阅读理解

　　On Easter morning, as the first rays of the sun lighten the sky at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the plaintive (哀伤的) sounds of trombones (长号) call the townspeople to Moravian(摩拉维亚教派) Burying Ground where they welcome the rising sun with songs of praise: Christ is risen.

　　In similar ceremonies throughout the land millions of people gather on hilltops, parks, churches and open spaces to salute (致敬) another Easter dawn. There is a resurrection of hope and joy as the earth reawakens to another spring, New life emerges: young lambs, fresh green grass, and delicate (纤细的) blooms appear. Days are growing longer and there is more warmth in the sun. Birds sing and the world rings with gladness.

　　One of the holiest days of Christendom (基督教教界), Easter commemorates (纪念) Christ's resurrection (复活) from the tomb where he had lain for three days following his crucifixion (钉死于十字架上) When he arose after the three days it was to fulfill his promise to rise again as proof of eternal life.

　　Although Easter is based on events in the life on Christ, older traditions have influenced the customs of the festival. The name Easter itself derives from the ancient Norse (挪威人) festival of spring sun (Eastre) which celebrated the awakening of new life and the death of winter. The Christian Easter gradually replaced the pagan (异教的) festival, but some of the rites (仪式), of spring were retained since Christ’s resurrection had occurred during that season.

　　Celebration of Easter by early settlers in the United States mirrored their European backgrounds. In the regions settled by those of Roman Catholic (罗马天主教) heritage (传统) Easter was observed from the beginning. But the straight-laced [古板的]Puritans in New England, still influenced by the British prohibition (禁止) against what they considered profane (亵渎的) celebrations of Christmas and Easter, did not observe either holiday.

　　Easter is now celebrated throughout the country, although the customs, traceable to the different ethnic heritages, still vary with the regions. The German-Americans of Pennsylvania, for instance, preserve the custom of eating fried crullers(一种油煎饼) on Shrove Tuesday (大斋节的前一天); and those of Greek origin take part in a funeral procession following a flower- decked bier (棺材) bearing the figure of Christ.

1．The Easter comes most probably in ________.

[　　]

A．June

B．September

C．April

D．December

2．Which of the following statement about the Easter is tree?

[　　]

A．The Easter is only one of religion holy days.

B．The Easter just celebrates the renewing of the nature.

C．All people throughout the Christendom celebrated the Easter since the beginning.

D．Different ethic groups celebrate the Easter in a different way.

3．The Easter was not celebrated by ________ in the early days of the United States.

[　　]

A．those with Roman Catholic tradition

B．the Germans settled in Pennsylvania

C．the Puritans from the Britain

D．those with Greek origin

4．Which of the following is closest to the meaning of the word “observe” (in Line 3, para. 5)?

[　　]

A．Watch carefully.

B．Comment.

C．Obey.

D．Celebrate.

5．The Christian Easter maintains some ceremonies of Spring because ________.

[　　]

A．the Easter comes in Spring

B．the Christians like Spring in which new life emerges

C．it is an old Norse festival

D．Christ's resurrection had happened in Spring

阅读理解

　　He works ten hours a day, makes more than US $ 98000 a year, doesn't bother to take holidays, dresses as he pleases. He's never been happier and is looking for another job. This 33-year-old white, university-educated person is the typical (典型的) Internet worker, according to a study by the Industry Standard, a San Francisco-based news magazine.

　　There is also a reasonable chance that his employer will arrange his dry cleaning, allow him to bring his dog to work, offer him flee massages (按摩) and give him stock options(股票自由买卖权). And he still thinks people in other firms are doing better,

　　The typical worker, it appears, not only enjoys an income about three times the national average but also enjoys himself. At present 2.5 million people are employed by Intemet firms in the US. The results of the study give plenty of reasons why so many people think the grass is greener in Silicon Valley.

　　Even after tech-stocks sharply went down in April, closing many start-ups, there is still a mood of enthusiasm (热情) and special advantage among those still employed. So what makes 52 percent of them “very happy?”“Demanding work” is given as the main reason and “salary” is unsurprisingly close behind. Those questioned in the study also listed working weekends and long holidays as signs of the pleasure of the workplaces.

　　Only 13 percent were paid for the extra hours work while 14 percent put more than 12 hours work on an average day. “It wasn't all about money,” wrote Maryann Thompson in the introduction to the study, “It was fun. What other job could a college graduate walk into at 10 am, wearing shorts and sandals? And spend days with his dog and his feet, working on projects that required real brain power-then leave at 9 pm, with a belly full of free food, a few happy-hour beers and a big fat check?” The average income works out at $ 104000 with the average basic salary at $ 84700.

