With more and more cars on the road, traffic jams (堵车) are inevitable. Traffic jams can lead to increased accidents as there are more cars, with more people trying to get to their destination, all the while getting worse. Although it’s impossible to avoid traffic jams altogether, there are some tips you can follow to reduce the amount of time on the road.
Check for traffic jams before you leave. You can listen to the radio for traffic news, or check on the Internet to get up-to-minute information on traffic. If the route you want to take is heavy with traffic, you can choose another.
Look for a different route all the time. Most traffic jams happen on busy roads. Using country roads could avoid a lot of traffic. Although the distance you may have to travel is further, it can work out quicker.
Set your car radio to receive traffic bulletins. Many new car stereo systems (汽车音响系统) are equipped with a radio system by which you can hear the traffic channel. This way you can get the latest traffic information and change your journey if necessary.
__________ Most traffic jams usually occur(发生) during rush hour, so try to avoid this time period if possible. Some jobs offer flexible working hours so that you can travel to work outside of rush hour. Some jobs even allow you to work at home so as to avoid moving altogether. Ask your manager to see what you can do if traffic is a problem for you.
Use public transport instead. The easiest way to avoid traffic jams is to take buses or the underground instead of driving your own car. Not only will you avoid traffic jams but you will most likely be saving money.
The underlined word “inevitable” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.
| A．hard to accept | B．impossible to avoid |
| C．getting less serious | D．seen everywhere |
The writer wrote the text in order to ______.
| A．explain why there are traffic jams |
| B．tell us how to save time on the road |
| C．tell us what we can do on the road |
| D．tell us the negative(消极的) effects of traffic jams |
To get the latest traffic information, you could do the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．surfing the Internet |
| B．listening to the radio for traffic news |
| C．listening to the traffic channel |
| D．turning to other drivers for information |
Which of the following can be put in the blank(空白处) in the text?
| A．Choose a job that has flexible working hours |
| B．Make friends with your manager |
| C．Try traveling at different time |
| D．Work from home |
According to the writer, we should use public transport because __________.
| A．it is cheaper and can avoid traffic jams |
| B．it is useful to us |
| C．it is environmentally-friendly |
| D．it is completely free from traffic jams |
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, Paul?” he asked.
Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…”He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes, I’d love that.”
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it …then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.
注：urchin顽童hesitate犹豫neighbour邻居
crippled残疾 cent 美分The street urchin was very surprised when _______________
| A．Paul received an expensive car |
| B．Paul told him about the car |
| C．he saw the shining car |
| D．he was walking around the car |
From the story we can see the urchin _______________
| A．wished to give his brother a car |
| B．wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car |
| C．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s |
| D．wished Paul could be a brother like that |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ___________
| A．to show his neighbours the big car |
| B．to show he had a rich friend |
| C．to let his brother ride in the car |
| D．to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer（推断） from the story that___________
| A．Paul couldn’t understand the urchin |
| B．the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
| C．the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
| D．the urchin’s wish came true in the end |
The best name of the story is____________
| A．A Christmas Present | B．A Street Urchin |
| C．A Brother Like That | D．An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |
阅读理解
“ Cool ” is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold. As the world has changed, the word has had many different meanings.
“ Cool ” can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything.
When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say, “It’s cool . ” You may think, “He’s so cool，”when you see your favourite footballer.
We all maximize（扩大）the meaning of “cool”. You can use it instead of many words such as “ new ”or “ surprising ”. Here’s an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used. A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall （瀑布）they had visited. On one student’s paper was just the one sentence, “It’s so cool. ” Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt.
