The British are among the world’s greatest readers of newspapers. It’s been the custom(习惯) ever since most people could read.

But why do people want to do nothing but read while traveling to work in a train?

Perhaps they are tired, or else they sit behind a newspaper to shut themselves off from the world. All the same, most men would notice a woman struggling with a heavy case and jump up to help her and a pretty girl sitting opposite wouldn’t escape their attention either. In this case a paper is useful because they can have a good look at her from behind it without her knowing. Perhaps they all do nothing but read. There are stories of girls and young men who met in the rush hour(高峰期), got married, and went traveling on the same train, hand in hand.

1. The main idea of this passage is that_______.

A. people in Britain are great newspaper readers

B. why people read newspapers when they travel by train

C. people do nothing but read in a train

D. when people go to work in train, they do different things

2. According to the passage, reading newspapers_______.

A. is a custom just among men who can read

B. is something the British do only traveling on a train

C. is a daily activity most British do while traveling

D. can help people in many ways

3. A man might be reading a newspaper in a train for the following reasons except that_______.

A. he is trying to watch a girl from behind the newspaper

B. he wants to have a rest

C. he hopes to escape the attention of a pretty girl

D. he doesn’t want to talk with other people around him

4. What isn’t the reason why most men in the train will help a woman struggling with a heavy case?

A. It is polite for a man to help a woman in that situation.

B. It is considered a man’s duty to help a woman in need.

C. A woman is too weak to carry a heavy case.

D. Men are often more interested in other things than reading newspapers.

If you want to get the most out of the study of a language, you must also read for pleasure: novels, plays, travel books and so on. And in reading books of this kind the important thing is to get on with the reading, to try to grasp what the writer is going to tell you in the book as a whole. This is impossible if you stop and think over the meaning of every single word which happens to be unfamiliar(不熟悉). You cannot enjoy a story if you stop half a dozen times on every page in order to look up words in the dictionary. You may even prevent yourself from understanding the story as a whole by doing this.

When you are reading books of this kind, therefore, you will usually have to rely mainly on(依靠) the context(上下文) to help you. If you meet an unfamiliar word, do not let it take too much of your attention from the main thread(主线) of the story. In all probability(可能) you will meet the same word again a few pages later on in a slightly different context, and each time you see it that your understanding of it will become more exact.

1. To read for pleasure means_______.

A. to take pleasure in reading

B. to be satisfied in reading book

C. to read such books as novels, plays, travel books, etc.

D. to go on with reading pleasantly

2. The phrase “to get on with reading” in the passage has the same meaning as “_______”.

A. to try to grasp the meaning of every sentence in the book

B. to try to catch the meaning of every word in the book

C. to try to understand all the writer is going to tell you

D. to try to understand the main idea of the book

3. When you meet new words in reading such kinds of books, you’d better_______.

A. stop and look them up in a dictionary

B. stop and think them over

C. try to guess their meanings from the context

D. have none of them

4. According to the passage the best way to read novels, plays and travel books is_______.

A. to read very slowly

B. to read quickly and not too carefully

C. to read very carefully

D. to read very seriously

5. The best title for this passage is “_______”.

A. Read for Pleasure　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Get on with the Books

C. Reading Skills　　　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. The Importance of Reading

There was a man named Chow Khok who had a baby donkey. When the foal was fat, Chow Khok said to his son, “Our donkey is nice and fat now. He will bring us a good price at the market. But if we walk him all the way to the market, he will grow thin and no one will want him. I think that we should tie him gently to a pole and carry him between our shoulders. ”

The son agreed. So they tied the donkey’s four legs to a long pole. Then, placing the ends of the pole on their shoulders, they started to walk to the village with the donkey hanging upside down between them.

As they walked along the road, a group of people saw them and began laughing. “Ho, ho, ho! Why are these stupid people carrying a donkey? Hey, both of you! Are you crazy carrying a donkey on a pole? Why don’t you get on his back and ride him?”

Chow Khok and his son heard the crowd’s laughter and were greatly embarrassed(局促不安的). They discussed the matter together. “I suppose we must look strange to these people. Let’s untie our donkey and get on him. But he is really too small for both of us to ride. What shall we do?”

After thinking a bit, Chow Khok said to his son, “I know. You ride the donkey, since you are smaller, and I will walk behind. ”

His son agreed. So they untied the donkey’s legs and continued down the road, the son riding and the father walking behind.

When they arrived at the edge of the village, some people called out to the son, “Who is that old man walking behind you?”

