The first people who gave names to hurricanes were those who knew them—the people of Puerto Rico. The small island of Puerto Rico is in the West Indians, off the coast of Florida. This is where all the hurricanes begin that strike the east of the United States. The people of Puerto Rico expect some of these unwelcome visitors every year. Each one is named after the saint’s day on which it arrives. Two of the most serious storms were the Santa Ana in 1925 and the San Ciriaca in 1899.

  Giving girls’ names to hurricanes is a fairly new idea. It all began with a story called “storm” written by George Steward in 1941. In it a weatherman enjoyed himself by naming storms after girls he knew. He named one Maria. The story describes how Maria grew and developed, and how she changed the lives of people when she struck the system during the World WarⅡ. One of their duties was to warn American ships and planes when a storm was coming. Whenever they stopped one, they gave it a girl’s name. The first one was given a name beginning with A. The second one got a name beginning with B. They used all the letters from A to Z. This was the first list of hurricane names that followed the alphabet.

1．The “unwelcome visitors” in the first paragraph refers to　　    .

A. the people of the United States

B. the girls

C. hurricanes

D. weathermen

2．Who wrote the story called “storm”?

A. A weatherman.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. Maria.

C. George Steward.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. A Puerto Rico man

3．For weathermen of the United States Army and Nancy one of their duties was　　   

A. to describe the weather every day

B. to give message to the people in the city

C. to stop ships and planes when a hurricane came

D. giving orders for the planes and ships

4．Hurricanes were first given girls’ names by a　　    .

A. writer　　　　　　 B. doctor　　　　   C. professor　　　　　　 D. weatherman

The weather is not beautiful all of the time. Perhaps you can remember a day when had weather made you afraid. One kind of bad weather that frightens(惊吓)many people is called a thunderstorm(雷暴雨)。

  This is what happens when there is a thunderstorm. First you see a sudden flash(闪亮) of bright light. A few seconds later you hear a loud rumbling sound. This quick flash is called lightning, and the loud sound is called thunder. Lightning is colorful, but it can cause serious problems.

  Lightning is electricity that is moving very rapidly. It may be moving between a cloud and the ground, between two clouds, or between two parts of the same cloud. The lightning heats the air around it. This hot air expands(扩大)，or gets bigger, and it causes the air to move in waves which pass you in a series(系列), one after another. For this reason, you may hear many rumbles and not just one sound.

1．A good title for this selection is　　   .

A. Air Waves

B. Lightning and People

C. The Weather is Not Beautiful All of the Time

D. Thunderstorms

2．The word “rumble” in this passage means　　   .

A. a sharp voice

B. a loud and joyful sound

C. a sudden flash

D. a deep, heavy continuous sound

3．When you hear thunder, you may hear a series of loud sounds and not one big sound. This is because　　    .

A. the hot air moves between two clouds

B. the air waves pass one after another

C. the thunder comes after the lightning

D. the lightning comes after the thunder

4．Which of these is NOT TRUE about thunder and lightning?

A. Lightning may move between a cloud and the ground.

B. Thunder is a very bright light in a thunderstorm

C. Lightning is electricity.

D. Lightning heats the air around it and causes the air to move in waves.

5．Lightning always moves　　    .

A. between two clouds　　　　　　　　  　　　　　　　　B. in waves

C. in a series　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. rapidly

Man must eat in order to live; therefore, one of the most important problems man has is how to have enough food for eating.

At first man didn’t have any way to control food supply. When he had killed the animals in one place and all the natural foods had been used up, he had to move to another place to find new sources of food. If there was no rain, or if the weather was too hot or too cold plants would not grow, and man had little or no food. However, man gradually learned to grow plants and raise animals himself. From that time on, man didn’t depend so much on nature conditions and didn’t have to worry so much about always having enough food. The kinds of plants which are raised by man are different in different regions. In the cold regions, very few plants can be grown in the warmer parts of the world, many varieties of plants are found. For example, in Asia rice is the most important crop. In the New World, the major grain is corn. In Europe and North Africa, wheat, oats(燕麦) and barley are grown. In the tropical(热带) regions of the world, many kinds of fruits grow naturally or are raised by man.

