阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be a simple fact? Do you argue whether it's cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than speed limit?

　　If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant's trunk said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant's side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear as he touched the animal's tusk. The fourth, who took hold of the elephant's tail insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked like a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant's legs. The sixth, who was tall and got hold of the elephant's ears, said it was like a huge fan.

　　 Each man's idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a“simple fact”, it's often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.

　　To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a“simple fact”, try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls, put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water in the third. Now put your left hand in the ice water. Put your right hand in the hot water. After thirty seconds, put both hands in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it's hot!

1．What makes people think about simple facts differently?

[　　]

A．The fact that simple facts differ from one another.

B．The fact that people have different experience in the same simple fact.

C．The fact that people often disagree with one another.

D．The fact that it's hard to make up one's mind about simple facts.

2．Which of the following temperature is the closest to the meaning of the word“lukewarm”in the last paragraph?

A．Above 0℃.　　　　　　B．Above 40℃.

C．Above 20℃.　　　　　　D．Below 0℃.

3．The writer's advice is that _____.

[　　]

A．we should never think about simple facts

B．we should never judge something with a one-sided view

C．we should not agree about simple facts

D．we must learn from the six blind men

4．After reading the last paragraph, we may think of _____.

[　　]

A．Newton's law

B．Galileo's theory of falling objects

C．Einstein's theory of relativity

D．Marx's On Capital

5．What's the main idea of this passage?

[　　]

A．People often judge something according to his own experience.

B．People often agree about simple facts.

C．It's hard for a person to make up his mind about a simple fact.

D．Don't care too much about simple facts.

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　In the UK, a group of campaigners (活动家) have declared the last Saturday in November as National Buy Nothing Day.“Our message is clear; shop less, live more!”says organizer Michael Smith.“The challenge is to try simple living for a day. Spend time with family and friends, rather than spending money on them. Anyone can take part, provided they spend a day without spending.”

　　On Buy Nothing Day, they take to the streets to tackle consumers. They dress as pigs to symbolize greed. They offer to cut up credit cards and hand out shopping bags with the words“another useless thing I don't need”written on the side. Some hold street parties to show shoppers that it is possible to have fun without spending money. Others go into shops and put notes saying“Don't buy me”inside clothes and shoes.

　　Some protestors (抗议者) are working against powerful forces. Many retailers (零售商) and manufactures depend on Christmas sales for most of their profits. Around two thirds of GDP in the West is made up of consumer spending. If this drops, many people will lose their jobs. At least that will make it easier for them to buy nothing.

　　And there is also the risk that campaigners will be seen as killjoys, who want to stop people enjoying　themselves.“There's a fun side to this,”says Michael Smith,“To some it's a protest, but it's also a street party. We're not saying that people are had because they go shopping, but we need get the message across for people to consume wisely. And after we're finished, we'll probably go for a drink.”

1．Why do a group of people in the UK choose Saturday as National Buy Nothing Day?

[　　]

A．Because they have enough food at their homes.

B．Because they have run out of money at that time.

C．Because it is the season for shopping.

D．Because it's popular to live a simple life.

2．In order to persuade people to stop shopping, the campaigners _____.

[　　]

A．stop people going out

B．have different ways to make it

C．offer goods to people freely

D．play tricks on consumers

3．The underlined word“killjoys”in the last paragraph refers to people who _____.

[　　]

A．bring happiness to others

B．get money from shopkeepers

C．ruin the happiness and fun of others

D．take no interest in shopping

4．The campaigners started National Buy Nothing Day for the purpose of _____.

[　　]

A．persuading people to kill time in a different way

B．persuading people to save money

C．persuading people to have more parties

D．persuading people to spend money wisely

阅读理解

　　The Norwegian Government is doing its best to keep the growth of the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline; production limits have been laid down(though these have already been raised); and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the Government will be able to hold things back for long. As one Norwegian politician said last week:“We will soon be changed beyond all recognition.”

　　Ever since the war, the Government has been carrying out a program of development in the area of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this program has had a great deal of success: Tromso has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a heavy Industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.

