阅读理解

　　This dictionary tells you about English words and how to use them in reading,writing and speaking English. It not only gives the toeing of words,it can also help you with spelling,word-building,grammar and pronunciation.

　　To use your dictionary correctly,you. need to understand how the dictionary works At the front of the book,you will find some exercises to help you make the most use of your dictionary.

　　If you look up the word “colour”,you will find two spellings for this word．“Colour” is used in British English,while “color” is used in American English. When there are differences between British and American spelling,the dictionary shows it with the word “BrE” for British English and “AmE” for American English.

　　The dictionary also helps you pronounce words correctly. We use a special alphabet(特殊字母表) to show pronunciation. If you turn to the inside hack face,you will see all the phonetic letters (音标) with some words to show you how they are pronounced Just look at the inside hack cover when you're not sure how to say a word．

　　The most important reason for using a dictionary is to find out the meaning of a word- its DEFINITION.

　　In this dictionary,the definitions have been written using only 2000 words. This means that the definitions of even the most difficult words are simply explained (简单解释) and easy to understand．

　　When a word has more than one meaning,read all the meanings until you find the one that correctly tells the use of the word you are looking for.

　　Most of the words in this dictionary can be used by people in all parts of the world．

(1)________of the words in the dictionary have two spellings.

[　　]

(2)The AmE spelling of the Chinese word “颜色” in this dictionary is _________.

[　　]

(3)The Chinese meaning of "definition" here is _________

[　　]

(4)How many words are there in this dictionary? _________

[　　]

(5)The dictionary explains _________

[　　]

A．some of the difficult words

B．all the words in a simple way

C．all the easy words

D．the words of two meanings

阅读理解

　　Colour helps you see things. But man and some monkeys and apes (猿)are the only mammals (哺乳动物) that can see colour. To any other mammal, such as the dog, the world looks like a black-and-white photo. Dogs hunt mainly by listening and sniffing (闻).

　　Like other animals, dogs see best when things move. The animals they hunt seem to know this. A hunted rabbit or deer will “freeze”. Then the dog may not see it at all.

　　Birds can see colour. They need to, because they fly and need to find places to land．Colour helps them judge distance and shape. In this way they are able to catch bugs (昆虫) in the air or to light on branches.

　　Some birds see things even better than you do. The birds that eat bugs can see them from far away. And even a very young bird can see a hawk high in the sky. So sharp eyes and a sense of colour help birds find food and also help them find where their enemies are.

(1)________can see colour.

[　　]

A．All the animals

B．All the mammals

C．Man and dogs

D．Birds and monkeys

(2)In order to find their food, dogs mainly use their _______

[　　]

(3)The word “freeze” in the passage means _________.

[　　]

A．the hunted animals are frozen on the ground because of cold weather

B．the hunted animals' temperature is becoming lower and lower until it drops below 0℃

C．the hunted animals will stop running and stay in the same place without movement 

D．the hunted animals are so frightened that they can't move any longer

(4)Colour helps birds_______

[　　]

A．see better than man

B．see better than dogs

C．see how colourful the world is

D．see clearly where food and enemies are

(5)To dogs,they see best when things are ________

[　　]

阅读理解

　　The food we eat seems to have a great effect on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps 80% human illness has something to do with food and 40% of cancer（癌症）is not a new discovery. In 1945, some researchers realized that things commonly used to keep color in meats and other food additives（添加剂）caused cancer.

　　Yet, these additives remain in our food and it is difficult to know which things on the wrappings（包装）of foods are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to their animals, and because of this, penicillin had been found in the milk of cows. Sometimes similar things are used to animals not for their health, but just to make more money.

　　The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to get higher price in the market. Although some countries have tried to control such things, the practice continues.

（1）According to the passage, we can know that ________.

[　　]

A. perhaps most human illness is caused by what we eat

B. perhaps most kinds of cancer have something to do with what people eat

C. cancer was discovered in 1945

D. science has made food unfit to eat

（2）Things that are used to keep colors in meat are _________.

[　　]

（3）All the additives ________.