“Oh, ” replied the son. “He is my father. ”

Then a villager scolded(训斥)the boy. “You are an ungrateful(不觉得感激的) son. You shouldn’t let your father walk behind you like a servant. Get off and let your father ride. ”

The embarrassed son turned to look at his father, who quickly whispered, “Yes, yes. I will get on the donkey. You walk in front. ”

So the father got on the donkey and the boy walked ahead. Soon they arrived at the village well, where many girls were getting water for their families. Seeing the young boy walking tall in front of the donkey, all the girls thought him quite handsome.

“Hey!” they called to the old father on the donkey. “This donkey is beautiful and the tall boy is handsome. You look like an ugly old monkey sitting up there. Why don’t you get off and let this handsome boy ride?”

When the son heard the girls, he turned to his father and said, “Papa, now we made a mistake again. These girls say that I should ride the donkey. What do you think?”

Wearily(疲惫的), his father answered, “First you ride the donkey and it is a mistake. Then I ride the donkey and it is a mistake. Now, suppose you come up here and sit in front of me and we will ride together. ”

The boy climbed up and they continued through the village until they reached the custom house（税务所）. The customs officer stopped them and asked, “Where are you both going with that donkey?”

“Sir, ” Chow Khok answered, “we are taking the donkey to sell him at the village market. ”

The officer scowled(皱眉) at him. “That donkey is very small, ” he said. “Why are you both sitting on him? You’ll break his back and then you’ll never be able to sell him. A little donkey like that! You should carry him. ”

Chow Khok and his son listened in embarrassment. Shaking his head hopelessly, Chow Khok said, “How can we satisfy all the people in this world? When we carried our donkey on a pole, they said we should ride him. When you rode our donkey, they said that you were an ungrateful son. When I rode our donkey, they said that I looked like a monkey. When we both rode our donkey, they said that we would break his back. How can we satisfy all the people in this world? What shall we do now?”

Taken from Cambodian Folk Stories from the Gatiloke

1. Folk tales often teach a lesson about how people should behave. Which of these lessons might you learn from the folk tale?

A. People are usually unkind.

B. It’s impossible to please everyone.

C. You should never listen to other people.

D. You should trust yourself all the time.

2. What can you infer about Chow Khok based on his actions?

A. Other people’s opinions were important to Chow Khok.

B. He was a generous man.

C. He didn’t feel comfortable talking to other people.

D. He was stupid.

3. Which statement best describes Chow Khok at the end of the story?

A. He’s very angry. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. He is happy.

C. He is confused. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　D. He is comfortable.

Mr. King lived with six hundred wild animals on the Greek Island of Kyklos. Ever since he left school, he had traveled all over the world collecting animals for his own zoo. He hoped to collect two examples of every kind of animal on his island. But he was afraid that people would find him someday.

He wrote books about his travels and about his animals that he collected. The money from the books helped to pay for all the food that these animals ate.

One day, when Mr. King was out looking for drinking water, he found oil. He needed money for his travels and for his zoo, and a little oil would buy enough water for what he needed all his life, but he knew that if he told anyone else about it, it would be the end of his zoo and his life’s work. So he decided not to tell anyone else about what he had found, because oil and water couldn’t mix.

1. Mr. King traveled all over the world for collecting_______.

A. oil   　　　　　　   B. water　　　　　　    C. animals   　　　　　　   D. money

2. Mr. King was afraid that people would find him someday because_______.

A. he hadn’t got enough money for them

B. that would be the end of his zoo

C. he hadn’t got enough water and oil

D. they would buy his animals

3. Mr. King wrote books to_______.

A. tell people about his story　　　　　　    B. tell people how to find oil

C. get enough money for his animals    D. make money for his travels

4. In the passage, “oil and water couldn’t mix” means that “_______”.

A. Mr. King needed not only water but also oil

B. oil and water were rather difficult to be mixed together

C. Mr. King’s animals only needed water, not oil

D. if he told the others he found oil, his life’s work would be stopped

Robert and Joanna like school very much. At school they can talk to their friends but Robert and Joanna cannot see their friends. They live 100, perhaps 300 miles away and like Robert and Joanna, they all go to school by radio.

Mount Ebenczer is in the center of Australia. Not many people live in “The Centre”. There are no schools with desks and blackboards and no teachers in “The Centre”. School is a room at home with a two-way radio. The teacher also has a two-way radio. Every morning she calls each student on the radio. When all the students answer, lessons begin. Think of your teacher 300 miles away!

