阅读理解

　　Sailors used to speak of a “Jack”when they meant a flag which was set near the bow of a sailing ship. The flag showed the country to which the ship belonged. The Union Jack became the flag of Great Britain. Australia's flag has the Union Jack in the top left hand corner together with the stars of the Southern Cross. They have kept this small part of Britain on their flag because their country was first settled by people from Britain.

　　Australia's flag is the same color as the Union Jack--red, white and blue. The act of joining together is called a“ Union”. The Union Jack was the name of the flag made when England, Scotland and Ireland joined together to make one country.

　　It all began in 1707 when England and Scotland joined together to become one nation. A flag was made using two crosses--one for the patron saint of each country. The word “patron” means protector. Many centuries before the English had taken St George as their patron saint, his emblem (标志 ) was a red cross on a white background. The Scottish patron saint was St Andrew. In memory of him, they used a white cross on a blue background. This cross was shaped like the letter “X”. The new flag was a mixture of both flags with two sets of crosses. When Ireland joined England and Scotland in 1800,another cross was added. St Patrich's cross of Ireland was red and also shaped like an “X”. All three flags now made up the Union Jack.

(1)The Union Jack is a kind of ________ and contains

[　　]

A. flag; three crosses

B. ship; four crosses

C. flag; two crosses

D. ship; three crosses

(2)How many crosses were there in the flag before Ireland joined England and Scotland?

[　　]

(3)Why does Australia have the Union Jack in its flag?

[　　]

A. Because Australians respect the English.

B. Because the Union Jack is colorful.

C. Because people from Britain settled in Australia first.

D. Because people from Britain brought the Union Jack to Australia.

(4)Which of the following is not true?

[　　]

A. The emblem (象征) of the English was a red cross on a white background.

B. The Scottish used a white cross on a blue background in memory of St Andrew.

C. Australia's flag is the same color as the Union Jack.

D. The Irish used a red cross on a blue background in memory of St George.

(5)The colors of the flag of Great Britain now are ________.

[　　]

A. red, black and blue

B. white, yellow and blue

C. red, white and black

D. red, white and blue

阅读理解

　　China's 5,000-meter Olympic champion (冠军) Wang Junxia is suffering from a serious nervous condition brought on by stress and her heavy training schedule, according to her coach. Wang was China's only athletic medallist in the Atlanta Olympic Games, winning gold in the women's 5,000 meters and silver in the 10,000 meters.

　　“Wang Junxia is suffering from serious neurasthenia (神经衰弱),which is causing her insomnia (失眠) and even making it painful for her to run,” coach Mao Dezhen told reporters. In an interview with China's national television station CCTV, Wang said that her headaches come whenever she runs. Neurasthenia is a general term for a condition whose symptoms range (症状范围) from fatigue (疲劳) and anxiety to listlessness (倦怠无力).

　　“The condition has been brought on by her hard training schedule these past few years and she needs a good rest.” said Mao, who took over Wang's training when the long-distance star split with long-time coach Ma Junren in late 1994.

　　Wang is currently recuperating (复原) in Shenyang, capital of her home Liaoning Province, but will join the rest of the provincial team in the southern city of Nanning for winter training in February, Mao said.

(1)What is the reason for which Wang Junxia suffer from a serious nervous condition?

[　　]

A. Poor health.

B. Too much stress.

C. Heavy training.

D. Both B and C.

(2)According to the passage,________.

[　　]

A. she has stopped training

B. she has been training very hard

C. she had been a serious neurasthenia

D. she has been in poor health

(3)Which of the following is right?

[　　]

A. She got two gold medals in the Atlanta Olympic Games.

B. She is from Northeast of China.

C. She is now training in the southern city Of Nanjing.

D. She has been guided by Coach Mao Dezhen for five years.

(4)The best title of the passage is ________.

[　　]

A. Wang Needs a Good Rest

B. Wang's Schedule Isn't Scientific

C. Wang Faces a Serious Problem of Neurasthenia

D. Coach Mao's New Challenge

(5)Where is the passage probably taken from?

[　　]

A. Novel.

B. Ad.

C. Newspaper.

D. Magazine.

阅读理解

　　So much to do, so little time. So much information, so little time to read it. In this age there is more information than ever before. There is not enough time to read everything we want to read. However, you can consume more information in shorter time through speed-reading. This article Will not make you read 3,000 words per minute, but it will show you how to increase your speed significantly. You will also learn the basic techniques of speed-reading.

