阅读理解

The first English dictionary was published in 1604. The dictionary was actually nothing more than a list of about 3,000 difficult words, each followed by a one-word definition (定义，解说). The author (作者), Robert Cawdrey, made no attempt to include everyday words in his dictionary. No one, he reasoned (推理，思考), would ever have to look up a word in a dictionary if he already knew the meaning of the word．During the 1600's more dictionaries were published．Each followed Cawdrey's lead and presented a few thousand hard words. Around 1700 one dictionary maker, John Kersey, did define (下定义，精确地解释词的意义) easy words as well as hard words. But until the 1750's all the dictionaries were rather crude (精制滥选的，不完善的) and not very valuable (有价值的).

　　A man named Dr. Samuel Johnson changed all this. In 1755 Dr. Johnson produced the first modern dictionary. He included in his dictionary all important words, both easy and hard, and he gave good meanings. He also gave good sentences to show how each word was actually used in speech and in writing. By the end of the 1700's most dictionary makers had followed Johnsons's example. Dictionaries were getting better and better.

　　The 1800's saw the greatest improvement (提高，改善) in the quality of dictionaries. In England scholars (学者) planned and prepared the Oxford English Dictionary , a twenty-volume (卷，册，部) work. One of the most interesting features (特点，特征) of the Oxford Dictionary is its word histories. It traces (追溯，探索) the history of each word from its earlier recorded use up to the time of the printing of the dictionary.

(1)The first English Dictionary ________.

[　　]

A．defined easy words as well as hard ones

B．was just a list of difficult words with one-word definitions

C．included a number of everyday words

D．was considered to be a very valuable one

(2)According to the passage, before 1755 all English dictionaries ________.

[　　]

A．were of no value

B．only defined hard words

C．defined both easy words as well as hard words

D．were far from being perfect

[　　]

(3)Which of the following is not true about Dr. Johnson's dictionary?

A．It was not very valuable.

B．It was the first modem English dictionary.

C．It included easy words as well as hard ones.

D．It gave sentences to show the usage of words.

(4)The most interesting feature of the Oxford Dictionary was that ________.

[　　]

A．it had a complete list of difficult words

B．it gave sentences showing how each word was actually used

C．it was a 20-volume work

D．it showed the history of each word

(5)This passage is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．the difference of English Dictionaries

B．the origin of English Dictionaries

C．the development of English Dictionaries

D．the features of English Dictionaries

阅读理解

　　Multiple-meaning means many meanings for each word．Many of these multiple- meaning words are very commonly used in English and they are usually very short words (often one syllable (音节). They have so many different meanings because these words have been in the English language longest and people have been adding and changing their meanings for several hundred years. If you are not careful with these words and don't make good use of context clues (上下文所提供的线索) to guess their particular meanings, you will misunderstand what you are reading or hearing.

　　Not only do these multiple-meaning words cause difficulty due to their many different meanings, but they also cause difficulty since they change their part of speech depending on the way they are used in any sentence. Here again, notice how important it is to pay close attention to the context in which any word is used．Now let's try to tell the different meanings of the word “post” in the following sentences.

(1)The fence post was rotting.

[　　]

(2)The post was full of soldiers.

[　　]

(3)Lonaine has a new post.

[　　]

(4)The horses were at the post.

[　　]

(5)Please post this first thing in the morning.

[　　]

(6)Multiple-meaning words are ________ used in English and they are usually________ words.

[　　]

(7)Mulitple-meaning words change their parts of speech according to ________.

[　　]

A．their meaning

B．the way they are used in different sentences

C．the importance of themselves

D．your explanation

(8)If you don't pay close attention to the context, you will easily ________ the multiple meaning words.

[　　]

(9)In the five sentences attached to (附加在) the passage, the word “post” is a noun in

[　　]

(10)In the five sentences attached to the passage, the word “post” might mean ________.

[　　]

A．①A ②C ③D ④D ⑤B

B．①B ②A ③A ④C ⑤D

C．①C ②B ③C ④D ⑤B

D．①A ②A ③D ④C ⑤C

阅读下列短文，从每题中所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中选出最佳选项

　　Twenty-three senior high school graduates of 1999 from Wuhan, Hubei Province, have recently left for Germany on a work-study program, according to Xi'an Evening News.

