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, “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 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 runnel(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 with  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” in 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.

Some building designers are thinking about building whole cities under glass domes(圆顶) in the desert. Of course, those heating and cooling systems(系统)will be necessary to control the climate in the domes. However, there will never be おany rain or snow, and the temperature will always be comfortable.

Perhaps everyone will live in high vertical(垂直)cities that are so large that they can contain all the necessities of life. Since vertical cities will use less land than horizontal(水平的)cities, and provide homes for people, they will be practical for small countries that have large population.

Another idea that will be helped to small countries and island countries is the floating city. Monaco has already built homes, stores, and offices on the water of the Mediterranean Sea. And a Japanese designer has suggested a plan for constructing building on bridges over Tokyo Bay(湾)。

There are some people who think we will go back to live in caves. But the caves of future will be very different from the caves of the Stone Age. Computers will control light and climate. Farms and parks will be on the land over the cave city. When people want to go to the country or a park, a short ride in a lift will take them there.

1．The text is mainly about　　   .

A. future life　　   　　　　　　　　  B. future cities

C. building designers　　　　　　　　  D. how to save land

2．What kind of city covers less land?

A. The city under glass dome in the desert.

B. The vertical city.

C. The city in the desert.

D. The horizontal city

3．People living in　　   can enjoy natural climate.

A. the cities under glass domes

B. either vertical cities or cave cities

C. both vertical cities and floating cites

D. all the above cities except the underground cities

4．Which of the drawing below gives the correct imagination that is described in text?

New ways of building are being tried out everywhere. There are many new shows to watch!

In England, I saw a 17-story building made right on the ground. First, the workers dug a deep hole. They build the basement. This word was the same as on any building. From then on, the work was not the same.

On the ground, the men set 40 big jacks(千斤顶)。You know what a car jack does. It lifts a car. These big jacks were to lift each floor of the building. On top of the 40 jacks, the men first built a roof. Yes, the roof of the building!

What next? The jacks lifted the floor one story high. The builders worked on this floor. It was not the bottom floor. It was on the ground then. But it was going to be floor 17. The jacks lifted floor 17.Under it, the workers built floor 16.They built it right on the ground, too.

When floor 16 was done, the jacks lifted it. Under floor 16, the men built floor 15.And so it went. The bottom floor of the building was made last.

The work went quickly. Under the roof, the man worked even in rain or snow. They didn’t need to climb to high places. And trucks brought things right to them.

It took only one man to work the jacks, He just pushed a button. right away, the jacks began to lift.

In the United States, also, some builders use big jacks. But the jacks are above the floors, not under them. The floors are made of concrete(混凝土)。They are made on the ground, one on top of another. Strong posts run through them.

At first, the floors look like a big pile of pancakes, as the picture shows. Then jacks at the top of the posts lift each floor into place. The top floor makes the roof.

In Texas, I saw a roof made in a new way. A helicopter flew over the building, again and again. Each time, it stopped to put a piece of the roof into place. The helicopter was like a bird building a nest.

What a funny way to make a roof! But the helicopter built in one morning. To make a roof like this, it take weeks.

1．What might people feel is the most special and interesting thing in the new ways of building?

A. The floor are made of concrete.

B. The roof is built first and on the ground.

C. Jacks are used for building.

D. The building is completed in a short time.

2、Which picture shows what the floors described in the 8th and 9th paragraphs look like at first?

3、What can we infer about the new way of building the writer saw in England?

A. The workers never needed to get to high places during the whole course of the building.

B. The jacks were controlled by machines.

C. The jacks were controlled by man.

D. Each floor was really one big piece.

4、What is the purpose of the writer in writing this passage?

A. To suggest a new way of building.

B. To show the advantages of modern machines.

C. Just to introduce some new ways of building.

D. To show the power of imagination.

The magician (魔术师) usually depends on his skill with his hands, and on his knowledge of psychology (心理学). Since magic tricks are meant to fool people, the use of psychology is important. The magician must keep people from noticing all the movement of his hands and from thinking about the secret parts of his equipment. He must also lead the people to draw false conclusions. The magician’s success depend on the fact that many things seen by the eye do not register (记下) on the mind.

Two basic magic tricks are making objects seem to appear or to disappear. For example, the magician puts a small ball under one of several cups. The ball then seems to jump from one cup to another or to change color. What actually happens is that the magician, by quick hand movements, hides one ball. While doing this he talks to the people and waves a brightly colored cloth with one hand. The people are too busy watching the cloth and listening to the magician’s words to notice that his other hand is hiding the ball. 

Another favorite trick is to cut or burn something, and then make it appear again. What actually happens is that the magician makes the cut or burned object disappear by quickly hiding it while the people watch something else. Then he “magically” makes it appear again by displaying another object that has not been cut or burned.

1．From the passage we know that the magician pretends to do things which　　   .

A. are possible　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. are impossible

C. make people laugh　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. we can’t see

2．An important part of a magic trick is that  　　 .

A. a bright colored cloth is used

B. it does mot take too long to prepare

C. people don’t discover how it is done

D. the magician pretends to talk to the people watching

3．The people draw false conclusions because　　   .

A. they are not as clever as the magician

B. they are led to believe what the magician does

C. there is no other explanation

D. the magician has knowledge of psychologists

4．Psychology is an important part of magic tricks because　　   .

A. most magicians are psychologists

B. it tells you the magician doesn’t burn or cut anything

C. there is a special branch of psychology devoted to magic

D. it is used to make people believe what they have seen

5．In this article the author intends to　　   .

A. make us not to believe what we have seen with our own eyes

B. expose the tricks played by the magician

C. tell the magician not to fool other people any more

D. explain how magic tricks are played

As a reader, I, as many other book lovers do, often leave with a long sigh after visiting a bookstore. The prices printed on book jackets keep reminding me how thin my wallet is.

The price of books is now so high that I hesitate before buying a book I love. Many people feel the same way. But I remember that only a few years ago, when I was a college student, I bought several books almost every month, using what was left out of the living expenses sent by my parents, and that was not more than 200 yuan.

But now that I am working and the money I earn is only used to support my own expenses, I find I can’t afford many good books.

There is a saying, “Book lovers have no money, but rich people have no feelings for books”. This is exactly the case. Sometimes I wonder about who the books are published for, especially those books with beautiful hard covers.

It is said that usually, the listed price is more than twice as much as the book’s cost and we can see high profits from selling books. But now there is a contradiction. On one hand, readers who want to buy books aren’t able to, while on the other hand, publishers and sellers suffer from the large stockpiles of unsaleable books being stored in their warehouses. This situation is also a disadvantage to intellectual property right protection because many books of bestsellers are sold at a lower price at some bookstands.

The key to resolve the problem is to cut the price to an acceptable level to both sellers and consumers.

I wish sincerely that in the near future common readers like me can buy the books we want without worrying about the high prices too much.

1．The first paragraph of this article tells us that　　   .

A. the prices of some books are too high

B. many readers are too poor to buy expensive books

C. the writer is one of those who can’s afford to buy books

D. all the above are correct

2．The writer  　　  at college.

A. often bought books when studying

B. was very rich when studying

C. was living a very simple life

D. hesitated to buying anything but books

3． “Book lover have no money, but rich people have no feelings for books”. means　　   .

A. those who like reading maybe have not enough money to buy books

B. those who don’t want to study otherwise are very rich

C. everything in the world has been changed to its opposite

D. both A and B

4．From the fifth paragraph, we can see　　   .

A. publishers shouldn’t have set the prices of books so high

B. booksellers can hardly earn their living by selling books

C. it’s no good for publishers and sellers if the prices are too high

D. the high prices of books were set by man factors

5．The writer of this article wished　　   .

A. the prices of books could be acceptable

B. the prices of books would be low

C. the prices of books would be lowered down soon

D. he could buy books without worrying about the prices

Almost every family in America or England buys at least one copy of a newspaper each .day Some people buy as many as two or three different papers.

Why do people read newspapers?

Newspapers supply us with news about events (事件 )in our hometowns, in our country, and in other parts of the world. Today we can read about important things that took place in foreign countries on the same day they happened, even in countries far away. But hundreds of years ago, news of things took months or even years to travel from one country to another. In those times, news was often passed from one person to another and never entirely(完全)true. Newspapers today supply us with more than just what happened in our country or in other countries. If we want to know what the weather will be like, we can read the weather reports. If we want to find out what films are being shown, or what plays or concerts we can go to we can look in the newspapers.

In many countries people put notices in newspapers if they are trying to get a job, hunting for a house or rooms that they can rent(租),or even when looking for a person who is lost.

1．This article tells us　　   .

A. most people read newspapers

B. all people read newspapers

C. every person in America or England reads newspapers

D. all families read newspapers

2．Newspapers supply us with　　   .

A. only home news

B. only world news

C. home news and world news

D. important things

3．Today we can read in our newspapers about important events　　   .

A. that took place hundreds of years ago

B. that took place in faraway countries soon after they happened

C. that will take place in foreign countries

D. that will take place in the world

4．Things such as　　   can be found in newspapers.

A. weather reports and film or concert guider

B. requirements for a job or a house

C. information about a lost person

D. all of the above

5．Which is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A. The habit of reading newspapers is found among most people.

B. Newspapers not only supply us with news from all over the world but also give us a lot of useful information.

C. Hundreds of years ago news was not wholly true because it was told in spoken words.

D. If you have no place to live in, you can put notice in a newspaper and then you will おcertainly get a room to live in.