　　When you first learned to read, you would say the word out loud and sound it out. Then you might whisper the word out loud and sound it out. When you read aloud, the stage you are now at is saying the word in your head. Most people tend to read this way. Saying the word in your head will cut your reading speed greatly.

　　How do you calculate your reading speed? The speed is measured by how many words per minute you can read. Get some reading material, preferably a book. Find out how many words are on the page. Time yourself for one minute. Start your timer and start reading. When the timer stops, stop. If you counted 500 words on the page and you read half of the page, and then you are probably reading at 250 words per minute.

　　The first thing about speed-reading is looking at the word and recognizing it. Don't say the word in your mind, just look at it and recognize its importance. Later you will recognize clumps of four words or more to increase your speed. This is the first and most important step in speed-reading.

　　The next step is technique. As with any other skill, speed-reading requires technique. You should first be sitting up straight with your book flat on a horizontal (水平的) surface, such as a table or a desk. Next, you should be able to see the entire page. This is necessary if you want to recognize clumps of words. Lastly, you should be focused. It is hard to read with a lot of noise. Find a quiet place to read. This will help your understanding of the text.

　　You need something to guide your eyes while reading. That's right. You should use your hand. Remember when you were little, you would read using your finger. That is a great technique, only now you'll use your hand to underline each line. Move your finger smoothly across the page. No need to go rush, start out Slow. Keep your eyes focused on the words as you recognize them while using your hand as a guide. This will increase your speed.

　　The third step is practice. Practice makes perfect. Set time intervals (间歇). Read using different techniques, but make sure you understand what you are reading.

(1)Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

[　　]

A. Now there is limited information than ever before.

B. Now conditions ask people to use less time to know more information.

C. Now people can read what they like.

D. The less you read, the more time you will spend.

(2)What is the subject discussed in the text?

[　　]

A. What speed-reading is.

B. Why we need speed-reading.

C. Now it is much information time.

D. People should practise speed-reading in different kinds of ways.

(3)Which of the following shows the fight way for the speed-reading from the text?

a. Ask for more techniques.

b. Look at many words and recognize them.

c. Practise more.

[　　]

A. c， a， b

B. c， b， a

C. b， a， c

D. a， c， b

(4)The underlined sentence “you should be focused” in the fifth paragraph means that.

________.

[　　]

A. a person should devote his attention to it while reading

B. your feelings will be hurt while reading

C. a person should smooth away difficulties while he reads

D. you should pay attention to your faults while you are reading

(5)To speed up your reading, you should ________.

[　　]

A. sit up straight with your book flat and use something to guide your eyes

B. say every word out loud and sound it out

C. know it is necessary to read quickly

D. underline some important words while you say them

　　阅读理解

    I'm sure you know the song “Happy Birthday”. But to you know who wrote the song, and for whom it was written？

　　A professor named Archibald Hill in Lousiville, USA could tell us the story. Ninety-seven years ago, two of Mr. Archibald Hill’s aunts, Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill, were asked to write songs for a book called“ Song Stories for the Sunday Morning”. Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were both kindergarten teachers then. They loved children very much and wrote many beautiful songs for the book. Out of them was the well-known“ Good Morning to You”. The song was very popular at that time among kindergarten children, but many grownups knew it, too. A few years later, little Archibald was born. As his aunt, Miss Patty Hill sang the song “Happy Birthday to You” to the melody of “Good Morning to You” to her little nephew, she sang the song like this:

　　Happy birthday to you！

　　Happy birthday to you!

　　Happy birthday, dear Archie !

　　Happy birthday to you.

　　Miss Patty Hill and her sister had never expected that this song became popular, but it really did. People all over the world like the song because of its simple tune and

friendly words.

(1)Archibald Hill was ________.

[　　]

A. English

B. American

C. Russian

D. Australian

(2)Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill wrote ________ for the book  “Song Stories for the Sunday Morning”.

[　　]

A. a book

B. some plays

C. many songs

D. some stories

(3)The professor, Archibald Hill, was Miss Mildred Hill's ________.

[　　]

(4)The song “Happy Birthday” has a history of ________ years.

[　　]

A. ninety-seven

B. more than ninety-seven

C. less than ninety

D. about ninety

(5)The sentence “it really did” means ________.