[　　]

A. are bright and colorless

B. are not bright and colorful

C. have indirect effects on our health

D. have direct effects on our health

（4）People use additives ________.

[　　]

A. to make food more unfit to eat

B. to improve the color and taste of the food

C. to change color of the food

D. to rake off the disease of the food

（5）Which of the following is not true?

[　　]

A. Some wrappings of food are harmful

B. Farmers try to make more money on the market by fattening their animals

C. “The practice continues” means “things are still going on like that”.

D. We needn't take care of what we eat.

阅读理解

　　Recent studies show that the earth is getting warmer. The scientists who carried out the studies say a large amount-of CO₂ in the atmosphere is the reason for the warming. CO₂ is the gas which humans and animals give off when they are breathing. It is also produced when coal, oil and other things are burnt. Scientists have warned that this kind of burning is adding too much CO₂ to the atmosphere（大气）. They believe the gas acts like a green house--the grass-topped building used to grow plants in cold weather. They say the gas is like the grass roof（房顶）of a green house, which lets in sunlight, but stops heat from running away. As a result, they say the earth becomes warmer.

　　One of these scientists, Dr. Hansen, says the weather will become so hot that some rivers will dry up. On the other hand, satellite pictures show us there is less ice in the Antarctic（南极洲）during the summer time than in earlier years. The heat would turn all the ice at both ends of the earth into water, making the oceans rise five to seven meters higher than they are now.

（1）The weather is getting warmer because ________.

[　　]

A. there are too many humans and animals on the earth.

B. a lot of heat has been produced by burning of some materials

C. the sun has given more heat in recent years

D. there is a large amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere

（2）Farmers is cold weather build some greenhouses to ________.

[　　]

A. keep warm in winter

B. get some more sunlight

C. get some heat to plant some vegetables

D. stop some vegetables from shining

（3）Too much CO₂ makes the earth warmer than before because ________.

[　　]

A. it can give heat to the earth

B. it can stop heat from running away

C. it can take in heat from the sun

D. it can make the atmosphere dirty

（4）According to the view of Dr. Hansen, some day in the future _______.

[　　]

A. all rivers on the earth will dry up

B. the water level on land will rise five to seven meters higher

C. all ice in the Antarctic will turn into water

D. all ice on the earth will turn into water

（5）what do you think the best way to keep the earth from getting warmer?

[　　]

A. Many animals should he killed.

B. Many kinds of materials should be used again

C. The growing population should be controlled.

D. Something must be done to stop air pollution.

阅读理解　　

Our eating habits are very important for good health and a strong body. There are times when most of us would rather eat sweets and ice-cream than meat and rice. Sweets and ice-cream are not bad for the stomach if we eat them at the end of a meal. If we eat them before a meal, they may take away our appetite (胃口). It's important for us to eat our meals at the same time each day. When we feel hungry, it's said that our body needs food. When we feel angry or excited we may not want to eat. Along time ago, in England, some judges used to decide whether a man was telling the truth by giving him some dry bread. If the man could not swallow (吞) the bread, it was a sign that he wasn't telling the truth. He was telling lies. Although this seems very strange and foolish, it is in deed an excellent way of finding out the truth. A man who is worrying about something has difficulty in swallowing anything dry. Because he is worrying, he loses his appetite and does not want to eat.

(1)Why do we want to develop good eating habits? Because we want to ________.

[　　]

(2)It's good to eat sweets and ice-cream ________.

[　　]

A. after the meal

B. before the meal

C. when we are hungry

D. when we want to

(3)We had better have our meals ________.

[　　]

A. at any lime each day

B. at regular time each day

C. when our work is over

D. when the meal is ready

(4)According to judges in old England, if a man tells a lie, he can ________.

[　　]

A. eat or drink wine

B. eat a lot of dry bread

C. hardly eat dry bread

D. swallow dry bread easily

(5)The best title of the passage is ________.