As man has learned more about plants and animals, man now uses modern methods to produce different kinds of food. However, there are still some areas in the world where plants and animals are raised in much the same ways as were used thousands of year ago.

1．The sentence “At first man didn’t have any way to control his food supply” means that man

　　  .

A. didn’t know how to cook his food at first

B. sometimes had more than enough to eat and sometimes had not enough to eat

C. didn’t know how to produce food at that time

D. was afraid that animals would control his food

2．In the second paragraph “natural food” means　　    .

A. food which are given by animals

B. food which was give by God

C. plants, animals, vegetables and fruits, etc. which grow naturally

D. crops and plants which were raised by man.

3．When man gradually learned ways to grow plants and raise animals, man　　   .

A. no longer depended on nature

B. could control the natural conditions

C. still depended on natural conditions, but not so much as before

D. began to look down upon natural conditions

4．Which of the following is not true?

A. Man knew how to produce foods and keep them at first.

B. At the very beginning man knew he needed food but didn’t now how to control his food supply.

C. Before man learned ways to grow crops and raise animals, he had to move from place to place in order to get food.

D. How to have enough to eat has always been a problem for man.

5．In the sentence “In the New World, the major grain is corn”, “the New World” refers to　　   .

A. Asia　　　　   B. Australia　　   C. The Middle East　　　　  D. America

An Announcement

   It was a small town which lay by the coast. Most people there lived by catching fish. The hurricanes often struck the area from July to October. Some of the people died on the sea when their boats were blown over by the high winds. So they paid much attention to the weather forecasts (预报). They were afraid to meet with the hurricanes when they were catching fish on the sea. Each of the families had a radio and people always took them with themselves and listened to them at any time.

It was September. A hurricane attacked the town one night. Plenty of trees were pushed over and all the electric and telephone lines were broken. People couldn’t watch TV, or call their friends, or go to work. To their anger, they couldn’t listen to the weather forecasts the Town Radio Station broadcast. The food and fresh water would soon be in  short and the patients couldn’t be given medical care—no medicine could be carried there. People didn’t know what would happen and they looked anxious.

On the fourth day they read an announcement(通告)on the Town Weekly. It was written, “Recently we have to stop the weather forecast because of the bad weather. We usually get the forecasts from the airport. But the roads are all blocked by the fallen trees and stones. Whether or not we’ll be able to broadcast the weather forecast tomorrow depends on the weather!”

1．The people in the town often took radios with themselves because　　   .

A. they felt lonely when catching fish on the sea and listened to the weather forecasts

B. they were interested in the weather forecasts

C. they couldn’t watch TV on the sea

D. they hoped to listen to some good news

2．　　   ,so they paid much attention to the weather forecast.

A. They hoped to escape from the hurricanes

B. Some people had their boats blown over and died on the sea

C. Hurricanes could push over the trees

D. people in the town like to talk about the weather

3．In a word,　　   .

A. the weather forecast would soon be broadcast

B. the weathermen couldn’t forecast the weather

C. the weather would soon be fine

D. the weathermen felt sorry

4．Read the announcement, the people were　　   .

A. encouraged　　　　  B. happy　　　　    C. excited　　　　　　  D. disappointed

Last Friday a storm tore through two villages and destroyed fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged(损坏)that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or torn roofs. One person was killed, seven were badly injured and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller injuries. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless as a result of the storm.

  A farmer, Mr. C.Y. Tab said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour.

  “I was in the kitchen with my wife and children,” he said, “when we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We managed to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him, safe but very frightened.”

  Mrs. Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she noticed that her house was shaking. She rushed outside immediately with her children.  “There was no time to take anything,” she said. “A few minutes later, the roof came down.”

  Soldiers helped to bring people out of the flooded area and the Welfare(福利)Department provided food, clothes and shelters.

1．How many houses could no longer be lived in after the storm?