But the story also shows a scarcity（缺乏）of words. Without “cool”, some people have no words to show the same meaning. So it is quite important to keep some credibility （可信性）. Can you think of many other words that make your life as colourful as the word “cool”? I can . And I think they are also very cool . We know that the word “ cool ” has had _________
| A．only one meaning | B．no meanings |
| C．many different meanings | D．the same meaning |
In the passage, the word “ express ” means “________”
| A．see | B．show | C．know | D．feel |
If you are _____________ something, you may say, “It’s cool。”
| A．interested in | B．angry about |
| C．afraid of | D．unhappy with |
The writer takes an example to show he is _________ the way theword is used.
| A．pleased with | B．strange to |
| C．worried about | D．careful with |
In the passage, the writer suggests（暗示）that the word “ cool ” _______
| A．can be used instead of many words |
| B．usually means something interesting |
| C．can make your life colorful |
| D．may not be as cool as it seems |
阅读理解
（A）
The students were having their chemistry（化学）class. Miss Li was telling the children what water was like. After that, she asked her students, “What’s water?” No one spoke for a few minutes. Miss Li asked again, “Why don’t you answer my question? Didn’t I tell you what water is like?”
Just then a boy put up his hand and said , “Miss Li, you told us that water has no colour and no smell. But where to find such kind of water? The water in the river behind my house is always black and it has a bad smell。” Most of the children agreed with him.
“I’m sorry, children.”, said the teacher, “Our water is getting dirtier and dirtier. That’s a problem.”The students were having their __________class.
| A．English | B．Chinese | C．chemistry | D．maths |
Miss Li was telling the children what __________ was like.
| A．water | B．air | C．earth | D．weather |
A boy said, “The water in river behind my house is always __________”.
| A．white | B．black | C．clean | D．clear |
Most of the children __________ the boy.
| A．agreed with | B．wrote to |
| C．heard from | D．sent for |
The water in the river has colour and smell because it is getting _______
| A．more and more | B．less and less |
| C．cleaner and cleaner | D．dirtier and dirtier |
The day is like any other day in his life. Tom walks past the shop on the street corner. He stops to look at the front row of shoes, and he feels happy to see that the pair of shoes he wants very much is still there. Looking down at his old shoes, he feels sorry for himself. He really wants to have them for his birthday.
He sadly walks away and thinks how to tell his mother about it. He knows very well she has little money. He decides not to go home at once , as he looks sad and his mother will notice(注意) it. So he goes to the park and sits on the grass. There he sees a boy moving a wheelchair（轮椅）with his hands . Tom looks at him and is surprised to see that the boy has no feet. He looks at his own feet. “It’s much better to be without shoes than without feet”, he thinks. There is no reason or him to feel so sorry and sad. He goes away and smiles, thinking he is happier.Tom passes the shop ______.
| A．on foot | B．by bike | C．in a wheelchair | D．by bus |
Tom stops in front of the shop because he wants to ______ .
| A．buy the shoes | B．look at the shoes he liked |
| C．buy a present for his friend | D．get something for his birthday party |
Why did Tom go to the park? Because ______.
| A．many nice shoes are sold(卖) there |
| B．he wants to play there for a while |
| C．he wants to see his disabled(残疾的) friend |
| D．he doesn’t want to make his mother worried |
We can learn from the story that Tom ______ .
| A．doesn’t like old shoes | B．loves his mother very much |
| C．doesn’t want to stay at home | D．has no feet |
Before Christmas Mr. Smith broke his right leg and had to stay in hospital. When he was there, he always asked his doctor when he could go home. He didn't like to spend Christmas in hospital. Though the doctor did his best, Mr. Smith didn't get better. So on Christmas Day he was still in hospital. He spent a bad day in bed thinking that he missed a lot of fun on such a happy day.
The next day the doctor told him that he might be well enough to leave hospital in time for the New Year. Mr. Smith was very happy to think that he would spend New Year's Day outside hospital. Soon Mr. Smith left hospital and on New Year's Eve he went to a party. He enjoyed himself there. But he drank too much. On his way home that night, he had a fall and broke his left leg. What an unlucky man he was！Mr. Smith spent Christmas Day in hospital because ______.
| A．he like to |
| B．his wife told him to |
| C．he broke his left leg |
| D．he had to |
He had a good time on ______.
| A．Christmas’ Eve |
| B．Christmas Day |
| C．New Year’s Eve |
| D．New Year’s Day |
Because ______, he drank so much on New Year’s Eve.
| A．he was too happy |
| B．both of his two legs got well |
| C．he had a fall |
| D．he was in hospital |
Mr. Smith would have to spend New Year’s Day ______.
A．at home
B．at a party
C．in hospital
D．outside hospital