Pets are popular. They’re good listeners, they encourage us to exercise, and they’re always on our side when we argue with others. They can bring people comfort and pleasure.
But it is important to keep in mind that pets can carry diseases that can make you sick. Washing your hands often — especially after you touch, feed, or clean up a pet — is the best way to keep yourself healthy and prevent the spread of disease. Be sure to clean your fingernails carefully every time you wash.
You also can protect your health by wearing gloves while cleaning animal cages or cat litter boxes. Avoid washing your pet in the bathtub(浴缸), but if you do, always disinfect(消毒) the tub immediately afterward.
Be sure to bring your pet to the hospital for examinations every two weeks or month and whenever your pet is sick or injured.
You can do a few other things to keep yourself and your pet healthy. Only give your pet food that has been planned ahead for them. It’s not a good idea to share your food with your pet. Human food (like chocolate) can make animals sick. Never feed your pet raw(生的) meat because it can carry germs(细菌) that cause serious illness.
And funny as it can be to see your dog or cat drinking from the toilet, don’t let pets do this. It’s bad for your pet’s health! Give them clean, fresh water to drink at all times.
Never give milk to cats. The only milk an animal should drink is from its mother. Cow’s milk is not for pets, especially for cats, as it makes them sick.
Finally, some animals aren’t pets. Don’t take in a wild or abandoned(被抛弃的) animal as a pet because it may have diseases that could make you or your family sick. Instead, turn to an animal rescue group that is trained in helping sick or abandoned animals.
【小题1】The first paragraph mainly tells us that pets can ______.

A．be great friends	B．bring us pleasure
C．help us keep healthy	D．do harm to us

【小题2】To keep healthy, the author may be against ______.

A．washing your fingernails after touching your pet

B．wearing gloves when cleaning your pet’s cage

C．washing your pet in the bathtub

D．bringing your pet for examinations regularly

【小题3】The underlined word “it” in Para.7 refers to ______.

A．the cow

B．the mother cat

C．cow’s milk

D．mother cat’s milk

【小题4】Which is the RIGHT way to feed your pet?

A．Sharing your chocolate with your dog.

B．Letting your dog drink from the toilet.

C．Feeding your little cat with raw meat.

D．Giving your cat cooked fish.

【小题5】According to the text, when you meet an abandoned dog, you should ______.

A．call an animal rescue group	B．bring it back to your home
C．give it first aid（急救）in time	D．help to find its owner

We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it’s an ingredient in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers.
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.
The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.
【小题1】It was _______ that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.

A．The workers in the chocolate factory	B．The Spaniards
C．The people in England	D．The owner of a chocolate factory

【小题2】According to the passage which of the following statements is true?

A．Nobody had the idea of adding sugar until the sixteenth century.

B．The word “chocolate” comes from a Mexican word.

C．The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys like them.

D．Workers must dry and roast the beans to remove the bitter taste.

【小题3】The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because________

A．it was strong and bitter.	B．it was good for digestion.
C．it cured man’s diseases.	D．it was a kind of drink for good health.

【小题4】Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?
a. Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England.
b. A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate.
c. The Spaniards started drinking cacao.
d. It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao.
e. A factory mixed milk and chocolate together.

A．a-b-c-d-e

B．c-d-e-b-a

C．c-d-a-b-e

D．c-d-b-e-a

【小题5】It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or a candy bar

B．Mexicans like chocolate very much

C．chocolate is a product of the cacao tree

D．people liked the taste of chocolate mixed with milk

Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would like to draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is about drinking. Now, you may not buy alcohol in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you .
Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don't make unnecessary noise, particularly at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly, crossing the road. Be careful. The traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossings and do not take any changes when crossing the road.
My next point is about litter. It is an offence to drop litter in the street. When you have something to throw away, please put in your pocket and take it home, or put in a litter bin.
Finally, as regards smoking, it is against the law to buy cigarettes or tobacco if you are under 16 years of age.
I'd like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact your local police station, who will be pleased to help you .
Now, are there any questions?
【小题1】The main purpose of this speech would be to ________.

A．inform people of the punishment for breaking laws

B．declare the laws of different kinds.

C．give advice to travelers to the country

D．prepare people for international travel

【小题2】How many laws are there discussed in the speech?

A．Three

B．Four

C．Six

D．Five

【小题3】The underlined word "contact" in the seventh paragraph means ________.

A．get in touch with

B．keep in touch with

C．join

D．report

【小题4】Who do you think is most likely to make the speech?

A．A lawyer

B．A policeman

C．A teacher

D．A lawmaker

Laptop computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a ＄10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees——anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology , laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.
At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons. As one Westlake teacher said, “ Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we’re giving students a window on the world. They can see everything and do everything.”
【小题1】The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to ________.

