How Women Were Freed From Their Homes
As late as 1800, a woman’s only place was in her home. Women in business were unheard of. No respectable woman would dream of entering what was strictly a “man’s world”. Even if she would, what could she do? Men were sure that no woman could do a job well outside her home. This was a widely accepted idea. When the famous Bronte sisters began writing books in 1846, they had to resort to using men’s names as aliases.
Teaching was the first profession opened to women, soon after 1800. But even that was not easy for women to take because most high schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to take in women.
Nursing was regarded as a respectable profession for women only after Florence Nightingale won high credit for her nursing career and became famous. Miss Nightingale opened the first training school for nursing in 1860 in England.
The invention of typewriters in 1867 helped to bring women out of their homes to join the business world. Because women are careful and have nimble fingers, businessmen found that they were well suited to this kind of work.
By 1890, tens of thousands of women were working in schools, hospitals, shops, offices, and factories both in England and the States. Some even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea of women working in business and other circles was accepted.
【小题1】Oberlin College was the first college in America _______.

A．where teaching was a profession only open to women

B．where girls could get advanced education

C．to train women to be teachers and nurses

D．to accept women only as professors and students

【小题2】 It can be inferred from the text that besides nursing, Florence Nightingale was also ______.

A．a doctor

B．a lawyer

C．a teacher

D．a businessman

【小题3】Quite a lot of women entered the business world _______

A．soon after 1800	B．when Nightingale became famous
C．at the beginning of this century	D．after the typewriter came into being

Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work , forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.
【小题1】What does the author tell us in paragraph 1?

A．How the Irish fought against the English.

B．How Ireland gained independence.

C．How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.

D．How two “Irelands” came into being..

【小题2】We learn from the text that in Ireland            .

A．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decrease in population

B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside

C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker

D．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments

【小题3】The last paragraph is mainly about               .

A．the Irish character	B．Irish culture
C．Irish musical instruments	D．a famous Irish writer

【小题4】 What can be the best title for the text?

A．Life in Ireland

B．A Very Difficult History

C．Ireland, Past and Present

D．The Independence of Ireland

By the year 1869 when the first transcontinental railroad was finished, over 350,000 pioneers had taken the Oregon Trail to head west and start a new life, which is known as the Gold Rush Period in American history. Many of these were women and most were accompanied by children.
Before heading west, many women often spent their day doing nothing more than visiting, needlework, and the occasional gardening of flowers. Others were not from as wealthy families and had to work alongside their men as laborers. Neither type was in most cases prepared for the hardships that lay ahead.

Once they did reach their destination, the work was far from over. A house would need to be built. Women quickly learned to use all kinds of tools right alongside their husbands. At the first sign of spring, a garden would need to be planted. Pioneer women also had to deal with dangerous wild animals, including bears and lions. Indians were also a concern, and some did fall to their deaths by the Indians’ hand. Where were the men when all this was being done? Working the fields and mining were the two most usual occupations. Their remaining work, which there was plenty of, fell to the women and the oldest children if there were any.
Women who headed west learned quickly that there was much more to life than teas and visiting. They had no choice but to struggle for survival. This was their life.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Changes in the Gold Rush Period.

B．New life in the West.

C．Great people in American history.

D．Pioneer women to the West.

【小题2】By mentioning women’s life before heading west in paragraph 2, the author implies (暗示) that          .

A．it was a real struggle for women to adapt to the hard life in the West

B．it was not reasonable for women to give up their comfortable life

C．it was a better choice for women to experience a new and hard life

D．it was necessary for women to change their lifestyle completely

【小题3】According to the passage, which was NOT the problem women faced when heading west?

A．They had no choice but to throw away many of their beloved things.

B．They could not take their children along because of the hard journey.

C．It was common that they lost their husbands in some accidents.

D．They suffered from diseases or even lost their lives.

【小题4】Women were kept busy with all the following work EXCEPT _________.

A．building a house

B．planting a garden

C．driving wild animals away

D．caring for the Indians

The flag, the most common symbol of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems (图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1,000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.
【小题1】 The underlined word “ vulnerable” in paragraph 3 means _______.

A．easy to damage	B．likely to be protected
C．impossible to make sure of	D．difficult to find

【小题2】The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because they _______.

A．could tell wind direction	B．could bring good luck to fighters
C．were believed to stand for natural forces	D．were handed down by the ancestors

【小题3】What does the author know of the first national flag?

A．He knows when it was sent to Europe.	B．He doubts where it started.
C．He thinks it came from China.	D．He believes it was made in Egypt.

【小题4】What will the author most probably talk about next?

A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag.

