“The pen is more powerful than the sword.”There have been many writers who used their pens to fight things that were wrong. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them.

She was born in the U.S.A. in 1811.One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861,in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.

This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom’s Cabin. There was time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child has read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting. The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can arouse(唤起)people’s sympathies(同情).The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor been a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent(描述)true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were wildly excited over it and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.

1.According to the passage______.

A. every English-speaking person has read Uncle Tom’s Cabin

B.Uncle Tom’s Cabin was not very interesting

C.those who don’t speak English cannot have read Uncle Tom’s Cabin

D.the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin did a great deal in the American Civil War

2.How old was Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe when her world famous book was published?

A. About sixty years old.

B. Over fifty years old.

C. In her forties.

D. Around twenty years old.

3.What do you learn about Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe from the passage?

A. She had been living in the north of America before the American Civil War broke out.

B.She herself encouraged the Northern Americans to go to war to set the slaves free.

C.She was better as writing as swinging (挥舞) a sword.

D.She had once been a slave.

4.Why could Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book cause a civil war in America?

A. She wrote so well that Americans loved her very much.

B.She disclosed the terrible wrongs that had been done to the slaves in the Southern States.

C.The Southern Americans hated the book while the Northern Americans like it.

D.The book had been read by many Americans.

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A. We needn’t use weapons (武器) to fight things that are wrong.

B.A writer is more helpful in a war than a soldier.

C.We must understand the importance of literature (文学) and art.

D.No war can be won without such a book as Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The drama began when an armored car carrying the contents of safe deposit boxes to a bank was struck by a large truck, police said.

The bank guards were helpless when the robbers jumped out of the truck and tied them up. The thieves used heavy tools and explosives to break open the armored car.

A passing police car turned to investigate the accident as the men were removing the contents of the armored car. Police said the three robbers fled on foot across a nearby highway.

Stopping a private car driven by a teen-aged girl, the three headed for central Paris with the police car in hot pursuit.

A plainclothes policeman saw the car as it drove through the street of the Latin Quarter. The policeman tried to stop the car, but the thieves started shooting at him, witness said.

The girl hostage tried to slip away. Just as she was crawling away from the car, she was hit by a bullet. Police said she was out of danger at Central Hospital.

The gunmen gave up the car and then got into a shop, pouring fire to more than 50 policemen that surrounded the building. After a wild gun-battle, police broke into the room. They only found two of the gunmen, both seriously wounded. The third thief was believed to have escaped with over $1.3 million in cash and jewels.

1.The passage is about 　　  .

A. a gun-battle between the policemen and the government soldiers

B.a bank robbery in Paris

C.a group of gunmen’s robbery robbed an armored car in the street

D.how a teen-aged girl got seriously wounded

2.The thieves came 　　   and they　　  .

A. in a police car; stole the armored car

B.in a truck; blasted the armored car

C.in an armored truck; drove the money car away

D.in an armored car; opened the armored car with heavy tools

3.The three robbers fled on foot across a nearby highway because 　　  .

A. a passing police car found them

B.the explosives were too strong

C.the contents of the armored car were too heavy

D.the truck broke down

4.A plainclothes policeman is 　　  .

A. not a policeman but a soldier

B.not a policeman but a gunman

C.a policeman but he can’t use guns

D.a policeman but he doesn’t wear a uniform

5.After a wild gun-battle，　　  .

A. the robbers were shot dead

B.the police got back what they wanted

C.the police failed to get back what they wanted

D.50 policemen were killed and two robbers were seriously wounded

First, there was Barnes, the man who looked after Mr. Green’s property (财产). He had been cheating Mr. Green for years and besides he was badly in debt. Almost certainly he had a set of keys to the house.

Next, there was the maid (女佣). She seemed honest enough herself, but the inspector had discovered that she was in love with a man who had spent many years in prison. Perhaps she had let him into the house the night Mr. Green’s coins had been stolen.

Finally, there was Mr. Green’s own son. He had been in trouble even when he was at university. He too was in debt. Besides, he could have entered the library where the collection was kept, at any time. The inspector decided that he must question him again more carefully.

Just then there was a knock at the door and Sergeant (警士) Smith came in suddenly.

“Sir,”he announced rapidly,“the girl has admitted everything!”

1. 　　   had been stolen before Mr. Green reported the case to the police.

