Italy is one country where beauty is prized more than any other virtue. That is, except in the small town of Piobbico, the self-declared World Capital of Ugly People. The road sign at the edge of the town even warns visitors that they are entering the ugly zone. People who consider themselves ugly have been gathering in Piobbico since the 1960s. That’s when Ugly Club president Telesforo Lacobelli established a dating agency for women who believed they were too ugly to attract husbands. Lacobelli believes that he is ugly himself because he has a short nose in a country where long or large noses have always been considered beautiful.
People from around the world travel to Piobbico to tell their sad stories of ugliness. During the annual Festival of the Ugly, which occurs on the first Sunday of every September, hundreds of people gather in Piobbico’s town square to elect the president of the Ugly Club. Lacobelli wins the election every year. The Ugly Club has over 20, 000 members. They carry ID cards that grade their ugliness from bearable to extreme. A prize is awarded to Ugly Club members who qualify as extremely ugly.
The Ugly Club president insists that ugliness is a virtue. Since beautiful people get a lot of attention for their beauty alone, they have to work hard to prove their other virtues. Ugly people, on the other hand, are genuine and do not have to prove anything to anybody, according to Lacobelli.
Lacobelli is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere. He believes that the uglier one is, the better life can be. Though the club enjoys making fun of beauty, especially beauty contests, Lacobelli has a serious side as well. He believes that too many people suffer from financial and emotional pressures because they don’t meet society’s standards of beauty. The fact that beautiful people are more successful in the workforce is a problem that Lacobelli has attempted to bring forward to the Italian public and government.
Piobbico is rather special in that .
| A．it is a very small town |
| B．it is home to ugly people |
| C．it receives no visitors |
| D．it is the capital of Italy |
Why is Lacobelli elected the president of the Ugly Club every year?
| A．Because he is the ugliest person in the whole world. |
| B．Because his ugliness is always graded as bearable. |
| C．Because he is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere. |
| D．Because he has won the members’ trust and admiration. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Ugly people are most respected in Italy. |
| B．The Festival of the Ugly is held every two years. |
| C．Ugly people are unfairly treated in society. |
| D．The uglier one is, the better life he or she lives. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Ugly Capital of the World |
| B．The Ugliest Person of the World |
| C．Festival of the Ugly |
| D．Beauty Contests Should be Banned |
In the early 1990s,the word” Internet” was strange to most people. But today, Internet has become a useful tool for people all over the world. Maybe Internet has been the greatest invention in the field of communication in the history of mankind（人类）.
Communicating with others on the Internet is much faster. We can chat with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. We can e-mail our friends and they can read the e-mails within a minute. Giving all kinds of information is probably the biggest advantage of the Internet. We can use search engines to find the information we need. Just type in a keyword or keywords and the search engine will give us a list of suitable websites to look at.
We can enjoy a lot on the Internet by downloading games, visiting chat rooms or surfing （浏览）websites. There are some games for free. We can meet new and interesting people in the chat now. We can also listen to music and see films.
Now ,there is a lot of service on the Internet such as online banking ,job finding and ticket buying. We can also do shopping and find nearly all kinds of goods. Sometimes we can find something that is quite good but very cheap.How many main advantages of the Internet are talked about in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
What fact doesn’t the passage provide?
| A．We can find almost anything we want to know on the Internet. |
| B．Some games on the Internet are free. |
| C．We can buy most things we need on the Internet. |
| D．Goods on the Internet are more expensive than those in real shops. |
Which title best gives the main idea of the passage?
| A．Online Shopping |
| B．Exchanging Information on the Internet |
| C．The Advantages of the Internet |
| D．Surfing the Websites on the Internet |
A small man went to a cinema, bought a ticket and went in. But after two or three minutes he came out, bought a second ticket and went in again.
After a few minutes, he came out again and bought a third ticket. Two or three minutes after that, he came out a third time and asked for another ticket.
But the girl said to him, “Why are you buying all these tickets? Are you waiting for friends in the cinema all the time?”
“No, I am not doing that,” answered the small man. “But a big woman always stops me at the door and tears (撕)my ticket up.”