1．The job as an Internet worker

[　　]

A．calls for strict rules

B．leaves more time for housework

C．requires shorter working hours

D．allows much freedom

2．The most important reason that an Internet worker likes his job is that the job ________.

[　　]

A．brings him in $ 104000 year, much more than the average salary

B．requires great effort but gives him a great deal of fun

C．allows him long holidays and working weekends, which brings him much pleasure

D．promises him a big chance to rise and much freedom to have a change

3．Many Internet workers think that ________ is a much better workplace for an Internetworker.

[　　]

A．the present position

B．San Francisco

C．Silicon Valley

D．a none-tech job

4．The whole passage mainly tells us ________.

[　　]

A．college graduates are greatly attracted by Internet work

B．Internet workers earn much more than an average worker

C．youth prefer much more freedom in their work

D．employers try many ways to satisfy their Internet workers

阅读理解

　　This was the morning, when Jeremy, 14-year-old, was to begin his duck shooting. He had hated the whole idea ever since his father had bought him a gun and had promised him a trip to this island. But he loved his father and wanted to please him.

　　They came to the beach. To ease (减轻) the sense of fear, he took a picture of his father. Then he. put the camera aside and picked up the gun. His father said happily, “I've been waiting a long time for this day. I'll let you shoot.” He leaned (屈身) forward, eyes narrowed. “There is a small flight (飞翔的一群) now. Keep your head down; I'll give you the word.”

　　Jeremy's heart was beating wildly. “No, don't let me come, please!” But they came, closer, closer…“Now, take him!” cried his father. Jeremy felt his body obey. He stood up, leaned into the gun the way his father taught him. In the same distance, the ducks saw the gunners and flared wildly. For a second he hung there balanced between life and death. There was no sound. Jeremy stood still, seizing the gun.

　　“What happened? Why don't you shoot?” his father said in a controlled voice. The boy didn't answer, His lips were trembling. “Because they are so lovely.” He said and burst into tears. He sat down, face buried in his hands and wept. All hope of pleasing his father was gone. He had his chance and he had failed.

　　For a moment his father was silent. And then he said, “Let's try again.” Jeremy didn't lower his hands. “It's no use. I can't.”

　　“Hurry, you'll miss him. Here!” Cold metal touched Jeremy. He looked up, unbelieving. His father was handing the camera to him and said softly. “Qucik!” Jeremy stood up and pressed his shutter release (快门) button in a flash, “I got him!” His face was bright.

　　Jeremy saw there was no disappointment in his father's eyes, only pride and love. “I'll always love shooting. But that doesn't mean you could. Sometimes it takes as much courage not to do a thing as to do it.” He paused. “I think you could teach me how to operate that machine.”

1．Why did Jeremy take a picture for his father at the beach?

[　　]

A．Because he thought the scene was very beautiful.

B．Because he was too frightened and he wanted to make himself less afraid by taking pictures.

C．Because his father asked him to do so.

D．Because he wanted to take some photos for a newspaper.

2．When Jeremy failed to shoot, his father was ________.

[　　]

A．very angry

B．shocked

C．able to control himself

D．disappointed

3．Jeremy couldn't shoot his gun just because ________.

[　　]

A．he missed the chance

B．he didn’t know how to use the gun

C．he didn't like to kill the lovely ducks

D．he didn't want to obey his father

4．From the passage, we could infer that ________.

[　　]

A．Only when Jeremy saw the lovely ducks did he hate the idea of shooting

B．Jeremy's father was very hard to him

C．Jeremy never listened to his father

D．Jeremy loved taking pictures rather than killing wild animals

阅读理解

　　Washington: Although its wings and tails might be separated from its body, a damaged U. S. spy plane stuck in China finally would be sent home under a tentative U. S. -Chinese agreement.

　　No timetable was set for the return of the Navy plane, which collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea on April 1. The accident put a considerable strain (紧张)on already touchy U.S. -Chinese relations.

　　The U. S. has demanding return of the EP-3 since the Apill 1 collision. Each side blamed the other for the accident, which cost the life of the Chinese pilot's. President Bush had approved a letter saying America was “very sorry” for the Chinese pilot's death and for the U. S. plane's landing without China's permission.

