Wearing the wrong type of glasses will do harm to your eyes. This is not true for adults(成人), although incorrect glasses may not be good for children under 10. Ready-made glasses, and not wearing glasses when you should, won’t do harm to your eyes, but you may see better with glasses that are specially made for you.

Watching too much television is bad for your eyes. This is not true. People with easily affected eyes may find they get red and aching from staring at a fixed distance for long periods, but there won’t be any lasting effects.

Carrots will help you see in the dark. Carrots are rich in beta carotene, which the body can change into vitamin A, too little of which can cause night blindness. However, people in most countries don’t need to worry about vitamin A deficiency(缺乏). Night blindness is more likely to be connected with another vision problem.

1. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. Ready-made glasses will do harm to one’s eyes.

B. Wearing the wrong glasses may do harm to children’s eyes.

C. The human body is unable to change beta carotene into vitamin A.

D. Watching too much television may do harm to children’s eyes.

2. Night blindness is most likely caused by ______.

A. staring for long periods

B. too much beta carotene

C. not enough vitamin A

D. vision problems

3. According to the article, eye problems can be corrected by ______.

A. wearing specially-made glasses

B. performing eyes exercises

C. cutting back on television

D. eating more carrots

4. Watching too much television can cause ______.

A. night blindness

B. lasting eye problems

C. a number of vision problems

D. eye trouble for a limited time

5. The main purpose of this article is to ______.

A. tell people of the importance of their eyes

B. tell people how to protect their eyes

C. tell people to have more carrots

D. tell people something more about their eyes

How old is old? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago, you were 35. That was the average life span(跨度) then. At the turn of this century, as medical knowledge advanced, the average life span increased to 45. In 1950, 70-year-olds were really old. Today, a healthy 70-year-old is looking forward to many more active years.

So, how old is old? The answer is one you heard many times, from all sorts of people. You are as old (or young) as you feel. The calendar simply tells you how many years you have lived. Your body tells you how well you lived.

Old is a point of view. Alice Brophy said, “It makes me angry when people say, ’Gee, you look young for your age. ’What does that mean? Is there some model that you are supposed to look a certain way at 65 and 75 and 85? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”

There are many myths about aging. Here are some of the more common myths—and the facts.

Myth 1: Most older people are in poor health.

Fact 1: Not so. There are neither biological nor physiological reasons to connect poor health with growing older. Older people are more likely to be affected by illness but old age itself is not a disease. It is possible to remain physically healthy throughout your life.

Myth 2: Older people are unable to change.

Fact 2: Older people are as easily changed in their life-styles as young and middle-aged people. Though sometimes they deal with the very big pressures—death of loved ones or jobs, financial or family problems—they deal wonderfully well. Older people give up smoking and break other bad habits just as successfully as younger people.

1. The article is mainly about ______.

A. the average life span

B. aging

C. people’s health

D. life myths

2. According to the article, which statement is true?

A. Aging does not mean you become unhealthy.

B. Older people are not as smart as young people.

C. Most older people are physically healthy.

D. Your health can tell you how many years you have lived.

3. Which questions is NOT answered in the article?

A. Do older people have more trouble breaking bad habits?

B. Is old age a disease?

C. How old is old?

D. What is the average life span today?

4. The reason why Alice Brophy got angry was that ______.

A. she didn’t think she looked young for her age

B. she didn’t like to be thought old

C. she was 65, but people thought she was 85

D. there wasn’t a model to follow to judge one’s age

5. Which of the following does the second fact support?

A. Older people have more pressures than younger people.

B. Younger people break old habit more easily.

C. Old people are not too fixed to change for new needs.

D. Younger and middle-aged people have the same problems as old people.

Waves are beautiful to look at, but they can destroy ships at sea, as well as houses and buildings near the shore. What causes waves?  Most waves are caused by winds blowing over the surface(表面)of the water. The sun heats the earth, causing the air to rise and the winds to blow. The winds blow across the sea, pushing little waves into bigger and bigger ones.