　　They will study hotel management in Bavarian Hotel Management School for a year and then take up two-year practice in Germany. Upon graduation, they will also get diplomas (文凭) recognized internationally. During their two-year practice, they earn no less than 1,200 Deutsche Marks (德国马克) a month.

　　The program, organized by a company in Wuhan, aims at providing the city's high school graduates with new job opportunities.

　　Applicants (申请者) must first pass an exam given by the German side and pay180,000 yuan covering the three years' study and living expenses in Germany. In spite of this, the program still attracted a lot of high school graduates and their parents. And applicants came in a continuous stream.

　　“The chance for my child to go to college is small. What's more, it's not easy to find a job．We find the work-study program an equally good way out for him,” a parent said．“We don't worry much about the high costs because the total income from the two -year-long practice will be quite enough to clear them. ”

(1)This text is mainly about ________.

A．a hotel management school in Bavaria, Germany

B．students from Wuhan studying in Germany

C．students going abroad on work-study program

D．new job opportunities offered in Germany

(2)Which of the following words best describes the parents of these 23 students?

(3)We can infer that these applicants found it hard ________.

A．to go to college at home

B．to pay for the cost

C．to pass the test given by the Germans

D．to get a job when they return home

　　阅读理解

There is probably no field of human activity in which our values and lifestyles are shown more clearly and strongly than they are in the clothes that we choose to wear. The dress of an individual is a kind of “sign language” that communicates a set of information and is usually the basis on which immediate impressions are formed．Traditionally, a concern for clothes was considered to be an affair of females, while men took pride in the fact that they were completely lacking in clothes consciousness (意识)

　　This type of American culture is by degrees changing as man dress takes on greater variety and color. Even as early as 1995, a researcher in Michigan said that men attached rather high importance to the value of clothing in daily life. White-collar workers in particular viewed dress as a symbol (象征) of ability, which could be used to impress or influence others, especially in the work situation. The white-collar worker was described as extremely concerned about the impression his clothing made on his superiors (上司). Although blue-collar workers were less aware (察觉到的) that they might be judged on the basis of their clothing, they recognized that any difference from the accepted pattern of dress would be made fun of by fellow workers.

　　Since that time, of course, the patterns have changed: the typical office worker may now be wearing the blue shirt, and the laborer a white shirt; but the importance of dress has not become less. Other researchers in recent years have helped to prove its importance in the lives of individuals at various age levels and in different social and economic status groups (阶层).

(1)The passage tells us that ________.

[　　]

A．our values and lifestyles are in no field of human activity

B．the clothes that we choose to wear have something to do with our values and lifestyles

C．our values and lifestyles are from the sign language

D．the clothes we choose to wear depend on a set of information and immediate impression

(2)raditionally, people usually thought that ________.

[　　]

A．men cared very much for clothes

B．women concerned greatly about what they wore while men didn't

C．both men and women paid great attention to their clothes

D．neither men nor women showed interest in clothes

(3)Blue-collar workers pay great attention to their clothes because ________.

[　　]

A．they extremely concern about the impression their clothes make on their Superiors

B．they know very dearly that people will judge them on the basis of their clothing

C．they want to impress and influence others

D．they don' t want to be laughed at

(4)The passage mainly suggests that ________.

[　　]

A．now men pay more attention to their clothes than women to

B．women always like beautiful dresses

C．people have paid more and more attention to the importance of dress

D．American culture is changing greatly

阅读理解

　　Frank Lloyd Wright probably is the greatest architect (建筑师) that the United States has ever produced．He had a natural ability to design buildings. His buildings were not only beautiful, but they were also functional. They fit their purposes very well. Wright's churches, for example, make people feel like thinking and praying. His office buildings make people enjoy working, and his houses make people feel comfortable, at home. However, Frank Lloyd Wright's beautiful, functional buildings are not the only reason that he is famous. There is another reason.