1. The children in “The Centre” do not go to a school because_______.

A. they live too far away from each other

B. they do not like school

C. they are not old enough to go to school

D. their families are too poor

2. In order to send their children to school, parents in “The Centre” of Australia need to provide_______.

A. a desk　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. a car

C. a school room at home　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a special radio

3. Teachers in “The Centre” of Australia teach_______.

A. not in a classroom but at the homes of the students

B. by speaking only and not showing anything in writing

C. without using any textbooks or pictures

D. without knowing whether the students are attending

4. When children are having a lesson, they can hear their teacher, _______.

A. but their teacher cannot hear them

B. and their teacher can hear them too

C. but cannot hear classmates

D. and see him or her at the same time

Exploring Antarctica

An important scientific expedition in 1958 took hundreds of scientists to Antarctica, which is a large continent at the southern tip of the earth, and surrounds the South Pole, and most of which is covered by snow and ice. The great ice sheet goes on and on. At some places in Antarctica the ice is more than three miles thick. The Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans ring the continent.

The expedition in 1958 was part of International Geophysical year（IGY：地球物理年）, which is the name given to a world-wide scientific research program, that more than 5 000 scientists took part in. Actually, the IGY lasted 18 months—not for just a year. A part of its research is still going on.

Geophysics is the science of the earth and atmosphere.  “Geo” is earth and “physics” is the part of science that deals with matter and motion（运动）—not with plants and animals.

1. Guess which of the following is not so different in meaning from the word“exploring”.

A. continent   　　　　　　 B. research　　　　　　　　   C. expedition   　　　　   D. atmosphere

2. Which of the following in this passage is possible to have the same meaning as the word “surround”?

A. ring   　　　　　　　　    B. take　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. cover   　　　　　　    D. last

3.  When was the passage written?

A.  In 1958. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.  By the end of 1958.

C.  Before the end of June 1960. 　　　　　　　　　　  　　D.  Between 1958 and 1959.

4.  Antarctica is surrounded by three_______.

A. scientists   　　　　　　 B. oceans　　　　　　　　　　　　    C. miles   　　　　　　　　 D. hundreds

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.

Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.

Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, “Talk to Me, ” they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.

They don’t collect money. They don’t push religion(宗教). So what’s the point?

“To see what happens, ” said Liz. “We simply enjoy life with open communication. ”

Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.

“It started as a crazy idea, ” Liz said. “We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything. ”

Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.

Marcia had left her husband to a serious disease.  “That was very heavy on my mind, ” Marcia said. “To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good, ” she explained.

To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.

They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they’ll consider.

1.  What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?

A.  Chatting with people.

B.  Setting up street signs.

C.   Telling stories to strangers.

D.  Organizing a speaker’s corner.

2.  What they have been doing can be described as_______.

A. pointless 　　　　　　　　 B. normal　　　　　　　　　　 C. crazy   　　　　   D. successful

3.  Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?

A. They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B. They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C. They organized the get-together in the city park.

D. They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

4.  What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

A.  Go in for publishing.

B.  Do more television programs.

C.  Continue what they are doing.

D.  Spend more time reading books.

5.  How do they like the idea of writing a book?

A. They have decided to wait a year or two.

B. They will think about it carefully.

C. They agreed immediately. [KG6]

D. They find it hard to do that.

Millions of aircrafts take off around the world every year. The skies they fly in seem limitless-miles of empty space. But, with the number of flights increasing each year, this emptiness no longer exists. Researchers in the world of aviation（航空）are worried about the increasing pressure on pilots and ground controllers. And increasing collisions, occurring at or near an airport, have called attention to the need for more aids（辅助设备）to aviation control.

People who travel the skies are not certain about air safety. A great deal of money is spent on new and bigger aircraft and airports to deal with the vast increase in passengers traveling by air. Only a small percentage of this money is spent on navigation（导航）and other aids. Actually, suitable electronic equipment has long existed, and many companies market safety aids designed to make it safer for aircraft to take off, fly any distance, and land, whatever the weather. Yet, there are two problems to be solved. The first is to get governments, airlines and airport officials to agree to basic levels of safety aids. The second problem is to find a way of meeting these basic requirements.

But no matter how well the equipment works, operators of the equipment still play an important role. Communications between pilots and ground controllers are extremely important to air safety. It is worth pointing out that the mishearing or misunderstanding of instructions in English, and the use of another language, in an international conversation, have led to two recent aircraft accidents. A new type of instrument（仪器）called FLIGHTWATCH would help pilots prevent airport collisions. It would be particularly helpful near airports.