　　The effects of the development of the oil Industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100-percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will 10se most of their workers to the oil industries. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.

　　The real government over oil is its threat to the Norwegian way of life. Farmers and fishermen do not make up the majority of the population but they are an important part of it because Norwegians see in them many of the qualities that they regard with pride as essentially Norwegian. And it is the farmers and the fishermen who are most critical of the oil industry because of the damage that it might cause to the countryside and to the sea.

1．The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to _____.

[　　]

A．slow down its rate of development

B．provide more jobs for Norwegians

C．look for oil on the southern coast

D．develop more quickly than at present

2．What has the Norwegian Government's policy been for the area north of the Arctic Circle since the war?

[　　]

A．To prevent a growth in population.

B．To improve facilities in the area.

C．To develop a large tourist industry.

D．To discourage industrial development.

3．What might be the effect of the oil industry on Northem Norway?

[　　]

A．The development of Industry.

B．A growth in population.

C．The failure of the development program.

D．The development of new towns.

4．In Norway, one effect of the development of the oil industry might be _____.

[　　]

A．a large reduction in unemployment

B．an increase in unemployment in the north

C．a reduction in the number of existing industry

D．the development of a number of existing industries

阅读理解

　　One of the strongest arguments for the raising of the school leaving age(ROSLA)has been that it will bring us some way nearer to“equality of opportunity”.

　　Many people like to think of our present system of schooling as providing plenty of steps up the ladder of success for clever children. It would be good to think that no one who is really bright can be missed out when the state system is obviously so complete. It is obvious, for instance，that many children from less wealthy homes reach university or do well in other ways.

　　Unfortunately we now have plenty of proofs that many children of every level of ability do much less well than they could. For instance，during the years of national military service it was possible to test the intelligence(智力)of all male 18-to-20-year-olds. Half of those soldiers who were placed in the two highest ability groups had left school at 15.

　　It has also been shown that the percentage of working class children going to university is almost the same now as it was in 1939. One study of 5000 children from birth to 21 years old shows that up to half the bright pupils from working class homes left school when they reached 16 years old. Moreover, there is no difference in intelligence between the sexes, but far more boys than girls stay in education after 16.

　　It is clear from this and many other proofs that many children are still leaving school too early to benefit from the prizes--money，social respectability, and interesting jobs--which higher education gives. It is clear too that the reasons why such children leave have much to do with their social background. Their parents often need the extra money another money-earner would bring in；they don't value education for itself because their own was probably dull and unhappy. It is not so much that they force their sons and daughters to leave school, rather that they tend to say,“it's up to you”.

1．It is hoped that ROSLA will give all children _____.

[　　]

A．a more enjoyable time at school

B．the same chances in society

C．the right to a better school

D．higher scores in intelligence tests

2．People would like to think that _____.

[　　]

A．equal numbers of poor and wealthy children reach university

B．those with the least money get the best education

C．intelligent children are always selected by the system

D．only really clever children do well

3．Working class children are thought to be at a disadvantage because _____.

[　　]

A．many of the clever ones leave school early

B．fewer go to university than ever before

C．more than half leave school when they are 16

D．fewer boys than girls stay at school after 16

4．Many children leave school early because _____.

[　　]

A．their social background makes them unhappy

B．they have to give something to their family's income

C．their school is a dull and unhappy place

D．their parents don't allow them to make their own decisions

5．This article shows that equal opportunity in education _____.

[　　]

A．is a thing of the past

B．has not yet been achieved

C．is there for those who deserve(值得拥有)it

D．has greatly improved our society

阅读理解

　　Peter Fern was mad on mountains. Climbing was the love of his life. Church towers, seaside cliffs, rock faces, ice, mountains, anything--“If it's there,”he used to say,“then I want to climb it.”So the news of his marriage gave me a surprise. I'd never known him to take much interest in girls. Well, Peter Fern, a married man! I couldn't get over it. I wondered whether his wife would try to stop some of his risky adventures.

　　She was French，perhaps--from that place where he usually spent his holidays．Chamonix, wasn't it?

