阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳答案。
At one hall in a town, a huge board said, “FOOD SHORTAGE IN AFRICA. PLEASE HELP THE STARVING PEOPLE.”
A large crowd was standing in line to hand over their donations（捐赠）. Near the door of the hall stood a beautiful young girl, poorly but tidily dressed. With a shy look, she watched the people before her. She saw a businessman who laid a bag of gold on the table. Then came a rich lady who took out a lot of jewels. Some others handed cash, clothes and food. The girl wouldn’t like to take her turn but at last, she stepped forward.
“But... it is so small. I am ashamed to give it. It seems worthless, but it is all I have, ” she said.
“We are thankful for even the smallest donation,” the man at the counter replied kindly. “Here it is. I have nothing else to give,” she added. And then under her coat, she took out two long thick plaits（辫子）of her golden hair. As she did so, her hat fell back, showing the beautiful young bald（无发的）head.
This beautiful girl donated her most priceless golden hair, which was more valuable than all the glittering gold, jewels or cash of the other donors.
（1）What does the underlined word “STARVING” in paragraph 1 mean?
| A． |
Hungry. |
B． |
Sick. |
C． |
Thirsty. |
（2）What can we learn from the girl’s words?
| A． |
She didn’t want to give away anything. |
| B． |
She thought her donation had no value. |
| C． |
She thought she gave away the best thing in town. |
（3）Why was the girl’s hair the most priceless donation?
| A． |
It was long and thick. |
| B． |
It was badly needed in Africa. |
| C． |
It was the only valuable thing the girl could give. |
（4）Which word can best describe the girl?
| A． |
Kind. |
B． |
Humorous. |
C． |
Outgoing. |
People cannot reach an agreement on the use of science and technology. For example, will radiation from electronic equipment destroy the environment? Should medical scientists change gene structures to prevent genetic disease or to create “more perfect” human beings? While people are arguing about these and others, technology continues to influence our everyday lives—the home, health and education, entertainment and communication, and so on.
Some people carry on active social lives with computers —their own or the ones in public places like cafes, social centers, libraries, and so on. Communicating with others in chat rooms, computer users can get to know people they might never meet in traditional ways. With live online video connections, two people with cameras in their computers can see and talk to each other from separate places.
With modern telephone technology, most people stopped writing lettters—especially personal letters and notes. But now, writing to communicate has returned in electronic form, or e-mail, which is a way of sending messages from one computer to another. For some computer users, the wish to communicate intelligently or creatively with others makes them want to write better.
Computer technology has also made it possible to run a house electronically. From turning lights on and off to starting the coffee and cooking the hot meal, computers are taking care of people at home. Many modern machines have computer chips that allow their owners to program them. For instance, you can “instruct” a microwave oven how to cook a dish. Most entertainment equipment operates with computer technology too. Computers can even start cars automatically so that on cold winter mornings you can get into a warmed-up vehicle and drive off.
Although much of the technology in our everyday lives has good effects, there are some uses that raise questions. For example, are interactive media ( i.e., a combination of television, telephone, and computer) going to control minds, cause people to forget about family life and personal relationships? What effects will the genentic engineering of food have on people’s health? High-tech medical treatments can make a person live a much longer life, but can they improve the health and happiness of human beings? Only time will tell, but, in the meantime, science and technology will continue to move forward. What does the underlined word “ chips” mean?
| A．thin pieces of potatoes | B．small holes | C．small pieces of wood | D．central parts |
We can know from the passage that _________.
| A．technology never stops changing our everyday lives |
| B．with computers each of us can live a comfortable life |
| C．people can do more activities with computers |
| D．the more you use computers, the better you might write |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
| A．The longer you live, the happier you are. |
| B．High-tech medical treatments can’t improve our health and happiness. |
| C．High-tech medical treatments can’t help us with everything. |
| D．The writer questioned high-tech medical treatments somehow. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Science and New Technology | B．Computers Change Our Lives |
| C．Everyday Uses of Technology | D．Only Time Will Tell |
All over the world, the global diet includes fast food—prepared items from inexpensive restaurants, snack bars, or food stands. Some examples of American fast food are hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fried chicken, and so on. Some types of international fast foods might be German sausage and Schnitzel, Italian pizza, Japanese sushi and tempura, Chinese eggrolls and noodles and the like. The variety of fast foods all over the world is growing. Even so, this kind of style is becoming worldwide. Fast-food places usually prepare and serve the items quickly. Many are part of fast-food chains (eating places with the same name and company owner). For example, the biggest and most famous American fast-food chain serves hamburgers in nearly every part of the world.
For several reasons, many people choose fast food. First, it is quick and convenient. Second, it is cheaper than special home-cooked meals or formal restaurant dinners. And third, it is easy to find every eating place with the same company name. The atmosphere and style of most fast-food places is casual, comfortable, and familiar.
