Last August, Joe and Mary Mahoney began looking at colleges for their 17-year-old daughter, Maureen. With a checklist of criteria in hand, the Dallas family looked around the country visiting half a dozen schools. They sought a university that offered the teenager's intended major, one located near a large city, and a campus where their daughter would be safe.

　　“The safety issue is a big one.” says Joe Mahoney, who quickly discovered he wasn't alone in his worries. On campus tours other parents voiced similar concerns, and the same question was always asked: what about crime? But when college officials always gave the same answer--“That's not a problem here.”--Mahoney began to feel uneasy.

　　“No crime whatsoever?” comments Mahoney today. “I just don't buy it.” Nor should he: in 1999 the U.S. Department of Education had reports of nearly 400000 serious crimes on or around our campuses. “Parents need to understand that times have changed since they went to college,” says David Nichols, author of Creating a Safe Campus. “Campus crime mirrors the rest of the nation.”

　　But getting accurate information isn't easy. Colleges must report crime statistics（统计数字）by law, but some hold back for fear of bad publicity, leaving the honest ones looking dangerous. “The truth may not always be obvious,” warns S. Daniel Carter of Security on Campus, Inc., the nation's leading campus safety watchdog group.

　　To help concerned parents, Carter promised to visit campuses and talk to experts around the country to find out major crime issues and effective solutions.

(1) The Mahoneys visited quite a few colleges last August ________.

[　　]

A．to express the opinions of many parents

B．to choose a right one for their daughter

C．to check the cost of college education

D．to find a right one near a large city

(2) It is often difficult to get correct information on campus crime because some colleges ________.

[　　]

A．receive too many visitors

B．mirror the rest of the nation

C．hide the truth of campus crime

D．have too many watchdog groups

(3) The underlined word “buy” in the third paragraph means ________.

[　　]

(4) We learn from the text that “the honest ones” in the fourth paragraph most probably refers to colleges ________.

[　　]

A．that are protected by campus security

B．that report campus crimes by law

C.．that are free from campus crime

D．that enjoy very good publicity

(5) What is the text mainly about?

[　　]

A．Exact campus crime statistics.

B．Crimes on or around campuses.

C．Effective solutions to campus crime.

D．Concerns about kids' campus safety.

　　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 as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade（遮光物）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 the Chinese 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（象征）of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by 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 people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.

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

　　By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas 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 umbrellas began to be made in a whole variety（多样）of colours.

(1) According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient ________.

[　　]

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

[　　]

A．No one exactly knows who was 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 18th century.

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

(3) A strange feature（特征）of the umbrella's use is that it was used as ________.

[　　]

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

[　　]

(5) This passage talks 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

　　Some people worry that computer games may affect children's study. Some educators even consider computer games“No. 1 enemy of learning”and “electronic drug”. The chip magazine has carried out an interesting survey（调查）into this problem in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

　　Up to 20.75 percent of the people surveyed think that many started to learn computer through playing computer games. According to 61.5 percent of the people, playing computer games has not much influence on one's computer learning. Only 17.75 percent of the people think playing computer games may cause addiction（上瘾）and affect one's study and work.

　　Further investigations shows that as many as 51.25 percent of the people surveyed think that computer games are only a form of entertainment and are not harmful. And 75.75 percent of the people think that computer games are educational and are a good way to start learning English and computer. Only 7.75 percent of the people think computer games have negative effects.

　　According to the survey, 72.5 percent of the parents agree to allow children to play computer games moderately. And 13.75 percent of the parents use computer games to reward children's good behavior. Only 12.5 percent of the parents don't allow children to play computer games as they worry that children may lack self-control and may get bad influence from the games.

(1) What does the passage mainly tell us?

[　　]

A．Parents should not let their children play computer games.

B．Survey answers whether computer games are helpful

C．Computer games are No. 1 enemy of learning.

D．Computer games cause addiction.

(2) According to the passage, ________.

[　　]

A．parents should not worry about computer games

B．all children are interested in computer

C．parents should reward children's good behaviour with computer games

D．it may be harmless for us to play computer games

(3) Which of the following diagrams shows the results of the survey in the second paragraph?

[　　]

①= Playing computer games has not much influence on one's computer learning.

②= Playing computer games may cause addiction.

③= Many started to learn computer through computer games.

(4) According to the survey in the third paragraph, at least ________ percent of the people think computer games are both a form of entertainment and a good way to start learning English and computer.

[　　]

　　Most Americans don't like to get advice from members of their family. When they need advice, they don't usually ask people they know. Instead, many Americans write letters to newspapers and magazines which give advice on many different subjects, including family problems, the use of language, health, cooking, child care, clothes, and how to buy a house or a car.

