阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　When families gather for Christmas dinner; some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma's generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday-best.

　　But in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance has given way to a stoneware(粗陶)-and-stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times.

　　Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs-one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery(陶瓷) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.

　　Although a strong pound and markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social, shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend” toward casual dining. Families eat together leas often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television.

　　Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it's better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family mom than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?

　　Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette(礼节) that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents(“Chew with your mouth closed.” “Keep your elbows off the table.”) must be picked up elsewhere. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be competent professionally but clueless socially.

1．The trend toward casual dining has resulted in ________.

[　　]

A．bankruptcy of fine china manufacturers

B．shrinking of the pottery industry

C．restructuring of large enterprises

D．economic recession in Great Brian

2．Which of the following may he the best reason for casual dining?

[　　]

A．Family members need more time to relax.

B．Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.

C．People want to practice economy in times of scarcity.

D．Young people won't follow the etiquette of the older generation.

3．It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is ________.

[　　]

A．a retailer of stainless steel tableware

B．a dealer in stoneware

C．a pottery chain store

D．a producer of fine china

4．The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is ________.

[　　]

A．the increased value of the pound

B．the economic recession in Asia

C．the change in people's way of life

D．the fierce competition at home and abroad

5．Refined table manners, though less popular than before in current social life, ________.

[　　]

A．are still a must on certain occasions

B．are bound to return sooner or later

C．are still being taught by parents at home

D．can help improve personal relationships

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects.

　　Located on the shore of Sullivan's Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Hugo 10 years ago. In September 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state.

　　Before Hugo, many new houses built along South Carolina's shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement of building codes weren't strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Hugo's wake, all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house on Sullivan's Island should be able to withstand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.

　　At first sight, the house on Sullivan's Island looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble “a large party lantern” at night, according to one observer. But looks can be deceiving. The house's wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods to give it extra strength.

　　To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings-long, slender columns of wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also elevate the house above storm surges. The pilings allow the surges to run under the house instead of running into it. “These swells of water come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings,” said Huff.

　　Huff designed the timber pilings to be partially concealed by the house's ground-to-roof shell. “The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn't look like it's standing with its pant legs pulled up,” said Huff. In the event of a storm surge, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.

1．After the tragedy caused by Hurricane Hugo, new houses built along South Carolina's shoreline are required ________.

[　　]

A．to be easily reinforced B.. to look smarter in design

C．to meet stricter building standards

D．to be designed in the shape of cubes

2．The award-winning beach house is quite strong because ________.

[　　]

A．it is strengthened by steel rods

B．it is made of redwood

C．it is in the shape, of a shell

D．it is built with timber arid concrete

3．Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on timber piling inn order to ________.

[　　]

A．withstand peak winds of about 200 kin/hr

B．anchor stronger pilings deep in the sand

C．break huge sea waves into smaller ones

D．prevent water from rushing into the house

4．The main function of the shell is ________.

[　　]

A．to strengthen the pilings of the house

B．to give the house a better appearance

C．to protect the wooden frame of the house

D．to slow down the speed of the swelling water

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

[　　]

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　In 1954 a turning point in medical history, resulting from applied bionics; was the first “open heart” surgery done in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Dr. W. Lillehei's techniques for the first time allowed the patient to be operated on while blood was supplied to the patient from a donor. Today “open heart” surgery, using more complicated methods and bionic devices, is common in the United States.

　　Important technological advances such as those already mentioned have encouraged scientists to develop the artificial heart. Early in 1983, in its first use by a human patient, a medical team at the University of Utah Medical Center replaced the diseased heart by a Jarvik-7.

　　The world watched amazed as television pictures of Dr. Clark showed him as he improved steadily after the surgery. His continued life demonstrated, that a bionic device could imitate the action and function of a healthy heart. Dr. Clark lived for 112 days.

　　Life-like or bionic machines have existed for several centuries. The development of tools by man's ancestors is a good example of the application of bionics to extend human capabilities. Modern bionic research is especially involved in prosthetics devices that substitute for, or replace lost or diseased body parts such as arms, legs, and eyes.

　　Recent advances in electronics have enabled scientists to make better use of electrical impulses in the control of prosthetic devices. One interesting research project is the development of an artificial eye in which video signals are transformed into fight patterns that are sent into nerve receptors in the patient.