The size of a wave depends on how strong the wind is, how long it blows, and how large the body of water is. In a small bay(海湾)big waves will never build up. But at sea the wind can build up giant(巨大的)powerful waves.

A rule says the height of a wave (in meters) will usually be more than one-tenth of the wind speed (in kilometers). In other words, when the wind is blowing at 120 kilometers per hour, most waves will be about twelve meters. Of course, some waves may combine to form giant waves that are much higher. In 1933 the United States Navy reported the largest measured wave in history. It rose in the Pacific Ocean to a height of thirty-four meters.

1. One can guess the height of a wave by knowing______.

A. how fast the wind is blowing

B. how long the wind blows

C. how large the body of water is

D. how the wave is built up

2. The largest measured wave in history was in______.

A. the Indian Ocean

B. the Atlantic Ocean

C. the Pacific Ocean

D. the United States

3. When the wind is blowing at 80 kilometers per hour, the height of most waves will be______.

A. about one meter

B. about eight meters

C. about eighty meters

D. about ten meters

4. Air rises when______.

A. the wind is blowing

B. the body of water is large

C. there is a powerful wave

D. the sun heats the earth

5. The best title for this passage is______.

A. What Causes Waves

B. The Largest Waves in History

C. Beautiful

D. Waves in the Pacific Ocean

Knowledge is power. But there is one other thing that you must remember, a strong mind needs a strong body in order to make it most useful. There are a good many exercises. They are helpful and healthful. Many of them may be taken indoors during rainy weather. Indoor exercise however, is never as helpful as those taken out of doors in pure, fresh air. It is because in fresh air more oxygen(氧气)is taken into our systems(系统)and more wastes are given off. The air in the house does not remain fresh very long. But out of doors it is fresh and pure. But what shall we play?  There are a number of games such as football, basketball, race…

Any game with plenty of movement is good. The best are those which are played out of doors. Don’t neglect(忽视)your body. It is as important as your mind. Our country now needs men with strong minds, good judgment and sound bodies.

1. The indoor exercise is not as helpful as those taken out of doors because______.

A. the air in the house isn’t fresh

B. the air in the house can’t be always fresh

C. we can’t make the air in the house fresh

D. during rainy weather the air in the house doesn’t remain fresh long

2. According to the passage which statement is wrong?

A. You are of no use for your country if you have strong mind only.

B. The indoor games with plenty of movement are not better than those played out of doors.

C. Your mind is as important as your body.

D. Our of doors the air is not always fresh and pure.

3. The writer thinks that______.

A. “Knowledge is power” isn’t right

B. strong body is power in fact

C. strong mind is the most important

D. your strong body is as important as your mind

There was a time when most people in the United States believed that the tomato was a poisonous(有毒的)food. In the 1820s, a farmer realized the value of the tomato and wanted to make it popular. Unfortunately people were afraid to try it. They thought that if you ate a tomato, you would surely get sick. “Eat a tomato with fish, and you’d better have a doctor handy. Eat a tomato with fish and ice cream, forget the doctor. Call an undertaker. ”

The farmer decided to do something surprising. He let everybody know far and wide that on the next market day, he would stand on the Court House steps and eat a tomato. People came from all over to watch him. The farmer waited until a large crowd had gathered. Then he walked quickly to the Court House steps, lifted a basket of tomatoes for all to see, and ate one. Another. A third. And he didn’t die.

Farmers have been growing tomatoes ever since. Boxes of tomatoes go to the market. Poisonous?  They are just wonderful, as most people now agree.

