1.The best title of this passage is ____.

A. Animals Are Cleverer Than Babies　　　

　 B. The Eating Habit of Animals

　 C. Animals’ Eating Habit Don’t Change

　 D. Rats Like Vitamins

8.The word rarely in the second paragraph means ___.

　 A. from time to time　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. not often

　 C. never　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. over and over again

Words per minute ______

　 %Comprehension _______

Passage 15 　

An Experiment

Animals seem to have the sense of eating when they are hungry and they do not eat more than their bodies need. It had been proved (证实) that rats will, when given a choice over a period of time, prefer water with vitamins (维他命) to water without vitamins, even though there is no difference in taste or smell between the two water bottles. When a fragrant flavor (香味) was added to the vitamin, the rats did seem to develop a taste for it and kept drinking it, even after the vitamins were switched (转) to the clear water. In time, however, they broke the habit and went back to where the necessary vitamins were.

In an experiment, babies of 6 to l2 months old were placed in a cafeteria (自助餐厅), with a wide selection(选择) of baby food before them. They were given whatever food they pointed to or appeared interested in. We are told that at first they showed some unusual eating patterns, but over a period of time they managed to select a well-balanced diet.

So, in selecting food, rats and babies do seem to know and act on what’s best for them. Clearly, there is a kind of “body wisdom(智慧)” which humans soon 1ose. Most of us do not eat as wisely as we could. Some people eat foxes, dogs and blackbirds, while we eat cows and pigs. So what people eat and how much they eat seem to be greatly influenced by what is going on around them.

　　　 　　　　　　　　　Length 246

Total Reading Time ___

_____________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions without referring to the reading:

7.It was raining hard the day when Jackson took office in Washington.　　　　　　 T　　 F

6.From the last paragraph we can see that Andrew Jackson was a

President loved by the American people.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

5.Andrew Jackson had done many kinds of jobs.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

4.At Andrew Jackson’s time, people were not able to find out anything

about their President.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

3.The people gave Andrew Jackson the name “Old Hickory” because they

loved him.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

2.The President tries to keep in close touch with people by writing

articles in newspapers and magazines.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 T　　 F

1.This passage is mainly about ___.

A.　　 why people called Jackson “Old Hickory”

B.　　 one of the American President---Andrew Jackson

C.　　 hickory woods in America

D.　　 how the Americans elected a President

8.In the second paragraph the word discovered means ____.

A. found out　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. think about carefully

C. heard about　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 D. wrote down

Words per minute ______

%Comprehension _______

Passage 14 　

“Old Hickory”

Every four years the people of the United States elect a President. The President tries to keep in close touch with the people. We see him making speeches on television and hear him on the radio. We read about him in newspapers, and thousands of us write him letters every day.

At one time, Americans did not know so much about their President. Before radio and television, people rarely had a chance to see or hear him. When our first Presidents were elected, few people saw them take office. In fact, many people did not vote(投票)at all.

Andrew Jackson became our seventh President in 1828. He came from a poor family and worked at many trades. He was a soldier and war hero, a farmer, and a lawyer.

Most Americans liked Andrew Jackson very much. They thought he was lively and spirited, and he became their hero. They called him “Old Hickory(北美山胡桃)”.

Three times as many people voted in 1828 as had voted four years before. Thousands of people came to Washington to see old Hickory become President. Men, women, and children crowded the muddy(泥泞的)streets. They wanted to cheer(为……欢呼)their President.

　　　　　　　　　　　　 Length 198

Total Reading Time ___

_____________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions without referring to the reading: