The slogan “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas” has been going strong for 27 years now. Dogs and cats have been popular Christmas gifts in the gifts in the UK and Europe for many years. But some people still haven’t quite got the message.
The slogan still holds good. Some 105,000 dogs were rounded up by local government last year because they had been abandoned, many of them shortly after the festival season.
The main reason given by owners for handing their dogs over to the Dogs Trust is that the dogs need more attention than they can give; behavioral problems and moving home are also reasons given.
But Eleanor Silk, the Trust’s communications director, says, “It’s often four or five months after Christmas, in early summer, when owners find that the dog has got too big and too active, or it hasn’t been trained properly and has caused damage around the home.”
In any case, some organizations that help pets are quick to point out that if you are serious about getting a puppy(小狗) as a pet, Christmas is not the time to do it. Puppies need to get used to their new surroundings, to be introduced to a routine, and to be looked after like small children. It’s hard to meet any of these needs at Christmas. What’s more, pulling a puppy out of a Christmas stocking in itself sends the wrong message to children. It encourages children to think of the puppy as a toy, rather than a responsibility.
Appreciating what you’re taking on with a dog can be a sobering (清醒的) realization. “For life” means thinking about the effect they’ll have on your life. It also infers you will need to care for the dog for its whole life.
【小题1】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Dogs and Cats—the Most Popular Christmas Gifts.

B．A pet is for Life, Not just for Christmas.

C．How to Take Care of Your Pets over Christmas.

D．Let’s Help Those Abandoned Pets

【小题2】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a reason for pets to be abandoned?

A．Pets spread some diseases.

B．Pets damage some things in the house.

C．The owners can’t take good care of the pets.

D．The owners have to move to other places.

【小题3】The underlined words “rounded up” in Paragraph 2 mean “________”.

A．given out as gifts

B．thrown away

C．gathered into one place

D．raised to make money

【小题4】The fifth paragraph mainly tells us________.

A．how to take best care of Christmas pets

B．the right time to have a puppy as a pet

C．the reasons why Christmas is not the time to get a pet

D．the worries about Christmas pets from organizations that help pets

【小题5】Why is the author against the idea of putting a dog in the Christmas stocking as a Christmas gift?

A．Because these dogs can still cause damage.

B．Because children will not take dogs seriously.

C．Because children don’t like to have dogs as Christmas gifts.

D．Because a Christmas stocking is not big enough to put a dog in.

Why is a full moon, yellower and bigger when it is coming up than when it is higher in the sky?

That's a good question about something that we all can see. Let's talk about the moon's color first.
We see the moon only because of the sunlight that falls on it and is reflected. Actually, the moon is not a very good reflector, because its surface is all rocks and dirt. We see it in almost its true color when it is high in the sky.
When the moon first comes up, its light reaches our eyes after an extra-long path through the atmosphere (大气). There are lots of particles (微粒) scattering (分散) light in that long path. Blue light is scattered more than other colors, which means that it doesn't reach your eyes. The light that is left over looks yellow to your eye.
Now about the other question—why the moon seems to change in size. That's more complicated. It's not an effect of the atmosphere, the way color is; it's not caused by something fooling your eyes. It seems, instead, to be caused by something that fools your brain—an illusion(错觉).
Here's a drawing that creates an illusion. The two cones(圆锥体) are really the same size. But the rest of the drawing makes the right-hand cone seem farther away. Your brain knows that faraway objects are really larger than they look. It decides that the right-hand cone must be larger because it seems to be farther away.
Similarly, when you see the moon just come up over a line of trees or houses—or whatever makes the horizon(地平线)—it may be that your brain decides that the moon must be larger because it seems to be farther away.
【小题1】The moon doesn't reflect the sunlight very well because________________.

A．it is high in the sky	B．its surface is rough
C．its surface is white	D．it isn't a good reflector

【小题2】Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．In the course of its rising, the moon is getting smaller and smaller

B．The size of the moon is more complicated than its color

C．The atmosphere has the same effect on the moon's size as on its color

D．The change in the moon's size is caused by an illusion while that in its color is caused by the atmosphere

【小题3】After reading this passage, you can possibly answer one of the following questions. Which one? ______.