　　In China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao was quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying the United States would be permitted “in principle” to send an Antonov-124 cargo plane to pick up the plane. U. S. has been pushing Beijing to let the plane be repaired and then flown out of China. Zhu said last week that China would let the United States have the damaged plane back, but he said flying it out would be “impossible.”

　　“People are talking about the AN-124 to fly the spy plane out”, a U. S. official said. The transport plane, the world's largest cargo plane, is made both in Ukraine and Russia and used commercially.

1．From the passage we know that after the collision, the relationship between China and the USA ________.

[　　]

2．The underlined word “collided” in the passage probably means ________.

[　　]

A．two planes hit each other in the sky

B．two planes had a training in the sky

C．two planes ran after one another in the sky

D．one plane forbade another plane to land

3．After the collision, the U. S. once thought that ________ to have caused the collision.

[　　]

A．it was their own fault

B．it was no one's fault

C．it was the fault of the both sides

D．it was China's fault

4．Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said that flying the spy plane out was “impossible”. Why do you think it impossible?

[　　]

A．Because it is too difficult go get the plane repaired and flown ont of China.

B．Because flying it out is not the best way to get the plane back to USA.

C．Because it is safer to use the AN-124 to fly the spy plane back to the USA.

D．Because China will not permit it.

阅读理解

　　Many people consider their pets members of the family and are very sad when they die, but what if you could clone your dog, eat or bird?

　　A scientist in New Orleans, who has proved his ability to clone other animals, is now offering the possibility to pet owners here in Wisconsin.

　　Scientists have not been able to clone dogs, cats or other pets, but if and when the time comes, several companies will be ready and able to do the job.

　　The question is: Are you ready to clone your pet? Brett Reggio is betting on it. He is working on his Ph. D at Louisians State University. He's successfully cloned a goat five times and wants to try the process on family pets. So he started a business called Lazaron. “What Lazaron provides is the first step in the cloning process.” He said. “It's for curing and storing the fiberglass cells that will be used for cloning.”

　　“Your first reaction is yeah! I think I'd like that.” said Donna Schacht, a pet owner.

　　“I don't believe you can ever replace a special love,” pet owner Paulette Callation said.

　　Most pet owners will tell you freezing your pet's DNA in hopes of one day cloning it is a personal decision.

　　Scientists say that cloning your own pet doesn't mean that the offspring will have the same intelligence, temperment or other qualities that your pet has.

1．From the passage we know that scientists has ________.

[　　]

A．tried to clone animals

B．cloned many kinds of animals

C．been able to clone pets for people

D．once cloned goats successfully

2．Brett Reggio started a business in order to ________.

[　　]

A．clone pets for people

B．store the DAN of people's pets for cloning one day

C．make pets members of a family

D．collect different ideas on cloning from people

3．Some people seem not interested in cloning pets because ________.

[　　]

A．they think it would be too expensive

B．they don't think scientists will one day be able to clone their pets

C．they think the cloned pet would not be the one they once had

D．they don’t want to give any love to the cloned pet

4．If you cloned a pet, you might find that it ________.

[　　]

A．looked different from the pet you once had

B．turned out to be another kind of animal

C．had a different character

D．were just the same pet you once had

阅读理解

　　Virtually all American workers are suffering as a result of the current economic crisis. Hardest hit of all according to official statistics, are black workers and their families. The recently released (发布) official Bureau of Labor Statistics (统计数字) (BLS) figures show unemployment for March to be 8 million, or 8.7 percent overall with 8 percent for whites and 14.2 percent for blacks. The figures for teenagers are 20.6 percent overall with 41.6 percent for black youths.

　　The BLS lists as employed the 3.9 million part-time workers, most of whom need and want full-time jobs. About half of these involuntary (非本意的) part-timers are blacks. The BLS does not count the millions of teenagers who have never had a job and have not registered (登记) for work. Many have looked for jobs without success. Others just don't look, knowing full well that there are no jobs available, let alone decent(体面的) jobs.

　　Surprisingly, the majority of both white and black unemployed workers are not eligible (合格的) for unemplayment benefits: 3.2 million out of the official 5.6 million unemployed during the last quarter of 1974 were ineligible. Fifty-seven percent of the blacks who lest their jobs during that quarter were ineligible for benefits. This figure was over 20 percent higher than the percentage for white workers.

