No one was left in the museum, now John was walking around to see that everything was all right．Suddenly he saw a painting lying on the floor．John picked it up and gave it to the director of the museum.

    The director called several museums to check and see if it was a stolen painting, but no one claimed(认领)it．So the director decided to hang it in the museum．All the experts came to look at the painting．Each one said it was beautiful and had very deep meaning．The director was proud to have such a painting in his museum and congratulated John on his discovery.

    Some weeks later a woman and her little son came to the museum．While they were looking at the new painting, the little boy began to cry．The director went over and asked him:

    “Why are you crying?”

    The child pointed to the painting and said, “That’ s my painting on the wall and I want it back．”

    “Yes,” said his mother, “he left it here on the floor a few weeks ago．If you look carefully, you can see his name on the painting.”

1．What do you think would he the director’s response(反应)after he heard what the woman and the boy said? ________.

A．He would be angry

B．He would be surprised

C．He would be sorry for the boy

D．He would be glad to find the owner

2．What most likely is the author’s attitude towards abstract(抽象的) paintings? ________ .

A．He liked them

B．He disliked them

C．He thought they were not easy to understand

D．He thought they were difficult to paint

    Many sports need the services of one or more referees(裁判)．You will find, for example, referees in swimming, diving competitions, football, skating, basketball, and tennis, among others, The referee’s judgment, no matter what the sport is, can make the difference between winning and losing.

    When a decision is announced, one can often hear loud cheering from the spectators (观众)．Sometimes the people don’t agree with the decision．Usually, however, no matter what the people think, the decision of the judge is final．With the instant (即时的) replay, television viewers often get a second chance to watch the special sports moments．Should the camera help the referees in making their decisions? Some people think so．The Japanese have been using the television instant replay in one of their sports for some time.

    In Japan, where sumo wrestling is thought by many to be the national sport, a wrestler named Taiho was trying to break Futabayama's record of 69 victories．In the 46th match, Futabayama was declared the winner by mistake because the judges had not seen the wrestler’s foot leave the circle.

    Soon after the mistake, the people said that they had a right to see the match end with the correct winners since they had paid as much as$ 375 for a ringside seat．Now cameras record the actions of the wrestlers．The camera is the most important referee of all．If a man or a woman makes a mistake in judgment, the camera will correct it, and the instant replay will let everyone know it．The right winner will win.

1．The passage is mainly about ________.

A．how to wrestle in Japan

B．use of a camera as a referee

C．watching matches on television

D．why sumo wrestling is fun

2．A poor decision ________.

A．can cause the wrong winner

B．is usually declared twice

C．almost never happens

D．shouldn’t matter much

3．You can tell that sumo wrestling ________.

A．is played on a race track

B．has teams of nine

C．it a contest (competition) between two

D．is very unpopular in Japan

4．Taiho was trying to ________.

A．lose the match quickly

B．murder Futabayama

C．help the referee

D．break a record

    CARDIFF, Wales-Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered Wales to celebrate the tradition(传统) of storytelling.

    “It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again, ”said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, at international storytelling festival (节) in Wales.

    “Some of the tales, like those of the Inuit from Canada, are thousand years old．So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.

    Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing which has few words and much sound.

    Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.

    Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those coming back into use storytelling in Wales.

    “It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions, and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hand．”Ambrose said.

1．Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling ________.

A．will be more popular than TV

B．will be popular again

C．started in Wales

D．are in the hands of some old people

2．From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn ________.

A．about their life as early as thousands of years ago

B．why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way

C．how cold it has been where the Inuit live

D．how difficult it is to understand the Inuit

3．According to the writer, which of the following is not true? ________

A．Storytelling once stopped in Wales.

B．Storytelling has a long history in Wales.

C．Storytelling is always well received in Wales.

D．Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales.

4．The underlined phrase “in good hands” means ________.

A．controlled by rich people

B．grasped by good storytellers

C．taken good care of

D．protected by kind people

    Researchers have announced the results of two studies on the health effects of the drug aspirin(阿司匹林)．One study shows aspirin can sharply reduce the chance that a healthy, older man will suffer a heart attack.

    The study offered two new results from earlier findings．It said taking one aspirin pill every other day helped only healthy men over the age of fifty．It also said aspirin gave the greatest protection against heart attacks to men with low blood cholesterol(胆固醇) levels.

    Earlier studies showed that aspirin reduced the chance of heart attacks in men with heart disease．But there was no proof that aspirin would do the same for healthy men.

    Researchers in the United States began a major aspirin study in the early 1980s．It includes 22000 healthy male doctors．All were between the ages of forty and eighty-four．More then 11000 of the doctors took one aspirin pill every other day．Each pill contained 325 milligrams of aspirin．The other 11000 doctors took a harmless pill that contained no drug．The men did not know which kind of pill they were taking.

    The doctors who took aspirin suffered 44 percent fewer heart attacks than those taking the harmless pill．139 men who took aspirin suffered heart attacks．Ten of them died．239 men who did not take aspirin suffered heart attacks．Twenty-six of them died.