A．Why is the sun bigger when it rises over the horizon?

B．Why does the sun look bigger when it rises over the horizon?

C．Why does the sun look golden?

D．Why does the sun rise in the east?

【小题4】Who do you think probably wrote this passage?________.

A．A novelist	B．A reporter
C．A science editor	D．An English teacher．

A tourist comes out of the airport．There are a lot of taxis，but the tourist asks every taxi—driver his name．He takes the third taxi．It costs￡5 from the airport to the hotel．“How much does it cost for the whole day?” the tourist asks．“￡100”，says the taxi-driver．This is very expensive，the tourist accepts the price．
The taxi—driver takes the tourist everywhere．He shows him all monuments and all the museums．In the evening they go back to the hotel．The tourist gives the taxi-driver￡100 and says，“What about tomorrow?” The taxi-driver looks at the tourist．“Tomorrow? It’s another￡ 100 tomorrow．”But the tourist says，“That’s OK．If that’s the price，that is the price．See you tomorrow．”The taxi—driver is very pleased．
The next day the taxi-driver takes the tourist everywhere again．They visit all the museums and all the monuments again．And in the second evening they go back to the hotel．The tourist gives the taxi—driver another￡100 and says，“I’m going home tomorrow．”The taxi-driver is sorry．He likes the tourist and，above all，￡100 a day is good money．“So you are going home．Where do you come from?” he asks．
“I come from New York．”
“New York!” says the taxi-driver，“I have a sister in New York．Her name is Susannah．Do you know her?”
“Of course 1 know her．She gave me￡200 for you．”
【小题1】The tourist is______  ．

A．an Englishman

B．a Frenchman

C．a Swedish

D．an American

【小题2】The tourist asks every taxi—driver his name because______   ．

A．he is afraid of being cheated	B．he wants to remember all of the taxi—drivers’names
C．he knows of one of the taxi-drivers	D．there is a friend of his among the taxi drivers

【小题3】Why is the taxi-driver very pleased with the tourist?

A．None but the tourist agrees to the price given without arguing with him．

B．His sister knows the tourist．

C．His sister has brought so much money to him．

D．He wants to be the guide of the tourist．

【小题4】We can conclude that ______ ．

A．the tourist will give the taxi-driver another￡200

B．the tourist makes fun of the taxi—driver

C．the tourist will give the taxi—driver half of the sum

D．the taxi-driver insists that the tourist should pay him another￡200

Laptop computers （笔记本电脑）are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.

   Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a ＄10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to "speak" with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees－anywhere at all!

    Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.

    At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff（全体员工）use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons. As one Westlake teacher said, "Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we're giving students a window on the world. They can see everything and do everything."

1.The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to _____.

A. use for their schoolwork

B. access the Internet

C. work at home

D. connect them to libraries

2.Why is the word "speak" in the second paragraph in quotation marks (引号)?

A. They can speak loudly.

B. They use the computer language.

C. Laptops have speakers.

D. They don't really talk.

3.Which of the following is TRUE about Westlake College?

A. All teachers use computers.

B. 1500 students have laptops.

C. It is an old college in America.

D. Students there can do everything.

 

Laptop computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.

Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a $10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to（可利用）the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees-anywhere at all!

Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar（相似）to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons.

State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.

1.The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to ____________.

A. use for their schoolwork               B. access the Internet

C. work at home                          D. connect them to libraries

2. Why is the word “speak” in the second paragraph in quotation marks（引号）?

A. They don’t really talk.               B. They use the computer language.

C. Laptops have speakers.              D. None of the above reasons is correct.

3.Which of the following is true about Westlake College?

A. All teachers use computers.        B. 1500 students have laptops.

C. It is an old college in America.         D. Students there can do everything.

4.“A window on the world” in the last paragraph means that students can ____________.

A. attend lectures on information technology

B. travel around the world

C. have free laptops

D. get information from around the world   

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A. The program is successful.           B. The program is not workable.

C. The program is too expensive.        D. We don’t know the result yet.