阅读理解

　　Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea. People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.

　　Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.

　　At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea. Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added. She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.

　　At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening no one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess(公爵夫人) found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o'clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea－time was born.

1．Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?

[　　]

A．The Britons got expensive tea from India.

B．Tea reached Britain from Holland.

C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea.

D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea.

2．This passage mainly discusses ________.

[　　]

A．the history of tea drinking in Britain

B．how tea became a popular drink in Britain

C．how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea

D．how tea－time was born

3．Tea became a popular drink in Britain ________.

[　　]

A．in eighteenth century

B．in sixteenth century

C．in seventeenth century

D．in the late seventeenth century

4．People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because ________.

[　　]

A．it tasted like milk

B．it tasted more pleasant

C．it became a popular drink

D．Madame de Sevinge was such a lady with great social influence that people tried to copy the way she drank tea

5．We may infer from the passage that the habit of drinking tea in Britain was mostly due to the influence of ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　To me, life without music would not be exciting. I realize that this is not true for everybody. Many people get along quite well without going to the concert, and listening to the record. But music plays an important part in everyone's life, whether he realizes it or not. Try to imagine, for example, what films or TV plays would be like without music. Would the feelings, the moving plot, and the greatest interests, be so exciting or dramatic? I'm not sure about it.

　　Now, we have been speaking of music in its more common meaning－the kind of music we hear in the concert hall. But if we look at some parts of music more closely, we discover them in our everyday life too－in the rhythm of the sea, the melody of a bird in the woods and so on. So music surely has meaning for everyone, in some way or other. And, of course, it has special meaning for those who have spent all their lives working on playing or writing music.

　　It is well said, “Through music a child enters into a world of beauty, expresses himself from his heart, feels the joy of doing things alone, learns to take care of others, develops his mind and makes his body strong.”

1．What does the writer say more about in the text?

[　　]

A．Life full of music.

B．Life without music.

C．The importance of music.

D．The development of music.

2．From the text, we learn that many people ________.

[　　]

A．don't realize the importance of music

B．get along quite well without music

C．go to the concert instead of enjoying music

D．think music would be less exciting than films

3．What does the underlined word “melody” mean in the text?

[　　]

4．From the last paragraph, we learn that music ________.

[　　]

A．is very important, especially for children

B．is very necessary for our everyday life

C．can make our life exciting and dramatic

D．can enter into another beautiful world

阅读理解

　　After a long period of studies, scientists are uncovering surprising new findings about dolphins(海豚). They believe that dolphins do “talk” to each other, whistling “names” among themselves and others in their group. They help one another when in trouble, like bats, they use sound waves to “see”.

　　Dolphins love to mimic(模仿). If we swim on our backs, they do, too. If we dive, they follow. Once a trainer blew a puff of(一阵) cigarette smoke against the window of an observation tank(箱), a young dolphin suddenly swam to its mother, nursed a moment, and spit out a cloud of milk against the glass.

　　It is even more surprising that that dolphins are able to understand sigh language. One of Herman's dolphins has mastered more than 50 sign words. And they can also mimic the signatures of others. Now scientists are learning how dolphins “speak” to each other.

　　Dolphins help one another. When birth－giving takes place, female gather to keep off sharks. Later, while the mother looks for food, they take care of the young dolphin, swimming in circle.

　　Dolphins reach out to us in astonishing ways. What would the world be like without them?

1．To the best of our knowledge, dolphins are ________.

[　　]

A．surprising fish

B．human man's friends

C．intelligent mammals

D．interesting animals

2．In the second paragraph, “nursed” means ________.

[　　]

A．brought the mother something to eat

B．sucked milk from the mother dolphin

C．asked to be taken care of

D．gave some milk to her

3．What was the dolphin doing when it suddenly swam to its mother? It was ________.

[　　]

A．having a little fun

B．diving into the deep sea

C．playing with the trainer

D．copying “smoking”

4．Which of the following do you think is more reasonable?

[　　]

A．We are in the early stage of learning about the animals.

B．We have little difficulty in understanding dolphins.

C．Man will be able to talk freely to dolphins in the near future.

D．Sign language is the only way to make dolphins understand us.

5．The underline word “they” in the first paragraph refers to ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　People realize that although animals may not have the same intelligence as human beings, they are smart enough to learn certain things.

