任务型阅读

Have you ever wondered what an American high school is really like? This article will describe a typical (典型的) high school and its students.

A typical American high school has several large buildings and enough space for about 1,500 students. Every student is given a locker. When students first arrive at school, they go straight to their lockers to put away or get their textbooks and to hang up their outdoor clothes. As American textbooks are expensive, students would rather loan(租借) than buy them. Students must pay back if they lost any of them.

American students have different types of school transport. They usually take a yellow school bus or walk to school if they live close enough. Sometimes their parents drive them to school. When they turn 16 years of age, most take a free driving class at school for one term. If students earn passing grades in the class and also pass their state driver’s exam, they can begin driving themselves to school.

Each day, students take six or seven classes. They must take science, math, English and social studies. They can choose art, homemaking, fashion design and other classes. In some schools students are required to take one or more of the following special classes: health education, physical education or foreign language studies. Students move to different classrooms for each subject. This is because each teacher has their own classroom. There is a five-minute break between classes, to give the students the time to hurry to their next class.

The regular school day usually ends early in the afternoon. After school more than half of the students are involved in after-school activities. These activities include sports-especially football, basketball, baseball and soccer or clubs, such as yearbook, speech, school newspaper, photograph or student government.

Title:      1    in an American High School

Arthur sat at the desk in his room, pencil in hand. He had to write a story for his English class by Friday. “I don’t know what to write about,” he complained to his dog Toby, who was asleep at his feet. Arthur was talkative when speaking to his friends, yet he had trouble finding words when he had to write.

By bedtime Arthur had drawn a picture of Toby smiling. He had drawn a tree with its branches blowing in the strong wind. He had also written a note asking his friend Lee to go to the movies on Saturday. But he had not written a single word of his story.

On Wednesday, Mrs. Solomon, Arthur’s English teacher, asked the class to turn in the first draft of their stories. His heart sinking, Arthur turned in the only work he had—the page with his name, the drawings and the note.

Arthur wasn’t surprised when Mrs. Solomon asked him to stay after class the next day. But he was surprised by what she said to him. “This is an attractive story, Arthur. The dog, the movie, the tree in the wind—I can’t wait to find out how they all fit together.”

“That isn’t my story, Mrs. Solomon,” Arthur admitted. “I haven’t been able to think of one yet.”

“Oh, I think you have the seed(种子of a story there,” Mrs. Solomon replied, “Look at your note and the pictures and see if a story comes to you.”

That night Arthur sat at his desk, and this is what he wrote: “One Saturday Mike went downstairs to meet his friend Julio at the cinema. It looked as if it might rain, so Mike carried his umbrella. Suddenly a big storm blew in, bending the trees. The noise of the wind sounded like the barking of Mike’s dog Toby. Toby really hated storms and barked whenever he wanted to be let inside. Then Mike realized that it wasn’t the sound of the wind. It was Toby. The dog was running after him down the busy street, barking. The sound was filled with blame. Mike felt guilty because he had left Toby outside. He turned and headed home with Toby running beside him. Mike let Toby in the door just as the rain started to pour down.”

Arthur had a story in the end. The last thing he did was to write his name proudly at the top of the page.

1        Why did Arthur turn in the page with only his name, the drawings and the note at first?

A.      Because he had no time to fit them together.

B.      Because he had difficulty in writing a story.

C.     Because he wasn’t willing to do his homework.

D.     Because he wanted to show his talent for drawing.

2        What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 probably mean?

A.      Toby is an imaginative and lovely dog.

B.      The small tree will grow into a big one.

C.     His friend Lee can give him a lot of support.

D.     He can develop his story based on the first draft.

3        What kind of teacher do you think Mrs. Solomon is ?

A. She is a strict teacher                     B. She is a wise teacher

C. She is an honest teacher                   D. She is an energetic teacher

4        What can we infer(推断from the story?

A. Arthur is a shy and quiet student            B. Arthur isn’t very satisfied with his story

C. There will be a storm on Saturday           D. Encouragement is important in teaching

The Beijing Underground’s Line Ten will soon have 40 “reverse vending machines（有偿自动回收机）”,which will pay people for their empty plastic bottles.

“We have placed two such machines at Beijing Capital International Airport and four at the city’s underground stations. They have been well received so far,” said Feng Juan, an engineer from the company which makes the machines. “People are encouraged and paid for turning waste into treasure. More than 30,000 empty bottles have been collected since December,” she said.

If something else, such as waste paper, is thrown into the machine, the machine will spit(吐) it out.

“Supported by the government, the reverse vending machines will be introduced to colleges and universities soon,” Feng said.

The company is also considering covering more recycling materials, including used books and teaching materials.

“Long-term plans call for about 2,000 reverse vending machines to be place throughout the city in the next few years, including 80 at colleges and universities, shopping malls, communities and office buildings,” Feng said.

Chang Tao, director of the company, said that if the new project works well in the city, the company will consider offering the waste-to-treasure service to other developed cities in the eastern part of China.