Why do other eaters stay away from this fast, easy kind of nourishment? The main reason is its low nutritional value. Fast food doesn’t have large amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and the like-elements necessary for good nutrition and health. In contrast (相反), most types of fast food have a lot of fat, sugar, or salt in them. Possibly, these things can cause or increase health disorders, like heart disease, and some kinds of cancer. Recently, these quick and easy kinds of world wide nourishment are generally getting better and more healthful. For example, many fast-food restaurants now have put vegetable items on their menus.
Of course, human beings around the world don’t always eat in fast-food places.The variety of food choices is large now and is probably going to increase. The number of food preparation methods is growing too. Cooking customs, eating habits, and food preferences all over the world are becoming more healthful. In these and other ways, the global diet is changing.From Paragragh 1,we can know that __________________.
| A．America serves four kinds of fast food |
| B．we used to have more types of fast food |
| C．different countries have different types of fast food |
| D．America serves fewer fast food than other countries |
The underlined phrase “stay away from” means __________.
| A．move away from | B．disorder | C．get out of | D．dislike |
The passage is mainly about ___________.
| A．the changing global diet |
| B．the increasing types of diet |
| C．the reason why people choose fast food |
| D．the reason why people dislike fast food |
A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras. The earthquake hit the town at 7:15 yesterday evening. The earthquake measured(量出) 7.2 on the Richter scale(里克特震级), the strongest for five years.
The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home. There were very few people outside in the streets. Buildings fell down and many fires started. The electricity and water were cut off.
As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems. There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires. Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage.
The emergency services are now trying to reach the town. The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away. The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth. The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan. We shall have more reports for you during the day.What were the most people doing when the earthquake hit the town?
| A．Sitting outside. | B．Cutting off the electricity. |
| C．Staying at home. | D．Starting fires. |
Why didn’t the emergency services reach the town?
| A．Because it was dark. | B．Because planes flew over. |
| C．Because there was no water. | D．Because four bridges fell down |
How far is the nearest airport from the town?
| A．About 100 kilometers away. | B．32 kilometres away. |
| C．About 72 kilometers away. | D．200 kilometres north of Madras. |
How long will you travel if you go to Cayman Islands?
| A．Two weeks. | B．Ten days. | C．One day. | D．Three days. |
Where is Betsy travelling?
| A．From Ensenada to Hawaii. | B．On Cayman Islands. |
| C．On beach. | D．At a shop. |
Who is having a vacation on Cayman Island?
| A．Betsy. | B．Betsy’s parents. | C．Larry. | D．Robby. |
Farmer Ed Rawlings smiles as he looks at his orange trees. The young oranges are growing well in Florida’s weather. Warm sunshine and gentle rains, along with Ed Rawlings’ expert care, will produce a good crop（收成）of oranges this year.
However, Ed has to guard against Florida’s changeable winter weather. In January and February, temperatures can destroy Ed’s entire orange crop. Having farmed in Florida for the past 35 years, Ed is prepared for the frost(霜). When temperatures drop below freezing, Ed tries to save his crop by watering his orange trees. The water freezes and forms a thin layer(层) of ice around the trees. Strange as it may sound, this thin layer of ice actually keeps the fruit warm.
What happens is simple. When the trees are watered, the water loses heat and becomes ice. The warmth of the heat it loses is taken in by the fruit and keeps its temperature at a safe level. Ed has effectively used this method to save many orange crops.
But Ed still faces difficulties. The trees must be watered at the exact moment the temperature drops to the freezing point. Also, just the right quantity(数量)of water must be used. Too much water can form a thicker layer of ice that will break the tree’s branches(树枝). Another difficulty is that wind blows away the heat, so Ed has to worry about not only when but also how often his trees should be watered, and how much water should be used.
Computer technology may help Ed with some of these worries. With equipment(设备), air and soil temperatures and wind speed can be measured. The information is fed into a computer which can calculate(计算) when the temperature will drop below freezing. The computer can correctly decide the quantity of water to be used and how frequently( ) the trees should be watered. Ed finds looking after his orange trees a lot easier with the help of a computer, and, his customers will have the benefits(利益) of computer—age oranges.The passage is mainly about______.
| A．a farmer expert cares for his orange trees |
| B．the different uses of computers |
| C．growing oranges in Florida’s changeable weather |
| D．different ways of frost protection |
Ed tries to protect his crop by______.
| A．using a wind machine to drive away the cold air |
| B．equipping his orange trees with a computer |
| C．watering it at the proper time |
| D．picking his fruit at the first sign of frost |
According to the passage, the computer technology______.
| A．removes the need for frost protection |
| B．prevents temperature from dropping |
| C．tells farmers why outdoor temperatures change |
| D．helps the farmer get a better harvest |