“Don't worry if you have problems!” It is easy to say until you are in the midst of a really big one. The only people who don't have troubles are gathered in little neighborhoods. Most communities have at least one. We call them cemeteries. If you're breathing, you have difficulties. It's the way of life. And believe it or not, most of your problems may actually be good for you! Let me explain.
Maybe you have heard the Great Barrier Reef, stretching some 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. Tour guides regularly take visitors to view the reef.
On one tour, a traveler asked the guide an interesting question. "I notice that the lagoon (泻湖) side of the reef looks pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colorful," the traveler observed. Why is this?
The guide gave an interesting answer, "The coral around the lagoon side is in still water, with no challenge for its survival. It dies early. The coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind, waves and storms. It has to fight for its survival every day. As it is challenged and tested, it changes and adapts. It grows healthy. It grows strong. And it reproduces."
Then he added, “That's the way it is with every living organism.”
That's how it is with people. Challenged and tested, we come alive! Like coral pounded by the sea, we grow. Physical demands can cause us to grow stronger. Mental and emotional stress can produce tough-mindedness and resiliency. Spiritual testing can produce strength of character and faithfulness. So, you have problems? No problem! Just tell yourself, "There I grow again!"
Remember: A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.Who has no problems according to the passage?
| A．The persons who are very famous. |
| B．The persons who have much money. |
| C．The persons who have been born. |
| D．The persons who are living in the cemeteries. |
In the writer's opinion, ________.
| A．problems bring us much trouble |
| B．problems have two sides, good or bad |
| C．we should try to stay away from any trouble |
| D．the fewer things we do, the less trouble we'll meet |
The reason why lagoon side of the reef has no life is _______.
| A．it hasn't got any sunlight |
| B．it has less energy than others |
| C．it never faces any challenge and tests |
| D．it has no work to do every day |
After reading this passage, we should ________.
| A．regard any problem as challenge |
| B．learn from the lagoon side |
| C．worry your problem |
| D．enter into cemeteries |
B
Daniel Defoe (about 1660～1731) was an important novelist in the English literature(文学). When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism(资本主义). He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until that he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to every hosehold very soon.
“Robinson Crusoe” can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe’s three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson’s characters are clearly shown.
Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, He was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24, 1731.
6. Deniel Defoe was ______ and the writer of ______.
A.an Englishman, “A Tale of Two Cities” B.an American, “A Million Pound Note”
C.a French, “The Lost Necklace” D.an English, “Robinson Crusoe”
7. How old was he when he began to write his famous novel Robinson Crusoe?
A.He was in his sixties. B.He was in his fifties.
C.He was over 60. D.He was sixty.
8. Robinson Crusoe can be divided into ______ parts and the first is about _______.
A.two, his lonely life B.three, his characters
C.three, his journeys by sea D.four, his fame
9. “Every household” in this passage means ______.
A.all members of a family B.all people
C.every building D.persons living in the same house
10. What was Defoe’s contribution to the English literature?
A.He wrote a very interesting story.
B.He made people happy while reading his story.
C.He set a milestone of the modern English novel.
D.He was active in politics and was against capitalism.
六、阅读理解 (20分)
A
Mark Twain tells a boy’s story in The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. Huck is a poor child, without a mother or home. His father drinks too much alcohol and always beats him.
Huck’s situation has freed him from the restriction of society. He explores in the woods and goes fishing. He stays out all night and does not go to school. He smokes.
Huck runs away from home. He meets Jim, a black man who has escaped from slavery(奴隶制). They travel together on a raft(木筏) made of wood down the Mississippi River.
Mark twain started writing “Huckleberry Finn” as a children’s story. But it soon became serious. The story tells about the social evil of slavery, seen through the eyes of an innocent child. Huck’s ideas about people were formed by the white society in which he lived. So, at first, he does not question slavery.Huck knows that important people believe slavery is natural, the law of God. So, he thinks it is his duty to tell Jim’s owners where to find him.
Later, Huck comes to understand that Jim is a good man. He finds he cannot carry out his plan to inform Jim’s owners of his whereabouts(下落). Instead, he decides to help Jim escape. He decides to do this, even if God punished him.
1. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The outline (概要) of The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.
B. The childhood of Huckleberry.
C. The reason why Mark Twain wrote the story.
D. The effect of slavery.
The underlined word “restriction” probably means _________.
A. something that you are expected to do.
B. something that you are not allowed to do.
C. something that you are able to do.
D. something that you look forward to.
3. The underlined expression “he does not question slavery” means that ________.
A. he is sure about everything of slavery.
B. he has no question to ask the owner of the slaves.
C. he thinks that slavery is reasonable.
D. he believes that slavery is wrong.
4. What can he inferred from the text?
A. Huck is a white boy.
B. Huck’s childhood is a reflection(反映) of that of Mark Twain’s.
C. It ’s Huck’s situation that makes him decide to travel with Jim.
D. Huck will be punished by God for what he does.
5. Why does Huck change his mind at last?
A. He has made friends with Jim.
B. He finds out the weakness of slavery.
C. God tells him to do so.
D. He finds that Jim is a good man
D
We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning.
