Midsummer was the festival throughout most of England, most of Scotland, Shetland Islands, and the Orkneys. Fires, dancing, games, and various shenanigans（胡闹）were the general rule on this “longest day of the year”. But the festival has lost some of its color in the passing centuries.

　　By the 1680s, British folklorist（民俗学家）John Aubrey reported that “still in many places, they make fires on the hills: but the Civil War in Britain in the 1640s have put all these customs quite out of fashion”.

　　Thousands of years ago, builders of Stonehenge（巨石阵）no doubt celebrated their own midsummer festival among the stones. More recently a British group called the Ancient Order of Druids, founded in 178l by Hurle, suggested celebrating the festival on June 21 every year at the site. In the later years this day attracted huge crowds. Bread and wine, candles, bells, incense （熏香）, and priests（神甫）in white and purple shared wine from a silver cup as the midsummer sun shone across the old stones. It remained a local festival for a long time in history. In the mid-1980s, vandalism（故意破坏艺术的行为）and unruly people imperiled （危害）the festival's future.

(1)Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

[　　]

(2)What can we learn about the festival?

[　　]

A．It is no longer celebrated on earth.

B．It used to be a festival celebrated worldwide.

C．It is the longest day of the year.

D．It changed its nature in the Civil War.

(3)Stonehenge is a place ________.

[　　]

A．where Midsummer was first celebrated

B．where there are old stone figures

C．where the Ancient Order of Druids was set up

D．where Midsummer is celebrated

(4)The underlined word“unruly”means ________.

[　　]

　　Elephants don't forget -- at least, female elephants don't, elephant families are matriarchal. And the social knowledge gained by the oldest females is the key to a family group's survival （生存）, according to a study published in April by Karen McComb, a biologist at Sussex University in England.

　　Elephants announce their presence by making a deep, long sound, a practice referred to as contact calling （联络呼叫）. An unfamiliar call may mean that an elephant from outside the family group is nearby. A stranger can cause trouble, interrupting feeding or disturbing the young. So an elephant matriarch signals the family to gather around her; then they all lift their trunks in the air to smell the unfamiliar caller. False alarms can disturb the group and take time and energy away from feeding, so survival may depend in part on getting it right.

　　Working with Cynthia Moss, who founded the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya 30 years ago, McComb tested the social knowledge of 21 Amboseli elephant families with matriarchs 27 to 67 years old. She played recordings of contact calls to each family and found that the oldest matriarchs were much better at picking out unfamiliar calls. In fact, a group with a matriarch in her fifties was several thousand times more likely to form into a group upon hearing an unfamiliar contact call than when hearing a familiar call. However, families with younger matriarchs were less than twice as likely to gather together upon hearing an unfamiliar contact call as compared with a familiar call. And they gathered together a lot. Moreover, the social knowledge of older matriarchs translated into favourable results: Families with older matriarchs produced more baby elephants in each female--reproductive year.

　　This finding shows how difficult it is to protect the oldest members of elephant families. As elephants age, they continue to grow larger, as do their much wanted tusks （象牙）. So the older--and wise--a matriarch is, the greater the chance she will be killed. About 800,000 elephants have been killed by people in the past 20 years.

(1) What does the underlined word “matriarch” mean?

[　　]

A．An old member of an elephant family.

B．A female head of an elephant family.

C．A wise elephant.

D．A large elephant.

(2) When do elephants form into a group?

[　　]

A．When they are feeding the young.

B．When they see a familiar elephant.

C．When they are giving birth to baby elephant.

D．When the leading elephant gives out a warning.

(3) The research with recordings of contact calls shows ________.

[　　]

A．how fast elephants form into groups

B．how important the age of a leading elephant is

C．how frightened elephants are when hearing a strange call

D．how frequently old elephants call other members of the family

(4) The older a female elephant is, ________.

[　　]

A．the stronger she will be

B．the poorer memory she will have

C．the more useless her tusks will be

D．the more likely she will be killed

(5) We can infer from the passage that elephants may ________.