　　The future for applied bionics seems to be promising. Existing bionic devices will become smaller, faster, and more effective. The artificial heart used for Dr. Clark is only one of experimental replacement devices. It is likely to be joined in the future by replacements for other internal systems or organs.

　　Bionic livers, stomachs, and lungs are not impossibilities!

1．Which of the following does this passage mainly discuss?

[　　]

A．The application of bionics.

B．The first “open heart” surgery.

C．The development of the artificial heart.

D．The future of applied bionics.

2．According to the passage, it was Dr. C. W. Lillehei that ________.

[　　]

A．first developed applied bionics

B．was the first to operate on the heart of a patient

C．developed the artificial heart

D．used more sophisticated methods to do “open heart” surgery

3．By “Dr. Clark lived for 112 days”, the author most probably means that ________.

[　　]

A．the replacement of Dr. Clark's heart was a failure

B．there was still a long way to go in applied bionics

C．applied bionics was promising

D．the first artificial heart was most effective

4．The control of artificial devices is improving because ________.

[　　]

A．video signals can be transformed into light patterns

B．bionic machines have existed for centuries

C．artificial devices such as arms, legs and eyes require better control than bionic machines

D．science has made great advances in electronics

5．The author's attitude towards applied bionics is ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　In recent years, Israeli consumers have grown more demanding as they've become wealthier and more worldly-wise. Foreign travel is a national passion; this summer alone, one in 10 citizens will go abroad. Exposed to higher standards of service elsewhere, Israelis are returning home expecting the same. American firms have also begun arriving in large numbers. Chains such as KFC, McDonald's and Pizza Hut are setting a new standard of customer service, using strict employee training and constant monitoring to ensure the friendliness of frontline staff. Even the American habit of telling departing customers to “Have a nice day” has caught on all over Israel. “Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, ‘Let's be nicer,’” says Itsik Cohen, director of a consulting firm. “Nothing happens without competition.”

　　Privatization, or the threat of it, is a motivation as well. Monopolies(垄断者) that until recently have been free to take their customers for granted now fear what Michael Perry, a marketing professor, calls “the revengeful(报复的) consumer.” When the government opened up competition with Bezaq, the phone company, its international branch lost 40％ of its market share, even while offering competitive rates. Says Perry, “People wanted revenge for all the years of bad service.” The electric company, whose monopoly may be short-lived, has suddenly stopped requiring users to wait half a day for a repairman. Now, appointments are scheduled to the half-hour. The graceless El A1 Airlines, which is already at auction(拍卖), has retrained its employees to emphasize service and is boasting about the results in an ad campaign with the slogan, “You can feel the change in the air.” For the first time, praise outnumbers complaints on customer survey sheets.

1．It may be inferred from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．customer service in Israel is now improving

B．wealthy Israeli customers are hard to please

C．the tourist industry has brought chain stores to Israel

D．Israeli customers prefer foreign products to domestic ones

2．In the author's view, higher service standards are impossible in Israel ________.

[　　]

A．if customer complaints go unnoticed by the management

B．unless foreign companies are introduced in greater numbers

C．if there's no competition among companies

D．without strict routine training of employees

3．If someone in Israel today needs a repairman in case of a power failure, ________.

[　　]

A．they can have it fixed in no time

B．it's no longer necessary to make an appointment

C．the appointment takes only half a day to make

D．they only have to wait half an hour at most

4．The example of El Al Airlines shows that ________.

[　　]

A．revengeful customers are a threat to the monopoly of enterprises

B．an ad campaign is a way out for enterprises in financial difficulty

C．a good slogan has great potential for improving service

D．staff retraining is essential for better service

5．Why did Bezaq's international branch lose 40％ of its market share?

[　　]

A．Because the rates it offered were not competitive enough.

B．Because customers were dissatisfied with its past service.

C．Because the service offered by its competitors was far better.

D．Because it no longer received any support from the government.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Packaging is a very important form of advertising. A package can sometimes motivate people to buy products. For example, a small child might ask for a breakfast food contained in a box with a picture of a TV character, The child is more interested in the picture than in breakfast food. Pictures for children to color or cut out, games printed on a package, or a small gift inside a box also motivate many children to buy products－or to ask their parents to buy for them.

　　Some packages suggest that a buyer will get something for nothing. Food products sold in reusable containers are examples of this. Although a similar product in a plain container might cost less, people often prefer to buy the product in a reusable glass or dish, because they believe, the container is free. However, the cost of the container is added to the cost of the product.