　　From Chamonix he's climbed Mont Blanc on his seventeenth birthday，and one of the Aifuilles the day after! That was it, then; she was French, from a family, most of whom like climbing. No doubt. No doubt. No other explanation.

　　A month ago I met them both in town. Anna surprised me because she was English. She was a dancer in the theatre.“Never climbed more than sixty steps in my life,”she told me.“Peter has his interests, and I've got mine. No problems.”“None at all.”Peter said, smiling.“Where did you spend your honeymoon(蜜月)?”“I flew to New York to see the drake Dancers on Broadway. A wonderful show.”Peter said,“Didn't want to miss the good weather. So I went to Switzerland and climbed the north face of the Eiger with Allen Dunlop. Great fun, the Eiger. Grand place for a honeymoon! I'll show you the photographs we took one day.”

1．“Peter was mad on mountains,”means _____.

[　　]

A．he became crazy because of climbing mountains

B．he was angry on mountains

C．he lost his senses on mountains

D．he enjoyed climbing mountains very much

2．The underlined“his risky adventures”means _____.

[　　]

A．expensive adventures

B．dangerous adventures

C．terrible adventures

D．unkind adventures

3．According to the passage, after Peter's marriage _____.

[　　]

A．he would stop mountain climbing because his wife didn't like it

B．his wife would stop him from mountain climbing

C．he himself would give up his love

D．Peter would continue to keep his love and so he did

4．The writer had thought the only reason why Peter married was that the girl _____.

[　　]

A．might be French living near the mountain，and from a mountaineer family

B．would not stop his climbing

C．perhaps came from French

D．might live near the mountain

5．Peter and Anna's marriage is probably _____.

[　　]

A．a failure because neither of them likes the other

B．happy because each of them respects the other's love

C．painful because either of them would do one's own thing

D．a mistake because either of them wouldn't care the other's love

阅读理解

　　FOREIGN EXCHANGE

　　A CLASS OF THEIR OWN

　　Name: Susan Lane

　　Age: 22

　　Place: Reykjavik, Iceland, 1994

　　Cost: $7000

　　Organization: AFS

　　Experience:“I think it was a turning point in my life. I began to understand more about my own culture by experiencing another culture and seeing how other people live.”

　　Name: Sara Small

　　Age: 23

　　Place: Crivitz, Germany, 1996

　　Cost: $8000

　　Organization: EF Foundation

　　Experience:“I loved the travelling and I made a lot of friends. I found the European school system to be hard but I am fluent now in German so it was worth it. I did miss my family and friends in Australia but I would love to do it again.”

　　Name: Leanne Smythe

　　Age: 20

　　Place: Minnesota, America, 1994

　　Cost: $6000

　　Organization: Southern Cross Cultural Exchange

　　Experience:“I learnt how to be really responsible. It was great to be on my own and I got on really well with the family I was with. I will definitely go back one day.”

　　Name: David Links

　　Age: 16

　　Place: Stuttgart, Germany, 1996

　　Cost: $6000

　　Organization: Southern Cross Cultural Exchange

　　Experience:“I wanted to try something that was very different to Australia in culture. In Germany everything was different but I soon got settled. The family I was with were great and I really feel as though I have a second family.”

　　Name: Tom Jennings

　　Age: 21

　　Place: Conflans, France, 1995

　　Cost: $7000

　　Organization: Southern Cross Cultural Exchange

　　Experience:“There were times when it was difficult but I liked it, experiencing a different culture. You just have to play each situation as it comes. If there is one thing you learn when you are on a student-exchange program it is how to take care of yourself.”

　　Name: Linda Marks

　　Age: 19

　　Place: Chonburi Province, Thailand, 1994

　　Cost: $3500

　　Organization: Rotary International

　　Experience: “It's like a roller-coaster ride, there are lots of ups and downs, but you always come back for more. I had a few problems but there was always someone to turn to and that was great.”

1．The students who refer to both the good time and bad time include _____.

[　　]

A．Susan Lane and Sara Small

B．Linda Marks and David Links

C．Tom Jennings and Linda Marks

D．Leanne Smythe and Tom Jennings

2．The writing above would probably be _____.