    The researchers said the doctors’ study provides clear proof that taking aspirin can prevent a first heart attack in healthy, older men．They said, however, the results do not mean every man over the age of fifty should take aspirin．They said aspirin cannot help men who do not eat healthy foods, who smoke cigarettes and who are fat．The researchers said men who think they would be helped by taking aspirin should talk with their doctors first.

1．From this passage, we learn that aspirin is usually used to treat ________.

A．heart attacks

B．older men

C．older women

D．other disease

2．Researchers have studied the connection between aspirin and heart disease for ________.

A．more than a century

B．more than ten years

C．more than one year

D．a few years

3．Researchers in the United States carried out the study with the help of ________.

A．young people

B．some old people

C．men doctors

D．women doctors

4．At last the researchers warn us to ________.

A．take aspirin as much as we like

B．take aspirin with care

C．take aspirin without considering anything

D．take aspirin only considering the age

5．The best title is ________.

A．Aspirin and Heart Attack

B．Aspirin

C．Heart Attack

D．How Aspirin Works

    Of all animals in the animal kingdom, which one (aside from man) is smartest? There are several ways of measuring the intelligence of animals．In one test a scientist sets three identical cans on a table．While the animal watches, he puts food under one of the cans．Then he leads the animal away．Some time later, he brings it back to see if it remembers which can has the food．No sniffing is allowed; the animal must go directly to the correct can if it fails.

    This is called a delayed-response test．The idea is to fond out how long an animal’s memory can retain information．The scientists would try showing the cans to the animal one hour later, or two hours later, or even a full day later．They discovered that chimpanzees (黑猩猩) and elephants have the best memory, and are able to remember the correct can for at least twenty hours．No other animal is close．Dogs came next, but they only remembered for nine hours.

    To settle the matter, the scientists devised a gigantic(巨大的) maze(迷宫) and ran the chimps and elephants through it．The maze was very complicated, with many blind alleys and dead ends．It took the chimps ten minutes to find their way out ．The elephants needed a half hour．Even allowing for the elephants’ slower rate of speed, the test indicates that chimpanzees are the smartest animals.

    From this and other tests, the scientists drew the following conclusion: an animal’s intelligence depends on the size of its brain in proportion to the size of its body．The elephant’s brain weighs ten pounds．But this is only 1/600th of its 6,000-pound body．A chimp’s brain weighs about one pound, or 1/120th of its total body weight．So in proportion to its body size, the chimp has four times as much brain as the elephant-more brain for less body．The chimp is the champ!

1．Select the best title ________.

A．The Elephant’s Memory

B．School for Animals

C．The Chimp’s Brain

D．The Smartest Animal

2． The main idea of this passage is that ________.

A．there are several ways of measuring the intelligence of animals

B．chimps and elephants have the best memory

C．intelligence tests show that the chimp is the smartest animal

D．the scientists devised a gigantic maze and ran the chimps and elephants through it

3．The delayed-response test is designed to test an animal’s ________.

A．eyesight

B．intelligence

C．learning ability

D．memory

4．The passage indicates that elephants ________.

A．never forget

B．are smarter than chimps

C．are slower-moving than chimps

D．have better memories than chimps

5．According to the passage, a rhinoceros(犀牛) that weighs 2100 Lbs, and has a 3-Lb brain is ________.

A．equal in intelligence to a chimp

B．more intelligent than an elephant

C．less intelligent than an elephant

D．equal in intelligence to an elephant

    Every summer in Australia there is the danger of bush fires．Long periods of hot dry weather cause the grass and trees to become highly inflammable(易燃的)．As well as the dryness and high temperature, an important factor is the great amount of oil in the leaves of such trees as eucalyptus(桉树类) and gum trees．Fires start very easily, often spontaneously, but usually because of a carelessly thrown cigarette or match．If there is a high wind, the ample supply of air fans the flames into an inferno．The radiant heat vaporizes(使蒸发) the oil in the leaves, and the fire travels very quickly, sometimes overtakes fleeing ears and burns passengers to death.

    Great fires often occur around Christmas, in areas near big cities, causing great loss of life and property.

“Inferno” in paragraph 1 means ________.

A．hell

B．place of great heat and fire

C．furnace for smelting iron

D．fireball

Nearly all the visitors to southeast France pay a visit to Monaco (摩纳哥), too．Lying near the French-Italian border, Monaco is not part of France, but a separate principality (大公国), though it is surrounded by its great neighbor．Monaco became a principality in the 16th century after being owned by a family member of a certain Italian king．The French and Italian, however, soon came to protect it one after another until1861, when it became its own master again．Facing the blue Mediterranean, Monaco is mainly made up of two cities, Manac, where the palace for the Prince stands, and Monte’ Carlo, which is a wonderful place for visitors．Every year, about half a million people come to Monaco, nearly 25 times as much as its population.

    Believe it or not, Monaco has no soldiers or policemen of its own．Law and order is kept by the French police, and the French stand for it in its foreign affairs, even the money used in Monaco is the franc, too.

1．Which of the following maps shows the right

position of Monaco and its neighboring countries?

(Me=Monaco, Fr=France, I= Italy, Md= Mediterranean)

2．Monaco has a population of ________.