[　　]

A．run into other elephant families

B．give wrong warnings to their mothers

C．run away upon hearing a strange sound

D．produce more babies by gathering together more often

　　Snake dishes have become popular in recent years. Snake meat in various flavours is often seen in restaurant ads. It seems that eating snake is now in vogue （盛行）, and if you haven't eaten snake yet, you are considered “out of date”. But I wonder whether all of the trends are worth following.

　　Some people may defend themselves by saying that snake meat is nutritious （有营养的）. But these people don't realize that mice and worms often comprise a snake's diet, therefore, there are many parasites （寄生虫） found inside snakes. Thus they may do harm to our health. Apart from this, I'm sorry to see that more and more snakes are being killed by man's cruel knife.

　　According to the English newspaper Shanghai Star, about 1,000 tons of snakes are eaten every year in China. In Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, sometimes as many as 10 tons of snakes are served on dinner tables in a single day.

　　These figures alert us that if we still turn blind eyes to this continuous movements against snakes, a vicious cycle （恶性循环） will be created. If more snakes are eaten by people, the number of snakes will drop, which will make an increase in mice and worms population, which will result in a decrease of crop output. This will make more people hungry.

　　Who will see such tragedy happen?

　　So let's start not to eat snakes any more because “to protect the snake is to protect our selves”.

(1) This passage tries to advise people ________.

[　　]

A．to keep ourselves healthy

B．to protect snakes and not to eat them

C．to protect mice and worms

D．not to eat mice and worms

(2) The parasites in the snake come from ________.

[　　]

(3) What will happen if we continue eating snakes?

[　　]

A．More snakes will be eaten.

B．A vicious cycle will be created.

C．More people will turn blind eyes to it.

D．Mice will damage the crops.

(4) The vicious cycle may be like this: ________.

[　　]

A．more snakes → more mice and worms → less crop output

B．less snakes → more mice and worms → more crop output

C．less snakes → more mice and worms → less crop output

D．more snakes → less mice and worms → more crop output

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

[　　]

A．Snake Meat in Various Flavours

B．Protect the Snake Is to Protect Ourselves

C．Eating Snakes in Vogue

D．Let's Not Eat Snakes Any More

　　1970 was the World Conservation Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger. They hoped that governments would act quickly to conserve nature. Here is one example of the problems. At one time there were 1,300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland, but now only 860 remain. The others have been destroyed by modern man and his technology. We are changing the earth, the air, the water and everything that grows and lives. We can't live without these things. If we continue like this, we shall destroy ourselves.

　　What will happen in the future? Perhaps it is more important to ask “What must we do now?” The people who will be living in the world of tomorrow are the young people today. A lot of them know that conservation is necessary. Many are helping to save our world. They plant trees, build bridges across rivers in forests, and so on. In a small town in the United States a large group of girls cleaned the 11-kilometre-long banks of their river. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called “No One's Going to Change Our World”. It was made by the Scatles, Cliff Richard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve wild animals.

(1) There are fewer plants, trees and flowers in Holland now because ________.

[　　]

A．there has been a lot of conservation in Holland

B．Holland does not need so many plants, trees and flowers

C．many plants, trees and flowers do not grow there any longer

D．some plants, trees and flowers are dangerous

(2) We shall destroy ourselves if we change ________.

[　　]

(3) What is the most important thing for us to do to save our world?

[　　]

A．We should plant more trees and flowers.

B．We should clean the banks of our rivers.

C．We should know what will happen in the future.

D．We should know what we must do and begin to do it now.

(4) “No One's Going to Change Our World” was ________.

[　　]

A．an important book published in 1970

B．an idea that nobody would accept

C．a record calling on people to conserve nature

D．a rule worked out by the United States

(5)  What's the main idea of the passage?

[　　]

A．1970 was the World Conservation Year.

B．The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger.

C．Conservation is necessary.

D．It is the young people who are helping to save our world.

　　Hotlines have become common in China. Some radio broadcasting stations use hotlines to encourage the listeners to take part in the talk shows.