With the support of our readers, China Today has become successful in helping the world learn about China, and has built a bridge of friendship between the people of China and the rest of the world.

Every day we receive many letters from our readers expressing their admiration for China and their suggestions for improving the quality of the magazine. Some letters are published in “Postbag” while others are kept for reference (参考).

Many readers have suggested contests (竞赛)to develop closer contact between readers and editors. We held a History and Tourism Contest in 1995 and a China Trivia Contest in 1996. We received warm responses to both.

This year, China today is holding a Reading Contest. Questions chosen from articles published this year will appear every three issues. Entrants must mail their answers before January 31, 1999. Fifty entrants with correct answers to all questions will be named in the April 1999 issue.

1．China today is　　   .

A. a magazine   B. a newspaper   C. a TV guide   D. a teaching reference

2、How many contests has China Today held in the past few years?

A. Only1.　　    B. At least 2.　　　　 C. More than3.　　    D. It’s not clear.

3、According to the passage , you can draw a conclusion that　　   .

A. All the people who answer three of the questions correctly will win prizes

B. People who answer all the questions correctly will surely win prizes

C. People who mail their answers before January31 will see their own names in the April 1999 issue

D. Fifty of the entrants who answer all the questions correctly will see their own names in the April 1999 issue

4．Supposing China Today is a monthly, this one may be　　   .

A. the January 1999 issue

B. the March 1998 issue

C. the January 1998 issue

D. the April 1999 issue

5．How did the editors deal with the letters from the readers?

A. They put some letters in a big post-bag for reference

B. They looked up some information in the letters and then published in post-bag.

C. They published some letters in the column (栏目)—Post-bag and kept the rest for reference.

D. They did nothing but keep all the letters for reference.

Visitors to Britain are sometimes surprised to learn that newspapers there have such a large circulation (发行)。The Daily Mirror and the Daily Express both sell about four million copies every day. British families generally buy a newspaper every morning and two or three on Sundays.

Besides the national papers, there is, however, another branch of the British press which sills almost as many copies. Local(地方的)newspapers have a weekly circulation of 13million Almost every town and country area has one. Nearly all of then hold their own finance(财政) and many of them are very profitable(赚钱的)。

These papers ate written almost entirely for readers interested in local event—births, weddings, deaths, council(议会)meeting and sports. Editors prefer to depend on people who know the district well. A great deal of local news is regularly supplied by clubs and churches in the neighborhood and it does not get out of date as quickly as national news.

The editors must never forget that the success of any newspaper depends on advertising .They are usually anxious to keep the good will of local businessmen for this reason. But if the newspaper is well written and the news items have been carefully chosen to draw local readers, the businessmen are grateful for the chance to keep their products in the public eyes.

1．Visitors to Britain are surprised to learn that　　   .

A. there are so many local newspapers there

B. local papers should have a circulation of four million

C. the Daily Mirror and Daily Express sell as many as 4 million copies every day

D. British newspapers are so widely read.

2．Local newspapers have　　   .

A. a circulation as large as that of national newspapers

B. a daily circulation of 13 million

C. a slightly smaller circulation

D. an even larger circulation

3、Which of the follow is true?

A. Every town and country area has at least one paper of its own.

B. Nearly all towns and country areas have their own papers.

C. There is a paper, national or local, in each town and country.

D. A lot of distant town and country areas do not have their own papers.

4、Which of the following is NOT true?

A.A great deal of local news is supplied by the clubs and churches

B. Local readers are much interested in local news.

C. These papers are written almost entirely for local readers.

D. These papers are likely to getout of date quickly.

5．In the writer’s opinion, the editor must remember that no paper can possibly succeed without　　   .

A. advertisements

B. interesting reports

C. a great deal of national news

D. an excellent sales manager

H.G. Wells could only imagine traveling 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 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 would cover the whole city.

Supports 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, garden, 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.　　  lived in so many underground cities

C.　　  understood their language

D.　　 were ahead of them in space technology

2.　　   What does the last word “it” in the second paragraph refers to?

A.　　  Discovering the moon’s inner space.

B.　　  Traveling to outer space.

C.　　  Meeting the “moon people” again.

D.　　 Using the earth’s inner space.

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

A.　　  Gardens, car parks, power station.

B.　　  Tunnels, car parks and shopping areas.

C.　　  Tunnels, gardens, offices.

D.　　 Offices, shopping areas, power stations.

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

A.　　  Alice Cities---cities of the future.

B.　　  Space travel with H.G. Wells

C.　　  Building down, not up

D.　　 Enjoying living underground

A proper title for this passage is ________.

A．Total blindness

B．Total color- blindness

C．Distinguishing colors

D．Types of color-blindness