We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. As we are used to passive learning, it’s not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers.
Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is nothing but hearsay and rumor (谣言).
Did you ever play the game Rumor? It begins when one person writes down a message but doesn’t show it to anyone. Then the person whispers it, word for word, to another person. That person, in turn, whispers it to still another, and so on, through all the people playing the game. The last person writes down the message word for word as he or she hears it. Then the two written statements are compared. Typically, the original message has changed.
That’s what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative understanding to a story, trying to improve on it, stamping (打上标记) it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it think they know.
This process is also found among scholars and authors: A statement of opinion by one writer may be re-stated as fact by another, who may in turn be quoted by yet another; and this process may continue, unless it occurs to someone to question the facts on which the original writer based his opinion or to challenge the explanation he placed upon those facts.
48. According to the passage, passive learning may occur in _______.
A. doing a medical experiment B. solving a math problem
C. visiting an exhibition D. doing scientific reasoning
49. The author mentions the game Rumor to show that _____.
A. a message may be changed when being passed on
B. a message should be delivered in different ways
C. people may have problems with their sense of hearing
D. people tend not to believe in what they know as rumor
50. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Active learning is less important.
B. Passive learning may not be reliable.
C. Active learning occurs more frequently.
D. Passive learning is not found among scholars.
C
Today， we have a world economy. Canadian businesses and workers must compete with businesses and workers in other countries.
Every year， more Canadian factories are closing or moving。 They cannot compete with factories in countries where wages（工资） are low. In the future, there will be fewer jobs for factory workers in Canada.
Many Canadian businesses are trying to spend less money. For example, they are hiring more part-time workers and more temporary(临时的) workers. They are employing fewer permanent(永久的)full-time workers. More services, fewer goods. Canada’s economy is changing. Businesses are making fewer goods(for example: shoes and radios). But Canadian businesses are providing more services to people.
In the future, there will be more jobs for people who provide services. For example: sales people, waiters and waitresses, home health care workers, bakers and cooks.
There will be fewer jobs for other kinds of workers(for example: farmers , miners , fishermen, forestry workers and factory workers).Many new jobs will be in small businesses with 20 or 30 employees. Technology machines are changing the way people work. Business are using many machines (for example: computers and robots).
Businesses will need fewer workers. And some jobs will disappear. Many grown-ups will have to go back to school or train for new jobs. Workers will not stay in the same job for their lifetime. The population of Canada is changing.
Today, many Canadians are in their 30s and 40s. They need goods and services. As they get older, they will need different goods and services.
Canadians come from many cultures. They have different customs and religions. Employers and workers must learn to work with many different people.
44. World economy means_________ to Canada.
A. closing and moving B. competition
C. low wages D. improvement
45. Which of the following will be fewer in the future in Canada?
A. Restaurants B. Shops C. Doctors D. Farmers
46. Businesses will need fewer workers because_____________.
A. the owners can’t afford them
B. some jobs will disappear
C. machines will take the place of workers in many ways
D. the workers will have to be trained for new jobs
47. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
.A. Many people who come from different cultures will work together.
B. All Canadians have the same culture and religion
C. Different cultures will do good to Canada
D. Many Canadians will change their jobs in the future.
B
A new computer treatment is being used to deal with obesity in children. Connected to a small dining set, consisting of (包括) scales and a plate, a mini computer teaches children how to eat and reminds them when to stop.
“In very fat people, hunger signals from the stomach to the brain stop functioning. But the new computer system teaches the children how to receive these messages again,” says Dr. Julian Hamilton-Shield, the Bristol University senior lecturer leading the treatment trials.(实验)。
The computer , called a Mandometer, records and stores the weight loss from the plate when children eat. As the food is leaving the plate , a curve( 曲线)is produced on the computer screen suggesting whether the child is eating too quickly.
“Children with weight problems often eat too quickly. We want them to eat steadily稳定地） and slowly and the system teaches them to slow down. It’s a bit like retraining, ” says Hamilton-Shield.
Obesity now represents (代表) one of the major threats to the future health of children. About one in five boys and one in four girls aged two to fifteen in England are overweight. But so far no treatments have proven effective in treating children.
The Mandometer was developed in Sweden, but at present is experiencing further development at the University of Bristol, with $ 224,400 in funds from BUPA-a global health and care organization. The system could be on the market in two years’ time. At first, it would be managed by medical clinics(诊所).
40. The text is mainly written to explain____________.
A. how a new computer treatment dealing with obesity works.
B. why child obesity becomes a topic of people
C. how to lose weight with the help of computers.
D. why a computer is effective(有效的) in dealing with child obesity.
41. The word” functioning” in paragraph 3 probably means________.
A. eating B. working C. lasting D. losing
42. Obesity threatens the health of children , which__________.
A. people have not cared about
B. is nothing compared with other diseases.
C . has led to many deaths
D. is very serious
43. What can we learn from the text?
A. The Mandometer will be put into market once it proves effective.
B. The Mandometer is cheap enough for every family to afford
C. The Mandometer is still not perfect
D. Slow eating is sure to make people lose weight.