1 At present reverse vending machines are used at __________.

A. the airport and underground stations   B. colleges and universities

C. communities and office buildings      D. shopping malls and companies

2 Which sign probably represents the meaning of the underlined word “recycling”?

3 Which of the following is an opinion rather than a fact?

A.      More than 30,000 empty bottles have been collected.

B.      Feng Juan and Chang Tao work in the same company.

C.     The machines might help people develop a recycling habit.

D.     People are paid for putting empty plastic bottles into the machines.

4 Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A. Machines help turn waste into treasure.        B. A new machine has become popular

C. A creative project works well in China.        D. People are encouraged to collect bottles

阅读理解

Every year many young people leave school for a few weeks or months and enjoy an unusual type of educational program. They learn new skills by living in a different country and doing unusual jobs. There are several organizations. They help students to find the experience they are looking for. The table below shows a few possibilities for students.

One interesting possibility is helping elephants in Thailand. Most people think o elephants as animals in zoos. In fact, many elephants in Thailand are no longer kept in cages. Now, hundreds of them are homeless. They don’t have owners to care for them. Although they may look well, they are often in poor health and don’t have enough to eat.

One centre in Thailand cares for these elephants. It gives them a safe and natural living space. When they  are at the centre, they stay in a building but are free to walk around. Students come from all over the world to help here. The student helpers work with the elephant keepers. These keepers train the students in caring for the elephants. In the morning, they go to the forest together and lead the elephants to the centre. They clean them and give them food. In the afternoon, they take the animals back into the forest for the night. Helping at the center is interesting and the young people learn a lot.

1 Which country can you choose if you want to prepare yourself for a medical career?

A. India         B. Ghana          C. Thailand        D. New Zealand

2 Which job might be suitable for the students who love children and arts?

A. Teaching young children          B. Health care work

C. Saving elephants                  D. Teaching Chinese

3 What does the underlined word “they” in the last paragraph probably refer to?

A. The keepers     B. The doctors    C. The students    D. The elephants

4 What does the writer think of the unusual educational program?

A. It is amazing    B. It is boring      C. It is helpful      D. It is expensive

完形填空,阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中选出一个最佳答案。

When I was nine years old, I used to go to the post office with my mother, sending greeting cards to my aunt in Singapore. To me, these trips were really 1 memories. And receiving mail through a mailbox outside our gate was just as exciting. My small hands could 2 get the mail without using a key! I always couldn’t wait to see how much I was 3 . Oh, a letter! From Singapore! I would run back home and show it to my 4 . When there was a letter for me, I wouldn’t run—I would open it right there.

After my family moved back to Singapore, I 5 going to the post office. Years later, my company sent me to Shanghai, and the post office found me again. Two years ago I celebrated my 6 with five friends on top of the mountain in Longsheng, China. At sunrise we 7 up to a beautiful view from the mountain top. Later in the afternoon, as we were going 8 the mountain and returning from the sunrise viewing place, a 9 shop caught our attention. It only sold noodles, coffee and had a China 10 sign.

We asked the owner if she could really send mail. She happily said yes. It seemed hard to believe, 11 we were at the highest top of the mountain. I picked one postcard out and asked my friends to write 12 a birthday note. We bought a stamp, wrote some notes and gave the shop owner the postcard.

Three weeks later, I arrived home and 13 my mailbox: Hello, postcard! I broke into a big smile.

That birthday postcard attracted me again to the post office and all its delights. I had 14 the post office all these years. Today I 15 send postcards to friends. And every time I am at the post office buying stamps, I cannot help but smile—how one postcard will make its way across the world and brighten up someone’s day.

1. A. bad B. poor C. good D. short

2. A. easily B. simply C. hardly D. specially

3. A. weighing B. getting C. selecting D. accepting

4. A. friend B. aunt C. mother D. owner

5. A. enjoyed B. stopped C. hated D. considered

6. A. wedding B. return C. success D. birthday

7. A. broke B. woke C. grew D. stood

8. A. around B. over C. up D. down

9. A. cold B. dirty C. small D. modern

10. A. Traffic B. Life C. Police D. Post

11. A. because B. though C. while D. when

12. A. him B. me C. her D. them

13. A. bought B. repaired C. painted D. opened

14. A. missed B. influenced C. studied D. visited

15. A. just B. seldom C. still D. never

—Thanks for taking my friends and me out tonight.

—_________.

A. Don’t worry  B. You are welcome  C. That’s a good idea   D. I’m afraid not

Learning to write is learning to think. You don’t know things clearly _______ you can write them down.

A. unless         B. if              C. since               D. whether

I thought the actor was famous, _________ none of my friends has ever heard of him.

A. and           B. or              C. so                 D. but

Many children in Britain _______ to have their own bank cards these days.

A. allow         B. allowed         C. are allowed          D. were allowed

Last winter it was very cold and ________ was a lot of snow in the north.

A. it            B. this             C. that                D. there