A. Gold　　　　  B.Money ?   C.Jewellery　　　　    D.Stamps

2.Barnes, Mr. Green’s 　　  ,　　  .

A. guard; was ready to protect Mr. Green at any time

B. driver; drove anywhere needed

C. doorkeeper; often cheated others out of money

D. housekeeper; owed a lot of money

3.The maid loved a man who had 　　  .

A. spent her money?　　　　　　　　　　    B.spent all his own money

C.been in prison?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.guarded prisoners

4.The maid may have 　　  .

A. opened the door?　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.stolen the keys

C.spent all his money?　　　　　　　　　　  D.guarded prisoners

5.Mr. Green’s son had 　　   at university.

A. been ill?　　　　  　　　　　　　　　　 B.done something wrong

C.had heart trouble?　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.caused others much trouble

One day, a woman told him a strange story. Her husband had died 5 years before, and grave had been built for him. The grave was built like this: on the huge stone base was a big stone ball, in the front of which a cross was cut. The ball would move in winter and the cross in the stone ball could hardly be seen.

Conan Doyle decided to see how matters stood with the woman. The grave was just like what the woman had told him. And nobody could move the stone ball, which was put in a very shallow(浅的)hole in the stone base to roll(滚)off. There was water in the hole, too. He thought for a minute and then said to the woman,“The problem is easy to explain. It’s very cold and often rains or snows here. So there is always water in the hole. The water turns into ice at night. During the day, the southern part of the ice in the hole turns into water again while the northern part of it still remains ice, so the stone ball leans(倾斜)southward little by little and the cross in the stone ball moves downwards with the ball.”

1.Which of the following can take the place of the word “grave”?

A. box　　　　    B.tomb 　　　　 C.bed　　　　　　 D.hall

2.Why did the woman have her husband’s grave built like that?

A. Conan Doyle told her to do so.

B.Holmes told her to do so.

C.Her husband told her to do so before he died.

D.The story didn’t tell us the reason.

3.From the story we can see that Conan Doyle was a man.

A.who was always ready to help others

B.who wrote a lot of funny stories

C.who was careful and thoughtful

D.who always explained funny problems

4.On hearing what Conan Doyle had said, perhaps the woman would.

A. think what Conan Doyle said was reasonable

B.feel that she might be fooled by him

C.feel that she was too silly to explain it

D.think what Conan Doyle said was without reason

5.From the following cutaway views(剖视图)choose the correct one which shows the positional relation between the stone base and the stone ball.

(sl=stone ball  se=stone base)

?

In June 1977,a baby girl became seriously ill in Deleville. Doctors there were unable to find out the cause of her illness, so she was sent to a famous hospital in London, where there were many excellent doctors. The baby was so seriously ill that a team of doctors hurried to examine her without any delay. The doctors, too, were puzzled by the baby’s illness, and they also became discouraged. Just then a nurse asked to speak to them.

“I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning(铊中毒),”said the nurse.“A few days ago, I read a story A Pale Horse written by Agatha Christie. Someone uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms(症状)are written in the book. They are exactly the same as the baby’s.”

“You’re very good at observing(观察)things,”said a doctor,“and you may be right. We’ll carry out some tests and find out whether the cause is thallium poisoning or not.”

The tests proved that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium. Once they knew the cause, the doctor was able to give her correct treatment. The baby soon got well and was sent back to Deleville. A week later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used.

1.The baby was sent to a hospital in London because.

A. her parents were living in London then

B.her father was a famous doctor in London

C.the hospitals in Deleville refused to accept her

D.doctors in Deleville were not sure about the cause of her illness

2.When the baby was first sent to the hospital in London, her illness was considered to be.

A. quite easy to treat?　　　　　　　　　　   B.the result of thallium poisoning

C.a common one?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.extraordinarily serious

3.The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby’s illness was.

A. a doctor in Deleville?　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.a famous doctor in London

C.Agatha Christie?　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.an ordinary nurse

4.From this passage it seems that the baby’s illness has something to do with.

A. a murder case?　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　  B.a dead writer

C.a substance(物质)used to kill pests?　　　　　　 D.the water in Deleville

5.As far as we can tell from the story, Agatha Christie.

A. had never met this baby

B.had spent a long time studying the baby’s illness

C.had once given the nurse some advice in a letter to her

D.wrote the film Death on the Nile according to the baby’s illness

Almost every pupil in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand will tell you:“Gogo is from outer space and is teaching children to speak and read English.”

