阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　The popularly－held view has it that “opportunity to learn” is the key to educational success－i. e., the more time children spend on a subject, the better they do at it. Alas, the evidence so far is not encouraging for the proponent(支持者) of this theory. According to a recent study, there seems little correlation(相互关系)between time spent on a subject and performance of pupils in tests.

　　Next－and of particular interest to governments of poor countries－there appears to be little evidence to support the argument that the main cause of educational under－achievements is under－funding. Low－spending countries such as South Korea and the Czech Republic are at the top. High－spenders such as America and Denmark do much worse. Obviously, there are dozens of reasons other than spending why one country does well, another badly, but the success of the lowspending Czechs and Koreans does show that spending more on schools is not a prerequisite(先决条件) for improving standards.

　　Another article of faith among the teaching profession－that children are bound to do better in small classes－is also being broken by educational research. The study found that France, America and Britain, where children are usually taught in classes of twenty－odd, do significantly worse than East Asian countries where almost twice as many pupils are crammed into each class. Again, there may be social reasons why some countries can cope better with large classes than others. All the same, the comparison refutes(驳倒，反驳) the argument that larger is necessarily worse.

　　Further, the study even cast some doubt over the cultural explanation for the greater success of East Asia：that there is some hard－to－define Asian culture, connected with parental authority and a strong social value on education, which makes children more eager to learn and easier to teach. Those who make this argument say it would of course be impossible to replicate(复制) such oriental(东方的) magic in the West.

　　Yet the results of the study suggest that this is, to put it mildly, exaggerated(夸张), if “culture” makes English children so poor at math, then why have they done so well at science(not far behind the Japanese and South Koreans)? And why do English pupils do well at science and badly at math, while in France it is the other way around? A less mystical, more common explanation suggests itself：English schools teach science well and math badly; French schools teach math better than science; East Asian schools teach both subjects well.

1．The passage is mainly connected with ________.

[　　]

A．building a relationship between culture and education

B．exposing educational myths(神话)

C．introducing educational theories

D．comparing educational practices in different countries

2．All of the following are commonly－held beliefs about education except ________.

[　　]

A．time spent on a subject correlates with academic success

B．educational achievements correlate with the money spent

C．culture is not a deciding factor in school performance

D．large classes contribute to poor educational achievement

3．The fact that English pupils do well at science and badly at math while in France it is the other way around has something to do with ________.

[　　]

A．teaching methods

B．cultural values

C．money spent

D．class size

4．Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?

[　　]

A．Low－spending will lead to good school performance.

B．Students in large classes will do better than students in small classes.

C．Asian culture makes students eager to learn and easy to teach.

D．Austrian teenagers do better than New Zealand's teenagers.

5．Which of the following countries does worst in science?

[　　]

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for－its stadium(运动场) and theatres, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii's people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2, 000 years.

　　Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22, 000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass－covered volcano(火山). Mount Vesuvius had not erupted(喷发) for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not.

　　In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ashes began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.

　　For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79．There were streets and fountains, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20, 000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread－a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye－makeup.

　　Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One－fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.

1．Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?

[　　]

A．To visit the volcano.

B. To shop and eat there.

C．To watch sports and plays.

D．To see how Pompeiians lived.

2．Why had so many Pompeiians remained by volcanic Mount Vesuvius?

[　　]

A．The city nearby offered all kinds of fun.

B．The area produced the finest wine in Italy.

C．Few people expected the volcano to erupt again.

D．The mountain was beautiful and covered with grass.

3．Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in AD 79?

[　　]

A．Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully.

B．Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched.

C．Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects.

D．Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted.

4．What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2, 000 years ago?

[　　]

A．They lived more or less the same as Italians now do.

B．They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup.

C．They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating.

D．They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD 79.

5．What does the passage mainly tell us?

[　　]

A．An interesting story.

B．The history of Pompeii.

C．The eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

D．A brief introduction of Pompeii.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　The Netherlands is a small country on the North Sea. From any place in the country, the farthest point is never more than 350 kilometres away. It takes only a little more than four hours to travel by train from Vlissingen, in the southwest, to Groningen, in the northeast.