　　The size of a package also motivates a buyer. Maybe the package has “Economy Size” or “Family Size” printed on it. This suggests that the larger size has the most product for the least money. But that is not always true. To find it out, a buyer has to know how the product is sold and the price of the basic unit.

　　The information on the package should provide some answers. But the important thing for any buyer to remember is that a package is often an advertisement. The words and pictures do not tell the whole story. Only the product inside can do that.

1．“A buyer will get something for nothing” in paragraph 2 most probably means that ________.

[　　]

A．a buyer will riot get what he pays for

B．a buyer will get more than what he pays for

C．a buyer will get something useful free of charge

D．a buyer will get more but pay less

2．From the passage we know the buyer pays more attention to ________.

[　　]

A．the size of a container

B．a container with attractive picture

C．a well-designed container

D．a plain container with low cost

3．What suggestion does the author give in the passage?

[　　]

A．It's not good to buy the product which is sold in a glass or dish.

B．The quality of a container has nothing to do with the quality of the product.

C．The best choice far a buyer is to buy a product in a plain package.

D．A buyer should buy what he needs most rather than a well-designed package.

4．Which of the following sentences is NOT true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．In fact glasses or dishes used for packaging do not cost money at all.

B．“Family Size” printed on the package means that it is rather economic.

C．To a child, even to an adult, the form is far more important than the content.

D．Words and pictures written on the package are thought to be an advertisement.

5．What is the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．How to Package a Product.

B．How to Make an Advertisement.

C．How to Sell Product.

D．How to Attract More Buyers.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　It was fifteen past nine as Marie hurried into the office building where she was going to work. Her bus had inched along through heavy morning traffic, making her a few minutes late for her very first Job. She decided to start out half an hour earlier the next day.

　　Once inside the lobby, she had to stand at the elevators and wait several minutes before she could get on one going to the sixth floor. When she finally reached the office marked “Smith Enterprises”, she knocked at the door nervously and waited. There was no reply. She tapped on the door again, but still there was no answer. From inside the next office, she could hear the sound of voices, so she opened the door and went in.

　　Although she was sure it was the same office she had been in two weeks before when she had the interview with Mr. Smith, it looked quite different now. In fart, it hardly looked like an office at all.

　　The employees were just standing around chatting and smoking. In the front of the room, somebody must have just told a good joke, she thought, because there was a loud burst of laughter as she came in. For a moment she had thought they were laughing at her.

　　Then one of the men looked at his watch, clapped his hands and said something to the others. Quickly they all went to their desks and, in a matter of seconds, everyone was hard at work. No one paid any attention to Marie. Finally she went up to the man who was sitting at the desk nearest to the door and explained that this was her first day in the office. Hardly looking up from his work, he told her to have a seat and wait for Mr. Smith, who would arrive at any moment. Then Marie realized that the day's work in the office began just before Mr. Smith arrived. Later she found out that he lived in Connecticut and came into Manhattan on the same train every morning, arriving in the office at 9:35, so that his staff knew exactly when to start working.

1．Marie felt nervous when she knocked at the door became

[　　]

A．it was her first day in a new job

B．she was a little bit late for work

C．she was afraid that she had gone to the wrong place

D．there was no answer from inside the office

2．Marie could hardly recognize the office she went into as ________.

[　　]

A．she had been there only once

B．Mr. Smith was not in the office

C．nobody was doing any work

D．the office had a new appearance

3．The people in the office suddenly started working because

[　　]

A．they saw a stranger in the office

B．their morning break was ended

C．no one wanted to talk to Marie

D．the boss was about to arrive

4．We can infer from the text that the employees of the enterprise ________.

[　　]

A．would start their work by listening to a joke

B．were cold to newcomers

C．were always punctual for work

D．lacked devotion to the company

5．The best title for this text would be ________.

[　　]

A．Punctual Like A Clock

B．A Cold Welcome

C．An unpunctual Manager

D．Better Late Than Never

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?

　　Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.

　　A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.

　　Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.

　　The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?

　　Heroes are catalysts(催化剂) for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire, without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. Jr., we might still have segregated(隔离的) buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.

1．Although heroes may come from different cultures, they ________.

[　　]

A．generally possess certain inspiring characteristics

B．probably share some weakness of ordinary people

C．are often influenced by previous generations

D．all unknowingly attract a large number of fans

2．According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that ________.

[　　]

A．they have a vision from the mountaintop

B．they have warm feelings and emotions

C．they can serve as concrete examples of noble principles

D．they can make people feel stronger and more confident

3．Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because ________.