Gogo has visited Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Korea. Now he is in China’s mainland—“Gogo has Adventure with English” has been published by Addison Wesley Longman China Ltd(AWL).

The six level English course, full of exciting stories, educates and delights children at the same time. Gogo learns English from his friends, Tony and Jenny. The children will learn along with Gogo, enjoying all the fun he produces. Gogo has a warm place in every young learner’s heart wherever he goes.

A presentation(介绍) about Gogo was given by Beijing AWL Information Center last November. All the pupils in Huijia School attended the presentation. A foreign teacher at Huijia later said,“The children were attracted by Gogo after only a 45-minute presentation. They remember a song taught by Gogo seven weeks later. Parents often ask me how they can help their children learn English and now there’s a programme I can direct them to.”

Clive Sawkins, Paul Price-Smiths and Gregg Schroeder worked closely at AWL to make sure that Gogo will become an easily recognized symbol(标志) of learning English wherever English is studied.“Gogo is our baby,” said Gregg.“It is very easy to get children going with Gogo.”

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A.Gogo visits Asian countries.?　　　　　　　　 B.Gogo receives high praise.

C.Children love to learn with Gogo.?　　　　 D.AWL introduces Gogo.

2.It can be learned from the passage that Gogo is 　　  .

A.an English teacher?　　　　　　　　　　   B.an English boy

C.an English textbook?　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.a character in an English textbook

3.In what way is Gogo a great help to young learners?

A.He teaches them English through songs.

B.He teaches them English through adventure stories.

C.He helps them to remember English words.

D.He makes English lessons full of fun.

4.The underlined word “them” in the fifth paragraph refers to .

A. parents　　　　　　  B.children　　   C.teachers　　  D.textbooks

5.When Gregg said,“Gogo is our baby”,he really meant .

A.Gogo belongs to AWL?　　　　　　　　 B.Gogo needs improvement

C.Gogo is lovely?　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.Gogo is very young

The first judgment placed value of at least $100 million on the works stolen from the Isabella Teward Gardener Museum, said Boston police spokesman Jim Tordan.

The judgment was a loose one because the paintings have not been sold in nearly a century, authorities said.

But art experts said such well-known works could not be sold in nearly a century, authorities said.

“It was not discovered until the cleaning people did some cleaning at 3 a.m.,” said Paul Cavangah, special FBI agent (法律顾问) in Boston.

“This is one of those thefts (盗窃) where people actually spent some time researching and took specific things,” he said.

He said the investigation (调查) would not be limited to the U.S.

William Robinson, of Harvard University’s Foggel Museum, called the objects stolen “major works”.

1.The best headline for this newspaper article is 　　  .

A.A Theft Took Place in Boston?　　　　　　　　　　 B.Artworks Stolen by Thieves

C.Major Works?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.Investigation into the Theft

2.The theft was discovered by 　　  .

A. Boston police?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.art experts

C.the cleaning people?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.special FBI agent

3.The last time the paintings were sold was about 　　  .

A. nearly a century ago?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.at 8 a.m.

C.early Sunday?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.over a century

4.Investigation into the theft will take place 　　  .

A. in Boston?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.in the United States

C.all over the world?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.in the U.S. and over the world

5.The thieves took paintings by 　　  .

A. Jim Jordan?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.art experts

C.Paul Cavangah?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.Rembrandt, Dagas, Manet, and Vermerr

It was tall and narrow, and it stood outside a furniture shop. “Buy it,” she said at once. “We’ll carry it home on the roof rack (行李架). I’ve always wanted one like that.”

What could I do? Ten minutes later I was ￡20 poorer, and the cupboard was tied on to the roof rack. The police even stopped traffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.

After a time my wife said, “There is a long line of cars behind. Why don’t they overtake(超车),I wonder?”

In fact a police car did overtake. The two officers inside looked at us seriously as they passed. But then with great kindness, they led us through the rush-hour traffic. The police car stopped at our village church. One of the officers came to me.

I was puzzled. “Thanks, officer,” I said. “You’ve been very kind. I live just down the road.”? He was staring at our load: first at the flowers, then at the cupboard. “Well, well,” he said, laughing, “It’s a cupboard you’ve got here! We thought it was…er, something else.”

