As we enjoy the summer ocean waves along the beaches, we may think nervously about Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the great fear that sharks inspire in us．Yet we are happy to see global efforts to protect the declining number of sharks．The world has realized that we need the species, like sharks, to keep a balanced ecosystem．
Sharks, in particular, are “in” these days．Thanks to good public policy and famous stars such as Jackie Chan and Ang Lee, killing sharks for fin soup is no longer cool．
The demand for shark fins has been rising for decades, threatening sharks with extinction -- up to 100 million sharks are killed each year just for their fins．But we have started to reverse the trend, particularly in many areas of the United States and overseas where restaurants once proudly provided delicious shark fins on the menu．
In California, a ban on the sale and possession of shark fin soup has gone into effect this year through the efforts of Wild Aid and other organizations．
Overseas marketing and public efforts featuring posters on public transportation systems and TV ads have been underway for the past few years．These efforts all show signs of success, on both the supply side and the demand side of trade in shark fins．
Actually, stopping the killing of sharks is part of a broader movement to stop the killing of wild animals and the buying and selling of wildlife products．These products come from hunting elephants, tigers and rhinos, besides killing marine life．
Whether it is shark fin soup or ivory piano keys, killing animals is big business．The hunting of elephants in search of ivory tusks for luxury（奢侈的）goods has become a full-scale war．The decrease of African elephant populations is alarming．Together with international partners, the United States is leading the worldwide effort to reduce demand for high-end products that rely on killing animals．The underlined word “reverse” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______．
| A．follow |
| B．keep |
| C．change |
| D．show |
From the passage, we know _______．
| A．a lot of wild animals have been killed for products |
| B．Jackie Chan and Ang Lee make fin soup popular |
| C．Steven Spielberg's Jaws inspires us to protect sharks |
| D．the number of African elephants has been increased |
What can we infer from the passage?
A． People have kicked the habit of having shark fin soup．
B． Shark fins will not be available any more in restaurants．
C． Global efforts have succeeded in stopping killing wild animals．
D． More animals for high-end products will be saveD．
There are many types of reports. A report is simply an account of something that has happened. The commonest are new reports. We get them in newspapers, over the radio and on television. Sometimes cinemas also show us newsreels(新闻影片).
The main purpose of a newspaper is to provide news. If you examine a newspaper closely, you will find that there are all types of news: accidents, floods, fires, wars, fashions, sports, books, etc. The news covers everything that happens to people and their surroundings. Sometimes there are news items which are very amusing.
A news report is usually very short, except when it is about something very important, but it contains a lot of information. It is also written in short paragraphs. The first paragraph is, in fact, a summary of the news item. It gives all the necessary information—what, when, where, how and why. The other paragraphs give full details of the subject. There may also be interviews with people. The words actually spoken by them are within inverted commas(引号).
Often there are photographs with the news to make it more interesting.In this passage, which of the following is mentioned as sources of new reports?
| A．Cinemas, television and Internet. | B．Television, Internet and newspapers. |
| C．Internet, newspapers and cinemas. | D．Radios, television and newspapers. |
According to this passage, the main purpose of a newspaper is to ________.
| A．earn money | B．make the readers happy |
| C．provide news | D．draw attention |
We can learn from this passage that news reports ________.
| A．are never amusing | B．are always written in short paragraphs |
| C．are always written in the first paragraph | |
| D．give details of events in the first paragraph |
The soldiers had just moved to the desert, and as they had never been in such a place before, they had a lot to learn.
As there were no trees or buildings in the desert, it was, of course, very hard to hide their trucks from enemy planes. The soldiers were, therefore, given training in camouflage. They were shown how to paint their trucks in irregular patterns with pale green, yellow, and brown paints, and then to cover them with nets to which they had tied small pieces of cloth.
The driver of the biggest truck had a lot of trouble camouflaging it. He spent several hours painting it, preparing a net and searching for some heavy rocks with which to hold the net down. When it was all finished, he went for lunch.
When he came back from his meal, he was surprised and worried to see that his camouflage was completely spoilt by the truck’s shadow, which was growing longer and longer as the afternoon advanced. He stood looking at it, not knowing what to do.
Soon an officer arrived, and he, too, saw the shadow, of course.
“Well,” he shouted to the poor driver, “What are you going to do about it? If an enemy plane comes over, the pilot will at once know that there is a truck there.”
“I know, sir,” answered the soldier.
“Well, don’t just stand there doing nothing!” said the officer.
“What shall I do, sir?” asked the poor driver.
