阅读理解

　　The United States covers a large part of the North American continent. Its neighbors are Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Although the United States is a big country, it is not the largest in the world. In 1964, its population was over 185,000,000.

　　When this land first became a nation, after winning its independence(独立)from England, it had thirteen states. Each of the states was represented(代表)on the American flag by a star. All these states were in the eastern part of the continent. As the nation grew towards the west, new states were added and new stars appeared on the flag. For a long time, there were 48 stars. In 1959, however, two more stars were added to the flag, representing the new states of Alaska and Hawaii.

　　Indians were the first people of the land which is in now the United States. There are still many thousands of Indians now living in all parts of the country. Sometimes it is said that the Indians are“the only real Americans”. Most Americans, come from all over the world. Those who came first in greatest numbers to make their homes on the eastern coast of North America were mostly from England. It is for that reason that the language of the United States is English and that its culture and customs are more like those of England than those of any other country in the world.

1．Which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．America is the largest country in the world.

B．The population of America is larger than that of any other country in the North American continent.

C．America covers most part of the North American continent.

D．Mexcio is to the north of Canada.

2．The first thirteen states were in the ________ of the United States.

[　　]

3．The United States didn’t have ________ states until ________.

[　　]

A．thirteen; 1959

B．fifty; 1959

C．fifty; this land first became a nation

D．fifty; 1964

4．Why is English the language of America?

[　　]

A．English is the Indians’ native language.

B．Most Americans come from all over the world.

C．Most of the people who first came to live in America were from England.

D．Canada is America’s nearest neighbor.

5．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．The States of America.

B．The Language of America.

C．The United States of America.

D．The Culture and Customs of America.

Americans are thinking about national education standards recently developed by teachers and other education experts. The National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led the effort.

　　The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. What is the reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution. That document limits the responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilities, like education, fall to each state.

Local control of education probably was a good idea two hundred years ago. People stayed in the same place and schools knew what students needed to learn. But today, people move to different cities. And some people work at jobs that did not exist even twenty years ago.

Many American educators say that getting a good education should not depend on where you live. They say that some states have lowered their standards in order to increase student scores on tests required by the No Child Left behind Act.

　　Kara Schlosser is communications director for the CCSSO. She says the new standards clearly state what a student should be able to do to be successful in college and work.

　　Forty--eight states have already shown approval for the standards. Two states refuse to accept the idea. Critics say that working toward the same standards in every state will not guarantee excellence for all. Some educators in Massachusetts say adopting the national standards will hurt their students because the state standards are even higher. Others say the change will be too costly, requiring new textbooks and different kinds of training for teachers. Still others fear federal control.

　　Supporters say the standards are goals and do not tell states or teachers how to teach. They also say the federal government is not forcing acceptance. However, approving the standards will help states qualify (取得资格) for some federal grant money.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Local Control of Education Standards out of Date

B．American National Education Standards under Consideration

C．Education Standards in Each State--Good or Bad.

D．Acceptance of the New Standards in the United States

2.Why is local control of education no 1onger a good idea today?

A．Because local standards are limited.

B．Because it is required by the federal government.

C．Because people today moves among states more often than before.

D．Because America has never had the same school standards throughout the country.

3.Some people are against the nationa1 education standards because__________

A．the standards are higher than those of each state

B．they are not yet prepared for the new standards

C．the standards may prevent some students gaining excellence

D．they don't want the federal government to train their teachers

4.If a state agrees to accept the national standards, it will probably get ________.

A．more students                         B．advice on how to improve teaching

C．better textbooks                        D．money from the federal government

 

　Many people believe the glare（炫目的光）from snow causes snowblindness. Yet, with dark glasses or not, they find themselves suffering from headaches and watering eyes, and even snowblindness ,when exposed to several hours of“snow light”.

　　The United States army has now determined that glare from snow does not cause snowblindness in troops in a snow-covered country. Rather, a man’s eyes frequently find nothing to focus on（聚集）in a broad space of snow-covered without-grass land. So his gaze continually moves and jumps back and forth over the entire landscape in search of something to look at. Finding something, hour after hour, the eyes never stop searching and the eyeballs become tired and the eye muscles ache. Nature makes up for this discomfort by producing more and more fluid（流体）which covers the eyeball. The fluid covers the eyeball in increasing quantity until it makes eyes difficult to see dearly, and the result is total, even though for a short time, snowblindness.

　　Experiments led the Army to a simple method of overcoming this problem. Scouts（侦察兵）ahead of the troops are trained to shake snow from evergreen bushes, creating a dotted line as they cross completely snow-covered landscape. Even the scouts themselves throw lightweight, dark-colored objects ahead on which they can focus too. The men following can then see something. Their gaze is arrested. Their eyes focus on a bush and having found something to see, stop searching the snow-blanketed landscape. By focusing their attention on one object at a time, the men can cross the snow without becoming hopelessly snowblind or lost. In this way the problem of crossing a continuous white land is overcome.