　　That's a good idea. Yet, the fact is, some people do nothing but break the whole programme.

　　Some people know little about the topic under discussion. Sometimes they do not even know what the host（主持人）is talking about. So the host has to tell the caller what the show is about. Usually the caller will ask a few questions which express his hope and show his ignorance（无知）. Then the host has to answer and explain--how silly this is! It waste a lot of time.

　　It seems that some people phone the hotlines in fun. They just want to let the listeners hear them. They don't care what the topic is, whether they themselves are interested in or how silly they appear to be.

　　I'm totally bored by those people. It's necessary for radio stations to improve the hotline programmes. In my opinion, if a caller doesn't know what is going on, the operator should not let the caller take part in it.

(1) The sentence,“Some people do nothing but break the whole programme.” may tell us that ________.

[　　]

A．radio stations use hotlines in a wrong way

B．it is a fact

C．it is a good idea

D．some people have unclear thoughts

(2) Which of the following is not true?

[　　]

A．Some people know little about the topic under discussion.

B．Some people do not know what the host is talking about.

C．Some people do not know what the show is about.

D．The writer tells us that the host is silly.

(3) The host has to answer and explain ________.

[　　]

A．for the host works hard

B．because of the caller's ignorance

C．for the host likes talking to the caller

D．because of a lot of questions raised by the caller

(4) The passage doesn't tell us the idea ________.

[　　]

A．that some listeners phone the hotlines in fun

B．that some people just want to he heard by others

C．that some people who don't care what the topic is must have realized that they appear to be silly

D．what the hotline programmes are

　　Instead of buying only fresh foods, Americans nowadays buy many more convenience foods. There are foods which are ready partly or completely prepared. Many of them are frozen, such as frozen dinner (TV dinners), heat-and-serve French fries, and frozen pizzas. There are also many canned (put in a can) convenience foods, such as ready-made spaghetti, soups, stews（炖熟的菜肴）and vegetables.

　　Convenience foods save time and trouble. They are popular with people who are busy or who don't like to cook or wash dishes. But they often cost more than fresh, unprepared foods and may contain artificial additives (a chemical added to the food). Also, many people feel they don't taste as good as home cooked foods.

Health Food and Co-ops

　　In the 1960s, a “back-to-the-earth”movement was started by young people in the United States. The movement was a reaction against the harmful effects of technology. From the movement came a new understanding of food and health. Many people now prefer natural and organic (chemical-free) foods to the prepared foods sold in health food stores and in food co-ops, which are small stores where customers help manage the store. In co-ops, food is usually not packaged. Customers bring their own bags and jars and（汲取）their food out of boxes or baskets.

The Diet Craze（节食热）

　　These days Americans are more and more, concerned with their weight. Perhaps as many as 70 million Americans are on weight dollar business. American supermarkets sell a variety of diet foods such as diet soft drinks, diet candy, and diet salad dressings. Dieters also spend money on diet pills, exercise machines, and jogging suits（慢跑服装）. Each year dozens of new diets are popularized. They have such names as the Miracle Diet (a super-natural even), the Nine Day Wonder Diet, and the Easy 24 Hour Diet. There is even one called the Ice Cretan Diet, which advises the dieter to eat only ice cream for lunch and dinner! For dieters who cannot lost weight on their own, there are many well-organized diet groups, which offer help and encouragement.

(1) Generally speaking, convenience foods in America ________.

[　　]

A．arc shipped from foreign countries

B．are made by farmers on farms

C．are rich and popular

D．are better than fresh ones

(2) Young people who started a “back-to-the-earth” movement ________.

[　　]

A．might be too foolish

B．should be praised for their action

C．might suffer from some disease

D．might get less money from their companies

(3) From the fourth paragraph, we can find that ________.

[　　]

A．the diet craze in the United States is unnecessary

B．rich American people should offer their money to the poor

C．business men are getting much money from the diet craze

D．fat Americans are too foolish to take too much food

(4) What's the writer's opinion on American diets?

[　　]

A.They are all effective to people.

B.They are of no effect to people.

