阅读理解

　　Daniel Brown was just five years old when be climbed into the family car and let it roll away down the road, He was only three when he flooded the kitchen.

　　His mother, Angela Brown, is in despair. She is very busy looking after her new baby, a little gift called Laura, as well as Daniel. She told us, “Daniel is so full of curiosity.” At that moment, we hear a huge crash and then silence. We go upstairs and find Daniel crawling out of a wardrobe (衣橱) he has pulled over onto the floor, with a book in his hand. “It's for you, Mum,” he says and looks up at his mum and smiles. Seven-year-old Daniel has a lovely face. He has golden hair, big brown eyes, and a friendly smile. I have to admit that Daniel doesn't look like a naughty boy.

　　Angela told me all about it. “Once I found him as he was about to put Jasper in the washing machine.” Jasper, she explained, is the Browns' dog. “When I asked him why, he said that he thought Jasper was dirty! It's amazing how one little boy can cause so much trouble. Another time he cut off all the hair of the little girl next door. She was going to attend her sister's wedding and the neighbors haven't spoken to us since.”

　　Angela told me about Daniel's most expensive crime. “I was about to do the washing up when the baby started crying. Daniel decided to help and filled the kitchen sink with water. When I came in, the water was already flooding the kitchen and was about to flood the hall. The carpet was ruined and had to be replaced. I hope things will get better as he gets older.”

　　Amazingly, Daniel is quite well behaved in school. This may be because he is rarely bored. Meanwhile he continues to be the naughtiest little boy in England. Will his baby sister Laura grow up to be the naughtiest little girl?

1．What did Daniel do while his mother was talking to the author?

[　　]

A．He drove away the family car.

B．He cut off the hair of the girl next door.

C．He flooded the kitchen.

D．He fell to the floor with the wardrobe.

2．Why was Daniel going to put the dog in the washing machine?

[　　]

A．He meant to clean the dog.

B．He wanted to punish the dog.

C．He intended to make trouble.

D．He wished to draw his mother's attention.

3．It can be inferred from the passage that

[　　]

A．the mother spoiled the boy

B．the boy found school life interesting

C．the mother lost hope in the boy

D．the boy had no freedom at home

阅读理解

　　The leaders of Russia and China vowed to support each other's fight against Muslim separatist, and urged peaceful solutions in Iraq, during a meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on December 2,2002.

　　Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's Jiang Zemin signed a joint declaration calling for a “multipolar world”.

　　His two-day visit comes shortly after the conclusion of the 16th Party Congress which elected the new CPC leadership. Putin said that Russia wants to “work hard” with the new generation of Chinese leaders.

　　The Treaty (条约) of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, signed in July last year, has provided a slid legal foundation for lasting friendship for generations to come, according to Jiang, “China and Russia will he good neighbors, friends and partners forever.”

　　The Russian Government, in return, said it would continue to give priority (优先权) to relations with China in its foreign policies.

　　Putin spoke on the morning of Dec. 3rd at Peking University and took questions from students on his understanding of Chinese literature, Russian reform (改革) and NATO enlargement.

　　He said a growing number of young people in Russia are interested in Chinese literature and one of his daughters is learning Chinese.

1．We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.

[　　]

A．many young Russian people hope to study Chinese in China

B．China is richer and stronger than Russia

C．Russia will give some support to China

D．The relation between China and Russia is developing healthily

2．It is implied, in the sentence “Putin said that Russia wants to ‘work hard’ with the new generation on Chinese leaders”, that ________.

[　　]

A．Russia will co-operate closely with China

B．There are many differences between Russia and China

C．Putin knew little of the new generation of Chinese leaders

D．It will be long before Putin get, to know the new generation of Chinese leaders

3．The underlined word “multipolar” is likely to mean ________.

[　　]

4．Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?

[　　]

A．Putin agreed that NATO was enlarged.

B．Putin was invited to the 16th Chinese communist Party congress.

C．Russia puts China first.

D．Muslim separatists make trouble only in Russia.

阅读理解

　　A terrifying example of the sea's power saw about 200,000 people die in 12 different countries last week. The devastation (毁坏) was caused when a massive earthquake sent tsunamis (海啸) smashing into Indian Ocean coastlines.

　　Communities in Sri Lanka. Indonesia, Thailand, India, Malaysia and East Africa have been destroyed by the monster waves. Whole towns were imply swept aside by the power of the water. Cars, trains and buildings could not survive (幸免), let alone the people who stood in the way.

　　The earthquake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale (里氏震级) and occurred off the coast of Indonesia. It was recorded as the fifth strongest since 1900.

　　Scientists said the quake was as powerful as a million of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan during World War Ⅱ. “This may be the worst natural disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas," said Jan Egeland, a UN official.