[　　]

A. Anger and Health

B. Food and Health

C. Good Appetite

D. Poor Appetite

阅读理解

Dear Wei and Li Lan,

　　Hi from Canada! We are having a wonderful holiday. We haven't seen a bear yet, but there are bears and deer in the forests around the lake where we're staying. The bears often go to the rubbish dump to look for food scraps. Perhaps we'll go sightseeing at the dump! We will need to be careful because bears are quite dangerous. They will attack if you surprise them, so people carry bells when they are out walking or biking to warn the bears away.

　　On our first night we saw an amazing fireworks show. It doesn't get dark here until 10 o'clock, so it was a really late night for us.

　　Last night we rode in a gondola 2,000 metres to the top of Whistler Mountain. It was like floating in a glass bubble; so peaceful and still. The city lights were beautiful.

　　Today we canoed around the lake, and had a very short swim. It was freezing. The weather has been sunny, but not like the weather at home.

　　Bye for now. We will be home next week. 

Lingnan

(1)According to Lingnan, bears are the most dangerous when they _______.

[　　]

A．hear bells ringing

B．are disturbed by deer

C．are surprised by people

D．are searching for food scraps

(2)Lingnan went to bed very late on the first night because he had ________.

[　　]

A．been riding in a gondola

B．just arrived in Canada

C．spent all day canoeing

D．been watching a fireworks display

(3)Lingnan only swam for a short time because _________.

[　　]

A．the water was very cold

B．the weather wasn't sunny

C．he was thinking of home

D．it was night time

(4)From this postcard, the reader can tell that Lingnan ________.

[　　]

A．is staying at the top of Whistler Mountain

B．wants to move to Canada

C．is enjoying his holiday

D．is travelling with Wei Han and Li Lan

(5)The reader can assume that the weather "t home" is ________.

[　　]

A．freezing and cloudy

B．sunny and warm

C．sunny but freezing

D．cloudy but warm

阅读理解

　　For many people the subject of hiccups (嗝) is a joke, but for Harry Mendis, a fifteen-year-old schoolboy from Birmingham, it was something quite different.

　　His hiccups began one Sunday lunchtime and continued day and night for two weeks. After the first week, Harry's parents took him to hospital, but it took another week for the doctors to cure his attack.

　　Harry, who,is now back at school, described what happened to him.

　　"When I began to hiccup, I drank a glass of water but that didn't do any good．That evening I had hiccups every four seconds. We tried everything to stop them. I held my breath and drank cold drinks. My father even tried to give me a shock hut that didn't work either."

　　After a week of sleepless nights, he went to hospital. The doctors took an X-my of his chest but they couldn't find anything wrong.

　　"They gave me some medicine and my hiccups slowed down, but it was another week before the medicine worked completely and my hiccups stopped．"

　　Harry was very lucky. The world record holder is the American farmer Charles Osborne, who hiccuped for sixty-eight years. He stopped in 1990 at last, but nobody knows why.

(1)Harry's hiccups lasted _______.

[　　]

(2)His hiccups started after he ________.

[　　]

A．drank a glass of water

B．went to hospital

C．ate an Indian meal

D．finished his homework

(3)His parents decided to take him to hospital when he _______.

[　　]

A．hiccuped for four seconds

B．held his breath

C．hiccuped at night

D．couldn't stop hiccuping

(4)His hiccups completely stopped one week after the doctor

[　　]

A．gave him some medicine

B．took an X-ray of his chest

C．gave him a shock

D．let him drink cold drinks

(5)What does “shock” in this passage mean?

[　　]

阅读理解

　　To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But actually the umbrella was not invented for the protection against rain. Its first use was a shade against the sun.

　　Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were Chinese, back in the eleventh century B. C.

　　We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use. it became a symbol of honor and authority. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royalty or those in high office.

　　In Europe the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.

　　During the Middle Ages, the use of umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And the umbrella was considered as a symbol of power and authority. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France, and later in England.

　　By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrella have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that women's umbrella began to be made in different colors.

（1）According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented _______.

[　　]

A. in ancient times

B. in ancient Greece

C. in ancient Egypt

D. in ancient Rome.

（2）Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?