The girl smiled and sold him another ticket.One day a small man went to _____.
| A．a shop | B．a hospital | C．a post office | D．a cinema |
The small man bought _____ tickets in all.
| A．five | B．three | C．four | D．six |
The big woman _____.
| A．didn’t let the small man in |
| B．was the ticket collector (收票员) |
| C．didn’t like a small man at all |
| D．was the doorkeeper (看门人) |
The small man _____.
| A．enjoyed the film very much |
| B．didn’t like the film at all |
| C．didn’t see the film at all |
| D．was very clever |
The girl ______.
| A．was the ticket seller | B．was the doorkeeper |
| C．was the ticket collector | D．was the small man’s friend |
You can see lots of kangaroos (袋鼠) in Australia, and not only in zoos but also outside the cities and towns. You can see them everywhere. Kangaroos are very popular in Australia. They have very strong legs, so they are very good at jumping. Their tails （尾巴） are very strong, too, so when they want to have a rest, they rest on their tails. Kangaroos are also good at looking after their babies. Mother kangaroos keep their babies safe in their pockets.There are many kangaroos _____.
| A．from Australia | B．in America | C．in Australia | D．from America |
Where can we see kangaroos in Australia?
| A．in cities | B．in towns | C．in parks | D．everywhere |
Why are kangaroos very good at jumping?
| A．because they are very healthy |
| B．because they have strong tails |
| C．because they have strong legs |
| D．because they have big pockets |
How do kangaroos rest when they want to rest?
| A．on their legs | B．on their hands | C．on their tails | D．on their back |
What are kangaroos good at doing?
| A．they are good at looking after their babies |
| B．they are good at jumping |
| C．they are good at resting on their tails |
| D．A, B and C |
Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today. People didn’t have modern machines. There was no modern medicine, either.
Life today has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Water pollution has made our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us talk louder and become angry easily. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It is bad for all living things in the world.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. We need to do many other things. We should put waste things in the dustbins instead of on the ground. We can go to work by bus or with our friends in the same car. If there are fewer people driving, less pollution will be made. Rules are not enough to solve the problems. Every person must help to fight pollution.Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today because _____.
| A．there were not any modern machines | B．there was no modern medicine |
| C．there were not many people | D．both A and B |
What is the most serious problem in today’s life?
| A．water pollution | B．air pollution | C．noise pollution | D．pollution |
Why do people speak louder now than before?
| A．people are stronger | B．people are afraid of nothing |
| C．there is much noise | D．people have problem in hearing |
What does the writer ask readers to do?
| A．each country should make its own rules to fight pollution |
| B．every person must help to fight pollution |
| C．all people should take buses |
| D．we should control the population |
From the passage, we know that _____.
A. the pollution is not serious
B today people don’t talk in loud voice
C. we have to drink dirty water
D. people are making rules to control pollution
The world is not hungry, but it is thirsty. It seems strange that nearly 3/4 of the earth is covered with water while we say we are short of water. Why? Because about 97% of water on the earth is sea water which we can’t drink or use for watering plants directly. Man can only drink and use the 3% the water that comes from rivers and lakes. And we can’t even use all of that, because some of it has been polluted.
Now more water is needed. The problem is: can we avoid a serious water shortage later on? First, we should all learn how to save water. Secondly, we should find out the ways to reuse it. Scientists have always been making study in this field. Today, in most large cities water is used only once and then runs to the sea or rivers. But it can be used again. Even if every large city reused its water, still there would not be enough. What could people turn to next?
The sea seems to have the best answer. There is a lot of water in the sea. All that needs to be done is to get the salt out of the sea water. This is expensive, but it’s already in use in many parts of the world. Scientists are trying to find a cheaper way of doing it. So you see, if we can find a way out, we’ll be in no danger of drying up.The world is thirsty because ___________.
| A．3/4 of the earth is covered with water |
| B．we have enough sea water |
| C．we haven’t used all the water in rivers and lakes |
| D．about 97% of water on the earth can’t be drunk or used for watering plants directly |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．3% of drinkable water on the earth is from rivers and lakes. |
| B．75% of water on the earth is in the sea. |
| C．97% of the earth is covered with water. |
| D．3% of water on the earth is sea water. |
From the passage we learn that __________.
| A．if every city reuses its water, we’ll be in no danger of drying up |
| B．man can only drink and use about 25% of water on the earth |
| C．today in most large cities water is used only once |
| D．water can be used only once |