1. What is the main idea of the text?

A. People often have wrong beliefs.

B. It is easy to change people’s minds.

C. How tomato became popular in the US.

D. Tomatoes were first grown by US farmers.

2. From the underlined sentences in the first paragraph we learn that in the 1820s people thought______.

A. fish and ice cream were very good food

B. one tomato had enough poison to kill a person

C. only an undertaker could save the life of a person who ate tomatoes

D. fish, tomato, and ice cream if eaten together could kill a person

3. The farmer ate tomatoes in public(当众)in order to______.

A. show that he was brave

B. show that they were eatable

C. make people buy his tomatoes

D. make people believe they tasted nice

4. The last word “undertaker” in the first paragraph means______.

A. a person whose job is to take care of the dead

B. a person who takes care of his business

C. a person who dig the earth

D. a person who can make the dead people come to life again

5. It can be inferred(推断)from the text that______.

A. there were wild tomatoes in the US before 1820s

B. tomatoes were grown for special used in the past

C. there are still some people today who never eat tomatoes

D. tomatoes are grown all over the world today

Noah Webster devoted(献出)all his life to the development of an American language. He wanted to free Americans from British English as they had freed themselves from the British power. Aiming(针对)at this he published(出版)three textbooks: a speller in 1783, a grammar in 1784, and a reader in 1785.

Webster disliked the way certain words had been borrowed from other languages but had not been respelled. The result, he said, was a disordered mixture of letters, many of which were not pronounced the way they looked, and others of which were not pronounced at all.

Webster advised Americans to simplify their spelling. For example, he insisted that “head” should be spelled “hed” and “bread” should be spelled “bred”. Most of Webster’s suggestions did not catch on, but his textbooks sold millions of copies.

1. The passage is mainly about______.

A. Webster’s devotion to American English

B. three books of Noah Webster

C. a simple way of spelling

D. American pronunciation

2. According to Webster, Americans should______.

A. not borrow words from British English

B. not read books written in British English

C. improve their own way of spelling

D. give up British pronunciation

3. Which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. Webster published three textbooks.

B. Certain words borrowed from other languages still remain the same in spelling.

C. Most of Webster’s suggestions were carried out.

D. Webster wanted to free Americans from British English.

4. According to the passage, the books Webster wrote dealt with(论述)all of the following EXCEPT______.

A. spelling　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. pronunciation

C. grammar　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. British English

The great fire of London started in the very early hours of Sept. 2, 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.

The fire started on Sunday morning in the houses of the king’s baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread(蔓延)quickly into Thames. That was the beginning.

By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St. Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.

Samuse Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their house until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.

The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.

After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect(建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among them the new St. Paul’s.

The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.

1. The fire began in______.

A. a hotel　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. the palace

C. Pudding Lane　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Thames Street

2. The underlined word “family” in the second paragraph means______.

A. home

B. children

C. wife and husband

D. wife and children

3. It seems that the writer of the passage was most sorry for the fact that______.

A. some people lost their lives

B. the birds in the sky were destroyed

C. many famous buildings were destroyed

D. the King’s bakery was burned down

4. How was the fire put out according to the passage?

A. The King and his soldiers came to help.

B. All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.

C. People managed to get enough water from the river.

D. Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.

5. Which of the following were reasons for the rapid(迅速)spread of the big fire?

(a)There was a strong wind.

(b)The streets were very narrow.

(c)Many houses were made of wood.

(d)There was not enough water in the city.

(e)People did not discover the fire earlier.

A. (a) and (b)

B. (a), (b) and (c)

C. (a), (b), (c) and (d)

D. (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e)

Let children learn to judge(判断)their own work. A child who learns to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time. If corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him. Little by little, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things without being taught—to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle—compare(比较)their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them for himself. We do it all for his act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.

If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine(日常的)work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.

