Johnson went to Penquay for the weekend. He arrived there late on Friday evening. The landlady of the guest house, Mrs. Smith, answered the door and showed him to his room. Johnson was very tired and went straight to bed. He slept well and didn’t wake up until nine o’clock the next morning.
Johnson went downstairs for breakfast. Because there were no other guests, Mrs. Smith invited him to have breakfast with her family. Her only daughter, Catherine, about 13, was already sitting in the dining-room. Mrs. Smith went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Johnson noticed there were four places at the table and asked Catherine if there was another guest. Catherine told him that it was an empty place. And it used to be her father’s place. Her father had been a fisherman. Three years before he had gone out in his boat, and had never returned. Her mother always kept that place for him and made his breakfast every morning. Catherine showed him his photo on the wall. Johnson said nothing, but looked very puzzled (迷惑不解). At that moment Mrs. Smith returned. She served four cups of tea, and put one in the empty place. Looking at the empty chair, Johnson was more puzzled.
Suddenly, Johnson heard footsteps outside the door and a tall man with a black beard walked into the room. Johnson looked scared. It was the man in the photo. He jumped up and ran out of the room. The man asked, “What’s the matter?” Catherine said, “I don’t know. He’s a guest from London. He’s here because a tall man with a black beard tried to kill him.” “Catherine,” the man said, “have you been telling stories again?” “Stories, father? Me?” the girl laughed.Why did Mrs. Smith invite Johnson to have breakfast with her family?
| A．He woke up too late for his breakfast. |
| B．There was an empty place at the table. |
| C．He was the only guest on that day. |
| D．Her daughter wanted to talk with him. |
Who was the tall man with a black beard?
| A．Another guest. | B．Catherine’s father. |
| C．A friend of the family. | D．Johnson’s enemy. |
What does the word “scared” probably mean?
| A．Excited. | B．Upset. | C．Frightened. | D．Calm. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Catherine’s father got lost on the sea. |
| B．Mrs. Smith does not love her husband. |
| C．Johnson may be killed by the man. |
| D．Catherine is fond of telling stories. |
Three Boys and a Dad
Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother. Expecting a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months. “This will be like a walk in the park,” he’d told his wife. “I’ll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom.”
Things started well, but just after eight o’clock, his three little “good kids”—Mike, Randy, and Alex—came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted “breakfast, daddy.” When food had not appeared within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex’s head as if it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat(节拍). Mike chanted “Where’s my toast, where’s my toast,” in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.
Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy’s underwear on his head. Randy locked himself in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, although they were before their very eyes. Someone named “Not Me” had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.
By ten o’clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his colour pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the family room, but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad realized that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.
At exactly11:17, Brad called the daycare centre(日托所). “I suddenly have to go into work and my wife’s away. Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes? ” The answer was obviously “yes” because Brad was smiling.When his wife left home, Brad expected to __________.
| A．go out for a walk in the park |
| B．watch TV talk show with his children |
| C．enjoy his first day off work |
| D．read the newspaper to his children |
Which of the following did Randy do?
| A．Drew on the wall. | B．Ate apple jam. | C．Fed the fish. | D．Read in a room. |
Who is “Not Me”(underlined in Para.3)?
| A．One of the family’s neighbor | B．The father |
| C．One of the three kids | D．The text doesn’t mention |
Why did Brad ask the daycare centre for help?
| A．Because he wanted to clean up his house |
| B．Because he suddenly had to go to his office. |
| C．Because he found it hard to manage his boys. |
| D．Because he had to take his wife back home. |
This text is developed _________.
| A．by space | B．by comparison | C．by process | D．by time |
GCSEs not fit for purpose
GCSEs（General Certificate of Secondary Education，普通中等教育证书）encourage "teaching to the test" and may be past their sell-by date, according to Britain's leading business organization. The Confederation of British Industry（CBI） warns that the qualification is stopping teachers delivering an "inspirational classroom experience" and should be replaced.
John Cridland, the CBI director general, said industry faced a shortage of key skills, particularly in science and maths. The CBI（英国工业联合会）, which represents more than 240,000 companies, is also concerned about the 40% of young people who fail to achieve the benchmark of five good GCSE passes including English and maths. The percentage of pupils who reach this standard is the main measure of school success.
