The book tells ____life story of John Smith ,who left _______school and worked for a  newspaper at the age of 16.

A. the, the    B. a , the     C. the. /     D. a,/

For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers(慢跑者). They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You’ll feel great.”

    Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army. I’m not alone in my opinion.

   First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet a real pounding（追击）ruining down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.

   Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.

    And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?

   I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.

From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______.

A. jogging became very popular

B. people jogged only during the daytime

C. Alex organized an army of joggers

D. jogging provided a chance to get together

The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to _____.

A. heart attacks   B. Back problems   C. famous joggers   D. physical weaknesses

What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?

A. He felt it was worth a try.   B. He was very fond of it.

C. He was strongly against it.   D. He thought it must be painful.

Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?

A. He disliked doing exercise outside.  

B. He found it neither healthy nor interesting.

C. He was afraid of having a heart attack.

D. He was worried about being left alone.

From the writer’s experience, we can conclude that______.

A. not everyone enjoys jogging

B. he is the only person who hates jogging

C. nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit

D. jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport.

While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states-at least in getting people off welfare. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.

In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens County have been cut in half. But 15 percents of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The resuit: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent-twice the national average.

 For advocates (代言人) for the poor, that’s an indication that much more needs to be done.

“More people are getting jobs, but it’s not making their lives any better,” says Kathy Lairn,a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and policy Priorities in Washington.

A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.

But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.  

“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin(毒素) that was poisoning the family,” says Robert Rector, a welfare?reform policy analyst. “The reform is changing the moral climate in low?income communities. It’s beginning to rebuild the work ethic(道德观), which is much more important.”

Mr. Rector and others argued that once “the habit of dependency is cracked, ”then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.

13.From the passage, it can be seen that the auther .      

A.believes the reform has reduced the government’s burden

B.insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor

C.is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reform

D.considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful

14.Why aren’t people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?

A.Because many families are divorced.        B.Because government aid is now rare.

C.Because their wages are low.               D.Because the cost of living is rising.

15.What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that .      

A.greater efforts should be made to improve people’s living standards

B.15 percent of the people there have been employed for two years

C.50 percent of the population no longer relies on welfare

D.the living standards of most people are going down

16.From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at_______ .

A.saving welfare funds                       B.rebuilding the work ethics(观念)

C.providing more jobs                        D.cutting government expenses

(NEW YORK) A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn’t think twice before diving into the freezing East River.

   Tuesday’s Daily News said 29-year-old Julien Duret from France was the man who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday.

   He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Seaport museum. He handed the girl to her father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him.

   “I didn’t think at all,” Duret told the Daily News. “It happened very fast. I reacted very fast.”

   Duret, an engineer on vacation, was walking with his girlfriend along the pier(码头) when he saw something falling into the water. He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river. In an instant, he took off his coat and jumped into the water.

   When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said. Fortunately, when she was out of the water, she opened her eyes.

   Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from onlookers. Duret caught a taxi with his girlfriend shortly after.

   The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn’t realize his story of heroism had greatly moved New York until he was leaving the city the next morning.

   “I don’t really think I’m a hero,” said Duret. “Anyone would do the same thing.”

Why was Duret in New York?

   A. To meet his girlfriend.               B. To spend his holiday.

   C. To work as an engineer.              D. To visit the Andersons.

What did Duret do shortly after the ambulance came?

   A. He was interviewed by a newspaper.

   B. He went to the hospital in the ambulance.

   C. He disappeared from the spot quickly.

   D. He asked his girlfriend for his dry clothes.

Who dived after Duret into the river to save the little girl?

   A. David Anderson     B. A passer-by   C. His girlfriend    D. A taxi driver

What is probably the headline of this news report ?

   A. A Careless Father                   B. A Poor Girl

   C. Warm-hearted Onlookers             D. Brave Frenchman Found

American cities are similar to other cities around the world; In every country. Cities reflect the values of the culture. American cities are changing， just as American society is changing.
After Wolld Wa Ⅱ,the population of most large American cities decreased; bowever. The populaton In omthe Sun Belt cities increased. Los Angeles and Houston are eitit where populatfon shife（转移）to and from the oity reflect the changing values of Amorican society. In the late 1940s and early 1950s,city residents（居民）became wealthier. They had more children so they needed more space, They moved out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs（郊区）.
Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in the 1950s are now adults. Many, unlike their parents, want to live in the cities. They continue to move to Sun Belt cities and older ones of the Northeast and Midwest. Many young professionals are moving back into city. They prefer the city to the burbs because their jobs are there; or they jus enjoy the excitement and possibii that the city offers.
his  people     shift is bringing problems as well as benefits. Countless poot people  must leave  their apartments in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make apartments for sale instead of for rent. In the 1950s, many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these same people do not have enough money to stay in the cities.
Only a few years ago, people though that the older  American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright,  new fiture,  Others see only problems and comfiels the thing is sure many dying cities are alive again.
1. What does the author  think of cities all over the world?
A. They are alive.                        B. They are hopeless.
C. They are similar.                            D. They are different.
2.Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Ⅱ?
A. Because older American cities were dying.
B. Because they were richer and needed more space.
C. Because cities contained the wont pare of society.
D. Because they could hardly afford a live in the city.
3. According to the 4th paragraph, a great many poor people in American cities_________.
A. are faced with housing problems
B. are forced to move to the suburbs
C. want to sell their buildings
D. need more money for daily expenses
4. We ear comude  from the text that ________.
A. American cities are changing far the worse
B. people have different views on American cities
C. many people are now moving from American cities
D. the population is decreasing in older American cities