[　　]

A. the song really became popular.

B. their wish really came true

C. children all over the world like the song

D. the song became more popular

阅读理解

　　Elephants don't forget--at least, female (雌性的) elephants don't, elephant families are matriarchal. And the social knowledge gained by the oldest females is the key to a family group's survival (生存),according to a study published in April by Karen McComb, a biologist at Sussex University in England.

　　Elephants announce their presence by making a deep, low sound, a practice referred to as contact calling (联络呼叫). An unfamiliar call may mean that an elephant from outside the family group is nearby. A stranger can cause trouble, interrupting feeding or disturbing the young. So an elephant matriarch signals the family to gather around her; then they all lift their trunks in the air to smell the unfamiliar caller. False alarms can disturb the group and take time and energy away from feeding so survival may depend in part on getting it right.

　　Working with Cynthia Moss, who founded the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya 30 years ago, McComb tested the social knowledge of 21 Amboseli elephant families with matriarchs 27 to 67 years old. She played recordings of contact calls to each family and found that the oldest matriarchs were much better at picking out unfamiliar calls. In fact, a group with a matriarch in her fifties was several thousand times more likely to form into a group upon hearing an unfamiliar contact call than when hearing a familiar call. However, families with younger matriarchs were less than twice as likely to gather together upon hearing an unfamiliar contact call as com-pared with a familiar call. And they gathered together a lot. Moreover, the social knowledge of older matriarchs translated into favorable results: families with older matriarchs produced more baby elephants in each female-re- productive year.

　　This finding shows how difficult it is to protect the oldest members of elephant families. As elephants age, they continue to grow larger, as do their much wanted tusks (象牙). So the older and wiser a matriarch is, the greater the chance she will be killed. About 800,000 elephants have been killed by people in the past 20 years.

(1)What does the underlined word “matriarch” mean?

[　　]

A. An old member of an elephant family.

B. A female head of an elephant family.

C. A Wise elephant.

D. A large elephant.

(2)When do elephants form into a group?

[　　]

A. When they are feeding the young.

B. When they see a familiar elephant.

C. When they are giving birth to baby elephants.

D. When the leading elephant gives out a warning.

(3)The research with recordings of contact calls shows ________.

[　　]

A. how fast elephants form into groups

B. how important the age of a leading elephant is

C. how frightened elephants are when hearing a strange call

D. how frequently old elephants call other members of the family

(4)The older a female elephant is,________.

[　　]

A. the stronger she will be

B. the poorer memory she will have

C. the more useless her tusks will be

D. the more likely she will be killed

(5)We can infer from the passage that elephants may ________.

[　　]

A. run into other elephant families

B. give wrong warnings to their mothers

C. run away upon hearing a strange sound

D. produce more babies by gathering together more often

阅读理解

　　1970 was World Conservation (保护) Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger. They hoped that governments would act quickly in order to conserve nature. Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1,300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland but now only 866 remain. The others have been destroyed by modern man and his technology. We are changing the earth, the air and water, and everything that grows and lives. We can't live without these things. If we continue like this, we shall destroy ourselves.

　　What will happen in the future? Perhaps it is more important to ask “What must we do now ?”The people who will be living in the world of tomorrow are the young of today. A lot of them know that conservation is necessary. Many are helping to save our world. They plant trees, build bridges across rivers, forests, and so on. In a small town in the United States a large group of girls cleaned the banks of 11 kilometers of their river. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called “No one's going to change our world”. It was made by the Beatles, Cliff Richard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve wild animals.

(1)There are fewer plants, trees and flowers in Holland now because ________.

[　　]

A. there has been a lot of conservation in Holland

B. Holland does not need so many plants, trees and flowers

C. many plants, trees and flowers do not grow there any more

D. some plants, trees and flowers are dangerous

(2)We shall destroy ourselves if we don't change ________.

[　　]

A. the United Nations

B. modern technology

C. our rivers and forests

D. the government of Holland

(3)“No one's going to change our world” was ________.

[　　]

A. an important book published in 1970

B. an idea that nobody would accept

C. a record calling on all people to conserve nature

D. a rule worked out by the United Nations

(4)What is the most important thing for us to do to save our world?

[　　]

A. We should plant more trees and flowers.

B. We should clean the banks of our rivers.

C. We should know what we must do and begin to do now.

D. We should know what will happen in the future.

(5)What's the main idea of the passage?