　　What's happened in this period to small black business? Frequently lacking cash reserves, credit and management know- how and facing diminishing (逐渐缩小的) markets amidst (在…当中) soaring black unemployment, many black-owned businesses are being rocked especially hard by the economic ill winds. The majority of the 195,000 black 7 owned businesses, 94 percent of which are in dividudly owned and rim, are in real trouble. Eighty-five percent had gross (总的) annual receipts (收入)of less than $ 13,000 and less than 20 percent had any paid employees. It has been reported that 18 percent of black husinesses failed in 1974, compared to the less than one percent failes of white-owned businesses.

1．The official BLS figures show that ________.

[　　]

A．there are more unemployed teenagers than grown-ups

B．the percentage of unemployed blacks is higher than that of the white

C．most of the part-time workers lost their jobs

D．most of the unemployed are able to get the social benefits for the unemployment

2．The word “soaring” (in Line 4, para. 4) most probably means ________.

[　　]

3．What is most striking in the details about the unemployed?

[　　]

A．Many teenagers can not find jobs.

B．The percentage of the unemployed is rising.

C．More blacks are suffering from the unemployment.

D．Most of the unemployed can not get the unemployment benefits.

4．Which of the following statements is NOT the result of the current economic crisis?

[　　]

A．The percentage of the unemployed blacks is higher than that of the whites.

B．Most of the unemployed workers can not get unemployment benefits.

C．Many black-owned-and-run businesses failed.

D．Many part-time workers can not find a full-time job.

5．From the passage we can infer that the author's attitude to the blacks is ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　“Hello?” she asked in a louder voice. “Hello, anybody?”

　　There was still no answer. Dinah began to cry. She stood up and began walking forward slowly along the port side aisle (走廊). “Keep count!” part of her mind warned. “Keep count how many rows you pass, or you'll get lost and never find your way back again.” She stopped at the port side row seats just ahead of the row in which she and Aunt Vicky had been sitting and bent, arms outstretched, fingers splayed. She was hoping to touch the sleeping face of the man sitting here. She knew there was a man here, because Aunt Vieky had spoken to him only a minute or so before the plane took off. When he spoke back to her, his voice had come from the seat directly in front of Dinah's own. She knew that; marking the locations of voices was part of her life, an ordinary fact of existence like breathing. The sleeping man would jump up when her outstretched fingers touched him, but Dinah was beyond eating.

　　Except the seat was empty.

　　Completely empty.

　　Dinah straightened again, her cheek wet, her head pounding with fright. They couldn't have been to the washroom together, could they? Of course not. Perhaps there were two washrooms. In a plane this big there must be two washrooms. Except that didn't matter, either.

　　Aunt Vicky wouldn't have left her purse, no matter what, Dinah was sure of that.

　　She began to walk slowly forward, stopping at each row of seats, reaching into the two closest to her, aiming to find someone. Nobody; the other, no. The other rows, no, no, still no! Every seat she investigated was empty.

　　This can't be! This just can't be! She thought wildly. They were all around as when we got on! I heard them! I felt them! —where have they all gone?

　　At some point, while she slept, her aunt and everyone else on Flight 29 had disappeared!

1．It is inferred from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．no one in the plane answered Dinah because they were sleeping

B．all the people, including Aunt Vicky had got off the plane while Dinah was sleeping

C．all the people, including Aunt Vicky had somehow disappeared without Dinah's acknowledge

D．Aunt Vicky had really gone to the washroom with the man

2．There is one sentence missing in the passage. Which of the following do you think is the best to fill in the blank?

[　　]

A．I saw them!

B．I smelled them!

C．I touched them!

D．I tasted them!

3．From the underlined sentence in the passage, we know the reason why Dinah wanted to touch the face of the sleeping man is that ________.

[　　]

A．she loved to touch people's faces

B．she had to because she was blind

C．she didn't want to open her eyes

D．she was toe frightened to open her eyes

阅读理解

　　There were some people in the southern part of Greece called Spartans, who were famous for their simple habits and their bravery. The name of the area in which they lived was Laconia, and so they were also called Lacons.

　　One of the strange rules which the Lacons had was that they should speak briefly, and never use more words than needed. So a short answer is often spoken of as a Laconic answers.

　　There was in the northern part of Greece a land called Macedon, and this land was one time ruled over by a warlike king called Philip.

　　Philip wanted to become the master of all Greece. So he raised a great army, and war upon other states, until nearly all of them were forced to call him their king. Then he sent a letter to the Spartans in Laconia, saying, “If I go down into your country, I will level your great city to the ground.”