A．use for their schoolwork	B．search the Internet
C．work at home	D．connect them to libraries

【小题2】Which of the following is true about Westlake College?

A．All teachers use computers.

B．1500 students have laptops.

C．It is an old college in America.

D．Students there can do everything.

【小题3】“a window on the world” in the last paragraph means that students can ________.

A．attend lectures on information technology

B．travel around the world

C．get information from around the world

D．have free laptops

【小题4】What can we infer from the passage?

A．The program is terrible.

B．The program is not workable.

C．The program is too expensive.

D．We don’t know the result yet.

In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc. in almost every family. These are their pets. People love these pets and have them as their good friends. Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections(注射) so that they won't carry diseases. They have special animal food stores, though they can get animal food in almost every kind of stores. Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food.
When you visit people's houses, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them. You will also find that almost every family has a bird feeder in their garden. All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal. They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada. They have a law against killing wild animals. If you killed an animal, you would be punished. If an animal happened to get run over by a car, people would be very sad about it.
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be: Their family ties are not as close as ours. When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely. But pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.
【小题1】The passage mainly talks about ______.

A．how to keep diseases from pets

B．Canadians have pets as friends

C．how to take good care of pets

D．life of the old in Canada

【小题2】Pets are given injections in animal hospitals ______.

A．in order to keep them safe

B．after being taken home

C．because they carry diseases

D．because they are sick

【小题3】The word "bird feeder" in the second paragraph probably means ______.

A．a person who gives food to birds

B．a container that has food for birds

C．something that catches birds

D．an animal that eats birds

【小题4】In Canada, children leave their parents when they grow up because ______.

A．they don't love their parents any more

B．they can only find jobs far from their parents

C．their parents' houses are too small

D．they wouldn't depend on their parents any more

【小题5】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．People buy animal food only at the animal food stores.

B．Pets eat better than people.

C．Every family has a birdcage(鸟笼) in his house.

D．Any bird can come to the bird feeders to eat.

AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!
Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut （初次登台）.
Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle. Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group.               
Earphones
These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s. They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears.     
Martian(火星的) language
They have created their own code-like online language. It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand. This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers.                
Self-Portrait
Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation. A little bit of narcissism （自恋） never hurts anyone. It helps them reflect a little on their own lives. But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.
Text-messaging
They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak. This is a generation that respects efficiency(效率). However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.
【小题1】Who do you think would most likely be the readers of the passage?

A．Teenagers

B．Educators

C．Socialists

D．Parents

【小题2】According to the passage, if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will ____________ .

A．just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths.

B．have your own symbols and lifestyle.

C．have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s.

D．like music and dance very much.

【小题3】According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90.

A．Li Hua likes music and always wearing ipod

B．Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently.

C．Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends.

D．Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line.

【小题4】According to this passage, which is WRONG?

A．Not all teens are careful about posting photos online.

B．They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking.

C．The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a necessary part of life.

D．They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing.

【小题5】The main idea of the passage is about________.

A．the Gen-90s’ happy life

B．the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

C．the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings

D．the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

Thirty years ago not many people would have dreamed of doing the repairs and decorations in their own homes. In those days labor was fairly cheap and most people would have thought it worthwhile to employ a professional painter and decorator, unless of course they were either very hand up or were in the trade themselves.
Today, however, it is quite a different story. Men and women in all walks of life turn their hands to all sorts of jobs round the house including painting, papering, putting up shelves and wall units, and tiling walls and floors. Some people with no professional training of any kind have even successfully built their own houses. These jobs have been made easier today by the introduction of prepared materials, which require the minimum amount of skill to use. In every high street throughout Britain nowadays there is at least one “Do-It-Yourself” shop containing a vast range of timber, tiles, paints, wallpapers and floor coverings besides tools of every description including power drills and many accessories. “Do-It-Yourself” is a booming business; all these shops do a roaring trade and look like continuing to do so. Probably the main reason for the craze is the high cost of present-day labor and the shortage of building firms willing to do small jobs.
【小题1】Why did people employ professional workers to decorate homes thirty years ago?

A．Because they could not do it themselves.

B．Because professional workers were very cheap.

C．Because they had no time.

D．Because professional workers could do much better.

【小题2】Thirty years later what changes took place?

A．People could do everything themselves.

B．Few people chose to be a professional worker.

C．People with no professional training successfully built their own houses.

D．New expensive materials required no skills at all.

【小题3】What caused the DIY craze?

A．Young people liked to follow the fashion.

B．“Do-It-Yourself” is a booming business.

C．There were fewer building companies.

D．High cost of professional workers.

【小题4】What is the speaker telling us ?