　　Frank Lloyd Wright is called the greatest American architect because he started an American style in architecture. Most of the architecture in United States before Wright was really European, not American. Wright's buildings do not look like old European buildings. They have their own style. Wright's ideas about style are still used in the United States and in other parts of the world．

　　The most important idea in Frank Lloyd Wright's Style of Architecture is that a building must fit its purpose and the land around it. His houses are often called “grass- land houses” because their lines are similar to the lines on the grass-land．Both the lines of the grass-land and the lines of Wright's house are parallel (平行) to the horizon (地平线), the place where earth and sky seem to meet. They are horizontal lines. Most European style houses, in contrast (对比), have many vertical (重直的) lines that form 90° angles with the horizon.

(1)Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

[　　]

A．The Influence of European Architecture on America Architecture.

B．The Buildings Designed by the Greatest Architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

C．The Influence of Architect Frank Lloyd Wright on American Architecture.

D．Frank Lloyd Wright's Contribution to the Improvement of Environment.

(2)What do you know about American architecture before Wright's time?

[　　]

A．It hadn't formed its own style yet.

B．It was a model of modern style.

C．Most of the houses were designed by Europeans.

D．Most of the houses were practical but not good-looking.

(3)What is the most important idea in Wright's style?

[　　]

A．Architecture should present a variety of designs.

B．A building must have a large grass-land around it.

C．Architectural design should match natural surroundings.

D．The function of a house is the most important in design.

(4)Which of the following styles of architecture is true of Wright's “grass-land houses?”

[　　]

A．The houses appear to stand on horizon.

B．The houses are built mainly on the grass-land．

C．The houses have many lines that form a right angle (角)with the horizon.

D．The houses are special in style with lines similar to those on the grass-land．

阅读理解

　　Like fine food, good writing is something we approach (接近) with pleasure and enjoy from the first taste to the last. And good writers, like good cooks, do not suddenly appear full-blown. Quite the contrary, just as the cook has to undergo (经历) an intensive training, mastering the skills of his trade, the writer must sit at desk and devote long hours to achieving a style in his writing, whatever its purpose is ---- schoolwork, matters of business, or purely social communication. You may be sure that the more painstaking the effort, the more effective the writing, and the more rewarding.

　　There are still some remote places in the world where you might find a public scribe to do your business or social writing for you, for a fee. There are a few managers who are lucky enough to have the service of that rare kind of secretary who can take care of all sorts of letter writing with no more than a quick note to work from. But for most of us, if there is any writing to be done, we have to do it ourselves.

    We have to write school papers, business papers or home papers. We are constantly called on to put words to paper. It would be difficult to count the number of such words, messages, letters and reports put into the mails or delivered by hand, but the daily figure must be very great. What is more, everyone who writes, expects, or at least hopes.

　　We want whatever we write to be read, from first word to last, not just thrown into “letters-to-read” file (文件) or into a wastepaper basket. This is the reason we bend our efforts toward learning and practicing the skills of interesting, effective writing.

(1)In this passage, good writing is compared to fine food because ________.

[　　]

A．both writers and cooks have to work long hours every day

B．both are necessary to life

C．both writers and cooks can earn a good living

D．both are enjoyable

(2)The underlined word “scribe” means

[　　]

A．a secretary who does your business or social writing

B．a machine that does writing for you

C．a school where writing is taught

D．a person who earns a living by writing for others

(3)According to the passage, some managers don't have to do any letter writing because

[　　]

A．they depend on quick notes

B．they have excellent secretaries

C．they have a computer to do it

D．they prefer making phone calls

(4)According to the author, if your letter is thrown into some “letters-to-be- read” file, ________.

[　　]

A．it will receive immediate attention

B．it will be dealt with by the secretary

C．it is likely to be passed over

D．it is meant to be delivered soon

(5)The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　The Atlantic Ocean, named for the lost island of Atlantis in very old stories, has made up for the romantic beginning of its name by becoming the most important business highway in the world; yet traces (痕迹) of romance are continually mixed with the business of the sea.

　　For instance, the Spanish adventurers who first sought gold and silver in America frequently found their ships stopped because there was no wind, usually on the edge of the steady trade winds ---- about 30 degrees north or south latitude (纬度). A sailing ship could carry only so much water, and as it lay still under a hot sun for days or weeks, the severe pains of thirst would make anyone dying or go away forever.