1. The increasing number of flights leads to the fact that_______.

A. flying is no longer limited in the sky

B. there is no empty space for aids to aviation control

C. piloting and controlling planes is getting more difficult

D. the pressure on the ground becomes greater

2. There is uncertainty about air safety because_______.

A. planes become bigger for the increasing number of passengers

B. money spent on electronic equipment is far from enough

C. suitable electronic equipment hasn’t been invented yet

D. it is dangerous for planes to take off or land

3. The underlined word “collisions ” probably means_______.

A. accidents in which two planes hit each other

B. misunderstandings between pilots and ground controllers

C. quarrels among passengers

D. breakdowns of new types of instrument

4. It can be inferred from the passage that_______.

A. governments and officials have paid great attention to air safety

B. there should be more companies to sell new safety aids

C. English should be used in an international conversation

D. understanding between pilots and ground controllers should be improved

Every Thursday afternoon, my art history class meets not in our usual lecture hall but in the Yale University Art Gallery(美术馆).

We spend our one-hour class discussing two or three of the paintings, many of which are by artists that we have already studied in class.

The professor begins by selecting one work of art. After giving us a quick background on the artist, he’ll open up for class discussion. Everyone is strongly encouraged to give opinions to the work. Not every piece we study is necessarily famous or striking in appearance and subject matter, yet we always manage to make some interesting observations.

In America, professors always take every opportunity to push textbooks aside and expose students to real world experiences.

With some creativity, almost any subject can be applied to such beyond the classroom learning.

My art history class trips to the gallery are but one example.

Many other subjects also offer opportunities to learn outside the classroom, for example, business, psychology, art, journalism and biology.

A friend of mine from Yale taking an advanced psychology course spends every Saturday working with mentally disabled children.

Her mornings are spent playing with the kids and studying their sometimes uncontrolled behavior. Then in the afternoon she writes a report on her observations.

Students generally appreciate these unique learning opportunities. They’re almost always fun and interesting, and professors like them because students learn so much in just a few short months.

No one denies(否认) the value of classroom learning. But it can only take students so far.

Slides and textbooks may do a good job of carrying facts and dates, but creativity and originality(创造性) of thought cannot be taught. They can only be got through firsthand experience.

1.  The writer studies art history_______.

A. in a lecture hall   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. in an art gallery

C. in a simple way   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. in a practical way

2.  In American universities it is popular for professors to_______.

A. create textbooks by themselves

B. teach their lectures through real world experiences

C. ask their students to memorize the texts

D. share their experiences with the students

3.  The writer holds the opinion that_______.

A. learning outside the classroom is the best way

B. teachers should develop students’ creativity

C. professors had better shorten their lectures

D. students should put their textbooks away

For almost two months Dominic York, a 23-year-old hairdresser, wandered around hospitals all night, wearing a white coat and pretending he was a doctor. Yesterday he proudly claimed in court that despite his complete lack of medical experience or qualifications, he had saved several people’s lives. He had even been allowed to assist a surgeon during an emergency operation on a patient who was about to die on something she had swallowed.

“I watched one of those TV dramas about a hospital and suddenly I felt like playing one of the roles myself. So I put on a white jacket and a stethoscope(听诊器)and walked around one of the biggest hospital in London. At first I just watched. Once you learn how doctors talk to patients, nurses and others doctors, it’s easy to take people in, ” he said.

One of the patients he treated was Laura Kennan. She had been knocked down by a car and fainted（晕）. When she came to in hospital, York was standing over her.

“He looked very professional. He told me his name was Doctor Simon. Then he gave me some sort of injection（注射）, ” she said. And then he suddenly cleared off when a nurse asked who he was. She didn’t think there was anything wrong.  “ I would never have realized he was a fake if a policewoman hadn’t showed me his photograph a week later. When the policewoman told me who he really was, I could hardly believe my ears. ”

Judge Raymond Adams told York that he was “ shocked and horrified” that he got away with his deceiving for so long, and then sentenced him to eighteen months in a special prison for criminal with mental disorders.

“I can only hope that this will not lead to further problems. After all, you will have considerable opportunity to study the behavior of the psychiatrists(精神科医生)who will look after you while you are there. If you try to persuade people that you yourself are a psychiatrist after you are set free, I shall make sure that you are given a much longer sentence, ”Judge Adams warned York.

1.  York was proud of the fact that_______.

A. a surgeon let him watch an operation

B. he could perform some duties of a doctor

C. he had cheated doctors for so long

D. people thought he could become a real doctor

2.  York learned how to behave like a doctor by_______.

A. watching other doctors work

B. talking to doctors and nurses

C. getting some training and experience

D. observing doctors while he was a patient

3.  Why was Laura Kennan in hospital?

A. She had swallowed something and almost died.

B. She had to have an emergency operation.

C. She had been injured in a road accident.

D. She had lost consciousness while driving.

4.  The judge’s remark implied that York would be more severely punished if he_______.

A. pretended to be a psychiatrist

B. tried to get away from prison

C. was proud of what he had done

D. studied the behavior of the psychiatrist