C.Ice Cream Diet is the best.

D.Not all of them are believable.

　　Gardening has a long history. It is one of the oldest pastimes in the world. Roses are known to be on the earth before there are human beings, and now there are 300 kinds of roses grown in gardens. Gardening is so big a subject that you can spend your whole life learning about it.

　　People have different preferences（爱好）for gardening. Some may enjoy having their own flower gardens and cutting flowers for their homes. Some may prefer to grow fruit and vegetables for food. Many like keeping plants in their homes, which is light work. With flowers or plants in a room, the house can be more beautiful.

　　There are different things to be done in a garden in different seasons. There is a time to sow, to cut off branches and to do many other jobs. Besides, you must also have some knowledge about the soil in your garden, and about fertilizers and weed killers, if you want to get high yields（产量）.

　　Today, indoor gardening is more and more popular. Hundreds of plants are grown indoors. To keep the indoor plants healthy, you have to follow certain roles. In heated rooms, plants need plenty of moisture（湿度）. They have to be carefully watered and leaves should be sprayed. Potted plants are better to be kept on window sills（窗台）. The sun and daylight help to keep the leaves green. Fresh air is also needed if the weather is good.

(1) According to the author, gardening is ________.

[　　]

(2) In which of the following do we consider fresh air very important?

[　　]

(3) The work in a garden will take your whole lift to learn because ________.

[　　]

A．the seasons are quite different

B．gardening is so popular

C．there is much knowledge involved

D．many people have preference for it

(4) If you want to get high yields in your garden, you should ________.

[　　]

A．learn all the details about the species of your plants

B．have knowledge about the soil, fertilizers and weed killers

C．water your plants and always keep them green

D．keep your plants away from too much sunlight

　　A higher reading rate, with no loss of comprehension will help you in other subjects as well as in English, and the general principles apply to any language. Naturally, you will not read every book at the same speed. You would expect to read a newspaper, for example, much more rapidly than a physics or economics textbook--but you can raise your average reading speed over the whole range of materials you wish to cover so that the percentage gained will be the same whatever kind of reading you are concerned with.

　　The reading passages which follow are all of an average level of difficulty for your stage of instruction, They are about five hundred words long. They are about topics of general interest which do not require a great deal of specialized knowledge. Thus they fall between the kind of reading you might find in your textbooks and the much less demanding kind you will find in a newspaper or light novel. If you read this kind of English, with understanding at four hundred words per minute, you might skim (游览) through a newspaper at perhaps 650-700, while with a difficult textbook you might drop to two hundred or two hundred and fifty.

　　Perhaps you would like to know what reading speeds are common among native English-speaking university students and how those speeds can be improved. Tests in Minnesota. USA, for example, have shown that students without special training can read English of average difficulty, for example, Tolstoy's War and Peace in translation, at speeds of between 240 and 250 words per minute with about seventy percent comprehension. Students in Minnesota claim that after twelve half-hour lessons, once a week, the reading speed can be increased, with no loss of comprehension, to around five hundred words per minute.

(1) According to the passage, the purpose of effective reading with higher speed is most likely to help you ________.

[　　]

A．only in your reading of a physics textbook

B．improve your understanding of an economics textbook

C．not only in your language study hut also in other subjects

D．choose the suitable materials to read

(2) Which of the following does NOT describe the types of reading materials mentioned in the second paragraph?

[　　]

A．Those beyond one's reading comprehension

B．Those concerned with common knowledge

C．Those without much demand for specialized knowledge

D．Those with the length of about five hundred words

(3) The average speed of untrained native speakers in the University of Minnesota is ________.

[　　]

(4) According to the passage, how fast can you expect to read after you have attended twelve half-hour lessons in the University of Minnesota?

[　　]

A．You can increase your reading speed by three times.

B．No real increase in reading speed can be achieved.

C．You can increase your reading speed by four times.

D．You can double your reading speed.

　　Modem zoos are different from these built fifty years ago. At that zoos were places where people could go to see animals from many parts of the world. The animals lived in cages with iron bars（栅）. Although the zoo keepers took good care of them, many of the animals did not feel comfortable; and they often fell ill.