　　The horses were generally the first victims (牺牲品);they had to be thrown overboard when they died or became mad with thirst. Because the Spanish gentlemen thought highly of their horses, even believing they had souls after their death, they suffered bitter regret and believed the ghosts (灵魂) of the proud war horses would so often come to the scene; and they saw the restless spirits in their dreams and related their dreams to sailors.

　　Whenever the seamen passed that way, they would see in the waves or clouds images of wild horses bearing down on them; they began to call the broad belts of calm the “horse latitudes”. The romantic name by which they are known today.

(1)According to the passage, Atlantic ________.

[　　]

A．probably did not exist even long, long ago

B．was an island named after the ocean in which it was supposed to have existed

C．was surely an actual island which had disappeared

D．was the name of an island given by the Spanish adventurers

(2)Today the Atlantic is ________.

[　　]

A．romantic, rather than businesslike

B．completely lacking in romance

C．less important to business than in the days of the sailing ships

D．more important to business than in the days of the sailing ships

(3)The area of “horse latitudes” was dangerous because ________.

[　　]

A．ships could easily sink there

B．there was no wind there

C．ships were overloaded with horses

D．there were souls of dead horses often making trouble to seamen.

(4)Dying horses were probably thrown overboard in order to ________.

[　　]

A．save water

B．lighten the ship

C．spare them the serious pains of thirst

D．spare the men the trouble of caring for them

阅读理解阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中选出最佳选项.

　　Considered as a continuous body of fluid (流体), the atmosphere (大气) is another kind of ocean. Yet, in view of the total amount of rain and snow on land areas in the course of a year, one of the most amazing water facts is the very small amount of water in the atmosphere at any given time. The volume (体积) of the lower seven miles of the atmosphere, where weather events take place, is roughly four times the volume of the world's oceans. But the atmosphere contains very little water. It is chiefly in the form of vapor (蒸气), some of which is carried over land by air currents. If all vapor suddenly fell from the air onto the earth's surface, it would form a layer only about one inch thick. A heavy rainstorm on a given area may use up only a small percentage of the water from the air mass that passes over. How, then, can some land areas receive more than 400 inches of rain per year? How can several inches of rain fall during a single storm in a few minutes or hours? The answer is that rain- producing air masses are always moving, and as the driving air mass moves on, new damp air takes its place.

　　The basic source of most water vapor is the ocean. Evaporation (蒸发), vapor transport, and rainfall make up the continuous movement of water from ocean to atmosphere to land and hack to the sea．Rivers return water to the sea．In the underground, flowing bodies of water send out some water directly into rivers and some directly to the sea．

(1)What might have been discussed in the preceding (在前的)paragraphs?

[　　]

(2)It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．the atmosphere has a lot of water in it when it goes around

B．the water in the atmosphere is purer than that in the world's oceans

C．the amount of water in the atmosphere is greater than that in the oceans in the world

D．the small amount of water in the atmosphere plays an important part in the rainfall on the earth

(3)Which fact does this passage lead us to believe?

[　　]

A．The volume of the atmosphere is four times that of the world's oceans.

B．The water in the oceans is the main source of rain and snow on land areas.

C．The atmosphere is mainly made up of the vapor carried over land by air currents.

D．The earth cannot support the water in the atmosphere if it falls down onto the earth suddenly．

阅读理解

　　In the primary school, a child is in a comparatively simple setting and most of the time forms a relationship with one familiar teacher. On entering secondary school, a new world opens up and frequently it is a much more difficult world．The pupil soon learns to be less free in the way he speaks to teacher's and even to his fellow pupils. He begins to lose gradually the free and easy ways of the primary school, for he senses the need for a more cautious approach in the secondary school where there are older pupils. Secondary staff and pupils suffer from the pressures of academic work and seem to have less time to stop and talk. Teachers with specialist roles may see hundreds of children in a week, and a pupil may be able to form relationships with very few of the staff. He has to decide which adults are approachable; good, schools will make clear to every young person from the first year what guidance and personal help is available -- but whether the reality of life in the institution actually encourages requests for help is another matter.

　　Adults often forget what a confusing pictures school can offer to a child．He sees a great deal of movement, a great number of people -- of ten rather frightening looking people -- and realizes that an increasing number of choices and decisions have to be made. As he progresses through the school the confusion may become less but the choices and decisions required will increase. The school will rightly expect the pupils to take the first steps to obtain the help he needs, for this is the pattern of adult life for which he has to be prepared, but all the time the opportunities for personal and group advice must be presented in a way which makes them easy to understand and within easy reach of pupils.