[　　]

A. 1970 was World Conservation Year.

B. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger.

C. Conservation is necessary.

D. It is the young people who are helping to save our world.

阅读理解

　　About three hundred words in the English language come from the names of people. Many of these words are technical words. When there is a new invention or discovery, a new word may be invented after the inventor or scientist.

　　It is interesting to observe how many common words have found their way into the language from the names of people. Lord Sandwich who lived from 1718--1792 used to sit at the table eating pieces of bread with meat in them. As the Lord was the only one among his friends who ate bread in that way, his friend began to call the bread “sandwich”for fun. Later on the word became part of the English language.

　　The word “boycott” means to refuse to have anything to do with somebody or something. It comes from a man called captain Boycott. He was a land agent (经纪人) in 1880 and he collected rents and taxes for an English landowner in Ireland. But the Captain was a very harsh man. He treated his poor tenants very badly. His tenants decided not to speak to him at all. Eventually（终于）word got back to the landowner and the Captain was removed. The word “boycott” became popular and was used by everyone to mean the kind of treatment that was received by Captain Boycott.

(1)Lord Sandwich died in ________.

[　　]

(2)Lord Sandwich was fond of ________.

[　　]

A. eating out all the time

B. sitting with his friends

C. playing games with words

D. taking bread with meat

(3)“Sandwich”is a word invented by ________.

[　　]

A. Lord Sandwich

B. the friends of Lord Sandwich

C. inventors

D. scientists

(4)The tenants did not like ________.

[　　]

A. to collect rents and taxes

B. the harsh land agent

C. the English landowner

D. to speak

(5)When the landowner found out that tenants were boycotting his land agent, he ________.

[　　]

A. dismissed the Captain

B. praised the Captain

C. removed the rents and taxes

D. increased the rents and taxes

阅读理解

　　The richest man in the world is an American, Bill Gates. He started Microsoft, the company that makes computer programs and operating systems. Two years ago, Mr. Gates and his wife Melinda decided to use some of their money to improve the lives of people in developing countries. They started the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington. The foundation has twenty--four thousand million dollars. It is the biggest not-for-profit organization in the world. Bill and Melinda Gates started the foundation because they believed progress in medical science and information technology was not reaching people in developing countries. Their foundation finances programs aimed at improving health and education in poor countries. One of the foundation's major goals is the development of new medicines to prevent and treat tuberculosis (肺结核 ),malaria (疟疾) and AIDS. The World Health Organization reports that these three diseases kill more than five million people a year.

　　Another leading foundation project is an effort to reduce death rates for babies in poor countries. The foundation also supports efforts to provide necessary medicines to prevent diseases among children in seventy-four developing countries. It also supports training programs for healthy workers. Bill and Melinda Gates are also concerned about connecting people to The Internet computer system. The foundation believes men and women of all ages and races should be able to use the Interact as a tool for life-long learning. For example, the foundation gave nine million dollars to more than three hundred fifty public libraries in Chile (智利) for computers and technology training. The Gates Foundation usually provides money to developing countries in the from of a gift or a grant. However, there are conditions for receiving grants. Governments or other not-for-profit organizations working in a country must promise to provide an equal amount of money. The receiver must also meet performance goals or risk losing the money.

(1)What's not the aim of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?

[　　]

A. Providing information technology for the developing countries.

B. Developing new medicines to prevent diseases.

C. Earning more money from these developing countries.

D. Helping men and women of all ages and races use the Internet.

(2)What do you think of Bill Gates from this text?

[　　]

A. Clever.

B. Rich.

C. Able.

D. Warm-hearted.

(3)What's the main idea of this passage?

[　　]

A. Bill Gates, the richest man.

B. Bill Gates set up foundation to help the people in developing countries.

C. Information technology needs popularizing.

D. The people in developing countries need to be helped.

(4)Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?

[　　]

A. Tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS kill many people every year.

B. A person can receive a grant as long as he lives in a developing country.

C. Gates Foundation is the largest not-for-profit organization in the world.

D. Bill Gates supported training healthy workers.

(5)What's the meaning of the underlined word “grant”?