To prevent snowblindness caused by the strong light from snow, wearing glasses or not _____.

　　A. depends on whether the snow is white enough    　B. makes no difference

　　C. makes much difference        　　            D. depends on whether the snow is thick

When the eyes are tired, tears flow out ______.

　　A. to clear the vision                             B. to make the eyes stop searching

　　C. to make the vision unclear                      D. to produce more and more liquid

Snowblindness can be avoided ________.

　　A. by moving one’s gaze back and forth

　　B. by walking ahead and keeping looking around

　　C. by making up for the discomfort of one’s eyes

　　D. by providing the eyes with something to focus on

　Many people believe the glare（炫目的光）from snow causes snowblindness. Yet, with dark glasses or not, they find themselves suffering from headaches and watering eyes, and even snowblindness ,when exposed to several hours of“ snow light”.

　　The United States army has now determined that glare from snow does not cause snowblindness in troops in a snow -covered country. Rather ,a man’s eyes frequently find nothing to focus on （聚集） in a broad space of snow- covered without- grass land. So his gaze continually moves and jumps back and forth over the entire landscape in search of something to look at. Finding something, hour after hour, the eyes never stop searching and the eyeballs become tired and the eye muscles ache. Nature makes up for this discomfort by producing more and more fluid （流 体） which covers the eyeball. The fluid covers the eyeball in increasing quantity until it makes eyes difficult to see dearly, and the result is total, even though for a short time, snowblindness.

　　Experiments led the Army to a simple method of overcoming this problem. Scouts（侦察兵）ahead of the troops are trained to shake snow from evergreen bushes, creating a dotted line as they cross completely snow - covered landscape. Even the scouts themselves throw lightweight, dark - colored objects ahead on which they can focus too. The men following can then see something. Their gaze is arrested. Their eyes focus on a bush and having found something to see, stop searching the snow -blanketed landscape. By focusing their attention on one object at a time. the men can cross the snow without becoming hopelessly snowblind or lost. In this way the problem of crossing a continuous white land is overcome.

To prevent snowblindness caused by the strong light from snow, wearing glasses or not ________.

　　A. depends on whether the snow is white enough

　　B. makes no difference

　　C. makes much difference

　　D. depends on whether the snow is thick

When the eyes are tired, tears flow out ________.

　　A. to clear the vision

　　B. to make the eyes stop searching

　　C. to make the vision unclear

　　D. to produce more and more liquid

Snowblindness can be avoided ________.

　　A. by moving one’s gaze back and forth

　　B. by walking ahead and keeping looking around

　　C. by making up for the discomfort of one’s eyes

　　D. by providing the eyes with something to focus on

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给四个选项(A，B，C和D)中，选出最佳选项．

　　Every day millions of letters go from one country to another. Letters mailed in Italy are received in Japan. Letters mailed in Canada are received in Africa. On the letters are many different kinds of stamps, bought in different countries.

　　The Universal Postal Union helps each letter get to the right place as quickly as possible. It sets up roles about the size and weight of letters, postcards and small packages (包裹). It has rules that all countries must follow about international postal rates(费用).

　　One hundred years ago, international mail did not move so smoothly. One country did not always accept another country's letters. Letters from some countries were too large to fit into the mailboxes of other countries. Letters traveled by many different routes(路线). Some were lost along the way.

　　Sometimes the person who sent the letter could pay only part of the postage. The person receiving the letter had to pay the rest.

　　The United States was the first to suggest that all countries work together to settle the questions of international mail. In 1947, men from twenty-four countries met in Switzerland to form the Universal Postal Union. Today, more than 120 nations belong to this union. From its office in Switzerland, the union helps the mail to move safely and quickly around the world.

1．From the story we can infer that ________.

[　　]

A．mail is important to all countries

B．not enough letters are sent all over the world

C．all the letters must go to Switzerland first

D．all stamps look exactly the same

2．The Universal Postal Union was formed ________.

[　　]

A．to help move mail quickly around the world

B．to give many men a chance to work

C．to help men meet in Switzerland

D．to look for the lost letters along the way

3．Which statement does this passage lead you to believe?

[　　]

A．Countries around the world need each other's help.

B．Most people do not put enough postage on letters.

C．It is not possible for letters to get lost on the way.

D．Some of the letters are too large to be put into the mailbox.

4．The underlined word“postage”in this passage means ________.

[　　]

A．money paid when you buy a stamp

B．money spent on an envelope

C．the charge for carrying a letter by post

D．the pay postman receives for his work

5．This passage is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．different kinds of stamps in different countries

B．an organization that makes rules

C．international mail

D．the size and weight of letters