阅读理解

　　Martin is a man of all trades and of many experiences. He never stays at one job for more than six months and never leaves the job of his own will . He is not actually lazy or unfit and his employers(雇主) can not be said to be unreasonable. He is ,according to one of his former employers, too eager for the work that his employer has the least intention to let him do. One fact about Martin is that he never waits long to find s new job. Last month ,he was fired again. Mr. King, the owner of a small shop hired him to paint his new house. He readily accepted the job without a word. When later Mr. King went to see how things were going on there, he couldn't find Martin. Instead he saw four workmen carefully painting the wall. “What's the matter?” he wondered. “Hi, Mr. King!” he heard Martin's voice calling from behind. “They're working hard, aren't they?” Mr. King turned back. He saw Martin smiling at him. “What's happened, Martin? And why are these workers here?” Mr. King asked. “I've hired them at 8 dollars for each man.” Martin told him happily. “But I will only pay 30 dollars for the whole work.” Mr. King couldn't understand. “I know, Mr. King. But just think, I only reed to pay another two dollars and then can enjoy the happy feeling of being a boss. Isn't it worth the money?”

1．Why is Martin often fired? Because he ________.

[　　]

A．is too lazy

B．tries to be a boss

C．has few experiences

D．often acts against his employers' will

2．Martin seems to be a ________.

[　　]

A．narrow-minded fellow

B．light-hearted man

C．man who is at loose ends

D．person full of fears

3．Mr. King was ________ when he saw four works painting his house.

[　　]

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

[　　]

A．Martin and Mr. King

B．Painting a New House

C．It's Worth the Money

D．Reasonable or Not

阅读理解

　　Some inventions are so useful, but seem so simple, that we wonder why no one thought of them long ago. Post-it Notes—the pieces of pa per that you can fasten almost anywhere and then remove without leaving any sign that they were there—are an example of such an invention.

　　Post-it Notes were invented about twenty years ago by Art Fry, a scientist at 3M Corporation. The idea for the product came from a frustrating(令人沮丧的) experience he often had while singing in his church choir(唱诗班) . Fry used pieces of paper as bookmarks to mark the places in his book of songs, but these bookmarks were always falling out. He knew he needed a bookmark that would stay where he put it, but that he could remove without damaging the pages.

　　Around the time Fry lard about a new adhesive (粘合剂) that a (同事) , Dr. Spence Silver, had created. This adhesive was special because it was sticky, but not too sticky. It was strong enough to hold papers together, but weak enough not to tear the paper when it was removed. Fry saw that the new adhesive could help solve his bookmark problem. One morning, Fry put some of the adhesive on the edge of a piece of paper. Just as he hoped, it made a perfect bookmark.

　　Fry and some other people at 3M believed so much in the new product that they persuaded the company to give away thousands of the “sticky pieces of paper” for trial use. When some salespeople at 3M went to offices and showed workers just how helpful the new type of notes could be, they immediately received many orders. As more and more people discovered how useful Post-it Notes could be, the product took off.

1．The invention of Post-it Notes showed that Art Fry ________ .

[　　]

A．had a lot of knowledge

B．was very hard-working

C．was good at creative thinking

D．loved his job at the church

2．In what way did Dr. Spence help Art Fry?

[　　]

A．They worked together and 'ten discussed science.

B．His invention of a special adhesive made Fry's invention possible.

C．He persuaded 3M Corporation to give away lots of Post-it Notes for trial use.

D．He co-operated with Fry by providing the new adhesive for him.

3．Which of the following is a possible use of Post-it Notes?

[　　]

A．An email to a friend.

B．An ad in a newspaper.

C．A note on a friend's door.

D．A postcard from abroad.

4．The underlined words“took off” mean ________.

[　　]

A．became popular quickly

B．had even more uses

C．disappeared from the market

D．started to leave the ground

阅读理解

　　Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years, but she was not happy there. Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases. Martha felt that her supervisor, a younger and less experienced person than she, did not like her. In fact, the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.

　　One day, while talking with her friend Marie, she mentioned low discouraged she was. Maria gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company. Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.