Speaking at the launch of a CBI inquiry into education, Cridland argued that abandoning GCSEs could help deliver a full education. "There's something about this GCSE limitation which produces a form of learning ------ teaching for the test.’’
"It frustrates teachers because it stops them delivering that inspirational classroom experience."
The CBI head suggested that raising the school leaving age to 18 – a change that comes into effect in 2015 – is an opportunity to reform the system. "It seems to me that we've raised the participation age to 18 and we're left with an education system that focuses on 16," said Cridland. More than 600,000 children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to take GCSEs this summer.
Many other countries do without a public exam at 16. Finland, the highest performing school system in Europe, has just one public exam, at 18, though children are regularly tested at younger ages. What does the author intend to tell us in paragragh1？
| A．“Teaching to the test” should be encouraged. |
| B．We should stop teachers delivering “inspirational experience”. |
| C．The current qualification is out of date and should be replaced. |
| D．The Confederation of British Industry should be replaced. |
What’s the main idea of the passage？
| A．The British GCSEs are no longer practical and should be reformed. |
| B．In the GCSEs system , teachers don’t have freedom. |
| C．Five good GCSEs is hard to achieve. |
| D．The British Education Department will reform education system. |
The meaning of the underlined word “benchmark” in paragraph 2 may be ______.
| A．success | B．target | C．standard | D．excellent grades |
Where can we find this article?
| A．TV series | B．radio news |
| C．newspaper education section | D．government report |
Bicycle lights may not exactly be a problem that needs solving, but the following can be said about most of them ---- they’re easily stolen if left on an unattended bike. People riding at dusk can forget to turn them on, and those same people can forget to turn them off when they reach their destination. Well, the makers of the Blink/ Steady Bike Light have set out to address all of those shortcomings.
The waterproof(防水的) Blink/ Steady is so far only available as a tail light, although a head light is on the way. It’s fixed onto the bike’s seat post. A built- in photosensor(感光器) tells when it’s become dark enough for the light to be required, and allows it to come on once you begin the riding. According to the producers, it isn’t fooled by things such as headlights or streetlights. The light also contains an accelerometer, also known as a motion sensor, which can tell when the bike is in motion.
Between the two sensors, this means the light will come on only once it’s dark enough, and the bike is moving. Even when stopped at red lights, the small movements of the rider will reportedly be enough to keep the light activated---- it’ll go out after 30 seconds of complete inactivity. While this does mean that the two sensors are continuously powered up, they go into a very low---- power sleep pattern when the bike is sitting, unused.
Light is provided by two5- watt LEDs, seeable over a range of 180 degrees. And power comes from two AAA batteries, which provided up to 200 hours of continuous run time. The designers and engineers behind the Blink/ Steady are now raising money for its commercial production. About US $95 will get you one if they become available.The first paragraph is mainly to mean that______.
| A．bicycle lights are worth a research |
| B．bicycle lights are not a problem at all |
| C．bicycle lights are easy to deal with |
| D．bicycle lights are difficult to turn off |
According to the text, the Blink/Steady Bike Light is sensitive to______.
| A．the weather | B．streetlights | C．headlights | D．natural light |
Why is there an accelerometer in the Blink/ Steady Bike Light?
| A．To protect the bike against water. |
| B．To tell if the bike is moving. |
| C．To make the bike easy to ride. |
| D．To judge the speed of the bike. |
What can be inferred about the Blink/ Steady Bike Light?
| A．It will be turned off immediately if the bike stops. |
| B．The traffic lights have no effect on the light. |
| C．It won’t use any power if the bike is unused. |
| D．It must meet two requirements if it comes on. |
Poor weather. Technical difficulties. These are some of the typical causes of cancelled trains and planes. But sometimes, the excuse can be a lot more trivial.
Just recently, passengers waiting for a train to Peterborough heard the following announcement, “For reasons beyond our control, we regret to inform passengers that the 13:46 Train to Peterborough has been cancelled. The next train will be arriving on Platform in approximately 36 minutes.”
Oh, well, another delayed train, thought most passengers. But a couple of them decided to enquire further. Incredibly, they were informed that the real reason for the non-arrival of the train was that the driver refused to do his job because his seat was wet.