　　In a few days, an answer was brought back to him. When he opened the letter, he found there was only one word.

　　That words is “if”.

1．What do you think the word “briefly” in the second paragraph means?

[　　]

A．Very brave.

B．Slowly and clearly.

C．In short.

D．Too simple to understand.

2．Which title best gives the idea of the passage?

[　　]

A．Simple Habits.

B．A Laconic Answer.

C．Something About Lacons.

D．What Does “If” Mean.

3．I think the word “If” in the letter of Lacons means ________.

[　　]

A．If the war broke out, they, Lacous, would fight to last one to drive the enemies out of their country

B．If the enemies came, the Laeons would level their cities to the ground and let enemies get nothing

C．If they brought the war to Spartans, Lacons would fight so that they could become masters of the whole Greece

D．If the Lacons had not been brave, their enemies would have come earlier

阅读理解

　　Boxing was long viewed sickly. Generally forbidden by law in earlier days, the fighting was usually done with barefists, and matches often lasted forty or fifty rounds.

　　In 1882 John L. Sullivan, a fighter of great power, won the world heavyweight championship from Paddy Ryan in a bare-fisted battle marked by hitting, scratching, and biting without any rule. Five years later, while fighting Patsy Cardiff at Minneapolis, Sullivan broke his right arm in the third round, but he continued fighting to the sixth round and won. In 1889, Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain with his bare fists in another championship fight, winning twenty thousand dollars and a diamond prize medal. His admirers talked then of tuning him for the neat governor, but he traveled to Australia for a boxing tour instead, coming back only, to lose his title in a twenty-one-round match with a young Californian named James J. Corbels.

　　“Genfieam James” victory, in this match marked a turning point, for it showed scientific boxing was over strength. But Corbetts' title ended in 1897, when another boxer, Bob Fitssimmons, in less than three seconds, achieved his feats and then Fitzsimmons knocked out an Irishman, won the heavyweight championship of the world, and invented the terrible “solar plexus punch.”

1．Boxing matches in the early days were ________.

[　　]

A．short and bloody

B．usually spare-time competitions

C．governed by strict rules

D．cruel

2．Sullivan held the world's heavyweight title for ________.

[　　]

A．at least seven years

B．only a year

C．five days

D．twenty-one years

3．Sullivan's fight with Kilrain was ________.

[　　]

A．the first boxing championship match

B．a bare-fisted championship fight

C．the last boxing match to be fought barefisted

D．a six-round match

阅读理解

　　The expression, “lame duck”, can be heard in almost any American town or city, especially where people discuss politics. Most often, they use it to describe a politician who has come to the end of power-a Congressman, for example, who has a few more weeks in office and will then be out of a job.

　　There are a number of ideas as to where “lame duck” came from although the picture is clear enough—a duck that has had its wings clipped, or its web feet injured, and can no longer walk or waddle (walk with short steps, bending from one side to the other) like a healthy one.

　　The term seems to have crept (move slowly and quietly with the body close to the ground) into the American language some time after the Civil War of 1861～1865. One explanation is that it came from the language of hunters who felt that it was foolish to waste power or time on a dead duck.

　　Another explanation, however, says that the expression came from England. There it was used to describe a man who lost all his money in stocks (股票交易), was cleaned out (倾家荡产) and could not pay his debts. And-so the story does, —people showed little mercy (kindness or pity) for the poor fellow.

　　But in the United States people took the phrase to describe a congressman who failed to get reelected but still had a little time in office until his successor was sworn in (be sworn in=take office).

　　In time, the expression was used in a broader sense, generally describing any man whose days of power were coming to the end. It has often been to describe the position of an American president in the last 2 years or so of his 2nd term. It is a difficult time for him, when Congress is ready to oppose him at every turn (at every moment; in every place). It may refuse to work with him simply because his days in the White House are numbered. His sun is setting. It is not a happy time. It is like old age coming on. And people, like animals, are cruel to lame ducks, ready to drive him out. Their eyes are already turned towards the new leader, the new man in command.

1．It is likely that the expression “lame duck ________”.

[　　]

A．has been widely used in the American language before the Civil War

B．has quietly come into the American language some time after the year of 1865

C．was used in the old English

D．has been used in both the USA and the UK since 1865 to express the same meaning

2．When a person lost all his money in stocks, people ________.

[　　]

A．usually showed mercy for him

B．always has sympathy with him

C．hardly has sympathy with him

D．never drove him out

3．Who is the lame duck in the USA last term?

[　　]