　　During the interview, Mr. Petri said, “You're just the kind of person we reed here. You're being wasted in your job. Give me a tail in a day or two. I'm sure we can find a place for you in our organization. ”Martha was happy. She almost danced out of the building.

　　That afternoon, Ruth Kenny, her supervisor, saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said, “Oh, so you finally decided to come back to work today?”

　　This was the last straw(稻草) . She could not take another insult (侮辱) . Besides, Mr. Patri was right: she was being wasted in the “Look,” she said angrily, “if you don't like the way I work, I don't need to stay here . I'll go where I'm appreciated! Good-bye!”She took up her things and stormed out of the office.

　　That night she called Marie and told her what had happened and then asked Marie, “Whet do you think?”

　　“Well,” said Maria carefully,“are you sure about the other job?”

　　“Well, not exactly, but…”

　　Maria continued, “Will you be able to get a recommendation(推荐信) from Mrs. Kenny if you need one?”

　　“A recommendation?… from Mrs. Kenny? ”hesitated Martha, in a worried tone.

　　“Martha, I hope you didn't bum your bridges.”Maria said. “I think I would have handled it differently.”

1．Martha is unhappy in her job because ________.

[　　]

A．she has not advanced

B．the work is not important

C．her supervisor is younger than she

D．there's too much work with little payment

2．which of the following statements is NOT true?

[　　]

A．At her supervisor's words, Martha lost her temper.

B．Mr. Petri felt Martha was not valued in her present job.

C．Martha's interview with the director was on her lunch hour.

D．Martha got the name of the director through her cousin.

3．The underlined phrase “the last straw” in the passage probably refers to ________.

[　　]

A．the last opportunity

B．the straw that saved Martha's life

C．the last reminder

D．the final unpleasant thing

4．what does Maria think of Martha's decision?

[　　]

A．Martha has handled the matter properly.

B．Martha shouldn't have set the bridge on fire.

C．Martha should have found a new job before leaving.

D．Martha shouldn't have lost her temper with her supervisor.

阅读理解

　　A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long-distances in an aeroplane. People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days . They may also have problems thinking dearly and remembering.

　　Recently a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain reported the findings of his jet lag study, which involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines. They had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights. The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas.

　　The researcher took some saliva from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone (荷尔蒙) that increases during stress (紧张) . He tested them to see if they cold remember when black sports appeared on a computer screen. And he took pictures of their brains to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes (脑叶) .

　　It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones.

　　The researcher believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory.

　　Scientists say more teats are needed study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently(永久性地) affect memory.

1．According to the text, jet lag ________.

[　　]

A．can cause difficulties in speaking

B．can make people feel tired for a few weeks

C．can be found only in flight attendants

D．can be caused by flying over several time zones

2．It can be inferred from the test that ________.

[　　]

A．the conclusion is refused by many scientists

B．scientists fear that this research is rat done properly

C．every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests

D．the women examined in the research were not healthy

3．From the result of the research we can see that ________.

[　　]

A．the women who have longer rest at home show better memory

B．the women flying short time have smaller right temporal lobes

C．the women who have longer flights fail memory test

D．the women who rest more than 14 days produce lees hormone

4．what is the subject discussed in the test?

[　　]

A．The cause of jet lag.

B．A story of a group of flight attendants.

C．The importance of having enough rest after flights.

D．A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain.

阅读理解

　　Most episode (情况) of absent-mindedness—forgetting who you left something or wondering why you just entered a room — are caused by a simple lack of attention, says Schacter. “You're supposed to remember something, but you haven't encoded (译成密码) it deeply.”

　　Encoding. Schacter explains, is a special way of paying attention to an event that has a major impact (影响) on recalling it later. Failure to encode properly can create annoying situations. If you put your mobile phone in a pocket, for example, and don't pay attention to what you did because you're involved in a conversation. you'll probably forget that the phone is in the jacket now hanging in your wardrobe (衣柜) . “You memory itself isn't failing you. ”says Schacter, “Rather, you didn't give your memory system the information it needed.”

