阅读理解

　　The population of the United States is growing older and will continue to do so. According to a report, 39 million Americans will be 65 or older by the year 2010, 51 million by 2020, and 65 million by 2030．

　　The “graying” of the United States is mainly due to the fact that people in the U. S. are living longer. As a matter of fact, the number of U. S. citizens 85 years old and older is growing six times as fast as the rest of the population. It is also largely due to the old-growing of the “baby boomers,” the generation born after World War Ⅱ. In 1957, over 4.3 million babies were born. More than 75 million Americans were born between 1946 and 1964, the largest generation in U. S. history. In less than twenty years, millions of them will become elderly people.

　　The“graying” of the U. S. will greatly affect the nation's family and workforce. One likely development will be a gradual change in the family unit; it will move away from the nuclear family and towards a multigenerational family. The other likely development will be a change in the proportion (比例) of the nation's workforce. In 1989 there were 3.5 workers for every person 65 and older; by the year 2030, there will only be 2 workers for every person 65 and older.

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　Fill in the blanks according to the passage．

　　Dressed in beautiful uniforms and using English to help visitors，volunteers at the Beijing 2008 Olympics will be on the frontline（前线）in welcoming the world to China．

　　Organizers of the Games say they will need more than 100，000 volunteers to help run the two Olympic weeks．“It is hoped that most of them will be college students，” said the Beijing International Volunteer Forum（北乐国际志愿者论坛），which met on December 5．A recruiting（招募）programme will be started to encourage high school students，who will be in college by that time，to work at the Olymipcs．

　　“It would be a great honour to take part in such a big event，”said Qiao Cai，a Senior I teenager from Jiangxi Province．“It will be demanding work．But I think it could help broaden my horizons（眼界），improve my communication skills and develop my sense of responsibility（责任）”

　　Volunteers will be required to be in good health．They should also have good manners，an awareness（意识）of security issues，a knowledge of sport as well as Beijing and China's geography．Language skills and cultural background are also important．

　　But the most important is a willingness to devote oneself to making the Games a success．The volunteers will not be paid and should be prepared for all sorts of jobs，some of which will be unpleasant．

　　Some of the volunteers could be asked to wash thousands of dishes for other workers．Some might have to stand in the hot summer sun for a whole day to offer help．Many will not be able to spare one minute to watch the games，although they might only be metres away from the action．

　　“I don't mind not getting paid and the hard work． To help at the Olympics is the duty of every Chinese，” said Yijie Gu，a 15-year-old girl Shanghai．“I am now studying hard to prepare for that exciting time．”

阅读下面一篇文章，然后完成表格。

　　In the early part of the twentieth century，racism was widespread in the United States．Many African Americans were not given equal opportunities in education or employment．Marian Anderson（18971993）was an African American woman who gained fame as a con-cert singer in this climate of racism．She was born in Philadelphia and sang in church choirs during her childhood．When she applied for admission to a local music school In 1917，she was turned down because she was black．Unable to attend music school，she began her career as a singer for church gatherings．In 1929，she went to Europe to study voice and spent several years performing there．Her voice was widely praised throughout Europe．

Then she returned the U．S．in 1935 and became a top concert singer after performing at Town Hall in New York City．

　　Racism again affected Anderson in 1939．When it was arranged for her to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington，D．C，the daughters of the American Revolution opposed it because of her color．She sang instead at the Lincoln Memorial over75，000 people．In 1955，Anderson became the first black soloist to sing with the Metropolitan Opera of New York City．The famous conductor Toscanini praised her voice as “head only once in a hundred years”．She was a U．S．delegate to the United Nations in 1958 and won the UN peace prize in 1977．Anderson eventually triumphed over racism．

阅读下面短文，然后完成表格。

　　Laser（激光）is a device that strengthens light．A laser produces a thin beam of light that can burn a hole in a diamond or carry the signals of many different television pictures at the same time．The word laser stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation．The light from a laser is different from the light of the sun or the light produced by ordinary electric bulbs． These sources send out their light in all directions．Unlike ordinary light sources，a laser sends out a narrow beam of light in only one direction．The sides of the beam stay parallel（平行的）．Also，a laser produces light that has a narrow frequency range

and so the light contains only a single color．Lasers can perform a wide variety of jobs because of the unusual properties of laser light．Scientists continue to look for new uses as they develop new kinds of lasers．

阅读理解

　　Welcome to my mansion. Let me show you around. Oh, please leave your shoes by that marble door. Of course, my shoe servant will clean or polish them for you and have them ready when you leave.

　　First, let's take the escalator down to the basement. The first door on our left leads to the bowling alley. It uses a computer system to keep score for you.

　　Next, on the right, you'll notice the entrance to the indoor tennis courts. The blue surfaced court is a hard court, the green is carpeted, and the red one is clay.

　　A basketball court? That's on the third floor. I'll show that to you later.

　　This room over here, that's thirty tons of sand on the floor. No, it's not a big sandbox. You don't expect my cat to use a regular litter box, do you?

　　At the end of the hall, let me open the door for you, you'll see the indoor swimming pool. It looks like a small lake. Cool, or what?

　　Well, that's about it for this level, except for the arcade room, but that isn't quite finished yet. When it's done, there will be over 200 machines. Here, let's just take this elevator to the first floor.

　　As we come out of the elevator, we can see the main kitchen. Naturally, it's staffed twenty-four hours a day. See that man over there? He's one of my hamburger chefs. No home should be without at least one hamburger chef. That woman over to the right, the one with the tomato sauce on her nose, she's the head pizza chef. I paid her big bucks to come here from Pizza Hut.

　　Why don't we walk down to the far end of this hallway? I'll show you the television room. Yes, I know this looks more like a theater, but that screen is only 120 inches wide. The satellite and cable remote controls are built right into the arm rests of these reclining chairs.

　　Hey, I've got to show you the computer room next. Then we can stop in the exercise room and…

　　Oh, Mrs Plant, sorry, I guess I was daydreaming. My math? It's not done yet. I've got my name, my first name anyway, on the paper. My writing piece? Uh, is it OK if I write about the mansion I'm going to have someday?

请简要回答下列各题

1．Where does the narrator's mansion exist?

2．Where is the narrator?

3．Who is the narrator talking to?

4．What would your dream house be like?

阅读理解

　　For a small town, Manhattan, Kansas has some big surprise. And one of them is the Holiday Inn Hotel, with rooms built around a swimming pool and a friendly family atmosphere.

　　The Holiday Inn is where Manhattan people often go for a special party, or a night out. A lot of them choose to eat in the brightly lit restaurant near the pool. And many of them will be served by Ellen Logan, who has worked as a waitress here for more than two years.

　　Ellen, like most of the waitresses, is also a student. She comes from Nebraska, but she's planning one day to be a veterinary surgeon, and to care for small animals. But in order to support herself at college, she works twenty hours a week at the Holiday Inn.

　　Ellen soon learned what every waitress finds out. Your best friend is a good pair of shoes. She paid fifty-five dollars for hers, much more than she would usually spend. She's discovered something else too. You don't have to know much about food to be a good waitress, but you do have to know a lot about people.

　　“A lot of business people always stay here when they come to Manhattan”, she explains. “They like you to recognize them and remember their favorite dishes. But some couples come for a night out together. They just want to be left alone. Then there are people who can't make up their minds. They look down the menu and say ‘What do you suggest?’ So I ask them how hungry they are. If they say ‘Not very’, I suggest the salad bar, with soup, salad, bread and a fruit Kansas Strip Steak, with potatoes or rice. You get salad and bread as well, It's very nice. Really good value.

　　Ellen may get tired feet sometimes, but at least she's learning too much about people. She'll probably make a good animal doctor, but if she finds she doesn't like it after all, she can always become a psychiatrist(精神病专家) instead.

1．A good title for this passage is ________.

[　　]

A．Ellen Logan at the Holiday Inn

B．American Holiday Inn

C．A special Holiday Inn hotel in Manhattan

D．How to deal with people

2．The words ‘a veterinary surgeon’ means ________.

[　　]

3．From the passage we can infer(推断) that ________.

[　　]

A．waitresses in the Holiday Inn are all students

B．waitresses are required to buy a good pair of shoes before they go to work

C．Waitresses should be familiar with the food there

D．it is more important for the waitresses to know much about people than food

4．From the passage we get to know that ________.

[　　]

A．waitresses have to deal with all kinds of people except couples

B．the Holiday Inn hotel is a good hotel except the place it lies

C．Ellen Logan may get tired if the job sometimes because her feet gets tired often

D．Ellen Logan will help the people who aren't sure what to eat

5．根据短文内容填空

Ellen Logan works twenty hours a week at the Holiday Inn to ① . At work, she does have to know a lot about people: business people always like her to ② ; some couples just like her to ③ ; people who can't make up their minds probably like her to ④ .

阅读理解

　　Life in the twentieth century demands preparation. Today, all individuals in a country must have adequate schooling to prepare them for their work as well as for their responsibilities as citizens. With this in mind, national leaders everywhere are placing more emphasis on the education of the young. In the United States, government officials, parents, and teachers are working hard to give the children-tomorrow's decision makers－the best preparation available. There is no national school policy in the United States. Each of the fifty states makes its own rules and regulations for its schools, but there are many similarities among the fifty school systems. Public schools in all states are supported by taxes paid by the citizens of the individual state. In most states the children are required to attend school until they reach the age of sixteen.

　　When they become six years old, children begin elementary school. After six years in elementary school, they go into junior high school and remain there for three years. The last three years of their public school education are spent in senior high school, from which they graduate at the age of eighteen.

　　A great number of high school graduates continue their education in one of the many colleges or universities in the country. After four years, they receive a Bachelor's degree. Some continue studying for a Master's degree and perhaps a Doctor's degree.

1．At what age does a child in the United States enter elementary school?

[　　]

2．There is no national school policy ________.

[　　]

3．In most states of the United States the law requires a student to go to school ________.

[　　]

A．until he graduates from high school

B．until he is sixteen

C．for twelve years

D．for ten years

4．At what age do most students graduate from high school?

[　　]

5．Education is important today, because ________.