[　　]

A. No one exactly knows the inventor of the umbrella.

B. The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.

C. The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century.

D. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella.

（3）Strange feature of the umbrella's use is that it was used as _______.

[　　]

A. protection against rain

B. a shade against the sun

C. a symbol of honor and power

D. women's decoration

（4）In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain _________.

[　　]

A. during the Middle Ages

B. in Rome

C. by the eighteenth century

D. in Greece

（5）This passage is mainly about _______.

[　　]

A. when and how the umbrella was invented

B. why the umbrella was so popular in Europe

C. the development of the umbrella

D. the history and use of the umbrella

阅读理解

　　Mr. Scott was born in a poor family. His father was blind and his mother was missing after he was born. It was difficult for his father to bring him up. With their friends' help, he grew up and now works in a shop. He can't forget his terrible past and thanks the kind and he tries his best to help the poor though he isn't rich enough himself.

　　He passes a crossing every morning on his way to the shop. And he always sees an old man with black glasses begging at the corner. In front of him there's a dog on whose neck hangs a board with the words written on it “I am blind”. He has pity on the poor man and gives some money to him.

　　Yesterday evening Mrs. Scott felt terrible and he had to send her to a hospital. The doctor looked her over carefully and told her to take some medicine. She didn't feel better until two in the night. As soon as they got home, he lay down and fell asleep. And when he woke up in the morning, the sun had risen. He got up quickly, Without breakfast he hurried to the shop by bike. And he didn't stop at the crossing for the first time. Having seen this, the blind man stood up and called out, “You've forgotten to give me money.”

　　“Aren't you blind！”Mr. Scott asked in surprise.

　　“No, I'm not, sir” said the man, “but my dog is.”

（1）Mr. Scott tries his best to help the poor because ________.

[　　]

A. he was born in a poor family

B. he was helped when he was young

C. he's kind-hearted

D. he can't forget his terrible past

（2）The meaning of the word “blind” is _________.

[　　]

A. not able to hear

B. not able to see

C. not able to speak

D. not able to stand

（3）The old man brings the dog with him in order that _________.

[　　]

A. it can lead the way

B. it's blind

C. he feels lonely

D. it can help him beg more money

（4）From the passage we know “I'm blind” refers to ________.

[　　]

（5）Mr. Scott hurries to work this morning because ________.

[　　]

A. he was afraid to be late to get to the shop

B. he went to bed late last night

C. something was wrong with his wife

D. he had something important to do

What Will Future Be like?

我们的未来会怎么样?

    提到人类未来的生活将会怎样，我想一千个人对此会有一千种不同的看法，但不外乎就是两种态度——乐观的或是悲观的。地球的未来究竟会怎样?科学家们的猜测也许是这样的……

  　Some experts are pessimistic when they think about the future. They say that，by then the population of the world will have doubled. We will have run out of many essential resources like oil and coal．We may have even run out of water to drink．Some experts believe that there will be no land left，because of the overcrowding．

    Others are far more optimistic．They say that life will be better than it is today．We may be living in better buildings and leading better lives than we are today．Life will certainly have become more mechanized．Machines will be doing many jobs that people do today．People will no longer be able to learn only one job in their life time．They will have to learn several．Perhaps a station will be built on the moon．People will be able to visit the moon as travelers. They may even spend their holidays in space，traveling by spaceship．

    Many people never think about the future．“I don't care．I'll be dead．”they say．But it is our duty to care because the world of that time will be the one of our children's children and their children after them.

    Notes

    pessimistic  adj．悲观的　　　　　　    double v．翻一番；增倍

essential adj．必要的；不可缺的　　　　 overcrowding n．拥挤

optimistic adj．乐观的；有信心的　　　　　　    mechanize v．机械化

    Comprehension questions

1．Some people are pessimistic about the future；others have a different idea about it．That is to say，”she said．

    Comprehension question：

    In what way has Dr．Gao Yaojie helped the orphans with AIDS?

2．Oil，coal，water and forest are essential _________．

3．The _________of the world will be so large that we will have to use all the land for housing．