A. Fourteen　　　　  B. Seven　　　　 C. Twenty-one　　   　　  D. Fifteen.

2．When the storm first began,  Mr. Tan　　   .

A. was in bed

B. was inside his house

C. had just gone to work

D. had just gone outside

3．Mrs. Fong and her family were not inured because　　    .

A. her husband had gone to work before the storm came

B. they were all outside the house when the storm began

C. she heard the loud noise the moment the house began to shake

D. she found the house shaking and rushed out with her children at once

4．Which of the following is the nearest in meaning to “shelter” as it is used in the last line of the passage?

A. safety　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. somewhere to stay

C. furniture and things or the house　　　　　　　　　　 D. warmth

5．Which of these would be the best title for the passage?

A. A Terrible Storm

B. Mr. Tan’s Bravery

C. The Work of the Welfare Department

D. A Luck Escape

40 years ago the idea of disabled people doing sport was never heard of. But when the yearly games for the disable were started at Stoke Mandeville, England in 1948 by Sir Ludwig Guttmann, the situation began to change.

Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who had been driven to England in 1929 from Nazi Germany, had been asked by the British government to set up an injuries center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital near London. His ideas about treating injuries included sport for the disabled.

In the first games just two teams of injured soldiers took part. The next year, 1949, five teams took part. From those beginnings, things have developed fast. Teams now come from abroad to Stoke Mandeville every year. In 1960 the first Olympics for the Disabled were held in Rome, in the same place as the normal Olympic Games. Now, every four years the Olympic Games for the Disabled are held, if possible, in the same place as the normal Olympic Games, although they are organized separately. in other years Games for the Disabled are still held at Stoke Mandeville. In the 1948 wheelchair Olympic Games, 1064 wheelchair athletes(运动员)from about 40 countries took part. Unfortunately and not in Los Angeles, along with the other Olympics

The Games have been a great success in helping the progress of international friendship and understanding, and in proving that being disabled does not mean you can’t enjoy sport. One small source(来源)of disappointment for those who organize and take part in the games, however, has been the unwillingness of the International Olympic Committee(委员会)to include disabled events at the Olympic Games for the able–bodied. Perhaps a few more years are still needed to persuade those fortunate enough not to be disabled that their disabled fellow athletes should be included.

1．The first games for the disabled were held　　   after Sir Ludwig Guttmann arrived in England.

A. 40years　　　　  B. 21years　　　　  C. 10 years　　　　　　 D. 9 years

2．Besides Stoke Mandeville, surely the games for the disabled were once held in　　  

A. New York　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B .London

C. Rome　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. Los Angeles

3．This text tells us that Sir Ludwig Guttmann　　   .

A. is an early organizer of the games for the able-bodied.

B. is welcomed by the British government

C. is an injured soldier

D. is from England

4．From the passage, we may know that the writer is　　   .

A. one of the organizers of the games for the disabled

B. a disabled person who once took part in the games

C. against holding the games for the disabled

D. in favor of holding the games for the disabled

It is estimated(估计)that some seven hundred million people—about half the world’s adult half the world’s adult population—are unable to read or write, and there are probably two hundred and fifty million more whose level is so slight that it barely(勉强)qualifies(称得上)as literacy(有文化).

   Recently the attack on illiteracy had been stepped up. A world plan has been drawn up by a committee of UNESCO experts in Paris, as part of the United Nations Development Decade(十年计划)，and  an international conference of the subject has also been held. UNESCO stresses that functional(官能的)literacy is the aim. People must learn the basic skills of responsible citizenship; the ability to read notices, newspapers, timetables, letters, price-lists to deep simple records and accounts, to sort out the significance of the information gathered—and to fill in forms.

   The major areas of illiteracy are in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. In Africa there are at least one hundred million illiterates, which is eighty to eighty-five percent of the total population. In Europe the figure is about twenty-four million; most of them are in Southern Europe, with Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Yugoslavia heading the list(the United Kingdom has about seven hundred thousand).

   It is urgent(迫切的)for each country in the would, whether poor or rich, to wipe out illiteracy.

1．The figure of illiteracy in Britain is　　   .

A. 0.1% of that of illiteracy in the world

B. 0.2% of the world’s adult population

C. 35% of Europe’s population

D.3.5% of that of the illiteracy n Southern Europe

2．A world plan mentioned in the passage aims at　　   .

A. training responsible citizens

B. enforcing the functions UNESCO

C. helping illiterates learn how to read and write

D. asking Southern European countries to take the lead in attacking illiteracy

3．The author implies(暗示)that this world plan is to　　   .

A. be carried out in the major areas of illiteracy like Africa

B. be realized in ten years

C. be drawn up by Parisian experts

D. be discussed at an international conference

4．According to the passage, which country has the most illiterates?

A. France　　　　 B. The U. S. A.　　    C. Spain　　　　　　  D. England

阅读理解

Lisa is ten years old. She is handicapped (残疾)because she has brain damage. She could not do even the simplest thing until a year ago. She could not comb(梳理)her hair or feed her self. Her parents loved her. But they treated her like a baby.

   Mr. Ching has a daughter and a son. They live far from their father. Mr. Ching felt lonely. He decided to do something about it. He decided to become a foster grandfather to a handicapped child. And that was how he met Lisa.

   Foster grandparents are grandparents who are not related by birth, but foster grandparents love the children they care for. They love them just as natural grandparents love their grandchildren

   The foster grandparents also help the handicapped children in special ways. They help to dress and feed the children. They help to dress and feed the children. They read to them and tell them stories. They also help with handicapped children’s therapy. Therapy is the treatment of a disease or disorder. It helps the children overcome their handicaps.

   Mr. Ching became a foster grandparent to Lisa when she was nine years old. At first, Lisa was shy. She was afraid because Mr. Ching was a stranger. But he came to see her every day. Gradually, she began to trust him.

   At last Lisa let Mr. Ching do things for her. He came at lunchtime and fed her. One day he handed the spoon(匙子)and guided it to her mouth. He told her she must learn to feed herself.

   “Most of that lunch ended up on us instead of in Lisa’s mouth,” Mr. Ching remembers. “But it was a start for Lisa. She learned to feed herself in a few months.”

   Then Lisa was ready for more therapy, thanks to Mr. Ching. She had learned to do one simple thing. She could learn to do other simple things. Mr. Ching was trained to help with Lisa’s therapy.

   To become foster grandparents, people must be at least sixty years old and in good health. They must be willing to give their time to handicapped children. They are volunteers(志愿者)，so they are not paid. They are given money for expenses such as transportation.

   Mr. Ching speaks for most foster grandparents when he says, “We all benefit (受益). The handicapped children benefit because we help them live more useful lives. And we benefit because we know the children need us and love us. For any person, there’s no greater happiness than that!”

1．Why did Lisa need help?

A. She was a baby.

B. She did not want to do anything.

C. She had brain damage.

D. She was a blind girl.

2．How often did Mr. Ching visit Lisa?

A. Every day　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Every other day

C. Every week　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. Twice a week

3．Which five things do foster grandparents do for handicapped children?

a. love them　　　　　　　　　　  b. dress them

c. live in their homes　　　　　　   d. feed them

e. charge them money　　　　　　  f. read to them

g. tell them stories　　　　　　　　 h.. make fun of them

A. a. b. d. e. f　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. a. c. e. f. h

C. b. c. d. f. g.　　　　　　  　　　　   D .a. b. d. f. g

4．What does the word “foster” mean?

A. Elderly.　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. Related by birth

C. Not related by birth　　　　　　   D. Kind-hearted.

5．How did Lisa first feel toward Mr. Ching?

A. Shy　　　　　　  B. Friendly　　　　   C. Angry　　　　　　 D. Happy

A Child Who Could Not See, Hear, Or Speak

For the first nineteen months of her life, Helen Keller was like other pretty happy babies in every way. Then a sudden illness destroyed her sight and hearing. Because she could not hear what other people were saying, the child could not learn to speak. For the next seven years, she lived in a world of darkness, without sounds or words.

