What separates me from everyone else? The difference is not what clothes I wear or the music I listen to, but what I feel inside．
Ever since I was young, I have loved professional wrestling．I woke up every Saturday to watch my favorite "Superstars．" As I grew older, I got a lot of flak for watching this "fake" sport．My peers would laugh at me for following what was called a "man's soap opera．" So, I put my love for wrestling on the shelf．Like everyone else, I wanted to be associated with the cool clique．I yearned to be invited to the parties of the in-crowd and hang out with the popular kids．I became pretty successful．Although my Friday evenings were busy with parties, I would still wake up early Saturdays to watch wrestling．It wasn't until freshman year that I realized I wasn't being myself．
That year, I tried many new things and activities and made new friends．In my town, football was the sport, so I decided to play football, thinking it might give me a head start in popularity．The team started with 48 athletes．At the end, there were 14 of us left．I stuck it out not because I liked it, but because I am not a quitter．That long season taught me a lesson: I wasn't a football player．More importantly, it taught me to be myself．
After that season, I went back to being a wrestling fan．I watched it religiously, no matter what insults were thrown my way．I came across a quote: "Don't Dream It, Be It．" When I read this, my friend Dan had the same idea I had．
"What if we build a wrestling ring?" we asked．We acquired the necessary wood and equipment for its construction．The following weekend, we met at his house．We saw our dream in a pile in his backyard．We worked from dawn to dusk to build our great establishment．By Sunday night, our mission was complete．Our hard work (combined with a little creativity) had paid off．We had a real ring．We decided to hold an "event．" We practiced for hours, trying to improve every aspect of our wrestling ability．The date was May 24th．Our show had a start time of 9: 00 p．m．To our surprise, about one hundred family, friends and fans showed up to support us．It was the most important night of my life and a complete success．Since that time, we have held five shows with as many as two hundred and fifty people turning out．We continue to live this dream．We accomplished what we set out to do．We are now well known throughout school．When I walk down the halls, I am respected by my peers．Some are the same peers who ridiculed me for watching wrestling when I was younger．When they approach me, they often say, "Good match, Chris．" I humbly say, "Thank you," knowing I did something I believed in．
As my senior year winds down, I'll remember all of my high school memories．But what will stick out most is the memory that I did something I loved, despite what everyone said or thought．I accomplished my goal ．．．I lived my dream．What makes the writer different from the others is __________．
| A．the different sports he loves |
| B．the different clothes he wears and the different music he listens to |
| C．that he is younger than the others． |
| D．the different ideas he has |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．I practiced wrestling secretly in my spare time． |
| B．I put the clothes for wrestling on the shelf． |
| C．I decided to quit following wrestling． |
| D．I began not to watch wrestling on TV． |
When the writer was a freshman, he ___________．
| A．knew he couldn’t be a good football player |
| B．realized he was being himself |
| C．was still sociable |
| D．built a wrestling ring |
The writer built the wrestling ring in order to ________．
| A．play football there |
| B．make his dream realized |
| C．be a professional player |
| D．have parties there． |
What is the writer’s attitude towards his experience in high school?
| A．Optimistic |
| B．Pessimistic |
| C．Doubtful |
| D．Surprised |
Researchers are placing robotic dogs (机器狗) in the homes of lonely people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and left satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激),” Edwards points out. “ The problem is how we promote (使成为现实) that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady, “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.
“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not funny,” Beck says. “But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”
“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.”
48. The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to ______.
A. understand human-animal relationship
B. make lonely old people’s life better
C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness
D. promote the animal-assisted research
49. What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
A. It is easier to keep at home. B. It can help the disabled people.
C. It responds to all the human orders D. It can watch TV with its owner.
50. The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may_____.
A. cure certain diseases
B. keep old people active
C. change people’s beliefs
D. look more like real dogs
The geographical location of a country and its physical characteristics are very important to its development and progress. he United States is very fortunate in this respect.
First of all, it has a good climate. In almost all sections of the country it is possible to live comfortably during the whole year. It is true that in the south it sometimes gets very hot, and in the north very cold. But the people who live in these regions become accustomed to the climate and never suffer very much when the weather is either very hot or very cold.
In a large country there is usually a great variety of different physical characteristics. In the United States, there are wide plains and high mountains, thousands of lakes and rivets of all sizes, cool forests and hot deserts, and a coastline several thousand miles long.
The many lakes and rivers, as well as the long coastline, have been of great importance to the development of the country, since they made possible the easy transportation of people and all the things people need. Transportation by water is still necessary and important. In modern times, however, trains, automobiles, trucks and airplanes are doing much of the work which was formerly done by ships and boats.
44．What are the principal physical characteristics of the United States？
A．Almost the same． B．Rather various．
C．Very good for farming． D．Suitable for transportation．
45．In what respect is the United States very fortunate？
A．Geographical location． B．Good climate．
C．Physical characteristics． D．Both A and C．
46．Why are rivers，lakes and coastlines important to the development of the U. S. A？
A．They make the climate better．
B．They provide people with a good many opportunities of employment．
C．They provide people with good transportation and whatever they need．
D．They make the scenery of the country more beautiful and attractive．
47．What was used for transportation in the distant past in the U. S. A. ?
A．Trains． B．Trucks．
C．Planes． D．Ships and boats．
London Underground
The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time, the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work, they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems, the idea of the London Underground, the first subway system was born.
The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays, but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3. 7 miles) long. About 30,000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed), and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However, the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰), as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems, riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.
40. What led the British government to build the London Underground？
A. Traffic jams and pollution.
B. Population and pollution.
C. Overcrowding and traffic jams.
D. The poverty and subway problems.
41. How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem？
A. It made the tunnels larger.
B. It put fans in the tunnels.
C. It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels.
D. It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train.
42. The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “______”.
A. be troublesome
B. become popular and fashionable
C. keep up with
D. seize
43. Which of the following is TRUE？
A. To relocate the workers’ homes outside London，the government built the subway.
B. There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened.
C. The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic.
D. There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.
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