　　Lack of interest can also lead to absent-mindedness. “A man who can recite sports statistics (数据) from 30 years ago. ”says Zelinski . “may not remember to drop a letter in the mailbox.” Women have slightly better memories than men, possibly because they pay more attention to their environment, and memory depends on just that.

　　“Visual cues can help prevent absent-mindedness.” says Schacter. “But be sure the cue is clear and available. ”he cautions. If you want to remember to take a medication (药物) with hunch, put the pill bottle on the kitchen table. Don't leave it in the medicine chest and write yourself a note that you keep in a pocket.

　　Anther common episode of absent-mindedness: walking into a room and wondering why you're there. Most likely, you were thinking about something else. “Everyone dose this from time to time.” says Zelinski. The best thing to do is to return to where you were before entering the room, and you'll likely remember.

1．We can learn from the passage that encoding

[　　]

A．slows down the process of losing our memories

B．helps us understand our memory system better

C．gets us to recall something from our memories

D．helps us to find out the mobile phone in the pocket

2．Why do women have better memories than men?

[　　]

A．They seldom use their mobile phones.

B．They are more nervous about the environment.

C．They are more interested in what's happening around them.

D．They usually take same special medicine to improve memories.

3．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 means

[　　]

A．putting something in sight can be a good reminder

B．people of absent-mindedness must take medicine with them

C．a note in the pocket will easily get lost

D．taking medicine can get rid of absent-mindedness

4．What can be the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．The Cause of Absent-mindedness.

B．The Environment and Memory.

C．A Way of Encoding and Recalling.

D．The Process of Gradual Memory Loss.

阅读理解

　　Each Indian tribe bad a different language. Many Indians never learned any language except thier own. Do you know haw Indians from different tribes talked to each other? They had two ways to talk without sound. One way was by sign language, another by signals.

　　Sign language is a way of talking by using signs. Indians used sign language when they met strangers. In this way, they could find out whether the stranger was a friend or an enemy. In Indian sign language, signs were made with the hands. One sign meant“man”. Another meant “horse” . To tell the time of the day when something happened, an Indian pointed to the sky. He showed where the sun had been at the time.

　　Indians usually used signals when they wanted to send message to someone far away. To make signals, an Indian might use a horse. He might use a blanket, or he might use smoke, a mirror or fine arrows.

　　To signal that he had seen many animals, an Indian rode his horse in a large circle. Sometimes the Indians gave a signal like this and then went away to hide. This meant that there was danger.

　　The blanket signal was visible from far away. An Indian held the corners of a blanket in his hands. Then he began to wave the blanket from side to side in front of him. An Indian could send many different signals with his blanket.

　　He could also send many signals with a mirror. He usually used the mirror to warn someone of danger. Or he tried to get the attention of a person far away. But he also used it to send messages in code. Of course, mirrors could be used only when the sun was shining. At night, Indians used fire arrows for signaling.

　　An Indian also sent signals with smoke. He made a small fire of dry wood. Then he put grass or green branches on it. He held a blanket over the fire for a minute. When he removed the blanket from the fire. there was a cloud of smoke. The number of clouds of smoke told his message in code.

　　Now you can see that Indians didn't need to learn each other's language. They could talk to one another by using signals or sign language.

1．The story tells about ________.

[　　]

A．tribes living in India

B．the Indians who had many kinds of languages

C．the Indians who didn't use their languages

D．how Indians communicated between different tribes

2．Which of the following is true according to the text?

[　　]

A．When Indians wanted to say “sun”, he pointed to the sky.

B．When an Indian meant there was danger, he drew a circle on the

C．Indians sent signals signals with dry wood fires at night.

D．Indians use sign language to find out whether a stranger was a friend or an enemy .

3．Many Indians never learned any language except their own because ________.

[　　]

A．they thought it was no use learning a second language

B．they could communicate with each other by writing message

C．they thought they could easily make themselves understood without learning a new language

D．they would use signals or sign language

阅读理解

　　Let us say there's something you don't know low to do. In the past, if you were determined to learn, you might have called a friend or relative, taken a night class or walked down to the local library for a re search term. But now a host of websites are springing to provide free practical advice on these subjects and actually anything else you can think of .