A．How DIY comes into being.	B．Changes in building.
C．Changes in housing.	D．Great changes in these thirty years.

MySpace, the social networking website, is different from other websites which only provide stories about other people. MySpace is a place that allows you to broadcast your own stories and personal information to as many people as you like. Started two years ago, it is a big source of information for and about American kids.
Teenagers and their parents feel very differently about it. Teens are rushing to join the site, not sharing their parents' worries. It signals yet another generation gap in the digital era.（数字时代）
For teenagers, it is reliable network to keep in touch with their friends. They will often list their surnames, birthdays, after­school jobs, school clubs, hobbies and other personal information.
“MySpace is an easy way to reach just about everyone. I don't have all the phone numbers of all my acquaintances （熟人）. But if I want to get in touch with one of them, I could just leave them a message on MySpace.” said Abby Van Wassen. She is a sixteen ­year­ old student at Woodland Hills High of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Parents on the other hand are seriously concerned about the security problems of MySpace.
“Every time we hold a parents meeting, the first question is always about MySpace，” said Kent Gates, who travels the country doing Internet safety seminars (研讨会)．The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has received at least 288 MySpace­ related complaints, according to Mary Beth Buchanan, a lawyer in Pittsburgh.
“Your profile on MySpace shows all your personal information to anyone on the Web. And MySpace even lists this information by birthplace and age. It's like a free checklist（清单）for troublemakers and it endangers children，” Buchanan said.
【小题1】From the passage we can learn that MySpace ________.

A．brings about the generation gap

B．is very careful about people's privacy

C．encourages you to list your personal information

D．lists the telephone numbers of your friends

【小题2】Why are some parents against MySpace?

A．Because MySpace has a bad influence on their children.

B．Because they don't want to pay so much money for MySpace.

C．Because it takes up too much of their children's spare time.

D．Because troublemakers can easily approach their children through the site.

【小题3】The writer's attitude towards MySpace is ________.

A．negative

B．positive

C．optimistic

D．objective

【小题4】Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Internet safety

B．MySpace

C．Generation gap

D．The digital era

As a professor at a large American university, there is a phrase that I hear often from students: “I’m only a 1050. ”The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT）, which is used to determine whether they will be admitted to the college or university of their choice, or even have a chance to get a higher education at all. The SAT score, whether it is 800, 1 100 or 1550, has becomes the focus at this time of their life.
It is obvious that if students value highly their test scores, then a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number. Students who perform poorly on the exam are left feeling that it is all over. The low test score, they think, will make it impossible for them to get into a good college. And without a degree from a prestigious university, they fear that many of life’s doors will remain forever closed.
According to a study done in the 1990s, the SAT is only a reliable indicator(指示物) of a student’s future performance in most cases. Interestingly, it becomes much more accurate when it is set together with other indicators——like a student’s high school grades. Even if standardized tests like the SAT could show a student’s academic proficiency（学业水平）,they will never be able to test things like confidence, efforts and willpower, and are unable to give us the full picture of a student’s potentialities（潜力）. This is not to suggest that we should stop using SAT scores in our college admission process. The SAT is an excellent test in many ways, and the score is still a useful means of testing students. However, it should be only one of many methods used.
【小题1】The purpose of the SAT is to test students’      .

A．strong will	B．academic ability
C．full potentialities	D．confidence in school work

【小题2】Students’ self-respect is influenced by their     .

A．scores in the SAT	B．achievements in mathematic
C．job opportunities	D．money spent on education

【小题3】“A prestigious university” is most probably      .

A．a famous university	B．a technical university
C．a traditional university	D．an expensive university

【小题4】This passage is mainly about       .

A．how to prepare for the SAT	B．stress caused by the SAT
C．American higher education	D．the SAT and its effects

Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor , he doesn’t feel really poor when he has a car.
Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to change American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today.
There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.
The second reason cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed a practical and cheap public travel system. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Now there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used often.
The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don’t like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.
Less oil has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real answer will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much oil.
【小题1】We can learn from this passage that Americans ______.

A．spend a lot of money traveling by car	B．travel a lot in their cars
C．seldom travel by plane	D．use public traffic often

【小题2】Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．In the United States even the poor own cars.

B．In the United States all the poor have no cars.

C．When an American has a car, he will never be poor.

D．An American will feel poor unless he has a car.

【小题3】In the writer’s opinion, cars are popular in the United States mainly because ___.

A．Americans like to plan their own time

B．The United States does not have enough public transportation

C．Americans will not feel poor when they travel in their cars

D．Americans cannot move around without their own cars

【小题4】“A nation on wheels” in the second paragraph means that _______.

A．everyone in the United States owns a car

B．the United States produces most of the cars in the world

C．cars play an important part in American’ life

D．the United States depend on car industry for its development