　　Most newspapers regularly print letters from readers with problems. Along with the letters there are answers written by people who are supposed to know how to solve（解决）such problems. Some of these writers are doctors; others are lawyers or educators. But two of the most famous writers of advice are women without special training for this kind of work. One of them answers letters addressed to “Dear Abby”. The other is addressed as“Dear Ann Landers”. Experience is their preparation for giving advice.

　　There is one writer who has not lived long enough to have much experience. She is a girl named Angel Cavaliere, who started writing advice for newspaper readers at the age of ten. Her advice to young readers now appears regularly in a newspaper column（栏目）called Dear Angel.

(1) Usually most Americans need advice on ________.

[　　]

A．family problems and the use of language

B．cooking, health, child care and clothes

C．family problems, the use of language, health, cooking, child care, clothes and how to buy house or a car

D．many different subjects

(2) The answers will be printed ________.

[　　]

A．without the letters

B．together with the letters

C．in the absence of the letters

D．on the letters

(3) The two women writers are famous because ________.

[　　]

A．they are specialists（专家）by training

B．they have much experience

C．women writers are popular among readers

D．they always make full preparations for giving advice

(4) Angel Cavaliere is ________.

[　　]

A．a girl who has been dead for a long time

B．a young girl who is still living

C．a girl who is only ten

D．a girl who enjoys reading newspaper

　　To me, life without music would not be exciting. I realize that this is not true for everybody. Many people get along quite well without going to the concert, and listening to the record. But music plays an important part in everyone's life, whether he realizes it or not. Try to imagine, for example, what films or TV plays would be like without music. Would the feelings, the moving plot, and the greatest interests, be so exciting or dramatic? I'm not sure about it.

　　Now we have been speaking of music in its more common meaning--the kind of music we hear in the concert hall, and we discover them in our everyday life too--in the rhythm of the sea, the melody of a bird in the woods and so on. So music surely has meaning for everyone, in some way or other. And, of course, it has special meaning for those who have spent all their lives working on playing or writing music.

　　It is well said, “Through music a child enters a world of beauty, expresses himself from his heart, feels the joy of doing things alone, learns to take care of others, develops his mind and makes his body Strong.”

(1) The writer says more about ________ in the text.

[　　]

A．life full of music

B．life without music

C．the importance of music

D．the development of music

(2) From the text, we learn that many people ________.

[　　]

A．don't realize the importance of music

B．get along quite well without music

C．go to the concert instead of enjoying music

D．think music would be less exciting than moving plot

(3) In the writer's opinion, if there was no music in the films or TV plays, ________.

[　　]

A．the cinema and theatre would be quiet

B．we would lose some of the audience

C．everything would be as exciting as before

D．it would be hard to imagine the result

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

[　　]

(5) From the last paragraph, we learn that music ________.

[　　]

A．is very important, especially for children

B．is very necessary for our everyday life

C．can make our life exciting and dramatic

D．can make you enter another beautiful world

　　Sitting is an art that isn't getting passed along. People these days feel as though they have to be doing something. If they are not working, they are jogging, or playing tennis or golf, or taking courses to improve their minds or bodies--or they are parked in front of the TV. Sitting in front of the TV isn't sitting--it's watching.

　　People used to sit a whole lot. You would walk down the street or drive down the road, and there they would be, out on the doorsteps, sitting. You could go down to the store and sit on the bench out front in the summer or around the fire in the winter. There were sitting benches out in the town square. At the garage, there were straight-backed chairs. There among the oil can sand tires and spare parts, you could kick back and sit.

　　Houses used to have sitting rooms, where the grown-ups would go after Sunday dinner. Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Aunt Ruby would sit and digest （消化）the fried chicken and talk about Aunt Ethel's illness, and how well the minister did today. Outside, the children would play, and the afternoon would pass by in a comfortable haze（悠闲的氛围）.

　　That sort of thing looks like doing nothing. A recharging battery（正充电的电池）doesn't look as if it's doing anything either. Sitting restores your soul. If you want to enjoy a truly full life, don't just do something--sit there.

(1) What message does the author try to get through to us?

[　　]

A．People should make better use of their sitting room.

B．People should spend less time watching TV.

C．People should pass down their good habits.

D．People should take things easy for their own good.

(2) We can learn from the second paragraph that ________.

［　　］

A．people lived a more restful life in the past

B．towns were built to make living convenient

C．small town garages had a lot to offer

D．people enjoyed going out for a drive

(3) The sitting room mentioned in the text used to be a place for ________.

[　　]

(4) From the text we know the writer believes ________.

[　　]

A．sitting has a good spiritual effect

B．sitting helps people remember the past

C．a sitting room may have different purposes

D．a sitting room is important for the old

　　After a quick breakfast in the station restaurant, Peter set off to look for a room where he could live for the next a few months. He knew exactly what he wanted; a room which was not too small, nor so large that it would be difficult to heat in winter. It had to be clean and comfortable too, but above all, it had to be quiet. In the newspaper he had bought from the bookshop, there were very few advertisements（广告）for rooms to let. But, as he glanced down the page, a notice caught his eye.