　　In modern zoos, people can see animals in more natural conditions. The animals are given more freedom in larger places so that riley can live more as they would in nature. Even the appearance of zoos has changed. Trees and grass grow in cages, and water flows through the places the animals live in. There axe few bars; instead, there is often a deep ditch（沟）filled with water, which surrounds a space where several sorts of animals live together as they would naturally. In an American zoo, the visitor can walk through a huge special cage that is filled with trees, some small animals and many birds, and large enough for the birds to live naturally. In a zoo in New York, with the use of special night light, people can observe certain animals that are active only at night, when most zoos arc closed. Some zoos have special places for visitors to watch animals that live in the desert or under water.

　　Modern zoos not only show animals to visitors, but also keep and save rare animals. For this reason, fifty years from now, the grandchildren of today's visitors will still be able to enjoy watching these animals.

(1) It seems that ________ is something most important for animals.

[　　]

(2) In modern zoos ________.

[　　]

A．different kinds of animals are kept separately

B．animals are no longer taken good care of

C．animals have more freedom

D．visitors can walk wherever they like

(3) In a modern zoo ________ feel comfortable.

[　　]

(4)In some zoos people can ________.

[　　]

A．walk through huge special cages to watch all sorts of animals

B．see animals which live in special conditions

C．during the day observe animals that are active at night

D．watch all the rare animals that may not be seen in the future

(5) The main idea of the passage is that ________.

[　　]

A．zoos are now places where animals can live naturally

B．zoos are places where people can see animals from all over the world

C．there should be old and modem zoos alike

D．rare animals may soon die out

　　In sports the sex is separate. Women and men do not run or swim in the same races. Women are less strong than men. That at least is what people say. Women are called “the weaker sex”, or if men want to please them, “the fair sex”. But boys and girls are taught together at schools and universities. There are women who are famous Prime Ministers, scientists and writers. And women live longer than men. A European woman can expect to live until the age of 74; a man only until he is 68. Are women's bodies really weaker? The fastest men can run a mile in under 4 minutes. The best women need 5 minutes. Women's times are always slower than men's, but some facts are a surprise. Some of the fastest swimmers today are girls. One of them swam 400 metres in 4 minutes 21.2 seconds when she was only 16. The first “Tarzan” （壮士） in films was an Olympic swimmer, Johnny Weissmuller. His fastest 400 metres was 4 minutes 59.1 seconds, which is 37.9 seconds slower than a girl 50 years later! This does not mean that women are catching men up. Conditions are very different now, and sport is much more serious. It is so serious that some women are given hormone injections （注射激素）. At the Olympics a doctor has to check whether the women are really women or not. It seems sad that sport has such problems. Life can be very complicated （复杂的） when there is two separate sex.

(1) Why are women called “the weaker sex”?

[　　]

A．Women can live longer than men.

B．People usually think women are weaker than men.

C．Women cannot finish the same tasks as men.

D．There is two different sex.

(2) Which of the following is NOT true?

[　　]

A．Women do not run or swim in races with men.

B．Once a girl swam much faster than Johny Weissmuller did.

C．Famous Prime Ministers are women.

D．Men cannot live longer than women in Europe.

(3) This passage tells us ________．

[　　]

A．Johnny Weissmuller ran slower than a girl in a race

B．Johnny Weissmuller won the race as he was then much younger than other runners

C．Johnny Weissmuller didn't swim in the same race with the girl

D．The girl, whose fastest 400 metres was 4 minutes 21.2 seconds, was an Olympic swimmer

(4) The problem that sport has now is that ________.

[　　]

A．some men are not actually men

B．some women are given hormone injections

C．women don't have the same chances to swim the 100-metre and 200-metre dashes

D．it's hard to check whether women are really women

(5) In this passage the writer implies that ________.

[　　]

A．women are weaker than men, but faster

B．women are slower than men, but stronger

C．men are not always stronger and faster than women

D．women are catching men up now