　　More than 16 million people live there. Most of the people in the Netherlands live in the west of the country. The four largest cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, are there. Amsterdam is the capital, but The Hague is the seat of government.

　　The Netherlands is sometimes called Holland, because an area in the west of the Netherlands used to be called Holland. The name lives on in the names of two Dutch provinces：North Holland and South Holland. ．The language spoken in the Netherlands is Dutch. In the province of Friesland, Frisian is also spoken. That is a separate language, which is a little bit like English.

1．It takes people ________ hours to travel from Groningen to Vlissingen by train.

[　　]

2．The Netherlands is also called ________.

[　　]

3．Most of the people in the Netherlands ________.

[　　]

A．live in the east of the country

B．live in the capital of the country

C．speak Frisian

D．speak Dutch

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　There was one shop in the town of Mufulira which was widely known for its racial discrimination. It was a drugstore. While Europeans were served at the counter, a long line of Africans queued at the window and often not only were kept waiting but were rudely treated by the shop assistants. One day I was determined to make a public protest(抗议) against this kind of thing, and many of the schoolboys in my class followed me to the store.

　　I simply went into the shop and asked the manager politely for some medicine. As soon as he saw me standing in the place where only European customers were allowed to stand he shouted at me in a bastard(怪声怪气的) language which is only used by a boss when speaking to his servants. I stood at the counter and politely requested in English that I should be served. The manager became angry and said to me in English, “If you stand there till Christmas, I will never serve you.”

　　I went to the District Commissioner's office. I saw a young District Officer who was a friend of mine. He was very concerned to hear my story and told me that all I had to do was come to him personally and he would buy my medicine for me. I protested that that was not good enough. I asked him to accompany me back to the store and to make a protest to the manager. This he did, and I well remember him saying to the manager, “Here is Mr. Kaunda who is a responsible member of the Urban Advisory Council, and you treat him like a common servant. ” The manager of the drugstore apologized and said, “If only he had introduced himself and explained who he was, then, of course I should have given him proper service.

　　I had to explain once again that he had missed my point. Why should I have to introduce myself every time I went into a store… any more than I should have to buy my medicine by going to a European friend? I want to prove that any man of any color, whatever his position, should have the right to go into any shop and buy what he wanted. After all, the money which I paid across the counter was exactly the same money as is paid by a European customer.

1．The writer was, at the time of the story, ________.

[　　]

2．The manager of the drugstore shouted at the writer because ________.

[　　]

A．he hadn't learned to speak English

B．he thought the writer wouldn't understand English

C．that was the usual language used by Europeans when speaking to Africans

D．that was the only language he could speak when he was angry

3．Why didn't the writer wait at the window of the drugstore like other Africans?

[　　]

A．Because he thought he was educated and should be treated differently.

B．Because he thought, being an important person, he should not be kept waiting.

C．Because he thought his white friends would help him out.

D．Because he wanted to protest against racial discrimination.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly? Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into buying it? Are you afraid to ask someone for a date?

　　Many people are afraid to assert themselves(表现自己). Dr. Alberti, author of “Stand Up, Speak Out, and Talk Back”, thinks it is because their selfimage(自我定位) is low. “Our whole set－up (society) is designed to make people distrust themselves,” says Alberti. “There are always ‘superiors’ around－aparent, a teacher, a boss－who ‘knows better’. These superiors often cut down on your self－image. ”

　　But Alberti and scientists are doing something to help people assert themselves. They offer “assertiveness training” courses－AT for short. In the AT course people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to be powerful without hurting other people.

　　In one way, learning to speak out is to overcome fear. A group taking an AT course will help the timid(胆小的) person to lose his fear. But AT uses an even stronger motive－the need to share. The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels.

　　Whether or not you speak out for yourself depends on your self－image. If someone you face is more “important” than you, you may feel less of a person. You may start to doubt your own good sense. You may go by the other person's label. But, why should you? AT says you can get to feel good about yourself. And once you do, you can learn to speak out.

1．The problem the writer talks about in this passage is that ________.

[　　]

A．someone buys things he doesn't want

B．many people are afraid of speaking out

C. there are too many superiors around us

D．some people like to assert themselves

2．The cause of the problem talked about in this passage is that ________.