My wife began to laugh. Then the truth hit me like a stone between the eyes. I smiled at the officer. “Yes, it’s a cupboard, but thanks again.” I drove home as fast as I could.

1.The writer writes the story in order to 　　  .

A. praise the police officers　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.thank the other drivers

C.show people are kind to each other?　　　　　　 D.tell us their funny experience

2.The writer stopped their car on their way home 　　  .

A.to buy a cupboard?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.to pick wild flowers

C.waiting for the lights to go green?　　　　　　    D.when they came to a flower shop

3.The driver behind didn’t overtake because 　　  .

A. they wanted to show their special kindness

B.they were afraid the cupboard would fall down

C.they were admiring the flowers in the writer’s car

D.they wondered what was inside the cupboard

4.The writer’s wife began to laugh because 　　  .

A. she thought the police officers were foolish

B.she was interested in what the police officer said

C.she was glad they were treated kindly

D.she had realized the truth

5.As a matter of fact, the police 　　  .

A. failed to help the writer?　　　　    
?;　　　　　　　　 B.did help the writer

C.got the writer into trouble　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.made the writer angry

Today, nearly five hundred weather stations in sixty countries receive satellite pictures. When they receive new pictures, the meteorologists compare them with earlier ones. Perhaps they may find that the clouds have changed during the last few hours. This may mean that the weather on the ground may soon change, too. In their next weather forecast, the meteorologists can say this.

The weather satellites are a great help to the meteorologists. Before satellites were invented, the scientists could forecast the weather for about 24 or 48 hours. Now they can make good forecasts for three or five days. Soon, perhaps, they may be able to forecast the weather for a week or more ahead.

1.Satellites travel 　　  .

A. above space?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.above the ground

C.in the space?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.in space

2.Satellites are now used in 　　  .

A. the study of space?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.receiving pictures

C.comparing pictures?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.weather forecasting

3.Weather satellites take pictures of the atmosphere because 　　  .

A. clouds from there

B.the weather disappears there

C.comparing pictures

D.these pictures can help forecast the weather

4.Meteorologists forecast the weather 　　  .

A. after they have compared new satellite pictures with earlier ones

B.after they have taken pictures of clouds

C.before they have received pictures

D.when they have received satellite pictures

5.Men will soon be able to forecast the weather for 　　  .

A.24 hours?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.48 hours

C.168 hours or even longer?　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.a month

If a bag of sugar weighs 6 kilograms on earth, what will it weigh on the moon? It will weigh one kilogram on the moon, 1/6 of its weight on the earth.

Here on the earth we usually talks as if weight and mass were the same thing. We use weight as a way of measuring mass. On the earth this is very convenient. A mass of sugar that weighs 6 kilograms in California will weigh about 6 kilograms in Hawaii or Canada or Germany. Because the force of gravitation in each place is practically the same.

As long as we stay on earth, using weight to measure mass works pretty well. Now, however, men have left the earth. Suddenly we realize that weight and mass are not the same thing! Away from the earth the force of gravitation changes. As the pull gravitation changes, weight changes, but the mass of an object stays the same anywhere in the universe—whether it is on earth, on the moon, or on Mars.

Have you ever wondered why the pull of gravitation on the moon is only 1/6 of the pull on the earth? Here is a reason. When the mass is less, gravitation is less. The moon has less mass than the earth. Since the moon has much less mass than the earth, it has much less gravitational force than the earth.

1.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Few people on the earth would pay much attention to the difference between weight and mass.

B.The weight of an object hardly changes wherever on the earth it is weighed.

C.The weight of an object becomes less on the moon because the moon is far away from the earth.

D.Mass is a concept(概念)more important than weight in the study of the universe.

2.The amount of mass depends on 　　  .

A. the weight of an object?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.the place where it is measured

C.the size of an object?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.the amount of matter it is made of

3.An astronaut, who weighed 30 pounds on the moon, is back on earth and now weighs 165 pounds. How much weight did he lose during his flight back to the earth?

A.115 pounds.　　　　　　   B.2.5 pounds.?　　　　    C.30 pounds.　　　　　　    D.15 pounds.

4.We can infer from the passage that the word “Mars” means 　　  .

A. a faraway place on the earth

B.a place deep down in the ocean

C.a kind of flying equipment like a spaceship

D.a planet which is farther away from the earth than the moon is