解
When I was sixteen years old，I made my first visit to the United States.It wasn’t the first time I had been abroad.Like most English children I learned French at school.And I had often been to France，so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn’t understand French.But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language problems.
How wrong I was！The misunderstandings began at the airport.I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Danny a call and tell her that I had arrived.A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me.
“Yes，”I said，“I want to give my friend a ring.”
“Well，that’s nice，”he said.“Are you getting married？But aren’t you a bit young？”
“Who’s talking about marriage？”I replied.“I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her I’ve arrived.Can you tell me where there’s a phone box？”
“Oh！”he said.“There’s a phone downstairs.”
When at last we met，Danny explained the misunderstandings to me.
“Don’t worry，”she said to me.“I had so many difficulties at first.There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from the British.You’ll soon get used to all the funny things they say.Most of the time，British and American people understand each other！”The writer thought ________ in America.
| A．he wouldn’t have any language difficulties |
| B．he would not understand the Americans |
| C．the Americans might not understand him |
| D．he would have difficulty at the airport |
The writer wanted to ________.
| A．buy a ring for his friend |
| B．make a call to his friend |
| C．go to the telephone company |
| D．see his friend off |
From the passage we can see that “give sb.a ring”________．
| A．means “call sb.” to the old man |
| B．means the same in America as in England |
| C．has two different meanings |
| D．means “be going to get married” in England |
In the last paragraph the word “they” refers to ________.
| A．the old man and the boy |
| B．the Americans |
| C．the British |
| D．the French |
Which is RIGHT according to the passage?
| A．American and British English are so different that they can’t understand each other. |
| B．Although American and British English are different，they mostly can understand each other. |
| C．Danny isn’t used to the funny things Americans say. |
| D．The old man couldn’t understand what “I” meant. |
“Little lies” sometimes come to easily to us that we don’t even consider them to be lies. Read about these lies of everyday life:
1.Lying about your age or your kid’s age to get a cheaper ticket.
2.Telling the host of a dinner party that the terrible food he prepared is wonderful.
3.Lying to your aunt about how much you love the gift she gave you---the one that you really hate.
4.Telling a friend with a terrible haircut that she looks great.
5.Lying to a friend about how much you want to see her again when you really don’t
6.Telling the salesperson who calls when you’re watching TV that you’re very busy.
Are these serious lies? Probably not, but if you would lie about your age to a stranger, what’s going to stop you from lying about something more serious later? If we tell a lie or act dishonestly and get what we want, that might make us feel good today. But what about tomorrow? The future results of our lies are uncertain.
Still, no one is saying that everyone can or should be completely honest all the time. More people lie, often for a good reason. Lies are told all the time and are part of our everyday social life. Many times people lie to protect the feelings of other people, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Honesty is usually the best policy, but like any other policy, you have to make exceptions.The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his argument by___________.
| A．making suggestions. | B．explaining reasons and results. |
| C．providing examples and facts. | D．discussing questions. |
The author’s attitude towards little lies is that_________.
| A．he feels very fond of them. | B．he feels they are necessary sometimes. |
| C．he feels strongly against telling little lies. | D．he feels ashamed of telling little lies. |
According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Some people are born liars. | B．People often lie to avoid hurting others. |
| C．Some people can be honest all the time. | D．Little lies are not serious things. |
We are all busy talking about and using the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?
Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way, computer network system would keep on working all the time.
At first the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it, too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers had become cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made “surfing” the Internet more convenient.
Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.
The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people’s life. The Internet has a history of about____________ years.
| A．70 | B．10 | C．50 | D．20 |
A new network system was set up to_____________.
| A．make computers cheaper. |
| B．make itself keep on working all the time. |
| C．break down the whole network. |
| D．make computers large and expensive. |
At first the Internet was only used by_____________.
| A．the government. | B．scientists | C．hospitals and banks | D．schools |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．In the 1960s, computer networks worked well. |
| B．In the early 1970s, the Internet was easy to use. |
| C．Sending e-mail is now more popular among students. |
| D．Today it’s still not easy to get on-line. |
EVENTS(赛事)
Bicycle tour and race
A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27(Sat. & Sun. ). At 
5:30am, the riders will leave Tian'anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometers as a training leg. Then the next 55 kilometers leg, from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be taken from Jixian to Changli.
The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaibe, covering a distance of 20 kilometers. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.
Cost: 20
0 Yuan Telephone: 4675027
Brazilian footballers
The Brazilian Football Club will play Beijing Guo'an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26. The club has four national team players. Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Romario ho has promised to play for at least 45 minutes.
Ticket prices: 60,100,150 Yuan
Time/Date: 4:30 pm, 
August 26(Sat.) Telephone: 5012372
Rock climbing
The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26-27 at the Huairou Mountain-climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators(观众).
Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou.
Time/Dates: 9-12 
am, August 26 and 27
Telephone: 7143177, 7144850, Wang Zhenghua If you take part in the bike tour, you will ride for _________.
| A．35 kilometers | B．55 kilometers | C．75 kilometers | D．110 kilometers |
The underlined word "leg" in "Bicycle tour and race" probably means ________.
| A．race | B．practice | C．part of the training | D．part of the tour |
What is special about the Rock climbing competition?
| A．A foreign team takes part in it. |
| B．You can watch it without paying. |
| C．You don't have to be a sportsman to take part. |
| D．The bus trip to the place of the competition is free. |
If you want to find something to do for Saturday afternoon, which telephone number will you call?
| A．4675027 | B．7143177 | C．5012372 | D．7144850 |
I attended a birthday party in 1991. My teacher was then 59 years old. But her fellow teacher said that we were celebrating her 39th birthday! We were all surprised and puzzled.
After the party I was told by the fellow teacher that American women have a special saying about birthdays. If a woman is over 40, or even if she is 80, her birthday is always the 39th. If she is in her thirties, her birthday will be the 29th. And in her twenties, it’s the 19th. They usually have their “real” birthday when they are below 20.
This shows that American women, especially elderly women, are very sensitive(敏感的) about their ages. But my teacher always says, “We want to be younger,” so about the age of Western women, my advice is that if you don’t know it, don’t ask about it; if you really know it, don’t mention it. The writer felt the birthday party he attended was ___________.
| A．very interesting | B．very strange | C．very common | D．very sensitive |
The writer must be from______________.
| A．Western countries | B．Eastern countries |
| C．China | D．the United States |
In order to please an old Western woman , you can say to her,“____________”
| A．You are so old that you shouldn’t do that. |
| B．How old are you? |
| C．You look so young and beautiful. |
| D．Can I help you, granny? |
The writer wants to tell us__________________.
| A．that a Western woman always celebrates her 39th birthday |
| B．not to ask a Western woman’s age whether you know her well or not |
| C．to ask a Western woman’s age freely |
| D．not to attend an old Western woman’s birthday party |
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 2011.
“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 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 2011 |
| B．people might drive a car-plane in 2011 |
| 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 mcet 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．Cars With Wings May Be Just Around The Corner. |
| B．Which to Choose: A Ferraris or a Car Plane? |
| C．A more Convenient and Cheaper Way to Fly. |
| D．Cars With Wings Can Fly as Fast as Planes. |