[　　]

A．a lot of people have a low self－image

B. someone around always knows better

C．salesmen persuade people to buy things

D. people do not share their feelings enough

3．In order to solve the problem, the AT course tries to do all the following except ________.

[　　]

A．teach the timid person how to overcome his fear

B．make people speak out by using the need to share

C．show people that they have a right to be themselves

D．help people assert themselves no matter how others feel

4．A good title for this passage could be ________.

[　　]

A．Loss of Self－image

B．Assertiveness Training

C．Importance of Human Rights

D．Share Your Feelings with Others

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

Who are these people rushing by you on the street? More than 215 million people now call America “home”, but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States, have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become “American” is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is more often a kind of “side－by－side” living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their own customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives－such as schools, businesses, and sports－but they keep many of their native customs and manners socially and at home. This living “side－by－side” has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas, dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her own familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups or newspapers.

1．More than 215 million people call America “home” because ________.

[　　]

A．they have their house there

B．they settle there now

C．they want to make their home there

D. they like that land very much

2．Side－by－side living style means ________.

[　　]

A．to keep their own customs while sharing American ones in certain areas

B．to make friends with native people

C．that the groups of people live nearby

D．that they get closer to American society

3．According to the passage, people in the USA ________.

[　　]

A．share American customs and culture

B．live in a kind of side－by－side society

C．keep their own customs and habits firmly

D．make no choice to accept American customs

4．Which of the following statements is true?

[　　]

A．They always stick to their own customs and habits.

B．Side－by－side living style is not suitable.

C．They face the society they are not familiar with.

D．The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful.

5．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．Advantages and Disadvantages.

B．Different Customs and Habits.

C．Home for the People.

D．Side－by－Side Living Style in America.

阅读理解

阅读下面一篇短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Question：What is more astonishing than a 60－ton whale on a flatbed truck being driven down the street?

　　Answer：A 60－ton whale on a flatbed truck exploding and raining blubber (fat of whales) all over the sidewalk.

　　That's what happened in Taiwan recently, when a dead sperm whale being shipped to the Halobios Research Centre for an autopsy developed an extremely bad case of gas and blew up before it reached its destination.

　　The whale was apparently found alive on a Taiwan beach last weekend, and died shortly after it was discovered. Since the 56－foot whale was the largest whale ever beached on Taiwan's shores, scientists wanted to study it and perform an autopsy for educational purpose.

　　Apparently, too much time passed between when the animal died and the time it was set to be moved to the autopsy location, because it had already started to decompose. When things decompose, they give off gases as a by－product. In the whale's case, the gases were trapped in its belly. The pressure inside the decomposing creature grew so much that it popped like an over－filled balloon. Unfortunately, it was on a truck in the middle of the city of Taiwan at the time－cars and shops lining the street were covered with whale bits and juices, much to their owners' discouragement.

According to news reports, traffic was tied up for hours while officials tried to clean up the streets.

　　Incidentally, newspaper editors worldwide were probably smiling to themselves, since they had a ready made headline－several reports about the incident were titled “There She Blows! ,” after the famous line from the book Moby Dick.

1．The purpose of the question at the beginning of this news report is to ________.

[　　]

A．attract readers

B．sell newspapers

C．explain the reason

D．give an immediate answer

2．The whale's explosion is the result of

[　　]

A．the length of time for the transport of the creature from the beach to the centre

B．pressure from gases building up in the creature as it began to decompose

C．the quick process of decomposing of the animal

D．the extremely busy traffic in the streets it passed by

3．What is the correct order of the incidents?

a．The whale was set to a flatbed truck.

b．The whale was discovered.

c．The whale exploded.

d．The whale died.

[　　]

4．What do we know from the last paragraph?

[　　]

A．The title “There She Blows! ” is taken from the book Moby Dick.

B．All the newspaper reported the story under the same title.

C．Moby Dick is the name of. a woman writer.

D．Some newspaper editors were laughed at.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his work and traveling. But now, Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip, a chemical change began to take place inside him. The material between his bones became weak. In less than one week after his return, he could not stand. Every move that he made was painful. He was not able to sleep at night.