[　　]

A．they are popular only among certain groups of people

B．their performances do not improve their fans morally

C．their primary concern is their own financial interests

D．they are not clear about the principles they should follow

4．Gandhi and Martin Luther King are typical examples of outstanding leaders who ________.

[　　]

A．are good at demonstrating their charming characters

B．can move the masses with their forceful speeches

C．are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships

D．can provide are answer to the problems of their people

5．The author concludes that historical changes would

[　　]

A．be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities

B．not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices

C．take place if there were heroes to lead the people

D．produce leaders with attractive personalities

阅读理解

　　Tamara walked through the night to the little house where her old nurse lived. The old woman gave her a meal. Then Tamara went out to get a car. She had enough money with her to pay for the use of a car for a few days.

　　She wanted to go into town and see a friend, a teacher of science. She had to sit through the second part of a class before she was able to speak to him. But then he took her to his office and listened to her.

　　She told him that she wanted to build houses on some land her husband had owned. But first she must clear it of unwanted plants. She wanted something that would kill them.

　　Her friend wrote down a name on a piece of paper and told her to take it to a shop he knew.

　　“You will need lots of it,” he said. “Put it in water and spread it over the plants.”

1．Tamara went to see her nurse ________ .

[　　]

2．Tamara got into town in order to see ________ .

[　　]

A．a friend and a teacher of science

B．a friend who was a teacher of science

C．her old nurse

D．a house that she had built

3．When Tamara arrived, her friend was ________ .

[　　]

A．waiting for her

B．busy with his students

C．away from the school

D．in his office

4．Tamara’s friend ________ .

[　　]

A．advised her about what to buy

B．wrote down the name of some shops

C．gave her some poison

D．took her to a shop he knew

5．Tamara wanted to kill the plants because ________ .

[　　]

A．they were growing all over the houses

B．her husband wanted to sell the land

C．she wanted the land for building

D．the houses needed new gardens

阅读理解

　　When you speak, write a letter or make a telephone call, your words carry a message. People communicate with words. But do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you raise your hand in class, the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions. You shake your head, and people know you are saying “No”. You nod and people know you ale saying “Yes”. Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign on the bus helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the door tells you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of signs around you and you receive messages from them all the time?

　　People can communicate in many other ways.

　　An artist can use his drawing to tell about beautiful mountains, about the blue sea and many other things. Books are written to tell about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas.

　　Books, magazines, TVs, radios and films all help us communicate with others. They all help us to know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about.

1．People communicate ________ .

[　　]

A．with words only

B．in many different ways

C．in letters and with drawings

D．with smiles, tears and hands

2．Signs can carry as much ________ as words.

[　　]

A．questions

B．examples

C．tears and smiles

D．information

3．Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage as things which help us communicate? ________ .

[　　]

A．Books and magazines

B．TV and films

C．Newspapers

D．Radios

4．Communication is important because it can help people to ________ .

[　　]

A．understand the world and other people better

B．teach each other to speak, write, read and draw

C．know what other people are thinking about

D．learn what's happening in the world more quickly

5．The best title for this short passage is ________ .

[　　]

A．Signs Carry Messages

B．The Importance of Communication

C．Words, Signs and Drawings

D．Ways of Communication

阅读理解

　　A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders: Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British English and American English? How important are these differences?

　　Certainly, there are some differences between British English and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you got a pen? ”Americans say “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen? ”Pronunciation is too different sometimes. Americans usually sound the r's in words like “birds” and “work”. Some speakers of British English do not sound the r's in these words. There are differences between British English and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour”and“vapour”are British while “color” and “vapor” are American.

1．All of the following are questions among students of English except ________ .

[　　]

A．whether they should learn American English

B．how they can communicate with Americans

C．how great the different is

D．in how many ways the two languages are different

2．Which of the following do you think is American English?

[　　]

A．I haven’t any brothers.

B．I don't have any brothers

C．I haven’t got any brothers

D．I have got no brothers

3．According to the text how many differences are there between British English and American English?

[　　]

A．One

B．Two

C．Three

D．Four

4．Which of the following is NOT true?

[　　]

A．The British people don't need translators when they are talking with Americans.

B．The writer is sure that there are differences between British English and American English.

C．No speakers of British English sounds the r's in the word“artist”.

D．Most Americans sound the r's in the word“nurse”.