　　In one sense, these “how-to” sites represent (代表) a part of the growing world of online learning. This tradition found one of its earliest forms in the FAQs, or Frequently Asked Questions files, that began on Usenet the Internet's global discussion group. These FAQs, many of which still circulate (运转) , took a specific subject and explained it to complete novices.

　　But “how-to” sites take the FAQs' idea in a somewhat different direction by addressing subjects that aren't necessarily related to discussion forums(论坛). These sites take a style of a written tutorial and a tone of friendly advice. Possibly the biggest and heat known of these sites is Learn 2. com ( www. learn 2. com) . It offers nearly 1,000 free tutorials and adds new ones frequently for a job interview.

　　At ehow. com ( www . ehow. com ) you can learn how to train For your first marathon, how to buy a vacation home, or how to make a movie in eight steps.

1．The purpose of writing the passage is to ________ .

[　　]

A．introduce new websites to people

B．teach how to take new courses by Internet

C．present new means to learn something you want to know

D．help you to solve any difficulty you meet with

3．“How-to” sites are set up to ________.

[　　]

A．explain FAQs to the public

B．help people to learn what they want to

C．tell its difference from discussion forums

D．complete the growing world of online learning

4．The underlined word “novices” in the passage probably means

[　　]

A．experts who know a lot

B．hosts of “how-to” sites

C．people without knowledge

D．beginners of how-to sites

5．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．“how-to” sites are specially designed far the disabled

B．people can teach themselves at home by visiting “how-to” sites

C．it is pleasant to listen to the advice on “how-to” sites

D．you can just click your mouse at home to question anything

6．According to the test, if you want to buy a tent for camping, you can ________.

[　　]

A．visit the FAQs

B．visit the discussion forums

C．visit www. ehow. com

D．visit www. learn 2. com

阅读理解

　　If you dream of going somewhere warm to escape the cold winter weather, a trip to a recently discovered planet would certainly warm you right up. The planet, named OGLE-TR-566, has temperatures of more than F. “This is the hottest planet we know about. ” says Dr. Dimitar Sasselov, a scientist who led the discovery team. “It is hot enough to have an iron fog and to rain hot iron droplets (细沫) . ”

　　The new planet is 30 times farther away than any planet discovered by scientists before. It is in the Milky Way (银河) but it's not in our solar (太阳的) .The new planet moves around a star much like our sun , however. Scientists discovered the planet by using a new planet-searching method, called “ transit technique. ” They were able to catch sight of the planet when it moved in front of its star, causing the star's light to dim(变暗) . Scientists compare the method to discovering the shadow of a bee flying in front of a searchlight 200 miles away. “We believe the door has been opened wide to go and discover planets like Earth.”says Sasselov.

1．We can infer from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．there is iron on the planet

B．we could go to the new planet in winter

C．the star would block our view of the new planet

D．scientists are studying the weather on the new planet

2．The“transit technique”can ________.

[　　]

A．help dim the light of a star

B．help scientists with a searchlight

C．help discover a bee on the planet

D．help find a planet moving before its star

3．Which is the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．New Planet-searching Technique.

B．New Distant Discovery.

C．Space Searching.

D．Dream Planet.

阅读理解

　　Many experts complain that media (传媒) too often take advantage of the science fiction (科幻小说) aspects of nanotech (纳米技术) . Reports of nanotech often refer to K. Eric Drexler's book Engines of Creations , which predicts an age full of dominant molecular(分子的) manufacturing and a world without material scarcity (短缺) . Whatever humans need will one day be built cheaply with microscopic self-replicating machines (精微自我复制机) , that put atoms together to create copies of anything alive in the world-from trees to human bodies.

　　In fact, the scientific community is deeply divided over whether self-replicating machines ere possible. If they are, major dangers could exist. Dr. Drexler himself thought that self-replicating machines could go out of control . He writes in his book that man-made “plants” with leaves no more efficient than today's solar cells could win over real plants crowding the earth with leaves that are not suitable to be eaten. Tough “bacteria (细菌)” could be more competitive than the real bacteria. They could spread everywhere, replicate swiftly, and reduce the earth to dust in a matter of days.