[　　]

阅读理解

　　“High tech” and “state of the art” are two expressions that describe very modern technology. High tech is just a shorter way of saying high technology. And high technology describes an invention, system or device that uses the newest ideas or discoveries of science and engineering. What is high tech? A computer is high tech. So is a communications satellite. A modem manufacturing system is surely high tech. High tech became a popular expression in the United States during the early 1980's. Because of improvements in technology, people could buy many new kinds of products in American stores, such as home computers, microwave  ovens, etc.

　　“State of the art” is something that is as modern as possible. It is a product that is based on the very latest methods and technology. Something that is “state of the art” is the newest possible design or product of a business or industry. A state of the art television set, for example, uses the most modern electronic design and parts. It is the best that one can buy.

　　“State of the art” is not a new expression. Engineers have used it for years to describe the best and most modem way of doing something. Millions of Americans began to use the expression in the late 1970's. The reason was the computer revolution. Every computer company claimed that its computers were “state of the art”.

　　Computer technology changed so fast that a state of the art computer today might be old tomorrow. The expression “state of the art” became as common and popular as computers themselves. Now all kinds of products are said to be “state of the art”.

(1)What can we infer from the passage?

[　　]

A. A modem plough pulled by oxen is “state of the art”

B. “State of the art” is not as popular as “high tech”.

C. High tech describes a technology that is not traditional.

D. American stores could provide new kinds of products to the people.

(2)All the following examples are high tech except ________.

[　　]

A. a satellite

B. a hand pump

C. a home computer

D. a microwave oven

(3)The purpose of the passage is ________.

[　　]

A. to tell what “high tech” and “state of the art” are

B. to tell “high tech” and “state of the art” have developed

C. to give examples of “high tech”

D. to describe very modem technology

(4)Which of the following statements is NOT true?

[　　]

A. With the rapid development of computer technology, a state of the art computer may easily become popular.

B. All kinds of products are “state of the art” nowadays.

C. Since the computer revolution, the expression “state of the art”  has become popular.

D. “State of the art” means something that is the best one can buy.

(5The best tide for the passage should be _________.

[　　]

A. Two New Expressions

B. Most Advanced Technology

C. High Tech and State of the Art

D. Computer Technology

阅读理解

　　London has a new magazine. But it is not printed on paper. Everyone who has a television can receive it because it is on TV.

　　In order to read this magazine you have to have a decoder. Each page of it is numbered, so you only have to dial the number to choose which subject you want to read about. There is a wide choice--everything is included from cooking to the latest sports news.

　　If you want to read the news, the first thing you have to do is to turn to the index (索引) page which has an easy-to-remember page number,100 for example. Then you start, choosing what you want to read. The news is on pages 101 to 109 so you push out the numbers and the news appears written across your screen. Perhaps you want to go out in the afternoon, so you press 181,and a brightly colored weather map appears on the screen. But the weather is terrible, so you decide to go shopping and dial 162 for a list of the week's best bargains. But should you drive or take the train? To answer that question you only have to press 189 for the traffic report. It is very simple to use. But probably the best thing about the service is that it is being updated all the time. Journalists type new material directly onto the screen and whole pages of the magazine can be replaced in minutes.

　　 London already has three services. One, transmitted (输送) by ITV, is called ORACLE while the other two, on BBC, are called CEEFAX because they let you see facts. Although CEEFAX and ORACLE have been operating for some time, they have not been well publicized. BBC engineers do not think that their idea will ever re-place books and newspapers because they can be taken with you everywhere. But many people would agree that this is a breakthrough as great as the invention of printing, which could change not just our reading habits but our whole way of life.

(1)The novelty (新颖) of the magazine lies in ________.

[　　]

A. its paperlessness

B. its unique viewpoint

C. its simplicity

D. its quickness in transmission

(2)We can know from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A. the magazine is available at any local newsagent

B. most of the postmen in London will lose their jobs some day

C. the readers can get all kinds of information staying at home

D. everyone can read this magazine if they have a television

(3)In the sentence “Each page of it is numbered”, here “it” refers to the ________.

[　　]

A. decoder

B. magazine

C. program

D. subject

(4)According to the passage, the “decoder” is used to help people ________.

[　　]

A. calculate the sum of certain figures

B. receive some special TV program for entertainment

C. go shopping and have other entertainment

D. get the information transmitted by TV signals

(5)The passage is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A. a new magazine printed in London

B. a popular TV program about magazines

C. an advanced technology helping people to communicate

D. an up-to-date way of keeping up to date