　　Dogs are extremely useful as companions for blind people. When a dog has been properly trained, he will always lead his blind master in the right direction and kept him out of danger. For example, seeing－eyes dogs learn never to cross a busy road when cars are coming, even if their masters command(命令) them to do so.

　　Horses are also able to learn many things. Horses that are used for guard or police duty must learn never to be frightened of noises, traffic, and other disturbances. Racing horses are able to run much farther than other horses, but they are also quite high strung(紧张的). Therefore, it is necessary for those people who train them to be very patient and understanding.

　　The moving pictures and television can be used to train animals. Some animals such as monkeys and foxes, are easy to film. All you have to do is to make a trail in front of the camera by dragging something that smells good to the animals over the ground. Big animals, such as lions and tigers, can be photographed as they hound(狩猎；追捕) happily back to their families and dinner. If a movie actor is near, the well－trained animal will pay no attention to him. However, the audience may imagine that the actor escaped a terrible death by the skip(遗漏) of his teeth.

1．Dogs who help blind people must learn ________.

[　　]

A．to obey all others

B．to obey any safe orders

C．never to cross busy roads

D．to cross roads when commanded to do so

2．Race horses are hard to train because they are ________.

[　　]

A．faster than other horses

B．smaller than other horses

C．cleverer than other horses

D．more nervous than other horses

3．What does “make a trail” mean here in the last paragraph ________.

[　　]

A．place some thing to attract the animal

B．give the animal a certain task

C．order the animal to do things

D．follow the animal to hurt

4．Lions can be photographed easily when ________.

[　　]

A．they are following a trail of something that smells good to them

B．they are returning to their families

C．they have been trained to work with other animals

D．they do not know a movie－actor is nearly

阅读理解

　　In July 1994 Jupiter(木星), the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of comet(彗星). When the fragments(碎片) landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions(爆炸) were watched by scientists here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?

　　The year is 2049. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic(恐慌).

　　On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the Earth's atmosphere(空气) with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.

　　Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won't escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived.

　　Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 millions years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn't survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?

1．Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author's description of the disaster in 2094?

[　　]

A．The whole world becomes extremely cold.

B．All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed.

C．The whole mankind becomes extinct.

D．The visit of the comet results in war.

2．Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passages?

[　　]

A．Because they could only live in the warm climate.

B．Because they once dominated(控制) the earth.

C．Because their extinction indicates future disasters.

D．Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age.

3．In writing the passage, the author intends to ________.

[　　]

A．give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future

B．prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed

C．tell the historical development of the Earth

D．warn of a possible disaster in the future

4．It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n) ________.

[　　]

A．horror story

B．news report

C．research paper

D．article of popular science

阅读理解

　　One of the great advances in modern technology has been the invention of computers. They are already widely used in industry and in universities and the time may come when it will be possible for ordinary people to use them as well. Computers are able to do extremely complicated(复杂的) work in learning. They can solve the most complex mathematical problems or put thousands of unrelated facts in order. These machines can be put to different uses. For example, they can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic accidents, or they can count the number of times the word “and” has been used in the Bible(圣经). Because they work accurately(精确地) and at high speed, they save research workers years of hard work. This whole process(过程) by which machines can be used to work for us has been called automation(自动控制).

　　Some time ago an expert on automation, Sir Leon Bagrit, pointed out that it was a mistake to believe that these machines could “think”. There is no possibility that human beings will be “controlled by machines”. Though computers are able to learn from their mistakes and improve on their performance, they need detailed instructions from human beings in order to operate. They can never, as it were, lead independent lives, or “rule the world” by making decisions of their own.

　　Sir Leon said that in the future, computers would be small enough to carry in the pocket. Ordinary people would then be able to use them to get valuable information. Computers could be put into a national network and be used like radios. It will also be possible to make very small translating machines. It is impossible to assess(确定) the importance of a machine of this sort, for many international misunderstandings are caused simply through our failure to understand each other. Computers will also be used in hospitals. Computers are the most efficient servants that man has ever had and there is no limit to the way they can be used to improve our lives.

1．According to the author, computers can be used in ________.

[　　]

2．Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．The invention of computers is the only most important invention in history.

B．Computers can be used in almost all fields of learning.

C．Computers can help to stop traffic accidents.

D．People will have more spare time in the future because of automation.

3．Thanks to computers, in the future people ________.

