If you want to know how crazy people can be about their pets, you might remember that Helmsley left $12 million to her little Maltese dog when she died last year.
The dog's name is Trouble. And apparently Trouble is still alive. Of course, I would hang on, too, if someone left me $12 million. Look! Top-shelf dog food, soft pillows everywhere, drivers walking me in nice leafy parks. I would live to be 110 in dog years.
The dog's story is still fresh in my mind the other night when I leave a steak house after a superb meal. Then I notice a woman carrying a small bag out of the door behind me.
Once outside, she walks over to where a man is holding a tiny dog and it's a baby. The dog looks like a Maltese, too, barking and annoying, with a cute haircut,
And now I am treated to an absolute astonishing sight. Because now the woman reaches into the bag and begins pulling out little pieces of meat, which she puts on a plastic spoon and feeds to the dog.
This is no cheap steak house. It's actually, way out of my league --I'm there only because it's a special occasion. I can tell you this: if I walked out of the place with any leftover steak, it sure wouldn't go to a dog. Not at those prices.
So now the woman is Spoon-feeding the dog and the man is just standing there, holding this dog and looking as if this is the most normal thing in the world. And the dog is calmly chewing these pieces of steak as if he's a little king. And this dog is in no hurry. He's having a great time.
A few minutes go by, and now the dog finishes all of his steak. At this point, I hear the woman say to the man "Think he's still hungry?" And she glances behind her at the restaurant, as if she might go back in there to get more steak for the dog.
Watching all this, I'm afraid I'm going to shout, "Are you out of your mind? Feeding all that pricey steak to that little dog? Did you see what our American life is like today? We're all going to be eating dog food if this keeps up!"Why would the author live to be 110 in dog years?
| A．Because he is always in poor health and falls ill. |
| B．Because a Maltese dog lives longer than a human being. |
| C．Because his grandparents left him a large sum of money. |
| D．Because he thinks the dog is treated extremely well. |
What is the story mainly about?
| A．An American family's happy life. |
| B．A Maltese dog getting $12 million from its owner. |
| C．A New Yorker spending $ 8 billion for a few banks. |
| D．A pet dog being fed with expensive food. |
The underlined sentence "It's actually way out of my league. " (in Para. 6) means __
| A．the restaurant is too expensive for the author |
| B．the author hates the dog being taken there |
| C．the superb restaurant is about to be out of service |
| D．the dog doesn't belong to the author's group |
Seeing the dog is being treated to expensive steak, the author becomes extremely ____
| A．indifferent | B．annoyed |
| C．concerned | D．envious |
Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany. As a child, he was slow to learn to talk. As a pupil, he was backward. But when he was fourteen years old, he became clever. He taught himself maths from textbooks. He studied hard because he wanted to be a physicist.
In 1901, Einstein began teaching. In 1902 he continued his studies at the University of Zurich. Several years later, he formulated(系统地阐述)his famous Theory of Relativity(相对论).To most people the law of relativity is difficult to explain. But once Einstein explained it to a group of young students. He said,” When you sit with a good girl for two hours, you think it is only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That is relativity."
After Hitler came into power in Germany, Einstein went to America. In 1940 Einstein became an American citizen. In 1955, Einstein's life ended at the age of seventy-six.
36. When Einstein was a pupil of twelve, he _______.
A. was not quick in learning to talk B. was poor in his studies
C. studied very hard D. hardly lagged behind
37. The law of relativity is_______ .
A. very hard for most people to understand
B. too hard for Einstein himself to explain
C. too hard to explain to anybody except Einstein
D. easy to understand only for the young students
38. Which of the following do you think is true?
A. The Germans owed their scientific progress to Einstein.
B. The Americans owed all their economic development to Einstein.
C. Einstein owed a great deal to the modern world.
D. Einstein made a very great contribution to modern science.
39. The title for this passage should be " _______ ".
A. Theory of Relativity B. An American Citizen
C. Albert Einstein D. Einstein's Contribution
There is an English saying:“ laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter had similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial .
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated(忍耐)the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain .
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.
46.Doctors have proved the following EXCEPT that.
A. smiling does good to health
B. laughter can be tolerated
C. there is a way to reduce pain
D. laughter can work the muscles in the feet
47.The main idea of the passage is.
A. laughter and physical exercise have similar effects on the human body
B. smile can produce the same effects as laughter
C. pain can be reduced by laughter
D. laughter is the best medicine
48.The students who tolerated the pain for the longest time .
A .listened to different radio programs
B .slept in the room
C. don’t have stress of pain
D .listened to a funny program
49.The underlined word “diminish” is similar to.