[　　]

A．the records of students' activities

B．the foreign students' name cards

C．the notice about a visit to foreign countries

D．the advertisement from an international travel service

3．The student who valued learning another language was _____.

[　　]

A．Linda Marks　　　　B．Sara Small

C．Tom Jennings　　　 D．Leanne Smythe

4．How many students mentioned the culture difference they have experienced?

[　　]

A．Three.　　　B．Four.

C．Five.　　　 D．Six.

阅读理解

　　“I've changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my daddy back.”Lucien Lawrence's letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched every heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.

　　But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone，you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too, in your mind and in your heart. I find that my parents, long dead now, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself, that I couldn't wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all Mother said was“I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!”I haven't forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.

　　It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors(挑衅者), and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It's a serious thought, one to give me pause.

　　I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night，that ancient cry of a poet“Deliver my soul from the sword(剑), and my darling from the power of the dog.”Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I'm sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure．If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true，there might be fewer knives on our streets today.

1．According to the whole text, the first paragraph _____.

[　　]

A．puts forward the subject of the text

B．shows the author's pity on the kid

C．acts as an introduction to the discussion

D．makes a clear statement of the author's views

2．In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us _____.

[　　]

A．how much he misses his parents now

B．why his parents often appear in his dream

C．when Lucien will get over his sadness

D．how proud he was when he succeeded in life

3．What feelings did the author's mother express in her reply?

[　　]

A．Proud.　　　　　 B．Happy.

C．Disappointed.　　D．Worried.

4．In the author's opinion, the value of a person's life is _____.

[　　]

A．to leave behind a precious memory to the people related

B．to care about what others will remember and treasure

C．to have a high sense of duty to the whole society

D．to share happiness and sadness with his family

5．What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?

[　　]

A．Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns.

B．Advise parents stay with their children safely at home.

C．Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death.

D．Try to keep violence and murder far away from society.

阅读理解

　　There seems never to have been a civilization(文明) without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.

　　In the ancient world, as is today, most boys play with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are strictly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.

　　What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. It is the universality of toys about their development in all parts of the world and their continuing to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

　　Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to (服从于) technological progress that characterizes inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of advancement. The progress from a rattle(拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of materials then ready for use.

1．The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that _____.

[　　]

A．their social roles are strictly determined

B．most boys would like to follow their father's jobs

C．boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers

D．they like challenging activities

2．“The universality of toys”lies in the fact that _____.

[　　]

A．technological advances have greatly improved the making of toys

B．the improvement of techniques in making toys depends on the efforts of universities

C．the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys

D．the basic characteristics of toys are the same world over

3．Regarded as a kind of art form，toys _____.

[　　]

A．follow a direct line of development

B．also greatly interest adults

C．are not characterized by progress in technology

D．show the pace of social progress

4．The author used the example of a rattle to show that _____.

[　　]

A．in toy-making there is a continuity in the use of materials

B．even the simplest toys can show the progress of technology

C．it often takes a long time to introduce new technology into toy-making

D．even a simple toy can mirror the artistic tastes of the time

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　We had hardly got above the clouds over the airport when a calm voice said over the loudspeaker:“For technical reasons we shall be returning immediately to London Airport. Please keep your seatbelts fastened.”

　　I was rather surprised and glanced at the old lady next to me. She had been very chatty while we were waiting to take off.

　　“I'm going to New York to visit some relatives there. I always sleep wonderfully welt whenever I get into a plane.”she had told me.

　　And indeed, she seemed to he in a very deep sleep already.

　　Just then a passenger behind me shouted,“Oh, my God! The wing's on fire.”

　　I looked out of the window and my blood froze. Smoke and flames were pouring out of one of the engines. The plane was already turning and losing altitude fast.

　　“What's happening? Are we going to crash?”an American in front of me demanded.

　　The cabin crew were already moving up and down the aisle (走道), reassuring (安慰) people, saying things like,“It's just all right. There's no need to worry. Now, if you just sit still, everything will be all right. Don't get up. Don't get upset.”