　　Critics of nanotech have made use of such images, calling for a delay on commercial (商业的) nanotech until regulations (法规) are established. They also point to the possible military uses of nanotech. Bill Jay , the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, wrote in a Wired magazine essay in 2000 that if nanotech falls into the wrong hands, it could bring dangers to society.

　　Opponents say Mr. Joy is over-reacting, “In a way, calling for bans on research into molecular manufacturing is like calling for a delay on faster than-light travel because no one is dong it. ” says Glenn Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor.

　　Professor Reynolds says it is a good idea to regulate nanotech, but in ways the government would regulate any that could be dangerous. Expert controls and certification systems for nanotech companies are examples. US lawmakers have put forth four bills (法案) on nanotech research and development.

1．K. Eric Drexler in his book predicts a future world with sufficient material, because ________.

[　　]

A．man-made plants could replace real plants and grow more quickly

B．plants produced by nanotech would be as sufficient as today's solar

C．man-made bacteria would be wide-spread and capable of self-replicating

D．humans could create copies of anything alive with high technology

2．To call far a delay on commercial nanotech, critics of nanotech make use of ________.

[　　]

A．current social problems

B．science fiction descriptions

C．disagreements in the scientific community

D．the fact that no one is doing molecular manufacturing

3．Opponents of Bill Joy would NOT agree to ________.

[　　]

A．control nanotech expert

B．ban nanotech research to avoid any possible dangers

C．put forth bills on nanotech research and development

D．establish a certification system for nanotech companies

4．Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

[　　]

A．Nanotech should not be put into wrong use in the military field.

B．The government should regulate products that could be dangerous.

C．Nanotech regulations should be established in spite of the divided opinions.

D．The media should not take advantage of the science fiction aspects of nanotech.

阅读理解

　　If there is no difference in general intelligence (智力) between boys and girls, what can explain girls' poor performance in science and mathematics?

　　It seems to be that their treatment at school is a direct cause. Mathematics and science ace seen as subjects mainly for boys, and therefore, as girls become teenagers they are less likely to take them. Interestingly, both boys and girls often regard the subjects for boys as more difficult. Yet it has been suggested that girls don't take mathematics courses, not because they are difficult, but for social reasons. Girls do not want to be in open competition with boys because they are afraid to appear less feminine(女性的) and attractive.

　　However, if we examine the performance of boys and girls who have taken mathematics courses, there are still more high-achieving boys than there are girls. This difference appears to be world wide. Biological explanations have been offered for this, but there are other explanations too.

　　Perhaps the difference which comes out during the teenage years has its roots in much earlier experiences. From their first days in kindergarten, boys are encouraged to work on their own and to complete tasks. Facts show that outstanding(杰出的) mathematicians and scientists have not had teachers who supplied answers.

　　Besides, there can be little doubt that teachers of mathematics and science expect their boy students to do better at these subjects than their girl students. They even appear to encourage the difference between boys and girls. They spend more time with the boy students, giving them more time to answer questions and working harder to get correct answers from them. They are more likely to call on boys for answers and to allow them to take the lead in classroom discussion. They also praise boys more frequently. All of this seems to encourage boys to work harder in science and mathematics and to give them confidence(信心) that they are able to succeed.

　　Such a way of teaching is not likely to encourage girls to take many mathematics and science courses, nor is it likely to support girls who do. When it comes to these subjects it seems certain that school widens the difference between boys and girls.

1．Girls are likely to think that ________.

[　　]

A．science courses are for both boys and girls

B．science courses make them more popular

C．science courses make them successful

D．science courses are difficult for them

2．The text mainly discusses ________ reasons for the difference between boys and girls in scientific achievements.

[　　]

A．biological

B．historical

C．social

D．personal

3．What are boys usually encouraged to do at school?

[　　]

A．To get help with their homework.

B．To play the leading role in class.

C．To work with girl students in class.

D．To learn to take care of others.

4．What does the passage say about great mathematicians?

[　　]

A．Their teachers did not supply answers to them.

B．They started learning mathematics at an early age.

C．They showed mathematical abilities in their teenage years.

D．Their success resulted from their strong interest in mathematics.