　　This seemed hopeful, so he made a note of the address and set off in search of the agency. He found it in a narrow street just off the main road. The woman at the desk gave him a bright smile as he entered and, after Peter had explained what sort of room he was looking for, he paid two pounds for a list of about half a dozen landladies who had rooms to let.

(1) What does the text mainly describe?

[　　]

A．Peter's room-hunting experience.

B．Peter's determination to find a room.

C．The difficulties in finding rooms.

D．The housing market.

(2) Peter's most important consideration in choosing a room was that it should be ________.

[　　]

(3) The underlined word “this” in the second paragraph refers to ________.

[　　]

　　Did you know there is a substance that can kill you even if you don't want it? Many adults and children die from it－it's called secondhand smoke. It comes from the smoke that is breathed out by a smoker, as well as the smoke that comes from the end of a burning cigarette. It's almost as lethal as smoking a cigarette.

　　Secondhand smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, and of those, 200 are poisonous and 43 can cause cancer. It causes about 3000 lung cancer deaths and 35000 heart disease deaths to non-smokers each year. Some of the many chemicals breathed in are lead, formaldehyde (a poisonous, colorless gas), benzene (colorless liquid from oil) and ammonia (a smelly gas).

　　Every time someone lights cigarette near you, you are being forced to breathe in all those chemicals. You can get a number of diseases－many incurable－from secondhand smoke, and it is especially dangerous for children. It is estimated that secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150000 and 300000 lower respiratory tract infections（呼吸道感染）in young children and because of this, between 7500 and 15000 children are hospitalized each year. So if you smoke, try to give up! Otherwise, avoid smoky areas and breathe fresh air.

(1) The passage is written to tell us ________.

[　　]

A．not to smoke

B．smoking is harmful to smokers and non-smokers

C．how to give up smoking

D．smoking should be banned in public places

(2) The underlined word“lethal” in Paragraph 1 means ________.

[　　]

(3) Which of the following words can best describe the author's attitude towards smoking in public?

[　　]

(4) The second paragraph mainly tells us ________.

[　　]

A．the great harm of secondhand smoke

B．the basic parts of a smoke

C．why the number of people getting diseases keeps increasing

D．how to keep away from secondhand smoke

　　When building houses, people used to think about not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat.

　　Now, houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock（家畜）. During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live. By sharing their houses with their livestock people gain a source of heat.

　　People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun'

s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy-saving.

　　House-building becomes a great challenge（挑战）to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy-saving houses.

(1) What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?

[　　]

A．The climate of their areas.

B．The energy for their houses.

C．The fashions for their houses.

D．The building materials for their houses.

(2) People in some areas gain a source of heat by ________.

[　　]

A．keeping their livestock downstairs

B．protecting their livestock from the cold

C．sharing their houses only with their cows

D．living on the second floor with their livestock

(3) The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that ________.

[　　]

A．heat raises the temperature in the houses

B．heat goes in the upward direction

C．heat goes up if temperature is raised

D．heat increases the temperature of rocks

(4) From the passage, we can conclude that ________.

[　　]

A．people will no longer consider building materials in the future

B．energy-saving buildings will become more popular in the future

C．almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks

D．energy engineers will devote themselves only to modem technology

　　Your body, which has close relations with the food you eat, is the most important thing you own, so it needs proper treatment and proper nourishment. The old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is not as silly as some people think. The body needs fruit and vegetables because they contain vitamin C. Many people take extra vitamins in pill form, believing that these will make them healthy. But a good diet is made up of nourishing food and this gives all the vitamins you need. The body doesn't need or use extra vitamins, so why waste money on them?

　　In the modern western world, many people are too busy to bother about eating properly. They throw anything into their stomachs, eating hurriedly and carelessly. This list of illnesses caused or made worse by bad eating habits is frightening.

(1) “Your body has close relations with the food you eat” means that ________.

[　　]

A．all kinds of food you eat can be made into nourishment

B．what you eat has great effect on your health

C．your body is made up of the food you eat

D．the more you eat, the better you will feel

(2) The old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” referred to in the passage tells us that ________.

[　　]

A．the apple is the best among all kinds of fruits

B．apples can take place of doctors

C．eating apples regularly does lots of good to our health

D．an apple is a sure cure for illness

(3) In the first paragraph, the writer tries to let us know ________.

[　　]

A．taking extra vitamin pills is completely useless

B．often eating apples is a good habit

C．our bodies need food, or we can't live

D．a good diet is of great importance for our health

(4) In modern western countries, ________.

[　　]

A．people don't want to pay more attention to their eating

B．people are only too busy to cook meals for themselves

C．people throw everything into their stomachs without chewing

D．lots of people's illnesses are caused or made worse by bad eating habits