1. According to the passage, the best way for children to learn things is by______.

A. listening to skilled people’s advice

B. asking older people many questions

C. making mistakes and having them corrected

D. doing what other people do

2. Which of the following does the writer think teachers should NOT do?

A. Give children correct answers.

B. Allow children to make mistakes.

C. Point out children’s mistakes whenever they are found.

D. Let children judge their own work.

3. According to the writer, teachers in school should______.

A. allow children to learn from each other

B. point out children’s mistakes whenever they are found

C. correct children’s mistakes as much as possible

D. give children more book knowledge

4. The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are______.

A. different from learning other skills

B. the same as learning other skills

C. more important than other skills

D. not really important skills

5. The title of this passage could probably be______.

A. Let Us Teachers Stop Work

B. Let Us Make Children Learn

C. Let Children Correct Their Exercises

D. Let Children Learn by Themselves

There are about three hundred million homeless children in the world and the number of these little tramps(流浪者)is still increasing. They make livings by brushing shoes, selling newspapers, begging and even stealing. They have brought too much trouble to the cities and towns. Now things are getting worse and worse, especially in the countries of Latin America. The governments of the countries have already done something to help the homeless children. “Street Teachers” have played an important part in it.

Most of these “Street Teachers” are youth. They themselves grew up in these streets and had the same experience as the little tramps. They know what the homeless children think about and what they need. They sympathize with the children(同情孩子们)and pay great attention to their healthy growth. These “Street Teachers” educate the children in various and lively ways according to their special characteristics. There isn’t any reprimand(训斥), nor punishment. They only rely on their own experience and excuse(谅解)to teach them how to be a nice and useful citizen. The little ones are always watchful(警惕的)to other persons but believe in their teachers and treat them as their close friends. Thus the teachers have turned the streets, lanes(小巷)and parks into places for education.

Some teachers began to set up Education Centre for Tramps. They also lay down(制定）educational policy(方针)and teaching program(大纲). The children will graduate in a few years and have their own jobs. The little ones are pleased with it.

1. “Street Teachers” means______.

A. the teachers who are homeless

B. the school standing in the street

C. the teachers who educate the homeless children in the streets, lanes and parks

D. policeman who educate the children in the streets

2. Which is right?

A. The little tramps hate “Street Teachers” very much.

B. The little ones are watchful to their teachers at all.

C. The children don’t believe in “Street Teachers” at all.

D. The little tramps treat “Street Teachers” as their friends.

3. Why can “Street Teachers” be welcomed by the children?

A. Because they understand and sympathize with these children.

B. Because they educate them in lively ways and never punish them.

C. Because the teachers are also homeless.

D. Both A and B.

4. After graduating, the children will______.

A. work

B. go on to roam(流浪)

C. beg

D. continue to steal

5. Which is the best title of the passage?

A. The tramps

B. The world problem

C. “Street Teachers”

D. How to deal with the tramps?

It is, everyone agrees, a huge task that the child performs when he learns to speak, and the fact that he does so in so short a period of time challenges explanation.

Language learning begins with listening. Individual children vary greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and late starters are often long listeners. Most children will “obey” spoken instructions sometime before they can speak, though the word “obey” is hardly accurate(准确的) as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.

Any attempt to trace(探索) the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particularly indicative of(表示) delight, suffering and so on. But since these cannot be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new sounds to their sound collection. This self-imitation(模仿) leads on to deliberate(深思熟虑的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.

1. By “…challenges explanation” the author means that______.

A. no explanation is necessary for such an obvious phenomenon

B. no explanation has been made up to now

C. it’s no easy job to provide an adequate explanation

D. it’s high time that an explanation was provided

2. The author’s purpose in writing the second paragraph is to show that children______.

A. usually obey without asking questions

B. are passive in the process of learning to speak

C. are born cooperative

D. learn to speak by listening

3. The third paragraph is mainly about______.

A. the development of babies’ early forms of language

B. the difficulties of babies in learning to speak

C. babies’ strong desire to communicate

D. babies’ intention to communicate

4. From the passage we learn that______.

A. early starters can learn to speak within only six months

B. children show a strong desire to communicate by making noises

C. imitation plays an important role in learning to speak

D. children have various difficulties in learning to speak

5. The best title for this passage would be______.

A. How Babies Learn to Speak

B. Early Forms of Language

C. A Huge Task for Children

D. Noise Making and Language Learning