A. test B .stop C. reduce D. find
50. Doctors hold laughter clinics _________.
A .to give better condition to their patients
B .in order to improve patients’ health
C .to make patients smile
D. to prove smile and laughter have the same effect
Hamsters are lovely small animals which are similar to mice，and some people 1ike to keep them as pets．They need to eat a balanced diet，or they can become very sick．That’s why hamsters should be fed healthy foods．
Most pet stores sell hamster mix．This is a combination of foods that are just right for hamsters．Some hamsters are picky eaters．They don’t eat anything they don’t like，so you have to find a hamster mix that your hamster will like．Most hamsters only eat a few tablespoons a day．You should feed them at the same time every day，or you can just keep your hamster’s bowl full．Remember to clean the bowl at least once a week．Hamsters also drink a lot of water，so be sure to keep the water supply full and fresh．Just like people，hamsters like treats．Besides the hamster mix，you can sometimes feed your hamster seeds，nuts，and some other people food．You should never feed your hamster anything unless you are sure that it is safe for hamsters．Feed your hamster carefully，and always take good care of your pet !43．If hamsters don’t have a balanced diet，they will．A．become sick B．drink water C．store food D．feel fresh44．What does the underlined sentence “some hamsters are picky eaters” mean?A．They pick food with tools． B．They mix food once a week．C．They find their food in stores． D．They only eat the food they like．45．What’s the passage mainly about?A．Where to keep hamsters． B．When to buy hamsters．C．What to feed hamsters． D．Why to raise hamsters．
Jenny was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw a circle of white pearls（珍珠） in a box. “Oh please, Mommy .Can I have them? Please, mommy, please!”
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little box and said ,” That’s almost $2.00. If you really like them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.”
Then Jenny began doing more chores at home and did housework for neighbors. On her birthday, Grandma gave her another new dollar bill and she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. She wore them everywhere, even to bed.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?”
“Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.”
“Then give me your pearls.”
“Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my Princess.”
“That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night. ”And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s daddy asked for the pearls again. And Jenny refused him again.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. As he came close, he noticed one silent tear rolling down her cheek.
“What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?”
Jenny didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little necklace. She finally said, “Here, Daddy. It’s for you.”
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand to reach into his pocket and pull out a blue case with real pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the real treasure.
40. What does the underlined word “Princess” mean?
A. It may be the daughter of the king .
B. It may be one of her toy girls.
C. It may mean Jenny`s teacher.
D. It may mean another necklace.
41. Why did tears come down when Jenny offered her necklace to her father?
A. Jenny felt sorry because she would lose her favorite.
B. Jenny felt excited because her father would give her a new necklace.
C. Jenny felt sad because the necklace she had bought was expensive.
D. Jenny `s father spent too much money on the necklace.
42. What’s the best title? W
A. The NecklaceB. FatherC. MotherD. Daughter
Here is an unusual story: a diamond ring was recently found in an egg. The magician, Liu Qian, discovered it, in front of an audience of millions at CCTV`s Spring Festival Gala. Liu`s magic tricks have made the centuries-old art of magic fashionable (时髦的)once again, and made him the hottest magician in China.
As a seasoned (老练的) young magician from Taiwan, Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows. Countries he has performed in include the United States, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
Witnessing (目击)something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people`s love for magic.
Liu is known for his interaction(互动) with his audiences. He has a special understanding of performing skills.
“It is actually thinking , rather than one`s performing skills, that is more important to achieve a successful magic show. We think carefully about how to design the shows creatively，to make them appear more attractive.” Liu said.
Liu Qian`s success dates back to his childhood. Born in 1976 in Taiwan, he found himself attracted to a magic toy in a shop when he was seven years old. At the age of 12, he won Taiwan`s Youth Contest, which was judged by the great American magician, David Copperfield.
Yet, Liu never planned on becoming a professional magician. He studied Japanese literature at university and only hoped to be an amateur (业余的) magician in his spare time. However, his failure to find a decent (体面的) job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career.
To improve his performing skills, he has performed on streets, roads and fields, for passers-by, policemen and farmers.
“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians. We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough(难对付的) crowds.” Liu said.
36.The story is about _________.
how Liu Qian became China`s hottest magician
why people love magic
what magic tricks are
what fashionable magic is
37. People love to watch magic because __________.
they can`t figure out the secret of magic
it arouses their curiosity
they love watching magicians make the impossible happen
it is a centuries-old art
38. Which of the following is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?
He was interested in magic when he was little
He had won Taiwan`s Youth Magic Contest
He became an amateur magician in his spare time
He couldn`t find a decent job after graduation
39. From the story, we know that________.
| A．Liu Qian competed in many magic competitions |
| B．Liu Qian often invites audiences to be in his magic shows |
| C．Liu Qian performs on streets in order to increase his fame |
| D．Liu Qian does street shows to make money |