We grew up with the familiar toy bricks (积木) that gave us the imagination to build towers and castles. Generations have been attracted by this toy that lets children and adults alike create anything and everything. But with over 200 millions sets being sold a year in over 100 countries, the question remains — where did Lego actually come from?
Lego was born from the creative mind of Danish carpenter (木匠), Ole Kirk Christiansen, back in the early 1930s. He established a small business in Denmark. He and his team built a variety of household goods like ironing boards along with wooden toys. The Lego name was adopted in 1934, formed from the Danish words “Leg Godt” or “play well”, which means “I study” or “I put together” in Latin.
Christiansen’s company continued to make wooden toys until 1942 when fire struck — the entire Lego factory burned to the ground. Unwilling to give in, the factory was rebuilt and the production line restarted soon after. By 1954, Christiansen’s son, Godtfred, had become the junior managing director of the Lego Group. It was during his conversation with an overseas buyer that he was struck by the idea of a toy system.
For over 30 years, the Lego Company made only toys and related goods. Then, in 1968, the company opened its first Legoland in Denmark. Combining the Lego building bricks with a computer, the Robotics Invention System 1.5 is now the most advanced toy in the Lego Company, which is targeted at users aged twelve and above, and that includes any parents or grandparents that want to join in.
Now the Lego Company is expanding its production lines to include lights, cameras and so on. Lego Company has done a lot to entertain many children around the world. The author presents the text by ________.
| A．telling an interesting story |
| B．showing the process in different stages |
| C．introducing a practical method |
| D．describing many different activities |
Which of the following is NOT true about the Robotics Invention System 1.5?
| A．It is the most advanced toy in the Lego Company. |
| B．It combines the Lego building bricks with a computer. |
| C．It is intended for users aged twelve and above. |
| D．It is the most expensive toy invented since 1968. |
What is the correct order of the following events in the development of Lego?
a. The entire Lego factory burned to the ground.
b. The company and its products adopted the name Lego.
c. The company opened its first Legoland in Denmark.
d. Godtfred had become the junior managing director of the Lego Group.
| A．cadb | B．cbad | C．abcd | D．badc |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．The Lego Company expands its production lines with computers. |
| B．The author thinks highly of Lego, which entertains many children. |
| C．The name Lego means “I put together” in the Danish language. |
| D．Lego enjoys the greatest popularity among children of 12. |
When you buy a T-shirt, or a fur coat in a store, it often carries a label （标签），telling who made it or from which store it was bought . Indeed, some labels show the dress is famous and it is very expensive, so buyers secretly wish they might be carried forever. On the other hand, buyers who deal with the cheapest products would be pleased to do away with labels entirely.
However, there is another label more important than the one showing from which store the dress was bought. When a person buys a fur coat, or a jacket from a store, a label telling what the product is made of should be carried on it.
This label is required by law. Besides telling what the product on show is made of, the label should be in clear English and be where one can find it easily. The information on the label must be the truth.
The reason for this label is that most buyers today aren’t expert enough to know exactly what kind of fur or material they buy. The buyer must believe in the store that sells the products or in what the labels say.
56. The passage is mainly about_________.
A. some knowledge of clothing labels
B. some advice on how to get dressed
C. some advice on buying clothes
D. some knowledge of the quality of clothes
57. According to the passage, from a label we can know all of the following EXCEPT_________.
A. who made the clothes B. where one bought the clothes
C. how much the clothes cost D. what material the clothes are made of
58. The law requires that a product should carry a _________.
A. clean label B. clear label C. white label D. secret label
59. The author probably thinks that_________.
A. all buyers want their clothes to wear labels forever
B. many buyers depend on labels when buying clothes
C. most stores don’t sell clothes with labels
D. most labels don’t tell buyers the truth
Anne Sewell Young was born on January 2, 1871, in the United States. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1892 from Carleton College in Minnesota, where she also completed a master’s degree in 1897. She went on to earn a PhD (something very unusual for women in those days) from Columbia University in 1906.
Anne Sewell Young was the most famous of the early astronomy students at Carleton College, and one of the few professional women astronomers of her days. Carleton produced half a dozen professional women astronomers in the first 50 years of the course, but she was the only one whose name was recorded in the college’s “Who’s Who”(名人录)
Anne Sewell Young was a number of the AAVSO(美国变星观测者协会). She handed in over 6,500 observations over a 33-year period, and was also one of the first AAVSO Council members.
In 1881, Mt. Holyoke College set up the John Payson Williston Observatory (天文台), and in 1899 Young was named its director. In 1903, a library and a lecture room were added to the observatory building, and in 1907 astronomy was made a course in which one could major at the college, with Yong serving as Department Chair. She retired in 1936, and Alice Farnsworth succeeded her.
Young continued to work on astronomy, publishing her last paper in 1942. She died on August 15, 1961, in California.
68.Put the following events in the correct order.
a.Young graduated from Columbia University.
b.Young served at Carleton College.
c.Young served as Department Chair.
d.Young publish her last paper.