B．The importance of modern flags.

C．The use of modern flags in Europe.

D．The second ancestor of the national flag.

Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy lean? It leans because of a mistake. It has leaned almost since the day the tower was built.
In 1173, the people of Pisa, Italy, wanted to build a bell tower. They wanted the tower to be the most beautiful bell tower in all of Italy. The city also needed a bell tower because the church did not have one.
However, there was a problem. As soon as the first floor of the building was finished, the tower started to lean. Builders tried to make the building straight again as they added more floors, but they couldn’t figure out how to make it stop leaning.
It took almost 180 years to finish the tower. Since then, the tower has leaned by another millimeter every year. Today, the Leaning Tower has eight floors and is 54.5 meters tall. By 1990, it was leaning by about 4 meters to one side. It was also slowly sinking into the ground. Many people became worried that it would soon fall apart.
In 1998, repair works began on the tower, and by the end of 2001, it had been moved back by 45 centimeters. The tower will still lean, however, so it will need to be repaired again---in another 200 years.
【小题1】why did the people of  Pisa want to build the tower?

A．They needed a new church

B．They wanted to build the tallest tower in Tower

C．They needed a bell tower.

D． They wanted to build a leaning tower.

【小题2】When did the tower begin to lean?

A．from the first day it was built	B．after the first floor was built
C．after the last floor was built	D．180 years after it was built

【小题3】When was the tower finished?

A．in 1173

B．in 1180

C．in 1353

D．in 1474

【小题4】Before being repaired,, the tower leaned every year by another _______

A．1 millimeter

B．45 centimeters

C．54.5 millimeters

D．4 meters

【小题5】Which of the following is NOT true about the tower?

A．It was sinking into the ground

B．People were worried it might fall apart

C．It was repaired between 1990 and 1998.

D．It will need to be repaired again in 200 years.

To many Americans，Labor Day marks the end of the summer，a day off from work and school，and one last chance to relax．But Labor Day is much more than just a day off . It represents a very important victory for laborers everywhere．The holiday is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers．
More than a century ago，workers were forced to deal with harsh conditions．They were paid very little, and they often worked 10-to l2-hour days．Men, women and even small children were forced to work even when they were sick．Tired of long hours and dangerous conditions，workers began organizing themselves into labor unions．On top of fighting for higher pay and shorter workdays，they also fought for the rights of children．The workers wanted employers to place limits on the age of their workers so that small children were not overworked or hurt in factories．
A New York City carpenter named Peter McGuire is credited for coming up with the idea for Labor Day．In 1872，after working many hours under poor conditions, McGuire rallied 100,000 workers to go on strike．The workers marched through the streets of New York City，demanding a better work environment．McGuire spent a decade fighting for workers’ rights．In 1882，he proposed the idea to create a special holiday for workers．On Tuesday，September 5，1882．more than 10,000 workers hit the streets of New York City for the first ever Labor Day parade．Two years later the celebration was moved to the first Monday in September．And in 1894，Congress passed a law making Labor Day a national holiday．
Americans celebrated the first Labor Day holiday with a parade，picnics and fireworks．Today，many people hit the road to enjoy the last of their summer vacation．Others enjoy the long weekend with picnics，backyard barbecues or just rest and relaxation．However you spend Labor Day，remember that the holiday is a time to pay tribute (致敬)to the workers who have made America what it is today．
【小题1】What do we know from Paragraph 1 ?

A．Americans have more than a day off on Labor Day．

B．Many countries in the world celebrate Labor Day．

C．Labor Day has a deep meaning for American laborers．

D．Labor Day shows the social and economic power of America．

【小题2】What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．American workers’ fighting against their employers．

B．The bad life that American workers 1ed．

C．How American employers treated their workers．

D．The life that American workers ever expected．

【小题3】The underlined word “rallied” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by“___________”．

A．persuaded

B．supported

C．rewarded

D．gathered

【小题4】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．There were about 100,000 workers in New York City in 1872．

B．Labor Day became a national holiday in 1884．

C．In 1872 Labor Day was first put forward by McGuire．

D．The first ever Labor Day parade was held in 1882．

【小题5】According to the author，while spending Labor Day，Americans should feel _________ ．

A．surprised	B．thankful
C．dissatisfied	D．superior

As the forceful king of Macedonia(马其顿), Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian Empire, becoming a hero that would survive centuries after his death.
Born in 356 B.C., Alexander III was the son of Philip II and Olympias. Alexander’s parents wanted him to receive the finest education, and arranged for him to study under Aristotle, regarded as one of the greatest scholars.
Alexander’s father was a strong leader. Philip II built an impressive army and established the Macedonian kingdom; he was even planning to attack Persia shortly before his death.
In 336, Philip was murdered by one of his guards. Although it was obvious that the guard had a personal hatred, there are clues that other people were related to it.
After Alexander was cleared as a suspect, he succeeded his father without opposition, and killed those said to be responsible for his father’s murder, as well as all rivals. He was then just 20 years old. He then prepared to attack Persia.
In the spring of 334, Alexander led the army made up of nearly 50,000 soldiers into Asia, which is called “the most powerful military expedition ever to leave Greece”, He soundly defeated the Persian army at the Granicus River, sending a strong message to Darius III, leader of the Persian Empire.
In 333, Alexander faced Darius at Issus, a mountain pass. The Macedonian army was greatly outnumbered but able to work the narrow mountain passageway to their advantage. Darius managed to escape. Continuing down the Mediterranean Coast, Alexander took every city in his path.
In 332 Alexander declared Egypt to be part of the Greek Empire and was crowned Pharaoh(法老).
When Alexander left Egypt in 331, he defeated the Persians again and was crowned leader of Asia.
In 323, however, Alexander developed a fever on the way back home and died 10 days later at Babylon. He was just 33 years old.
【小题1】What can we know about Philip’s death?

A．He was killed by someone intending to take power from him.

B．Alexander sent someone who hated Philip to kill him.

C．His death was related to his plan of fighting Persia.

D．The murder might be organized by a group of people.

【小题2】The Macedonian army could defeat the Persians at Issus mainly because _________.

A．Darius didn’t command his army in the battlefield

B．Macedonian soldiers were more than the Persian soldiers

C．Macedonian soldiers could fight better at the mountain pass

D．Macedonia was more powerful than the Persian Empire

【小题3】In which order did Alexander do the following things?
a．Totally overthrew the Persian Empire.
b．Defeated the Persian army at Issus.
c．Was crowned Pharaoh of Egypt.
d．Defeated the Persian army at the Granicus River.
e．Became the leader of Macedonia.

A．e, d, b, c, a	B．d, e, a, c, b
C．e, b, d, c, a	D．d, a, c, e, b

【小题4】According to the passage, we can infer _________.

A．Aristotle taught Alexander how to defeat other nations

B．Alexander was happy about his father’s death

C．Persia is tougher to defeat than Egypt

D．Macedonia soon declined after Alexander died

Long after the 1998 World Cup was won, disappointed fans were still cursing(咒骂) the disputed refereeing (裁判) decisions that denied victory to their team. A researcher was appointed to study the performance of some top referees.
The researcher organized an experimental tournament (锦标赛) involving four youth teams. Each match lasted an hour, divided into three periods of 20 minutes during which different referees were in charge.
Observers noted down the referees’ errors, of which there were 61 over the tournament. Converted to a standard match of 90 minutes, each referee made almost 23 mistakes, a remarkably high number.
The researcher then studied the videotapes to analyse the matches in detail. Surprisingly, he found that errors were more likely when the referees were close to the incident. When the officials got it right, they were, on average, 17 meters away from the action. The average distance in the case of errors was 12 meters. The research shows the optimum (最佳的) distance is about 20 meters.
There also seemed to be an optimum speed. Correct decisions came when the referees were moving at a speed of about 2 meters per second. The average speed for errors was 4 meters per second.
If FIFA, football's international ruling body, wants to improve the standard of refereeing at the next World Cup, it should encourage referees to keep their eyes on the action from a distance, rather than rushing to keep up with the ball, the researcher argues.
He also says that FIFA’s insistence that referees should retire at age 45 may be misguided. If keeping up with the action is not so important, their physical condition is less critical.
【小题1】The experiment conducted by the researcher was meant to _______.

A．reexamine the rules for football refereeing

B．analyse the causes of errors made by football referees

C．set a standard for football refereeing

D．review the decisions of referees at the 1998 World Cup

【小题2】The findings of the experiment show that _______.

A．errors are more likely when a referee keeps close to the ball

B．the farther the referee is from the incident, the fewer the errors

C．the more slowly the referee runs, the more likely will errors occur

D．errors are less likely when a referee stays in one spot

【小题3】The word “officials” (Line 2, Para. 4) most probably refers to _______.

A．the researchers involved in the experiment

B．the inspectors of the football tournament

C．the referees of the football tournament

D．the observers at the site of the experiment

【小题4】What is one of the possible conclusions of the experiment?

A．The ideal retirement age for an experienced football referee is 45.

B．Age should not be the chief consideration in choosing a football referee.

C．A football referee should be as young and energetic as possible.