　　I looked out again. The ground was rushing up at us with shocking speed. We were already so low that I could make out cars and even people.

“It's only a slight emergency,”a stewardess told me with a tense smile.

Suddenly there was a sickening bump and we were rushing along the runway at a terrifying speed. The brakes screeched (发出尖锐刺耳的声音). The engines roared even more loudly. We came to a trembling stop. The cabin crew quickly opened the emergency exits and the passengers began sliding down huge, stocking-like chutes (滑道) to the ground. A fire engine was already putting out the fire in one engine. I had to shake the old lady violently to wake her up.

　　“What's wrong? Surely the journey isn't over already! I mean, have we got to New York?”she asked sleepily.

1．When did the emergency occur?

[　　]

A．We are not told.

B．Just before the plane landed in New York.

C．Shortly after the plane took off.

D．Sometime in the middle of the flight.

2．What does the underlined word“altitude”(in Paragraph 6) refer to?

[　　]

A．Height above sea-level.

B．Place or area high above sea-level.

C．Way of thinking or behaving.

D．Way of positioning the body.

3．What would be the best title for the text?

[　　]

A．An unpleasant flight.

B．An interesting experience.

C．An unforgettable experience.

D．Brave cabin crew.

4．When they landed, the old lady _____.

[　　]

A．was one of the first to get out

B．asked when they were going on lo New York

C．was shaking violently with fear

D．was not even sure where they were

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　Now the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.

　　Baloney is a kind of sausage that many Americans eat often. The word also has another meaning in English. It is used to describe something, usually something someone says that is false or wrong or foolish. Baloney sausage comes from a name of the Italian city Balonia. The city is famous for its sausage, a mixture of smoked, spiced meat from cows and pigs.

　　But baloney sausage does not taste the same as beef or pork alone. Some language experts think this different taste is responsible for the birth of the expression“baloney”.“Baloney”is an idea or statement that is nothing like the truth. In the same way that baloney sausage tastes nothing like the meat that is used to make it.

　　“Baloney”is a word often used by politicians to describe the ideas of their opponents. The expression has been used for years. Fifty years ago, a former governor of New York State, Alfred Smith, criticized some claims by President Franklin Roosevelt about the successes of the Roosevelt administration. Smith said,“No matter how thin you slice it, it is still baloney.”

　　A similar word has almost the same meaning as“baloney”. It even sounds almost the same. The word is“blarney”. It began in Ireland about 1600. The lord of blarney castle near Cork agreed to surrender the castle to British troops. But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender. And he made them sound like very good excuses. This is just more of the saying“blarney”.

　　The Irish castle now is famous for its Blarney Stone. Kissing the stone is thought to give a person special powers of speech. One who has kissed the Blarney Stone, so the story goes, can speak words of praise so smoothly and sweetly that you believe them even when you know they are false.

　　A former Roman Catholic bishop of New York City Fortin Shin once explained,“Baloney is prayed so thick it cannot be true, and blarney is prayed so thin we like it.”

　　Another expression is“pulling the wool over someone's eyes”. It means to make someone believe something that is not true. The expression goes back to the days when men wore false hair or wigs similar to those worn by judges today in British courts. The word“wool”was a popular joking work for hair. If you pull the man's wig over his eyes he could not see what was happening. Today, when you pull the wool over someone's eyes he cannot see the truth.

1．Which city does the Baloney sausage come from?

[　　]

A．Italian city.　　　　　　B．American city.

C．British city.　　　　　　D．Canadian city.

2．What kinds of meat is the Balonia's sausage from?

[　　]

A．Cows and dogs.　　　　　　B．Cows and pigs.

C．Cows and sheep.　　　　　　D．Pigs and sheep.

3．What is the meaning of“baloney”in the passage?

[　　]

A．It's a kind of sausage.

B．It's a mixture of smoked, spiced meat from cows and pigs.

C．It's an idea or statement that is nothing like the truth.

D．It's nothing but meat.

4．What is the Irish Castle famous for?

[　　]

A．Blarney Stone.　　　　　　B．Special Power of speech.

C．Sausage.　　　　　　　　D．Catholic bishop.