“Get your spade and throw some sand over the shadow, of course!” answered the officer.From this passage you can know ________.
| A．there were a lot of trees where the soldiers were stationed |
| B．the soldiers were staying in an area far from the enemy planes |
| C．the soldiers knew nothing about desert |
| D．the soldiers had lived in desert before |
Which of the following is right?
| A．The nets with which they covered their trucks were made of small pieces of cloth. |
| B．The soldiers tied small pieces of cloth to the nets with which they covered their trucks. |
| C．The nets covering the trucks were painted pale green, yellow and brown. |
| D．The trucks were tied to the nets with small pieces of cloth. |
The soldier was surprised and worried because ________.
| A．his truck had cast a shadow in the sun and the enemy plane would find it. |
| B．the shadow of his truck was growing longer at noon |
| C．it was late in the afternoon, and he could not get rid of the shadow |
| D．his newly-painted truck was in the shadow |
What do you think of the ending of the story?
| A．It is quite reasonable that the officer ordered the soldier to cover the shadow with sand. |
| B．We’ll laugh at the officer’s order because it is where the humor lies. |
| C．Though the officer’s order sounded wise, the soldier couldn’t cover the shadow. |
| D．The soldier managed to cover the shadow with sand |
What do you think of the ending of the story?
| A．It is quite reasonable that the officer ordered the soldier to cover the shadow with sand. |
| B．We’ll laugh at the officer’s order because it is where the humor lies. |
| C．Though the officer’s order sounded wise, the soldier couldn’t cover the shadow. |
| D．The soldier managed to cover the shadow with sand |
When you visit America, you will see the word Motel on signs and notice boards. It is made up of “motor” and “hotel” and it is really a hotel for people who arrive by car (how-ever, you don’t need a car to stay at one). You have to pay when you arrive for your room, which usually has a bath. Meals are not provided, but there will certainly be a cafeteria (自助餐馆). Americans eat a lot of salads and sandwiches. Along the main roads there are a lot of motels. Each tries to offer more than next. Some provide television in every bedroom; others have swimming pools; and so on. Motels are especially useful when you are in the country, far from a town or city. You will also find them in the big National Parks.
In these great National Parks, you may meet guests you don’t expect to see. An American friend told me a little story. In the middle of a moonless night she heard strange noises outside her motel window in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Thinking it might be a thief, she jumped out of bed, opened the door and crept towards a dark shadow. As she got close, she saw the thief. She was dreadfully frightened: it wasn’t a human thief — it was a big black bear. The bear was turning over some empty tins with its paw, looking for tasty bits of food. My friend decided to leave that particular thief alone!
There are also, of course, places called “rooming houses”, where they receive lodgers (房客). You will see such signs as Tourists or Rooms Rent, and you could try one of these. A word of warning — looking for a room in New York during the tourist season is like looking for gold on the moon! Which of the following is TRUE about motels?
| A．You can only find motels in the big National Parks. |
| B．They are free for people who arrive by car. |
| C．If you want to stay at a motel, you must have a car. |
| D．The word “motel” is formed by two words. |
Which of the following is NOT provided by motels?
| A．Baths. | B．Swimming pools. |
| C．TV. | D．Meals. |
The underlined word “crept” in the second paragraph probably means “______”.
| A．moved slowly | B．rushed out |
| C．threw away | D．ran fast |
The second paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．an interesting story |
| B．the experience of the author’s friend |
| C．we may meet animals in the National Parks |
| D．bears usually look for food at night |
From the last paragraph, we can learn that in New York during the tourist season ______.
| A．tourists can find gold there |
| B．tourists can have a sweet dream there |
| C．it is difficult to find a room there |
| D．there is warning for tourists to New York |
There are many ways to find a job. It can be as easy as walking into a neighborhood store to look at its announcement board. Local stores often have areas where people can put small signs telling what kind of service they need or can provide. Such services include caring for children or cleaning houses.
Or, job searchers can look in the newspaper. Local newspapers have employment announcements placed by companies seeking workers.
Another popular tool for finding jobs is the Internet. For example, people in four hundred and fifty cities around the world can use the Craigslist Web site to buy objects, meet people or find a job. Craigslist says that it receives two million new job listings each month.
Another useful way to find a job is through a college or university. For example, students at the University of Texas in Austin can go to the Career Exploration Center to get help in finding a job. Of course, looking for a job requires knowing what kind of work you want to do. For example, there is a book called “What Color is Your Parachute (降落伞)?” by Richard Bolles. This book has been helping people choose a career (职业) since it was first published in nineteen seventy.
Some experts also help people find jobs. Susan W. Miller owns a company called California Career Services in Los Angeles. She says her company helps people find jobs by first helping them understand their strengths, goals and interests. Then she provides them with methods and resources to help them find the right job.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Finding a job. |
| B．College students’ part-time jobs. |
| C．Craigslist Web site. |
| D．The relation between study and work. |
By logging on the Craigslist Web site, you can ______.
| A．sell your old things |
| B．do some shopping online |
| C．create your own announcement board |
| D．get useful information about 450 cities |
“What Color is Your Parachute?” is a book which gives tips to those who want to _____.
| A．work on the airplane | B．buy a parachute |
| C．publish a book | D．find a suitable job |
It can be learned from the passage that ______.
| A．companies often put job information in local shops |
| B．the Internet is the most popular tool for job hunters in the USA |
| C．Susan W. Miller’s company is helping people choose careers |
| D．California Career Services mainly serves university students |
How many ways of finding a job are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!The writer of this passage must be ______.
| A．an American | B．a Chinese | C．a professor | D．a student |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport |
| B．offered a ride to his home |
| C．treated hospitably at his home |
| D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.
| A．strict with time | B．serious with time |
| C．careful with time | D．willing to spend time |
A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.
| A．Friendships between Chinese |
| B．Friendships between Americans |
| C．Americans’ hospitality |
| D．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships |