阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　As the pace (一步、速度) of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation (放 松). Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being active from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is necessary for a healthy mind and body.

　　Pressure is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the had thing it is often supposed to be. A certain quantity of pressure is vital (充满活力) to provide motivation (动力) and give purpose to life. It is only when the pressure gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.

　　The quantity of pressure a person can withstand (抵挡，经受住) depends very much on the individual (个人). Some people are not afraid of pressure, and such characters are obviously prime (根本的，主要的) material for managerial responsibilities(责任), others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed (暴露)to pressure , in whatever form, we react (反应) both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between “flight or fight” and in more primitive (原始的) days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises (危机) we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme but however little the pressure is, it involves (包含) the same answer. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to pressure, that health becomes endangered. Since we can't remove pressure from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.

1．People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because ________.

[　　]

A．they regard working as their greatest enjoyment

B．they believe that work is better than relaxation

C．they are traveling fast all the time

D．they are becoming busier with their work than ever before

2．According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his ________.

[　　]

A．unyielding (坚强的)will to hold out pressure

B．knowing the art of relaxation

C．high sense of responsibility

D．having control over performance

3．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress.

B．Pressure is always harmful to people's health.

C．It's easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.

D．Different people can bear (负载) different quantity of pressure.

4．In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to ________.

[　　]

A．“expose ourselves to pressure”

B．“find ways to deal with pressure”

C．“remove pressure from our lives”

D．“establish(建立) links between diseases and pressure”

5．According to the writer, the right attitude toward pressure is ________.

[　　]

A．to avoid it

B．to regard it as vital motivation

C．to try to cope (成功地应付) with it

D．to find some relaxation

阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　A certain hunter had found a piece of forest where there were plenty of animals to hunt. The only trouble was that the place was very difficult to get to.

　　He returned from his first visit to the place in late autumn, and could not get back until the snows melted in the following spring. Then he went to the pilot of a small plane, who earned his living by carrying hunters over parts of the country where there were no roads and no railways, and asked him to take him back to his favorite piece of forest.

　　The pilot did not know the place, so the hunter showed it to him on the map. “But there is nowhere to land there, man!” said the pilot. “I have flown over that part of the country on my way to other places , and I know that we can't land anywhere between this river and these mountains. ”

　　“I thought you were a wonderful pilot,” said the hunter. “Some of my friends said you could land a plane on a postage stamp. ”

　　“That's right, ”answered the pilot. “I can land a plane where nobody else can. But I tell you there is nowhere to land in the place you are talking about. ”

　　“And what if I tell you that another pilot did land me there last spring?” said the hunter.

　　“Is that true?” asked the pilot.

　　“Yes,it is. I swear(发誓) it. ”

　　Well , this pilot could not let himself be beaten by another, so he agreed to take the hunter.

　　When they reached the place, the hunter pointed out a small spot without trees in the middle of the forest, with a steep rise at one end. The pilot thought that there was no enough room to land there, but the hunter said that the other pilot had done so the year before, so down went the plane. When it came to the rise, it turned right over onto its back. As the hunter climbed out be smiled happily and said，“Yes, that is exactly how the other pilot managed it last time. ”

1．The hunter went to the pilot of a small plane because ________.

[　　]

A．he didn't know how to get to the forest

B．he wanted the pilot to take him back to the forest

C．he wanted to know if he was a good pilot

D．the pilot knew how to get to the forest

2．The plane landed ________ for the hunter.

[　　]

A．on a postage stamp

B．on a stone

C．on a tree

D．on a rise

3．Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．When the plane got to the rise , it turned over.

B．It was not easy to get to the forest.

C．The pilot had been to the forest many times.

D．A hunter had found a lot of animals in a piece of forest.

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Through a series of experiments an American scientist has obtained an understanding of the social structure of the most complex (复杂) of ant

　　societies. The ants examined are the only non--human creatures to have given up hunting and collecting for a completely agricultural way of life. In their underground nests they cultivate(耕作) gardens on soil made from finely chopped leaves. This is a complex operation requiring considerable division of labor. This type of ant workers can be divided into four groups according to size. Each of the groups performs a particular set of jobs.

　　The making and care of the gardens and the nursing of the young ants are done by the smallest workers. Slightly larger workers are responsible(负责) for chopping up leaves to make them suitable for use in the gardens and for cleaning the nest. A third group of still larger ants do the construction work and collect fresh leaves from outside the nest.

　　To find out how good the various size-groups are at different tasks, the scientist measured the amount of energy they used. He examined first the gathering and carrying of leaves. He selected one of the size-groups, and then measured how efficiently (有效) these ants could find leaves and run back to the nest. Then he repeated the experiment for each of the other size-groups. In this way he could see whether any group could do the job more efficiently than the group normally undertaking(从事) it.

　　The intermediate-sized (中间的) ants that normally perform this task proved to be the most efficient for their energy costs, but when the scientist examined the whole set of jobs performed by each group of ants it appeared that some sizes of worker ant were not suited to the particular jobs they performed.

1．In which way are ants different from non--human societies?

[　　]

A．They do not need to search for food

B．They do not need to look for shelter (隐蔽处).

C．Individuals (个人) are different in social positions.

D．Individuals perform different functions.

2．It seems that the smallest ants perform more of the ________.

[　　]

3．The organization of the ants has the effect of ________.

[　　]

A．getting the most work done

B．dividing the work up systematically

C．each ant helping with all the tasks

D．each ant doing what it can do best

4．We know from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．an ant society divides tasks among them the most scientifically

B．everyone can do everything well

C．just like our human society, it is hard to make the best use of each person's ability

D．a big-sized individual must be of greater strength and works more efficiently

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Work, for most American and Chinese women aged 55 and under, is mixed with their responsibility (责任) for their household, the care of a child or children, and a job outside the home as well. It all adds up to a busy life. How is it going for them——for us?

　　It has been observed that life for women forms a more different sort of pyramid in China than in the United States. In China, nearly all young mothers are employed outside the home, with their numbers tapering off as women come nearer to old age. The reasons are clear: the second income of the woman is a necessity for a young family with a child or two. Later on, when the children are grown, the older couple can more easily live on the husband's earning plus the wife's pension(退休金), and fewer middle-aged women continue in employment.

　　The pyramid for American women is the opposite, with fewer young women employed, and the number increasing at older ages. Many young mothers have found it more suitable to stay home and care for the children themselves and then find employment later when the children are older and more independent. But rising costs of living are requiring more young American women who want to help support their families to have jobs. They enjoy the adult relationships with others at work and feel excited by the demands and challenges (挑战) of being employed. Staying at home with only a child or two, as even American size is now, can be unchanging and lonely. What's more, a woman's paycheck can provide her with stronger voting power in family matters.

　　But the American working mother often feels troubled by her life. Childcare's unreliable(不可靠) and expensive. Childcare workers have low social positions, are not well educated and are poorly paid——they are often women unable to get better jobs. Thus the American working mother always has the worry that her child is not being as well cared for as she hopes, and the cost of babysitters or some daycare centers can eat up half or more of her salary. Other worries make her employer think if she has to stay home with a sick child. What if the car, necessary to get the child to the daycare center and herself to and from her job, breaks down? Few people live close enough to their work or childcare center to finish this perfectly on foot or by bicycle, as in China.

1．We can know from the first paragraph that ________.

[　　]

A．for most Chinese and American women, life is a combination(结合) of a household and a job outside the home

B．women of all age are busy

C．children are the cause of women's busy life

D．the writer is male

2．The phrase “taper off” in the second paragraph means ________.

[　　]

A．become shorter, smaller or less

B．remain the same

C．slightly change

D．increase slowly

3．What can we learn from the passage?

[　　]

A．Americans would be shocked to have to work at jobs that kept husband and wife separated for months.

B．Chinese men seem to be performing more in housework than the American men.

C．Chinese women are freer of the competition than American women.

D．American women are more interested in their social positions.

4．What may come just after the last paragraph of this passage?

[　　]

A．In China, grandparents take care of children.

B．On the job, Chinese women have more chances.

C．Certainly it is true that in both countries males are given preference in education, job selection and higher positions.

D．Women doing the same jobs as men should get the same money.

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

　　With the entry of the twenty-first century, we can't help asking ourselves whether it is possible to persuade mankind to live without war. War is an ancient institution (惯例) which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always not only ruinous but also foolish, however, in the past the human race managed to live with it. As we know, the war nowadays is quite different from what it used to be, and its ruination has been incomparably doubled. In some way, either man will abolish(废除) war, or war will abolish man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons (武器) that cause the most serious danger, but bacteriological or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater danger. If we succeed in abolishing nuclear weapons, our work will not be done. It will never be done until we have succeeded in abolishing war. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international disputes(争端) in a new way, not as competition of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in killing people, but by settlement in accordance with agreed law. It is not easy to change very old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.

　　There are those who say that the acceptance of this or that ideology(意识形态) would prevent war. I believe this to be a terrible mistake. All ideologies are based upon dogmatic(武断)statements which are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Their supporters believe in them, so they are willing to go to war in support of them.

　　The movement of world opinion during the past few years has been very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a commonplace that nuclear war must be kept away. Of course very difficult problems remain in the world, but the spirit in which they are being approached (接近) is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that talks should reach agreements even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important fight nowadays is not between different countries, but between man and the atom bomb.

1．This passage suggests that war is now ________ in the past.

[　　]

2．From paragraph 2 we learn that the writer of the passage ________.

[　　]

A．is a supporter of some modern ideologies

B．does not think that the acceptance of any ideology could prevent war

C．believes that the acceptance of some ideologies could prevent war

D．does not doubt the truth of any ideologies

3．According to the writer, ________.

[　　]

A．war is the only way to solve international disputes

B．war will be less dangerous because of the improvement of modern technology

C．it is impossible for people to live without war

D．war must be abolished if man wants to continue to live

4．The last paragraph suggests that ________.

[　　]

A．international agreements can be reached more easily now

B．man begins to realize the danger of nuclear war

C．nuclear war will surely not take place

D．world opinion welcomes nuclear war

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Air travel is such an everyday experience these days that we are not surprised when we read about a politician having talks with the Japanese Prime Minister one day, attending a conference in Australia the following morning and having to be off at midday to sign a trade agreement in Hong Kong. But frequent long-distance flying can be so tiring that the traveler begins to feel his brain is in one country, his digestion(消化) in another and his powers of attention nowhere in short, he hardly knows where he is.

　　The tiring condition we normally experience after a long journey will become even sharper when we fly from east to went or vice versa(反之亦然) because we cross time areas. Air travel is so quick nowadays that we can leave London after breakfast and be in New York in eight hours, yet what really disturbs us most is that when we arrive it is only lunch time when we have already had lunch on the plane and are expecting dinner.

　　Doctors say that since air travelers are in no condition to work after crossing a number of time areas, they should go straight to bed on arrival. Airline pilots, however, often live by their own watches, taking no notice of local time, and have breakfast at midnight if necessary.

　　Businessmen who go on long-distance flights, however, are usually proud of having been chosen because it adds to their position in the firm. They are lucky if the boss is clever enough to insist on their taking the doctor's advice and resting for a day before work. Sometimes the managing director is such an energetic person that he expects everyone to be as fit as he is. As he has never felt any ill effects after flying himself, the schedule (时间表) he lays down is so tight that the employee is too tired to carry out satisfactorily. He must either go straight to an important meeting as soon as his plane touches down or else return as soon as the meeting is over to his boss. Managers of this type often do not realize how troublesome this policy may be for the man's health and the company's honor and fame.

1．A long-distance traveler will have little power of attention right after the flight because of ________.

[　　]

2．Which of the following is not affected by crossing time areas?

[　　]

3．Airline pilots have breakfast at midnight because ________.

[　　]

A．they do not act according to local time

B．doctors advise them to do so

C．they are too busy with their work

D．it is time for breakfast according to local time

4．The boss who requires his employee to work right after long-distance flight ________.

[　　]

A．will be well known for his efficiency(效率)

B．may not get the result as he had expected

C．is giving his employee a test before giving him a better job

D．will bring good honor and fame to his company

阅读理解

　　Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer-literate”. But not all experts agree that this is a good idea.

　　One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computer town UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that way. He says that Computer town UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them “people-literate”.

　　David Tebbutt thinks Computer Town are most successful when tied to a computer club, but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away non-experts, who are piper going to Computer towns where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any questions they have. They are not told what to do, they find out the computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask. People don't have to learn computer terms, but the experts hove to explain in plain language. The

　　computers are becoming “people-iterate”.

1．Which of the following is David Tebbutt's idea on the relationship between people and computers?

[　　]

A．Computer learning should be made easier.

B．There should be more computer clubs for experts.

C．People should work harder to master computer use.

D．Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them.

2．We can infer from the text that “computer-literate” means ________.

[　　]

A．being able to afford a computer

B．being able to write computer programs

C．working with the computer and finding out its value

D．understanding the computer and knowing how to use it

3．The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to the idea that Computer towns ________.

[　　]

A．help to set up more computer clubs

B．bring people to learn to use computers

C．bring more experts to work together

D．help to sell computers to the public

4．David Tebbutt started Computer town UK with the purpose of ________.

[　　]

A．making better use of computer experts

B．improving computer programs

C．incrersing computer sales

D．popularising computers

阅读理解

　　The subject of this year's Kunming International Expo (博览会) is “man and nature walking hand in hand into the 21st century. When the UK was asked to take part, it seemed natural to build a garden. Now the British Garden will be a central part when Expo opens on May 1.”

　　David Patterson, the Curator (馆长) of the Department of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, is leading the team notes putting the finishing touches to the garden. The Royal Botanic Gardens were chosen for a very good reason. They have the largest collection of Chinese plants in the world outside China.

　　“Ever since people in Britain started gardening for pleasure they have used Chinese plants.” Patterson told English corner “These are probably Chinese flowers in nearly every garden in Britain. This is a good chance to give something back.”

　　The garden has been carefully designed to mix traditional British skills with the local Chinese environment. David Patterson describes the garden as “formal but gentle”. It contains a raised flower bed, a summer house and a lot of local trees. The garden is contained behind a wall of local, yellow stone. It is intended to be a place of serious thinking and quiet enjoyment.

　　“You could say that we've painted a picture,” said Davis Patterson. “And we have designed the garden to continue for a long time, so that the people of Kunming will be able to enjoy it long after the Expo is over.”

1．Visitors to the Kunming International Expo will most probably feel ________.

[　　]

A．man is the master of nature

B．man quite agrees with nature

C．nature is a helping hand to man

D．China has a long history of gardening

2．The underlined expression “putting the finishing touches to the garden” here means ________.

[　　]

A．starting building the garden

B．examining the main body of the garden

C．doing the last part of the work to the garden

D．completing the design of the garden

3．In the British Garden you will feel ________.

[　　]

4．The passage is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．an introduction to the British Garden

B．an explanation of the design of the British Garden

C．a high praise for the Chinese gardening

D．a short talk on this year's Kunming International Expo.

阅读理解

　　You may think a spinster is an old aunt who never married. But spinsters were important people in American history.

　　During colonial times women gathered in groups to do the important job of spinning while they discussed the Politics of the day. These spinners, or “spinsters”, formed the first official women's organization. Today, many working

　　groups like this exist to do other important jobs.

　　In the late 1700s, the spinster's work became especially important. Since the manufacture of cloth was one of England's most important industries, the mother country wanted the American colonies to buy as much cloth as possible. England did not care if the colonies did not get a fair deal in the trade.

　　The spinsters created a plan to force England to change the unfair laws. They knew that England would have a hard time if the colonies stopped ordering cloth. The central idea of their plan was to start making much more American cloth.

　　The idea caught on. The spinsters' rough cloth, called homespun, became popular. Even wealthy people who could afford fine cloth began to wear homespun. It became another sign that the colonies wanted to break with England and stand on their own. The spinsters hoped make great changes in the colonies in those days before the Revolution.

1．Spinsters met to discuss ________.

[　　]

2．The story does not say so, but it makes you think that ________.

[　　]

A．spinsters only liked to work on weekends

B．England ordered more and more homespun cloth

C．homespun cloth played a major part in colonial life

D．people in the American colonies were good at spinning

3．On the whole, this story is about ________.

[　　]

A．how the colonies made their laws.

B．better ways to spin cloth.

C．one of the ways the colonies planned their independence.

D．trade between England and America.

4．Why did the making of homespun hurt England?

[　　]

A．England needed to have the colonies buy English cloth.

B．England needed to make cloth for the rich.

C．The English couldn't learn to spin.

D．The English were too poor to buy

homespun.

5．Which statement does the story lead you to believe?

[　　]

A．The colonies liked to do what ever England wanted.

B．The colonies liked to make their own rules for living.

C．Spinning wasn't very important in colonial life.

D．Spinning could be learnt easily.

阅读理解

　　How men first learnt to invent words is unknown; in other words , the origin (起源) of language is a mystery. All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions, and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that they later agreed upon certain signs , called letters , which could be combined(结合) to represent (代表) those sounds , and which could be written down , these sounds, whether spoken or written in letters we call words. The power of words , then , lies in their associations——the things they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience ; and the longer we live , the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past ; and the more we read and learn , the more the number of words that mean something to us increases. Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming (迷人的) and telling use of words is what we call literary style (文体). Above all , the real poet is a master of words. He can carry his meaning in words which sing like music , and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them correctly, or they will make our speech silly and vulgar (粗俗的).

1．The power of words lies in ________.

[　　]

A．the fact that it can associate the things in the world with the ideas in our mind

B．the fact that one word is connected with another

C．the fact that it can associate one person with another

D．the fact that it can recall to us the events of our past

2．In order not to make our speech silly and vulgar , we should ________.

[　　]

A．use words that can move men to tears

B．choose words with care and accuracy

C．become a master of words

D．use words which sing like music

3．Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

[　　]

A．The more we read and learn , the larger our vocabulary will be.

B．The longer we live, the number of words that mean something to us increases.

C．Words can be used to represent various meanings.

D．Literary style is usually very charming.

4．The best title for the passage would be ________.

[　　]

A．THE MEANING OF WORDS

B．THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WORDS

C．THE ORIGIN OF WORDS

D．THE POWER OF WORDS