(1)According to the passage one of the problems for pupils entering secondary schools is that ________.

[　　]

A．they are taught by many different teachers

B．they do not attend lessons in every subject

C．the teachers do not want to be friendly

D．the teachers give most attention to the more academic pupils

(2)After becoming a pupil in secondary schools, the pupil begins to lose gradually the free and easy ways of the primary school, for he ________.

[　　]

A．is told by his teachers to behave so

B．is not accustomed to the life in the secondary school

C．realizes the secondary school life requires him to act so

D．suffers from the pressures of school work

(3)In secondary schools every pupil having problems should first ________.

A．know how to ask for help

B．be freed from any pressure of academic work

C．be able to discuss his problems in class

D．be able to discuss his problems with any teacher

(4)According to the passage _______.

A．the author doubts whether the actual situation in the secondary school can encourage pupils to ask for help

B．to judge whether a secondary school is good or not depends on what guidance and personal help it can offer

C．adults tend to think that children are able to deal with everything in school with ease

D．the school offers pupils nothing but confusion

(5)In this passage about secondary schools, the author is mainly concerned about 

A．academic standards

B．the role of specialist teachers

C．the training of the individual teachers

D．the personal development of pupils

阅读理解

　　Virtually all American workers are suffering as a result of the current economic crisis. Hardest hit of all according to official statistics, are black workers and their families. The recently released (发表，发布) official Bureau of Labor Statistics (统计数字) (BLS)figures show unemployment for March to be 8 million, or 8.7 percent overall with 8 percent for whites and 14. 2 percent for blacks. The figures for teenagers are 20.6 percent overall with 41.6 percent for black youths.

　　The BLS lists as employed the 3.9 million part-time workers, most of whom need and want full-time jobs. About half of these involuntary (非本意的，无意的 ) part-times are blacks. The BLS does not count the millions of teenagers who have never had a job and have not registered (记录，登记) for work. Many have looked for jobs without success. Others just don't look, knowing full well that there are no jobs available, let alone decent (体在的，优雅的 ) jobs.

　　Surprisingly, the majority of both white and black unemployed workers are not eligible (合格的，符合条件的) for unemployment benefits: 3.2 million out of the official 5.6 million unemployed during the last quarter of 1974 were ineligible. Fifty-seven percent of the blacks who lost their jobs during that quarter were ineligible for benefits. This figure was over 20 percent higher than the percentage for white workers.

　　What's happened in this period to small black business? Frequently lacking cash reserves, credit and management know-how and facing diminishing (逐渐缩小的) markets amidst (在……当中) soaring (猛增的，飞涨的) black unemployment, many black-owned businesses are being rocked especially hard by the economic ill winds. The majority of the 195,000 black - owned businesses, 94 percent of which are individually owned and run, are in real trouble. Eighty-five percent had gross (总的，毛的) annual receipts (收到物，收入) of less than $ 13,000 and less than 20 percent had any paid employees. It has been reported that 18 percent of black businesses failed in 1974, compared to the less than one percent failures of white - owned businesses.

(1)The official BLS figures show that ________.

[　　]

A．there are more unemployed teenagers than grown-ups

B．the percentage of unemployed blacks is higher than that of the white

C．most of the part-time workers lost their jobs

D．most of the unemployed are able to get the social benefits for the

unemployment

(2)The word “soaring” (in line 3, para．4) most probably means ________.

[　　]

(3)What is most striking in the details about the unemployed?

[　　]

A．Many teenagers can not find jobs.

B．The percentage of the unemployed is rising.

C．More blacks are suffering from the unemployment.

D．Most of the unemployed can not get the unemployment benefits.

(4)Which of the following statements is NOT the result of the current economic crisis?

[　　]

A．The percentage of the unemployed blacks is higher than that of the whites.

B．Most of the unemployed workers can not get unemployment benefits.

C．Many black-owned-and-run businesses failed．

D．Many part-time workers can not find a full-time job．

(5)From the passage we can infer that the author's attitude to the blacks is________.

[　　]