　　Because such waves rarely happen in the Indian Ocean, there is no system in place to warn coastal communities they are about to be hit.

　　Tsunami is Japanese for “harbour wave.” They are usually caused by a sudden rise or fall of part of the Earth's crust (地壳) under the ocean. Tsunamis often happen in oceans and they are most common in the Pacific. Normally a tsunamis includes a series of waves.

　　Tsunamis can be very long-as much a, 100 kilometres-and be as far as one hour apart. They are able to cross entire oceans without losing much energy. One of the most striking facts about tsunamis is that an earthquake on one side of the Pacific Ocean can cause giant wave, and destruction on the other side.

　　When the ocean is deep, tsunamis can travel unnoticed at speeds of up to 800 kilometres per hour. They can cross the entire ocean in a day or less.

　　The wave may only be a few metres, high in the ocean but when it is near the shore and reaches shallow (浅) water, the wave builds up very quickly in height. Witnesses (目击者) in some areas of Indonesia reported seeing up to 10-metre high waves crash into the shore.

1．We can infer from the passage that fewer people would have died in the South Asian tsunami ________.

[　　]

A．if there had been warning system along the coast

B．if the earthquake had happened off the coast of Thailand

C．if the tsunami had happened in the day time

D．if the tsunami had happened in the deep ocean

2．What surprises people most about the tsunamis is that ________.

[　　]

A．it lasts a long time

B．it travels a long way

C．a tsunamis on one side of the ocean can cause destruction on the other side of the ocean

D．it builds up a high wave

3．Which of the following is NOT true of the South Asian tsunamis?

[　　]

A．It was caused by a serious earthquake off the coast of Indonesia.

B．It was caused by the strongest earthquake in the world.

C．People didn't expect such a strong tsunamis would hit them.

D．It may be the worst natural disaster in recent history.

4．Which of the following is the best title for this article?

[　　]

A．What Is the Tsunami?

B．South Asia Was Hit by the Strongest Earthquake.

C．Mother Nature Displays Anger.

D．A Terrible Disaster.

阅读理解

　　OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING-especially compared with everybody else's （who seem to cry all the time）. How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value-because you are the boss.

　　1．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET

　　Here is a toy that doesn't need power-and the kids have to put it together themselves. This 50-piece puzzle set is made of soft-edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X-ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. $ 135; flaxart. com.

　　2．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL

　　Sure, it's cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic (磁性的) hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months. $ 19.95; tinylove. com.

　　3．ROBOSAPIEN

　　This small, remote-control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions (功能), including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function-which, sadly, does not include doing windows. $ 99; robosapienonline. com.

　　4．MINI PEDAL CAR

　　Want a Mini Cooper but can't fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable (可调的) seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they'll be driving when they turn 16. For ages 3 to 5. $ 189; mininss. com (click on "gear up,” then “Mini motoring gear”).

1．Which toy is said to have the special design for children's safety?

[　　]

A．ROBOSAPIEN

B．MINI PEDAL CAR

C．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET

D．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL

2．Which toys are fit for three-year-old kids?

[　　]

3．Educational value is mentioned in all the toys EXCEPT ________.

[　　]

A．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET

B．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL

C．ROBOSAPIEN

D．MINI PEDAL CAR

4．This passage is written for ________.

[　　]

阅读理解

　　Ford, the second largest car maker in the world, celebrates its 100th birthday this month. And it is already looking forward to its next 100 years. Ford expects to have nearly half its cars powered by fuel cells by the year 2050．

　　In the meantime, another car maker in the US, General Motors (GM), is building the technology for cars to be powered by fuel cells.

　　So, what makes fuel cells so special? Why are car makers so enthusiastic (热忠的) about them?

　　Fuel cells are based on an electrochemical process. They change chemical energy from hydrogen (氢) and oxygen into electrical energy.

　　Fuel cells pollute much less than traditional power sources. They produce little more than water as a byproduct. Car makers expect them to cut CO₂ emissions (散发) in half and so make cars more environmentally friendly.

　　Fuel cells are not dependent on oil supplies. Instead, they run on hydrogen, the most common element in the universe. And they can be refueled. Car makers expect fuel cells to lessen the industry's need to rely on decreasing oil supplies.

　　Using fuel cells, without the traditional motor, engineers have many more possibilities for developing cars.

　　A fuel cell frame can last 20 years, so car bodies could change with drivers' needsor even with the seasonsand be replaced at will.

　　Owners could switch from a sports car to a family car while keeping the same fuel cell frame. This is a much cheaper solution to buying a whole new vehicle.

　　“A fuel cell car is more than just a new concept car, it's the start of a revolution in how cars are designed, built and used.” Said GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner.

　　While this may sound great, fuel cells are still too expensive to produce. For cars, they can be ten times the price of normal engines.

　　The current test models can cost US $ 1 million or more.

　　Besides Ford and GM, a number of other car makers are now testing fuel cell vehicles. And all are aiming for mass production by 2010. By that time, the cost of buying a fuel cell car should be as affordable as that of a traditional car.

1．The problem facing the fuel cell car is that ________.

[　　]

A．it'll be hard to produce in large quantities

B．it'll be too dear for people to buy

C．people can't get used to it

D．its body changes too quickly

2．The underlined word “they” (in Paragraph 6) refers to “________”.

[　　]

3．The underlined word “lessen” (in Paragraph 6) probably means ________.

[　　]

4．It can be concluded that this article is mainly written for ________.

[　　]

5．The main purpose of writing this article is ________.

[　　]

A．to announce a business plan

B．to sell a new type of cars

C．to introduce a new type of car power source

D．to introduce two America's car makers

阅读理解

　　Early one morning, more than a hundred years ago, an American inventor called Elias Howe finally fell asleep. He had been working all night on the design of a sewing machine but he had run into a very difficult problem: It seemed impossible to get the thread to run smoothly around the needle.

　　Though he was tired, Howe slept badly. He turned and turned. Then he had a dream. He dreamt that he had been caught by terrible savages whose king wanted to kill him and eat him unless he could build a perfect sewing machine. When he tried to do so, Howe ran into the same problem as before. The thread kept getting caught around the needle. The king flew into the cage and ordered his soldiers to kill Howe. They came up towards him with their spears raised. But suddenly the inventor noticed something. There was a hole in the tip of each spear. The inventor awoke from the dream, realizing that he had just found the answer to the problem. Instead of trying to get the thread to run around the needle, he should make it run through a small hole in the center of the needle. This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practised sewing machine.

　　Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way.

　　Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams. So did the great physicist Albert Einstein. Charlotte Bronte also drew in her dreams in writing Jane Eyre.

　　To know the value of dreams, you have to understand what happens when you are asleep. Even then, a part of your mind is still working. This unconscious (无意识的), but still active part understands your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day. It stores all sorts of information that you may have forgotten or never have really noticed. It is only when you fall asleep that this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake. However, the unconscious part acts in a special way. It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first. This is why dream, are sometimes called“secret messages to ourselves”.

1．According to the passage, Elias Howe was ________.

[　　]

A．the first person we know of who solved problems in his sleep

B．much more hard-working than other inventors

C．the first person to design a sewing machine that really worked

D．the only person at the time who knew the value of dreams

2．The problem Howe was trying to solve was ________.

[　　]

A．what kind of thread to use

B．how to design a needle which would not break

C．where to put the needle

D．how to prevent the thread from getting caught around the needle

3．Thomas Edison is spoken of because ________.

[　　]

A．he also tried to invent a sewing machine

B．he got some of his ideas from dreams

C．he was one of Howe's best friends

D．he also had difficulty in falling asleep

4．Dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves” because ________.

[　　]

A．strange images are used to communicate ideas

B．images which have no meaning are used

C．we can never understand the real meaning

D．only specially trained people can understand them

阅读理解

　　Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy.

　　After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.

　　Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.

　　Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称) as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species (物种) are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.

　　If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting (筑巢) season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird's song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.

　　Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.

　　You can see that birds have a language of their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.

1．Some scientists believe that most of the time birds' singing is actually ________.

[　　]

A．an expression of happiness

B．a way of warning

C．an expression of anger

D．a way of greeting

2．What is a bird's “territory”?

[　　]

A．A place where families of other species are not accepted.

B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice.

C．An area for which birds fight against each other.

D．An area which a bird considers to be its oven.

3．Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?

[　　]

A．Because they want to invite more friends.

B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away.

C．Because they want to find outsiders around.

D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears.

4．How does the writer explain birds' singing?

[　　]

A．By comparing birds with human beings.

B．By reporting experiment results.

C．By describing birds' daily life.

D．By telling a bird's story.

阅读理解

　　In 1608, an Englishman whose name was Thomas Coryate visited Italy. He liked the country and noted down every interesting thing he found. But there was one thing which he found more interesting than the others. In his diary Thomas wrote, “When the Italians eat meat, they use small forks. They do not eat with hands because, as they say, people do not always have clean hands.”

　　Before leaving for England, Thomas Coryate bought a few forks.

　　At home Thomas gave a dinner party to show the invention to his friends. When the servants brought the steak, he took out a fork and began to eat like they did in Italy.

　　Everybody looked at him in surprise. When he told his friends what it was, they all wanted to take a good look at the strange thing. All his friends said that the Italians were very strange people because the fork was very inconvenient.

　　Thomas Coryate tried to prove the opposite. He said it was not nice to eat meat with one's fingers because they were not always clean.