A. b, a, c, d B. c, b, d, a
C. b, c, d, a D. b, d, a, c
69. From the passage we learn that Carleton College made great contribution to.
A. “Who’s who”
B. astronomy
C. the AAVSO
D. Mt. Holyoke College
70. What is the author’s attitude toward Anne Sewell Young?
A. Negative B. Neutral C. positive. D. We don’t know.
Classified Ads
For direct classified service,
call 800-0667 10 a.m.-4p.m.Monday-Friday.
For Rent
Best on Campus
Excellent Room for girls, begins Jan. , 2, 4, or 8 months lease(租契). Single, $105-$125. Double , $140. Call 800-1932.
Family Home, 3 bedrooms, large yard. $275. Call 800-4300.
For Sale
Sheepskin Coat , men’s size 42, 1 year old. $85. After 6p.m. , call
800-5224.
Moving: Must sell. Color TV 21, $150 ; Walkman, $15; recorder, $25. Call 800-0739.
Help Wanted
Baby sitter- My home
If you could find a few hours during the day, some evenings and weekends to care for 2 school-age children, please call 800-1111.
Lost
A black bag with a pencil-box and some books left in the reading room. Will the finder please come to Class 3, Grade 1 ?
Found
A green jacket was left on the sports ground yesterday afternoon ( April 5th) . Will the owner please ring 656-6688 ?
64. If you want to place an ad , what number would you call ?
A. 800-0739. B. 800-1932. C. 800-5224. D. 800-0667.
65. If Mary wants a room for herself, which room should she choose ?
A. Excellent. B. Single. C. Double. D. Family Home.
66. “ Classified Ads ” may probably mean __________.
A. ads about everyone’s life
B. ads giving one some necessary information
C. ads divided into different groups according to a certain rule
D. ads for which you don’t need pay any money
67. If you want to find a part-time job, you will look at __________.
A. For Rent B. For Sale C. Help Wanted D. Lost
Dear Students,
I am delighted to be your guest.
I would like to tell you about myself. I have been a news reporter
for the past fifteen years. I chose this job so I could travel the world, but the job has taught me many unforgettable lessons. The work is sometimes difficult. I have seen famines, wars, earthquakes, poverty and death. But I have also seen courage, hope and happiness.
In India, I visited a city where there were many homeless children. Some were as young as four years old. They lived in the streets and survived by begging or stealing. But then a wonderful lady called Rosa opened a home for them. Within one year, she was looking after two hundred children. She clothed them, fed them, and taught them. She gave them hope.
Another time, I was in Turkey after a terrible earthquake, in one place. I found an old lady whose house was in ruins, her son was missing and rescuer workers said there was no chance that he was still alive. But the old lady did not give up hope. For four days, she moved heavy stones one at a time by herself. She did not stop until she found her son. He was alive.
Here in China, I met a young boy with a serious condition. He had undergone twenty operations and spent nearly his whole life in hospital. I thought he would be sad, but when I met him, his smile was so warm and welcoming.
In life, we need role models that we can admire and learn from. When my life is difficult, I try to remember the courage and goodness of these three people.
60. The underlined word “ famine ” in Paragraph 2 means __________.
A. pleasure B. joy C. luck D. extreme lack of food
61. What can we learn about Rosa ?
A. She’s a rich lady and she likes to help the homeless children.
B. She’s a kind-hearted woman and she provides houses for the homeless children.
C. She’s a great mother and she looks after the homeless children.
D. She’s a good teacher and she teaches the homeless children.
62. The speaker is giving a speech to students in __________.
A. China B. Canada C. Turkey D. India
63. For what does the speaker admire the Turkish woman and the Chinese boy?
A. Their bravery. B. Their strong mind.
C. Their age. D. Their luck.
Do you have any of these bad habits ? Check yourself by answering “yes”or“no” to these questions.
a)Do you move your lips when reading silently ?
b)Do you point to words with your fingers as you read ?
c)Do you move your head from side to side as you read ?
d)Do you read one word at a time ?
If your answer “yes” to any of these questions , start at once to break the habits. If you move your lips, hold your fingers over them, or hold a piece of paper between your lips while you are reading. Then when your lips move, you will know it and stop them. If you point to words, hold the two sides of your book, one side with your left hand, the other side with your right hand. Then you won’t have a free finger to use in pointing while reading. If you move your head, place your chin in one hand, and hold your head still.
If you read no more than one word at a time, you need to work in learning to take in more words at each glance as your eyes travel across the lines of words. Even if you read fairly fast now, you can learn to even faster. As you probably have been told, the secret of fast reading is to take in whole groups of words at each glance. Read in several groups and force your eyes along the lines of words as fast as you can make them go. Anyone who practices doing these two things will be able to read faster.
56. What do you think of those habits talked about in the text _________.
A. we should remember those habits
B. they should be got rid of
C. they are difficult to get rid of
D. they are good for our studies
57. You may hold your finger over your lips while reading so as to __________.
A. hold a piece of paper between your lips
B. keep yourself from talking to others
C. tell others to be silent
D. feel whether your lips move or not
58. When your eyes travel across the lines of words, you need to __________.
A. read the words out
B. look at every word carefully
C. read several words at a time
D. remember every word
59. If you can read fairly fast now, __________.
A. you don’t need to learn to read faster
B. you can go on reading like that
C. you can learn to read even faster
D. you can enjoy reading