The person who changed Helen’s world was her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who entered her life on March 3, 1887. Miss Sullivan had accepted a job a blind child who had never learned to act like a human being, because no one had ever been able to guide her in any way. No one could control Helen. She acted like a young animal, rushing wildly around, throwing things, and hitting anyone whom she could reach. Who could believe that such a child could be taught?

But Anne Sullivan was a very special kind of teacher. She had been blind during part of her own childhood and had learned to read Braille, system of writing that uses raised dots which can be felt by the fingers of a blind person. She had learned to see again after several operations, but she had never forgotten the experience of being blind.

Miss Sullivan understood Helen. She loved her and believed she could teach her. Anne Sullivan could not teach Helen Keller to speak until some other important things had been learned. The little girl had to learn to control her actions and feelings. She had to learn that she could not always do what she wished to do. She had always been able to get what she wanted by using force. The teacher had to change such habits without breaking the child’s spirit.

Miss Sullivan’s battle began. Sometimes, there was real fighting between the wild child and the strong young teacher. At last, however, the battle was won by Miss Sullivan, who had succeeded in showing Helen that she loved her and wanted to help her. The child and her teacher became friends. They continued to be friends until the teacher’s death, fifty year later.

The day on which Helen finally accepted Miss Sullivan as her friend and teacher was a great day in Helen’s life. After that, the teacher could begin to teach the child language.

1．Helen Keller acted like a wild animal for she 　　　　.

A. had never had a teacher

B. could not understand any words

C. had never learned to know the world around

D. could not hear anyone speak

2．　　   , Sullivan believed she could teach Helen.

A. Being a blind person herself

B. Having learned Braille when she was young

C. Having been specially trained to be a teacher

D. Knowing how a blind child feels

3．Helen 　　   and so she could neither hear nor learn to speak.

A. lost her hearing at an early age

B. had disease with her ears and tongue

C. lost her ability in hearing and speaking

D. did not know any words

4．The most important thing for Helen was that she should learn　　   .

A. not always to use force

B. to keep her spirit from breaking

C. to tell what was wrong and what was right

D. not to get angry again

5．Sullivan won the battle　　   .

A. because she was stronger than Helen

B. by helping Helen understand why they fought

C. through fighting until she beat Helen

D. through real fighting and beating

阅读理解

Eddie is a handicapped child. He was functionally(官能地)blind and deaf in one ear.

   In spite of his inborn disability, Eddie seems to have a good sense of music. His mother knows that and bought him a toy piano for Christmas.

   At church that day, Eddie listened silently while the rest of the family sang along with the music. As soon as he returned home, be flung himself at the little piano. He seemed angry at it as he produced only noise, so his mother put it in the closet. Two weeks later, returning from a church service once more, Eddie uttered his first words, “Mommy, piano, piano.” This time he started to play every hymn(圣歌)he had heard in church. All his family members looked at each other in surprise. “Eddie plays the piano,” they say.

   Since then Eddie has been taught by a young piano teacher from a university. Now he can perform classic music by Mozart and Schumann. He has learned to read music. He also plays jazz, pop and background music he hears on television shows. “The boy has a bright future,” his teacher says.

1． “A Handicapped child” is a child who 　　  .

A. has no hands　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. has a disability

C. is blind in one eye　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. is deaf in one ear

2．The toy piano was given to him　　   .

A. as a birthday present

B. as a Christmas present

C. by his father

D. at the church

3．At church that day Eddie　　   .

A. sang with his family

B. ran about playing

C. listening silently to the music

D. danced with the rest of his family

4．Which of the following is true?

A. After returning from the church, Eddie at once played the piano and he played very well.

B. When Eddie got home, he got angry because he heard nothing at church.

C. After returning home, Eddie shouted and made a lot of noise.

D. Eddie could play the music when he returned from the church the second time.

5．According to what his teacher said, Eddie　　   .

A. will play not better in the future

B. will be successful in the future

C. must go to college for further study

D. must be given a real piano as a present