Over a hundred years ago people in London were surprised to see a very unusual boat come sailing up the Thames River.The boat was eighty feet long flat-bottomed,with big wooden eyes on both sides in the front and was colorfully painted at the back.

People came to know that it was a sailing boat from Fuzhou in distant China.The boat had sailed round the Cape of Good Hope(好望角) up the western coast of Africa,and finally to England.It had covered fifteen thousand miles—more than half of the distance round the world.

Although it was unexpected,the Chinese were warmly welcomed.The boat carried goods such as silk and tea as well as a number of gifts from the Emperor of China for the Queen of England.

People had always mistakenly thought of the Chinese as a people not used to sea.However,from centuries of trading and sailing in dangerous seas,the Chinese had learned how to build good boats and sailed them well.The coming of this sailing boat to London proved once again that the Chinese could sail to distant countries in the world.

The boat was considered unusual because _________.

A.it was a small wooden boat                                  

B.it carried Chinese silk and tea

C.it had traveled fifteen thousand miles             

D.it looked strange in several ways

According to this article,which of the following is TRUE?

A.The distance round the earth measures less than thirty thousand miles.

B.The Chinese Emperor gave silk and tea to the English Queen as gifts.

C.The Chinese boat came to London by accident.

D.The Chinese people were not good at sailing in dangerous seas.

The boat reached London by sailing _________.

A.round the southern end of Africa                   

B.up the west coast of England

C.through the Arctic Ocean                              

D.round Asia and Europe

.The writer wants to prove that a long time ago the Chinese _________.

A.carried silk,tea and other goods to England

B.could reach many parts of the world by sea

C.could sail along the Thames River

D.surprised Londoners with an unusual boat

The two boys look _______ much alike _______ no one can tell them apart.

A. so; that      B. so; and

C. as; that      D. such; that

Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some form---football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.

Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.

Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.

If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.

The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.

A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skill and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.

Mountaineering is a sport, not a game because ________.

    A. it has man-made rules

    B. it is too dangerous for climbers

    C. it can’t bring people joy and leisure    

    D. it is free for climbers to use their own methods

A mountain climber must be strong both mentally and physically because _______.

    A. there are no regular man-made rules for him to follow

    B. there is no teamwork and he has to depend on himself

    C. his component is not one or several people but nature

    D. mountaineering requires the skills practiced year after year

We know from the passage that _______.

    A. mountaineering has no appeal to people

    B. physical quality is more important than mental one for climbers

    C. it is possible for an old man in his fifties to climb the Alps

    D. a mountain climber would pass his best by the age of thirty

There was one thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and heavy automobile traffic. At present, we realize that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is literally worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the east of the United States and brought health warnings in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be infected by air pollution. Some scientists consider that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a “greenhouse effect”— conserving heat reflected from the earth and raising the world’s average temperature. If this view is correct and the world’s temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be in water.

Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particular matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth’s temperature — a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to a new ice age, and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. Today we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report drafted by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very possible). Perhaps, if we are lucky enough, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world’s temperature will stay about the same as it is now. Driven by economic profits, people neglect the damage on our environment caused by the “advanced civilization”. Maybe the air pollution is the price the human beings have to pay for their development. But is it really worthwhile?

As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution _______.

A. cause widespread damage in the countryside

B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States

C. had damaged effect on health

D. existed merely in urban and industries areas

As to the greenhouse effect, the author __________.

A. share the same view with the scientist.

B. is uncertain of its occurrence

C. rejects it as being ungrounded

D. thinks that it will destroy the world soon

The word “offset” in the second paragraph could be replaced by _________.

A. slip into   B. make up for　　 C. set up    D. catch up with

It can be concluded that ____________.

A. raising the world’s temperature only a few degrees would not do much harm to life on earth

B. lowering the world’s temperature merely a few degrees would lead major farming areas to disaster 

C. almost no temperature variations have occurred over the past decade

D. the world’s temperature will remain constant in the years to come

This passage is primarily about __________.

A. the greenhouse effect        　    B. the burning of fossil fuels

C. the potential effect of air pollution  　D. the likelihood of a new ice age

Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?

   Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbacks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.

   Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.

It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

   A. TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge

B. cinemas are the best choice in getting information

   C. reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun   

D. newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself

What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?

   A. People only need reading, though.              B. Reading is still necessary today.

   C. Reading is more fun than television.     D. Watching television doesn’t help reading.

What can we learn from the passage?

   A. Fewer and fewer people will buy books. 

B. A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

   C. Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

   D. More people like TV programs about famous men.