　　The doctors told him that they did not know how to cure Mr. Cousins' problem and he might never get over the illness. However, Mr. Cousins refused to give up hope. He thought that unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He didn't want to take medicine to cure himself. Instead, he felt that happy thoughts or laughter might cure his illness.

　　He began to experiment on himself while still in the hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that 10 minutes of real laughter during the day gave him two hours of pain－free sleep at night. After that Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could continue his experiments with laughter. For eight days, Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television, reading funny books, and sleeping whenever he felt tired. Within three weeks, he felt well enough to take a vacation to Puerto Rico where he began running on the beach for exercise.

　　After a few months, Mr. Cousins returned to work. He had laughed himself back to health.

1．Why did Norman Cousins get sick?

[　　]

A．He did not rest enough.

B. He traveled too much.

C．His body chemistry changed.

D. All of the above.

2．What part of his body was affected by the illness?

[　　]

A．The bones in his feet.

B．His mind when he slept.

C．The material between his bones.

D．His stomach.

3．What did Mr. Cousins think caused his illness?

[　　]

A．He often traveled around the world on business.

B．He had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip.

C．Unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body.

D. His bones became so weak that he could not stand.

4．How long did it take before Mr. Cousins went back to work?

[　　]

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　Is there a strange something high up in the world's tallest mountains? If so, is it a big bear? Is it a monkey? Or is it a kind of man?

　　No one knows. This mystery(神秘) has puzzled(迷惑) the world for years.

　　In 1887, a mountain climber found giant footprint(脚印) in the snow. They looked like the footprint of a very large man. But men don't walk barefoot (光脚) in the snow!

　　In 1906, another climber saw more than footprints. Far off, he saw a great hairy animal standing on two legs. As he watched, it ran out of sight.

　　Fifteen years later, newspapers had new stories about the “something”. A mountain climber said he had seen the “Snow man” walk slowly across the snow, far below him. He said it looked like a very large hairy man.

　　From then on, more and more people had stories to tell. But not until 1951 did a mountain climber bring back pictures of giant footprints. The pictures showed clearly that Snow man walked on the snow.

　　And the mystery keeps on growing. Brave men still hunt the Snow man in the high mountain. Some day we will find out just what it is that makes the giant footprints.

1．When did the climber say that he had seen a “Snow man”?

[　　]

2．What is the meaning of the word “giant” in the second paragraph?

[　　]

3．What is the difference between the monkey and the Snow man mentioned in the passage?

[　　]

A．The monkey is small, while the Snow man is big.

B．The monkey is thin, while the Snow man is fat.

C．The monkey walks on four legs, while the Snow man walked on two legs.

D．The monkey is easy to see, while the Snow man is hard to see.

4．Which sentence is right?

[　　]

A．A mountain climber saw a hairy animal in 1887.

B．A mountain climber only saw footprints in the snow in 1906.

C．People want to know more about the Snow man.

D．People have found out what the footprints are.

5．What may be the title of the passage?

[　　]

A．Climbers Saw the Snow Man.

B．Mystery of the Snow Man.

C．The Snow Man in the Mountains.

D．Stories About the Snow Man.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　In 1901, H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers(探险者) landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met. In turn, the “moon people” expressed their surprise. “Why, ” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don't even use your inner space?”

　　H. G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.

　　Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The “Chunnel”, a tunnel(隧道) connecting England and France, is now complete.

　　But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities”. The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome(太阳能穹顶) would cover the whole city.

　　Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H. G. Wells' “moon people” would agree. Would you?

1．The explorers in H. G. Wells' story were surprised to find that the “moon people” ________.

[　　]

A．knew so much about the earth

B．understood their language

C．lived in so many underground cities

D．were ahead of them in space technology

2．What does the underlined word “it” (paragraph 2) refer to?

[　　]

A．Discovering the moon' s inner space.

B．Using the earth's inner space.

C．Meeting the “moon people” again.

D．Traveling to outer space.

3．What sort of underground systems are already here with us?

[　　]

A．Offices, shopping areas, power stations.

B．Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas.

C．Gardens, car parks, power stations.

D．Tunnels, gardens, offices.

4．What would be the best title for the text?

[　　]

A．Alice Cities－cities of the future

B．Space travel with H. G. Wells

C．Enjoy living underground

D．Building down, not up