　　Everybody got angry at that. Did Mr. Coryate think that people in England always had dirty hands? And weren't the ten fingers we had enough for us?

　　Thomas Coryate wanted to show that it was very easy to use the fork. But the first piece of meat he took with the fork fell to the floor. His friends began to laugh and he had to take the fork away.

　　Only fifty years later did people in England begin to use forks.

1．Why did Thomas Coryate bring forks to England?

[　　]

A．He wanted to make his friends surprised.

B．He believed it was not nice to eat meat with fingers.

C．Forks were beautiful.

D．He wanted to make business selling forks.

2．Why did everybody look at Thomas when he began to eat like the Italians?

[　　]

A．They believed that was bad manners.

B．Nobody ate meat with hands in England.

C．Everybody thought it was an amazing invention.

D．Nobody had seen a fork before.

3．Why did the first piece of meat fall to the floor when Thomas took it with the fork?

[　　]

A．The fork was very inconvenient to use.

B．The fork was bad.

C．Thomas was not used to eating with a fork.

D．The steak was too tough.

阅读理解

　　Microwaves that transmit television signals always travel in a straight line. Because the earth is round, it is impossible to send television signals over a long distance. For example, if we tried to send television signals directly from Europe to America, the microwaves carrying the signals would shoot into space over the Atlantic and would reach America.

　　If we want to send television signals around the surface of the earth, we must send them from point to point by the relay system. On land we can set up relay stations for this purpose, and we can pass signals from station to station in a series of straight lines. However, we can not do this so easily over water. In order to send pictures directly across the Atlantic, for example, we would need to build a chain of relay stations across the ocean, which is about 3,000 miles wide. One choice would be to build one great tower in the middle of the ocean. But the tower would have to be 500 miles high!

　　Both of the ideas are impossible. So we use the communication satellite thousands of miles in outer space to relay the television signals across the Atlantic. A satellite receives the picture signals in a straight line from the ground station on one side of the Atlantic, from England, for example. Then it sends signals down again, also in a straight line, to the ground station on the other side of the Atlantic in the United States. The communication satellite must be within view of both ground stations at the same time.

1．What are microwaves?

[　　]

A．They are light waves that are useless.

B．They are radiation which can travel straight.

C．They are not waves.

D．They are very short waves used in TV and radar.

2．Why should people build relay stations?

[　　]

A．Because the microwaves can not travel a long time.

B．Because the microwaves are strong enough to reach another place.

C．Because the microwaves travel in a straight line and the earth is round.

D．Because people want to show their power.

3．Television signals must be sent

[　　]

A．from city to city

B．from point to point

C．from house to house

D．from building to building

4．What's the main reason for us to use satellites to relay TV programmes?

[　　]

A．Satellites can cover large areas.

B．We can't build relay stations on the land.

C．Satellites are cheaper.

D．Using the satellites, we can receive only a few programmes.

阅读理解

　　Laughing gulls (鸥) are seen along the coasts of the United States during the summer months. They are those black-hooded birds that dip and wheel at the beach. For years, scientists believed that laughing gulls, like all other birds, used their bodies to communicate, or exchange messages, with each other. But recent studies seem to show that these birds have at least three levels of vocal (有声的) communication.

　　The first level is a simple note, like the sound of a spoken vowel (元音) or consonant (辅音). The second level puts two or more notes together, like combining vowels and consonants to form a word. The third level consists of several notes, like combining a few words to make a phrase.

　　In human speech, inflection, or voice pitch, can change the meaning of the message. In writing, inflection can be shown by changing the punctuation (标点), for example, “No?” and “No!”. Gulls use different inflections, too. They also change the order of their notes. Like a human's word order, a gull's note order can change meaning, for example,“You are my mother.” and“Are you my mother?”. There can be any－where from 2 to 15 notes in a call. Studies show that it is the first quick notes that appear to identify the bird. For example, a chick will recognize and answer only the call of its own parents.

1．The word that means “voice pitch” is ________.

[　　]

2．The second level of vocal communication is like ________.

[　　]

A．putting words together to form a sentence

B．putting vowels and consonants together to form a word

C．the sound of a single vowel or consonant

D．combining a few words to make a phrase

3．Studies seem to show that the call of the laughing gull is ________.

[　　]

A．a simple arrangement of bird calls

B．a complicated arrangement of notes

C．a simple arrangement of words and letters

D．only a call for food

4．According to the story, which of the following statements is probably true?

[　　]

A．Calls are different for each bird.

B．Birds recognize each other by sight.

C．All birds answer the same call.

D．A chick can only understand its sister's call.

5．Which of the following shows a change in inflection?

[　　]

A．I'm tired. I'm not tired.

B．You are late! Are you late!

C．Are you my mother? Are you my mother?

D．He is tall! Is he tall?