D．An experienced football referee can do well even when in poor physical condition.

There are some great differences between the traditional family and the modern family.
The first important difference is in the man’s role.The traditional husband was the head of the household because he was the only one who worked outside the home.If the wife worked for money,then the husband was not considered to be a good provider,In many families today,both husband and wife work for money.Therefore,they share the role of head of household.In addition,the traditional husband usually made big decisions about spending money.However,the modern husband shares these decisions with his working wife.Also,the traditional husband did not help his wife with housework or meal preparation.  Dinner was ready when he came home,In contrast,the modern husband helps his working wife at home.He may do some of the household chores,and it is not unusual for him to cook.
The second difference is in the woman’s role. In the traditional family,the woman may have worked for miney during her first years of marriage.However,when she gave birth,she would usually give up her job. Her primary role would be to take care of her family and home.In contrast,in many families today,the modern woman works outside the home even after she has children .She’s doing two jobs instead of one,so she is busier than the traditional mother was.The traditional wife learned to live within her husband’s income.But the modern wife does not have to because the family has two incomes.
The final difference is in the role of the children .In the traditional family,the children were taken care of by the mother because she didn’t work outside.However,today pre-school children may go to a child-care center or to a baby-sitter regularly because the mother works.The school-age children of a traditional family were more dependent.Their mother was there to help them get ready for school and to make their breakfast.In conrtast,modern children are more independent.They have to get up early and get ready for school themselves,and they may even have to make their own breakfast.
【小题1】The main idea of the passage is        .

A．the change of the American society

B．the change of the American children

C．the change of the American family

D．the change of the American adults

【小题2】In the past,if the husband let his wife get a job,        .

A．people would not think highly of his wife

B．people would think little of him

C．people would refuse to be friends with him

D．people would look up to him

【小题3】The husband in the modern family         .

A．is still the boss of the family who decides all of the important things

B．lets the wife make all of the decisions alone

C．shares big decisions with his working wife

D．no longer works for money because the wife is working

【小题4】According to the passage,which of the following is true?

A．The husband in the modern family does a lot of housework except cooking.

B．Modern wives have more free time because their husbands share housework.

C．Modern wives no longer cook dinners for husbands.

D．It’s common for men to buy dishes,send children to school ,and even cook in a modern family.

Nuclear weapons（核武器）were first developed in the United States during the Second World War to be used against Germany．However, by the time the first bombs were ready for use, the war with Germany had ended and, as a result, the decision was made to use the weapons against Japan instead．Hiroshima and Nagasaki have suffered the consequences of the decision to the present day.
The real reasons why bombs were dropped on two heavily populated cities are not altogether clear．A number of people in 1944 and early 1945 argued that the use of nuclear weapons would be unnecessary, since American Intelligence was aware that some of the most powerful and influential people in Japan had already realised that the war was lost, and wanted to discuss a Japanese surrender （投降）．It was also argued that, since Japan has few natural resources, a blockade （封锁） by the American navy would force it to surrender within a few Weeks, and the use of nuclear weapons would prove unnecessary．If a demonstration of force was required to end the war, a bomb could be dropped over an unpopulated area like a desert, in front of Japanese observers, or over an area of low population inside Japan, such as a forest．Choosing this course of action might decrease the loss of further lives on all sides, while the power of nuclear weapons would still be adequately demonstrated（展示）．
All of these arguments were turned down, however, and the general agreement was that the quickest way to end the fighting would be to use nuclear weapons against the centres of population inside Japan．In fact, two of the more likely reasons why the decision was reached seem quite shocking to us now．
【小题1】The meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is that        .

A．the two cities were badly damaged after they were bombed

B．the two cities suffered because Japan would not agree to end the war

C．the terrible effects of dropping nuclear weapons on these cities can still be felt

D．the end of the war with Germany meant Hiroshima and Nagasaki, would suffer

【小题2】According to Paragraph 2, a blockade would have been successful because

A．Japan had to import most of its natural resources

B．Japan would not be powerful enough to beat a blockade

C．an attack would probably destroy Japanese resources within a few weeks

D．the Americans could defeat Japan's navy since it was short of resources

【小题3】The last paragraph tells that         .

A．the writer probably expects us hot to argue with his opinion

B．the nuclear bombs must have been dropped on Tokyo, too

C．the real reasons for' the decision may never have been made clear

D．the writer has not done much research on this subject to establish the facts

【小题4】What would probably be discussed in the paragraphs that follow?      

A．The reasons why Japan chose to surrender．

B．The writer's attitudes towards the Japan's surrender.

C．People's different opinions about dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities．

D．Some of the possible reasons for dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities．