All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer.

Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer. Games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too.

Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.

Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time.

People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person's character(性格). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(体面).

1. According to this passage we know that______.

A. people began to play about one hundred years ago

B. about 100 years ago people ran or jumped when they played

C. basketball has a longer history than volleyball

D. not all the games have a long history

2. According to this passage, which of the following isn’t true?

A. Sports help to train a person’s character.

B. People swim only because there are a lot of rivers in their country.

C. People from different countries may not be able to understand each other before a game.

D. Sports and games can develop the friendship between people all over the world.

3. The writer didn’t tell us in this passage that______.

A. basketball was invented in America

B. sports change with the season

C. games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities

D. football is played all over the world

4. People all over the world enjoy sports because______.

A. sports are interesting

B. sports help to keep people healthy, happy and to live longer

C. sports help to train one’s character

D. all of the above

5. From this passage we can see that______.

A. sports and games are unimportant things that people do

B. sports and games should be treated (对待) only as amusement (娱乐活动)

C. sports and games are only useful to the old

D. none of the above is true

    However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short–sighted．Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That’s much more difficult.

    When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modem life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive (原始的) in our ideas as the Stone - Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days making new spundels, or struggling with their ballalators through the tribe. These words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can’t think of.

　　 So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons. First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live on because we are careless or greedy (贪婪) or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not bother to think of excuses for us.

　　 Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future.

1. A particular mention made of Stapledon’s book in the opening paragraph ________

A．serves as a description of human history

B．serves as an introduction to the discussion

C．shows a disagreement of views

D．shows the popularity of the book

2. The text discusses men and women 50,000 years ago and 50,000 years from now in order to show that ________.

A．human history is extremely long

B．life has changed a great deal

C．it is useless to plan for the next 50 years

D．it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future

3. Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to ________.

A．tools used in farming

B．ideas about modern life

C．unknown things in the future

D．hunting skills in the Stone Age

4. According to the writer of the text, imagining the future will ________.

A．serve the interests of the present and future generations

B．e
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nable us to better understand human history

C．help us to improve farming

D．make life worth living

Imagine What China’s Cities Will Be Like in the Future

Leaders in many Chinese cities are hoping to turn the areas where they live into “digital(数字化的)cities”. They have already begun stepping up efforts to get city construction companies to use digital information and network technologies.

So far, 120 cities have set up information systems in city planning management offices.

Over the next five years, Wang Guangtao, deputy mayor(副市长)of Beijing, says the city's government will start applying(应用)information technology to build the structure of a “digital Beijing”. Beijing will continue efforts to set up a high-speed broadband network(宽带网络)，push e-government(政府上网)and e-commerce(电子商务), and create an environment(环境)for imagination in IT.

The projects will help people in their daily lives. For example, the e-government project will enable people to use digital technology to find and use government information and services freely and quickly. Information will include leisure(休闲), education, work and home life.

Guangzhou, with one million Internet users, is one of the first Chinese cities to apply information technology to banking, medical and real estate(房地产)management areas. Guangzhou mayor Lin Shusen says that in the future every person who lives in that city will be able to use the computer network.

In Daqing, a primary oil production base in the northeast of China, deputy mayor Wang Hongen says the city will also aim to build “digital oil fields”.

1. What are the city officials trying to do?

A. They are trying to build cities with network.

B. They are trying to build cities with construction companies.

C. They are trying to turn their cities into centers of IT products.

D. They are trying to make plans for the development of kindergartens.

2. From the passage we know that　　　　　　   .

A. Beijing will become more beautiful

B. 129 cities will set up information systems

C. we can do what we want to do without leaving our homes

D. Beijing will apply information technology to build a digital city in several years

3. What is the advantage of a digital city?

A. It can provide more work to people.

B. It can beautify cities.

C. It can help people in their daily lives.

D. It can help people to enjoy their leisure time.

4. From the passage, we know it may happen in Guangzhou that　　　　　　   in the future.

A. every person can own a computer

B. the computer network can bring convenience to all people

C. business will become easier

D. houses will become cheaper

You’re busy filling out the application form for a position you really need; let’s assume you once actually completed a couple of years of college work or even that you completed your degree.  Isn’t it tempting to lie just a little, to claim on the form that your diploma represents a Harvard degree? Or that you finished an extra couple of years back at State University?

More and more people are turning to utter(声称) deception(受骗)like this to land themselves a job or to move ahead in their careers.  Personnel officers, like most Americans, value degrees from famous schools.  A job applicant may have a good education anyway, but he or she assumes that the chances of being hired are better with a diploma from a well-known university.  Registers at most well-known colleges say they deal with deceitful(不诚实的)claims like these at the rate of about one per week.

Personnel officers do check up on degrees listed on application forms, then.  If it turns out that an applicant is lying, most colleges are reluctant to accuse(谴责)the applicant directly.  One Ivy League school calls them “cheaters”;  another refers to them as “special cases”.  One well-known West Coast school, in perhaps the most delicate phrase of all, says that these claims are made by“no such people”.

To avoid outright(彻底的)lies, some job-seekers claim that they“attended”or “were associated with”a college or university.  After carefully checking, a personnel officer may discover that“attending”means being dismissed after one semester.  It may be that “being associated with”a college means that the job-seeker visited his younger brother for a football weekend.  One school that keeps records of false claims says that this practice dates back at least to the turn of the century—that's when they began keeping records, anyhow.

If you don’t want to lie or even stretch the truth, there are companies that will sell you a false diploma. One company, with offices in New York and on the West Coast, will put your name on a diploma from any number of nonexistent colleges.  The price begins at around twenty dollars for a diploma from“Smoot State University”.  The prices increase rapidly for a degree from the “University of Purdue”. As there is no Smoot State and the real school in Indiana is properly called Purdue University, the prices seem rather high for one sheet of paper.

1. The main idea of this passage is that 　　　　　　   .

A. employers are checking more closely applicants now.

B. lying about college degrees has become a widespread problem

C. college degrees can now be purchased easily

D. employers are no longer interested in college degrees

2. According to the passage, “special cases” refers to cases where 　　　　　　   .

A. students attend a school only part-time

B. students never attended a school they listed on their application

C. students purchase false degrees from commercial films

D. students attended a famous school

3. We can infer from the passage that 　　　　　　   .

A. performance is a better judge of ability than a college degree

B. experience is the best teacher

C. past work histories influence personnel officers more than degrees do

D. a degree from a famous school enables an applicant to gain advantage over others in job applications

Dear Abby,

This is my first letter to you, although I have been reading your column for many years. I need an outside opinion.

I am a grandmother in my 70s and have just returned from visiting my daughter, her husband and their three dearly loved children—all under the age of 5—and I’m upset with some of their parenting ways.

For example:

They lock the doors to their children’s bedrooms at night because “the children might get out of their beds and wander around the house, and we may not hear them”.

If one child should get punishment, all three are punished, and if one child says a “naughty” word, all three are given hot sauce(辣酱汁)in the mouth.

I know these parents love their children very much, but are these ways of disciplining them wise? Please understand, it is not my aim to interfere(干涉).

Gram

Dear Gram,

Children’s bedroom doors should not be locked. If a fire breaks out, it would be a nightmare (可怕的事物).

Punishing all the children when only one has earned the punishment is a good way to make them grow up to hate each other.

Children who use “naughty” words should not be punished with hot sauce in the mouth. They should be taught the proper and acceptable words to use instead of the “naughty” words.

Abby

1. From the passage we can see that Abby is probably_______.

A. a famous writer　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. a columnist (专栏作家)

C. a friend of hers　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a government official

2. Gram’s daughter_______.

A. is very strict with her children

B. does not love her three children

C. always punishes her children at night

D. often gives her children hot sauce

3. Gram writes the letter in order to_______.

A. disclose her daughter’s ways as a mother

B. criticize her daughter’s ways as a mother

C. express her anger about her daughter’s ways as a mom

D. get others’ opinion about her daughter’s ways as a mom

The killer bees are coming! By the time you read this they will have reached Texas. They will also reach all the warmer areas of the United States. Scientists as well as farmers wait for them with a mixture of fear and wonder.

The killer bees should not be coming at all. Nature did not put them on this direct path for the United States; human beings did. The killer bees are from Africa. But in 1957 a scientist from Brazil got some of these killer bees for his experiments. The aim(目的)was to produce a better bee. However, an accident happened: a guest beekeeper let twenty-six of the queen bees escape by mistake. Before long, groups of killer bees took off for the woods.

Since that time, the wild killer bees have multiplied(繁殖)many times over. By 1998, their population was over 1015, They have spread all over South America, Central America, and most of Mexico. The United States is the next stop.

Are the killer bees really killers? Yes, they are. In their first thirty years in America, they have killed thousands of hens, pigs, and other animals. While no one knows the exact(确切的)number, it is believed that several hundred people have also been killed.

So be careful! Killer bees are on the way, Scientists have no idea what to do with them yet. There must be a way.

1. The killer bees were brought to Brazil in order to 　　　　 .

A. develop a better bee

B. kill the local bees

C. make an African bee

D. produce wild bees

2．The killer bees’ becoming wild in America resulted from(由……导致) a mistake by　　　　 .

A．a beekeeper　　　　   B. a guest

C. a queen　　　　　　    D. a scientist

3. We know from the passage that the killer bees will spread to the United States 　　　　 .

A. from east　　　　　　  B. from north

C. from south　　　　     D. from west

4. The passage suggests that to all the creatures on the earth,　　　　 .

A. beekeepers are the most dangerous energy

B. experiments are often very dangerous

C. the greatest danger often comes from man himself

D. warmer areas are full of fear and wonder

5. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. It seems that the spread of the killer bees can’t be stopped now.