A．nearly 25 thousand

B．no more than 20 thousand

C．about 12500 thousand

D．a little over 20 thousand

3．Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The national income of Monaco must be very little

B．Monaco isn’t a completely independent country.

C．A principality is a country ruled by foreigners.

D．Monaco belongs to France since law and order is kept by the French police.

4．Now the head of the government of Monaco is ________.

A．an Italian

B．a French

C．a prince

D．a president

    Australia, the last continent, was discovered by ships belonging to European nations in the seventeenth century．These nations were less interested in changing it into a colony (殖民地) than in exploiting it．As in the early history of the United States, it was the English who set up the settlements in Australia．This history and the geography of these two British colonies have some other things in common as well.

    Australia and the United States are about the same in size, and their western lands are both not rich in soil．It was the eastern coast of Australia and American that the English first settled, and both colonies soon began to develop towards the west．However, this westward movement took place more because the English were searching for better land than because the population was in- creasing．Settlements of the western part of both countries developed quickly after gold was discovered in America in 1849 and in Australia two years later.

    Although the development of these two countries has a lot in common, there are some striking differences as well．The United States gained its independence(独立) from England by revolution while Australia won its independence without having to go to war．Australia, unlike the United States, was firstly turned into a colony by English prisoners and its economic (经济) development was in wheat growing an sheep raising．By 1922, for example, Australia had fifteen times more sheep than it had people, or almost half as many sheep as there are people today in the United States．Yet, in spite of these and other main differences, Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the rest of the world.

1．In the early history of America and Australia, both colonies developed towards the west firstly for the reason that ________ .

A．the population was increasing rapidly in the east

B．the English thought land there might be better

C．gold was discovered there

D．fewer people lived there

2．Australia, unlike the United States, ________.

A．did not discover gold until the late 1840s

B．was the last and biggest continent to be discovered

C．was not rich in gold in its western part

D．won its independence by peaceful means

3．The last sentence in the last paragraph“… Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the  rest of the world” means ________.

A．The United States and Australia do not have any main differences

B．The United States and Australia have nothing in common with the rest of the world

C．The United States and Australia have much more in common than they have with other countries

D．In common with the rest of the world, the United States and Australia have a lot of differences

    Being an American in China I am often asked: “Why do you come to China? Do you like it? Why do you like to live here?” some people can’t imagine why I would choose to live and work in this country．So many Chinese are anxious to go to the United States, I feel both proud and concerned (担心) about this．Proud because America is indeed a great land, and concerned because China too, is a great land and my friends, don’t always see that．Beauty in one’s own backyard is sometimes taken for granted so I would like to share with you some common foreign observation about China.

1．The writer of this passage is ________.

A．a Chinese American

B．an American Chinese

C．a traveler

D．an American expert

2．Some people can’t imagine why the writer ________.

A．comes to China

B．leaves America for China

C．is willing to live and work in China

D．wants to live in China

3．The writer cares about ________.

A．many Chinese are anxious to go to the United States

B．America is not a great country, compared with China

C．China too, is a great country and his friends don’t always see that

D．beauty in one’s own backyard is some times taken for granted

4．From this passage we can learn ________.

A．people sometimes made stupid mistakes

B．people sometimes take a one- sided view of things

C．people must look at things from all sides

D．beauty lies in love’s eyes

    Unwanted tires (轮胎) from cars and trucks are increasing worldwide．In the United States more than two- hundred - forty million of the rubber wheel coverings are thrown away each year．That is about one used tire for every person living in the country.

    Unwanted tires can be a fire threat．People who like to set fires often start a large hill of tires

burning．Some tires buried with other waste materials under town of dirt (unclean matter) may become uncovered．When this happens, the tires can trap water．They may become a home for insects or small animals that carry disease.

    Unlike many products, tires are built to last a long time．They do not break down easily．Tires are made of strong rubber．The rubber is strengthened by metal wires or other man- made material.

    Some tires that are still safe for road use can be repaired by companies that produce tires．The repaired tires can be put back on cars and driven safely for many more kilometers.

    However, many used tires cannot be repaired．In some areas, they are collected and given to companies that re - use them．The recycling companies have machines that melt down or rip tear with force the tires．The remaining particles then are used to make other products.

    Some rubber products made from recycled tires include asphalt (沥青) used to cover streets or play areas for children．Other recycled material can be used to produce chemical additives (添加剂) that help grass grow in open - air sports centers.

1．The reason why used tires should be recycled is that ________.

A．insects living in room in used tires may spread disease

B．used tires piled together may cause a fire if lighted

C．used tires should be made good use of and changed into useful material

D．people are too poor to buy new ones

2．The population of the United States may be ________.

A．290,000,000

B．480,000,000

C．250,000,000

D．120,000,000

3．Now, we can recycle used tires by means of ________.

A．repairing

B．reusing

C．making other products

D．all above

4．The underlined word ‘threat’ means ________.

A．fact

B．hidden danger

C．cause

D．warning

5．The title of the passage is ________.

A．Used Tires Are Dangerous in Many Countries

B．Used Tires Are Increasing in the World

C．Recycling Used Tires

D．People Are Working at Ways to Deal with Used Tires