“A wet seat? That’s got to be a joke,” said one passenger angrily. “I wouldn’t normally complain if the train is just a bit delayed, but this was unbelievable, ” he added. “What really made me angry is that this driver refused to get in the train,” said another passenger. “He probably went off for a cup of tea after that!” she added.
A spokesperson for the rail company apologized for the incident, but said the driver couldn’t sit on the damp seat, and wouldn’t be able to drive the train standing up. The spokesperson went on to explain that the seat had become wet after water entered through an open window when the train was being cleaned in a “train wash”
In another transport-related incident, a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in Canada after the pilot spilled his coffee. Apparently, the spilt liquid caused the plane’s radio to send out “transponder code 7500”, which is used to inform ground control that there’s been a hi-jacking (劫机). After landing in Toronto, the 255 passengers crew members were put up in a hotel for the night, then flown on to Frankfurt the following afternoon. “What a disgusting trip!” said one tired passenger after the painful experience had ended.
So, does your job have the potential to cause such disorder?Why did the driver of the train refused to do his job?
| A．His seat was damp. | B．His pay was low |
| C．The weather was terrible | D．His coffee was spilled |
The underlined word “trivial” in Paragraph 1 means “____”.
| A．damp | B．unimportant | C．emergent | D．convincing |
The flight made an emergency landing in Canada because “_______”.
| A．the plane was hijacked |
| B．the plane engines went wrong |
| C．the pilot ran out of coffee |
| D．the plane’s radio sent out a wrong signal |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Wet seat, Canceled Train! |
| B．Spilled Coffee, Emergency Landing! |
| C．Small Incident, Big Disruptions! |
| D．Innocent Driver, Angry Passengers! |
ANIMALS have always been used to represent certain human characteristics. Countries also use animals as symbols. From eagles to lions, many countries use an animal to show its national spirit and character.
The image of an eagle is on the US President’s flag, and on the one-dollar bill. The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail. The term “bald” does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the old word piebald, that menas, “marked with white”.
The US declared that the eagle was its national bird in 1782. It was chosen because of “its long life, great strength, and noble looks”.
A few eagles have even become American heroes. An eagle named “Old Abe”, the mascot of a Wisconsin troop of soldiers during the Civil War, traveled 14,000 miles with its men. He was often shot at by the enemy, but survived 42 battles.
But, one of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin didn’t agree with the choice. “The bald eagle … is a bird of bad moral character, like those among men who live by robbing, he is generally poor, and often very messy,” he argued. Franklin wanted the turkey as the country’s national bird.
If Americans chose their national symbol deliberately, the symbol of England arose out of history.
King Herry Ⅰ(1068-1135) was a brave warrior but also wise. His appreciation for the rule of law earned him the nickname the Lion of Justice. He was the first English King to use a lion as a royal symbol, which is popularly known as the “king of the jungle”. By the year Richard Ⅰ, known as “The Lionheart” for his bravery, came to the throne in 1189, the famous Three Lions badge had been formed. Now it can be seen on the shirts of England’s sports teams.
Although people might not think of lions when they think of England, everyone knows about the Australian kangaroo. Legend has it that the kangaroo gets its name from an early meeting between local aborigines and white settlers. When asked by the Europeans what these strange-looking animals were, a native replied “kangaroo”, meaning “I don’t understand you.”
The kangaroo is an individualistic animal. Although it does gather in groups, the kangaroo is not a herd animal. If a group is attacked, individuals run off in different directions. Australians think the kangaroo represents positive values, such as individual responsibility and pride.The general idea of this passage should probably be __________ .
| A．animals are friends of human beings |
| B．nearly all the countries have an animal as their national animal |
| C．animals’ good values are always used to show a country’s national spirit and character |
| D．certain human characteristics are the same as some animals, so some countries love animals |
Which is NOT true about the animal of the “bald eagle”?
A. It was Benjamin Franklin who made the bald eagle as the national animal of the USA.
B. The term “bald” means “marked with white”.
C. The bald eagle can show American national spirit and character.
D. “Old Abe” was even an American hero.The reason why the lion was made as the national animal of the United Kingdom was that ______ .
| A．it could always be used to represent certain human characteristics of England |
| B．the Kings of England loved lions |
| C．there are many lions in England |
| D．lions are “king of the jungle” |
What good values can the kangaroo show as national spirits?
| A．Group. | B．Respect of others. |
| C．Not understanding | D．Positive values. |