B. The scientists sent the killer bees out specially to make a better bee.

C. If we don’t take some measures, the killer bees will spread all over the world.

D. The killer bees are really killers that can also kill people.

　　The English, as a race, are very different in many ways from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, the Belgians and the Dutch. It is claimed（断言）that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from（使区别于）other nationalities.

　　Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed（局促不安）. You have only to witness（目击）a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested,“On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers.”Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected（怀疑）.

　　In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gesture. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. Whereas（当……时）a more emotional man might describe her state,“Oh, she's all right.”An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends（推荐）it to a friend by commenting,“It's not bad you know”, or on seeing very unusual scenery he might convey（表达）his pleasure by saying,“Nice, yes, very nice.”The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement. Instead, he must realize that“all right,”“not bad,”and“nice,”very often have the sense of“first class,”“excellent,”“beautiful.”This use of language of a unique style, particularly common in England is known as restrained statement.

(1) From the passage people can infer that the English are different from other nationalities mainly ________.

[　　]

(2) If one doesn't want to be suspected in public, he had better ________.

[　　]

A．follow the English code of behavior

B．shake hands with all the people he meets

C．talk with others

D．keep quiet

(3) The underlined word“restrained”in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.

[　　]

(4) According to the passage, the Englishman ________.

[　　]

A．has less feelings than other nationalities

B．has emotions as deep as any other nationalities

C．is liable（易于……的）to express emotion by means of language

D．likes to have a joke with foreign visitors

(5) An Englishman's saying“all right”usually express the meaning of“________”.

[　　]

    However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighteD．Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next filly years. But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That’s much more difficnlt.

    When men and women lived by hunting 50 000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50 000 years from now, we may seem as primitive(原始的) in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days gollocking to make new spundels, or struggling with their ballalators through the cribe. These words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can’t think of.

    So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons. First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live on because we are careless or greedy (贪婪) or quarrelsome,  our grand-children will not bother to think of excuses for us.

    Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now.  So set your imagination free when you think about the future.

1.A particular mention made of Stapledon’s book in the opening paragraph ________.

A．serves as a description of human history

B．serves as an introduction to the discussion

C．shows a disagreement of views

D．shows the popularity of the book

2.Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to ______.

A．tools used in farming

B．ideas about modern life

C．unknown things in the future

D．hunting skills in the Stone Age

    In two weeks’ time Bergqvist’s ice creation (作品) will be nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says, “We just look forward to replacing it.”

    Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was so successful that he designed the present one, which measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks piling 1 000 tons of snow onto a wooden base；when the snow froze, the base was removed.“The only wooden thing we have left in the igloo is the front door,” he says.

    After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate recording their success.  With no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0℃, it may seem more like a survival test than a relaxing (轻松的) hotel break. “It’s great fun,” Bergqvist explains, “as well as a good start in survival training.”

    The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt: it is now attracting tourists from all over the worlD．At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms. “You can get a lot of people in,” explains Bergqvist. “The beds are three meters wide by two meters long, and can fit at least four at one time.”

1.Bergqvist designed and built the world’s first igloo hotel because _____.

A．he believed people would enjoyed trying something new

B．he wanted to make a name for small town

C．an art exhibition was about to open

D．more hotel rooms were needed

2.When the writer says “the fun will be over,” he refers to the fact that _____.

A．hotel guests will be frightened at the thought of the hard test

B．Bergqvist’s hotel will soon become a pool of water

C．holidaymakers will soon get tired of the big igloo

D．a bigger igloo will replace the present one

3. According to the text, the first thing to do in building an igloo is _____.

A．to gather a pool of water

B．to prepare a wooden base

C．to cover the ground with ice

D．to pile a large amount of snow

4.When guests leave the igloo hotel they will receive a paper stating that _______.

A．they have visited Lapland

B．they have had an ice-snow holiday

C．they have had great fun sleeping on ice

D．they have had a taste of adventure

    H.G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In1969, human being really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.

    Underground systems are already in place.  Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The “Chunnel”, a tunnel (隧道) connecting England and France, is now complete.

    But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corpotation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities”. The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome (太阳能穹顶) would cover the whole city.

    Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H.G. Wells’“moon people” would agree. Would you?

1.The explorers in H. G. Wells’ story were surprised to find that the “moon people”

A．knew so much about the earth

B．understood their language

C．lived in so many underground cities

D．were ahead of them in space technology

2.What does the underlined word “it” (Paragraph 2) refer to?

A．Discovering the moon’s inner space.

B．Using the earth’s inner space.

C．Meeting the “moon people”.

D．Traveling to outer space.

3.What sort of underground systems are already here with us?

A．Offices, shopping areas, power stations.

B．Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas.

C．Gardeners, car parks, power stations.

D．Tunnels, gardens, offices.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A．Alice—Cities of the Future.

B．Space Travel with H. G. Wells.

C．Enjoy Living Underground.

D．Building Down, Not Up.