[　　]

A．people must have enough schooling to prepare themselves for life

B．all individuals want to be scientists

C．national leaders everywhere are placing more emphasis on education

D．the young want to be educated

6．What are the similarities among the fifty school systems?

7．How do the American students get a Bachelor's degree?

阅读理解

　　Day 1 New York－Corning Glass Factory－Finger Lakes－Niagara Falls. The tour departs at 8 a. m. from the Milford Plaza Hotel, 270 W. 45th Street (at 8th Ave.), heading north and west to Corning to visit the famous Glass Center where Corningware and Steuben glass are made. This afternoon drive through the attractive Finger Lakes country to Niagara Falls. Evening at leisure with an optional excursion to see the Falls floodlit (泛光灯照明的) by four million candle power of colored lights.

　　Day 2 Niagara Falls. Included sightseeing. Your included morning sightseeing tour will show you this spectacular and massive waterfall from various vantage points. For an amazing close-up view from below the thundering waters take an optional boat ride aboard the “Maid of the Mist.” The rest of day at leisure.

　　Day 3 Niagara－Harrisburg area. Head south today following the Susquehanna River, through the Appalachian Mountains and the old Pennsylvania Farm country, to Harrisburg, the state capital. Then to nearby Carlisle for overnight accommodation.

　　Day 4 Harrisburg area－Hershey－Penn-Dutch Country－Washington D. C. This morning visit “Chocolatetown U. S. A.” to hear the amazing story of Milton Hershey's success and to visit his Chocolate World. Then to Lancaster County home of the Amish and Mennonite communities. Stop at an Amish farm, where faith and tradition forbid the use of electricity or telephones in the home and promote a distinctive style of dress, family life and the use of horse-drawn buggies in place of motor vehicles. Later this afternoon drive to Washington D. C. and your hotel for the next two nights.

　　Day 5 Morning Washington city sightseeing. Afternoon at leisure. First this morning an included escorted tour of the great nation's capital; the White House, Capital Hill and the Lincoln Memorial. Then across the Potomac River to see the American heroes' graves, including John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert in the beautiful Arlington Cemetery. Afternoon free for optional excursions.

1．Where will you see how glass is made?

2．Where will you see how chocolate is made?

3．Where will you see a group of people who live without electricity, telephone, and cars?

4．Where will you see the graves of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy?

5．Where will you spend the night on Day 1?

阅读下面一篇短文，按照要求回答短文后面的问题：

　　My husband is on the front lines in Iraq. Not as a soldier, but as a reporter. When I told my friend about his latest task, each had the same reaction, “Did you tell him no?”

　　They remind me, as if I'd somehow forgotten, that he has left behind our three young children for weeks, perhaps months. He will be risking his life, they say, only for some news.

　　Is it worth it?

　　I understand the pity they feel for me because of the burden suddenly heaped on my shoulders.

My 5－year－old daughter designed a schedule to determine which of the children would keep me company in my empty bed at night. Whether it was her turn or not, I can usually wake to find her huddled against me. My 7－year－old son has many questions about the war and weapons. Though I've never allowed my children to watch the evening news, National Public Radio has been my constant companion, and he was interested in any mention of the war, and he questions me about “when will dad go home”. Most troubling of all, my 9－year－old daughter has said nothing. She has asked no questions and she merely glances at the photo of her father displayed on the page next to his article each morning. And all three are probably the only kids at their school who can find Iraq on a map.

　　In the end, when friends ask, “Is it worth it?” I can answer yes. He, like other reporters from other countries, is presenting us with the truth.

　　So when my friends ask, I tell them it wasn't a matter of letting him go or making him stay. My husband just does what his career asks him to do.

1．Where is the author's husband?

________________________________

2．What do the author's friends think of her husband going to Iraq?

________________________________

3．Why does the author think her 9－year－old daughter is most troubling of all?

________________________________

4．What does the author think of her husband going to Iraq?

________________________________

阅读理解

阅读下面一篇短文，从每题所给四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　The expression “Go for it! ” is a way of encouraging someone to try something.

　　“Go for it!” means you should not worry about failure or be too careful. You should take a chance, be brave, and act firmly.

　　“Go for it!” gets name from football. Not football as it is played in most countries such as England, Egypt or Japan, but the kind of football played in the United States and Canada.

　　One of the most exciting times in football comes when a team has failed, after three attempts, to move the ball forward ten yards. The team must make a critical decision.

　　The conservative(保守) choice is to kick the ball and accept temporary defeat in order to gain a good position for your team the next time it gets the ball. The more exciting choice, however, is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed.

countries People present are certain to shout their advice. Some will shout：“Kick the ball!” But others will encourage the team to take a chance. “Go for it!” they will scream.

countries In the nineteen eighties, people began using this expression in many kinds of situations to encourage someone to act bravely.

There is no guarantee(保证) that the action you “go for it” will succeed. But that is the chance you take when you decide to go for it. You put your fears behind. You choose courage over safety. You hold your breath and go for it.

1．Where does the expression “Go for it!” come from?

________________________________

2．What does “Go for it!” mean?

________________________________

3．Do you know any other sayings like “Go for it! ”?

________________________________