[　　]

A．will improve international understanding

B．will have no traffic jam

C．will not catch a bad cold

D．will not need book－keepers and accountants

4．The author intends to tell us that ________.

[　　]

A．some day the computers will replace human beings

B．very shortly the computers will dominate(支配、控制、统治) people

C．soon the computers will become completely independent

D．in the future the computers will be helpful in various fields

阅读理解

1．How many times were the Olympic Games stopped by war?

[　　]

2．In which year were the Winter Olympics first held?

[　　]

3．Which of the following statements is not right?

[　　]

A．The 29th Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing.

B．Athens is the place where the first modern Olympic Games were held.

C．The Winter Olympics were held twice in St. Moritz.

D．The Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics are held in the same year fourteen times.

阅读理解

　　Have you ever experienced exciting sports? Perhaps you can try ballooning. Ballooning has become a popular sport in the UK in the past few years. Although it is still quite expensive compared with other sports, many people now think of a balloon flight as the perfect answer for a birthday present or a particular occasion. Some businesses also entertain their staff or visitors with a balloon ride and may even buy their own balloons to advertise their business products.

　　One of the best known balloon companies in the UK is based in Bristol in the west of England. Flights are available(可用的) throughout the year and last for at least one hour. They usually take off soon after sunrise or a couple hours before sunset, but they do not fly if it is raining or very windy. No special clothing and either walking shoes or boots.

　　It seems that once people have experienced a balloon flight they can become so keen(渴望的) on the sport that they want to have their own balloons. No two flights are ever the same and people find the sport different and exciting. The company in Bristol trains people to fly their own balloons but warns that it can be a very expensive hobby.

1．What is the purpose of writing this passage?

[　　]

A．To tell a story about ballooning.

B．To advertise a new sport.

C．To give information on ballooning.

D．To introduce a new sport.

2．Why could an interest in ballooning almost be a disadvantage?

[　　]

A．People can become crazy.

B．People lose a lot of money.

C．It leads to business difficulties.

D．It is bad for one's health.

3．What do we learn from the text about ballooning?

[　　]

A．It's best for business advertising.

B．It has become dearer recently.

C．It can only be done during the summer.

D．It is considered to be rather special.

阅读理解

　　In the water around New York City is a very small island called Liberty Island. On Liberty Island there is a very special statue called the Statue of Liberty. It is one of the most famous sights in the world.

　　The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. The Statue was made by a French sculptor(雕刻家) named Frederic August Bartholdi. The inner support system was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the same man who made the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.

　　Liberty, of course, means freedom, and the Statue of Liberty was given to the United States to celebrate the one－hundred anniversary(周年纪念) of U. S. independence from England. The statue was built in France, taken apart piece by piece, and then rebuilt in the United States. It was opened for the public on October 28th, 1886.

　　As you might expect, the statue is very big. Visitors can ride an elevator from the ground to the bottom of the statue. If they want to, they can then walk up the 168 steps to reach the head of the statue where they can look out over New York and enjoy the beautiful sight of the city.

1．The word “sights” in the first passage means ________.

[　　]

2．The statue was built in ________.

[　　]

3．We may conclude that the elevator does not ________.

[　　]

4．The man who made the part of the statue that we can see on the outside was ________.

[　　]

5．The best title for this passage is ________.

[　　]

A．Famous Sights in the World

B．Liberty Island

C．The Statue of Liberty

D．A gift from France

阅读理解

　　Toyko, the capital of Japan, is one of the largest cities in the world. Twice last century, the city was destroyed and rebuilt. In 1923 a major earthquake struck the city. The second time is during World War Ⅱ, Toyko was destroyed once again.

　　After the war, the people of Tokyo began to rebuild their city again. Buildings went up at rapid rate. Between 1945 and 1960, the city's population is more than doubled. Because of the Olympic Games held in Toyko in 1964, many new stadiums, parks and hotels were built to accommodate visitors from all over the world. As a result of this rapid development, however, many problems have arisen. Housing shortage, pollution have presented serious challenges to the city. But the government has begun several programmes to answer them.

1．How many times was Toyko destroyed by the earthquake last century?

[　　]

2．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Before World War Ⅰ, Toyko was destroyed for the second time.

B．After World War Ⅱ, Toyko was destroyed for the first time.

C．During the time of World War Ⅱ, Toyko was destroyed for the second time.

D．In World War Ⅱ, Toyko was destroyed for the third time.

3．What is the best title of the passage?

[　　]