D

The thing is, my luck’s always been ruined. Just look at my name: Jean. Not Jean Marie, or Jeanine, or Jeanette, or even Jeanne. Just Jean. Did you know in France, they name boys Jean? It’s French for John. And okay, I don’t live in France. But still, I’m basically a girl named John. If I lived in France, anyway.

This is the kind of luck I’ve had since before Mom even filled out my birth certificate. So it wasn’t any big surprise to me when the cab driver didn’t help me with my suitcase. I’d already had to tolerate arriving at the airport to find no one there to greet me, and then got no answer to my many phone calls, asking where my aunt and uncle were. Did they not want me after all? Had they changed their minds? Had they heard about my bad luck—all the way from Iowa—and decided they didn’t want any of it to rub off on them?

So when the cab driver, instead of getting out and helping me with my bags, just pushed a little button so that the trunk (汽车后备箱) popped open a few inches, it wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to me. It wasn’t even the worst thing that had happened to me that day.

According to my mom, most brownstones in New York City were originally single-family homes when they were built way back in the 1800s. But now they’ve been divided up into apartments, so that there’s one—or sometimes even two or more families—per floor.

Not Mom’s sister Evelyn’s brownstone, though. Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted Gardiner own all four floors of their brownstone. That’s practically one floor per person, since Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted only have three kids, my cousins Tory, Teddy, and Alice.

Back home, we just have two floors, but there are seven people living on them. And only one bathroom. Not that I’m complaining. Still, ever since my sister Courtney discovered blow-outs, it’s been pretty frightful at home.

But as tall as my aunt and uncle’s house was, it was really narrow—just three windows across. Still, it was a very pretty townhouse, painted gray. The door was a bright, cheerful yellow. There were yellow flower boxes along the base of each window, flower boxes from which bright red—and obviously newly planted, since it was only the middle of April, and not quite warm enough for them.

It was nice to know that, even in a sophisticated (世故的) city like New York, people still realized how homey and welcoming a box of flowers could be. The sight of those flowers cheered me up a little.

Like maybe Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted just forgot I was arriving today, and hadn’t deliberately failed to meet me at the airport because they’d changed their minds about letting me come to stay.

Like everything was going to be all right, after all.

Yeah. With my luck, probably not.

I started up the steps to the front door of 326 East Sixty-Ninth Street, then realized I couldn’t make it with both bags and my violin. Leaving one bag on the sidewalk, I dragged the other up the steps with me. Maybe I took the steps a little too fast, since I nearly tripped and fell flat on my face on the sidewalk. I managed to catch myself at the last moment by grabbing some of the fence the gardeners had put up…

67. Why did the author go to New York?

A. She intended to go sightseeing there.

B. She meant to stay with her aunt’s family.

C. She was homeless and adopted by her aunt.

D. She wanted to try her luck and find a job there.

68. According to the author, some facts account for her bad luck EXCEPT that ________.

A. she was given a boy’s name in French

B. the cab driver didn’t help her with her bags

C. her sister Courtney discovered blow-outs  

D. nobody had come to meet her at the airport

69. The underlined phrase “rub off on” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.

A. have an effect on    B. play tricks on     C. put pressure on       D. throw doubt on

70. From the passage, we can know that _________.

A. the author left home without informing her mother

B. the author arrived in New York in a very warm season

C. her aunt’s family lived a much better life than her own

D. her aunt and uncle were likely to forget about her arrival

The most popular way to welcome the new year in the United States is to have a big party. Some parties are at people’s homes. But in recent years, it has become more and more common

For Americans to go to a hotel or a club or a restaurant on the night of December the 31st. There they can have dinner, drink champagne ( a kind of wine), and dance.

Most New Year’s parties have something in common. First of all, they are usually noisy. People sing and bands (乐队)play. And often, guests pull a cracker（爆竹） when the clock strikes twelve at midnight. People think that loud sounds would drive away the evil spirits of the old year before the new year begins.

For many people New Year’s Eve is the night when they can drink as much as they like. Some New Year’s celebrations have ended sadly for people who got drunk and had driving accidents. Radio’s and television’s announcements warn people of the danger of drunk driving. Some places offer free rides home for drunken people.

The biggest and noisiest New year’s party in the United States takes place at Times Square in New York City. Thousands of people gather there. Some of them ring bells or let off crackers. Others blow whistles or car horns. And at 12 o’cloIk, they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple lights up on top of a tall building.

Americans keep up one other important tradition as the new year begins. They make decisions about how to improve themselves in the year ahead. Experts say that the most common New Year’s decisions in the United states are to eat less. But many Americans also promise themselves to stop smoking, or stop drinking wine, or to be nicer to their friends and families.

Experts find fewer than ten percent of Americans carry out their New Year’s decisions. Few want to give up this tradition. Almost everyone seems to enjoy looking back over the year that has just ended and looking forward to a nice beginning of a new year. ,

72. The article is about _____.

A. some important traditions in the USA

B. when and where Americans welcome the new year

C. New year’s celebrations in the USA

D. American ways of life and their interests

73. On New Year’s Eve _____ in America.

A. parties are held in different places

B. people are encouraged to drink as much as they like

C. some places offer free rides home for everyone

D. people begin to shout as soon as they see a red apple

74. . Most new year’s parties are usually noisy, because______.

A. people sing songs         B. bands play music  

C. guests pull crackers       D. people want to get rid of bad luck of the old year

75. In order to prevent car accidents _____ on New Year’s Eve.

A. many Americans promise to stop drinking wine

B. drunken people are forbidden to drive, but can be driven home for free in some places

C. little wine is served at New year’s celebrations

D. people are warned of the danger of drinking too much

.

The most popular way to welcome the new year in the United States is to have a big party. Some parties are at people’s homes. But in recent years, it has become more and more common

For Americans to go to a hotel or a club or a restaurant on the night of December the 31st. There they can have dinner, drink champagne ( a kind of wine), and dance.

Most New Year’s parties have something in common. First of all, they are usually noisy. People sing and bands (乐队)play. And often, guests pull a cracker（爆竹） when the clock strikes twelve at midnight. People think that loud sounds would drive away the evil spirits of the old year before the new year begins.

For many people New Year’s Eve is the night when they can drink as much as they like. Some New Year’s celebrations have ended sadly for people who got drunk and had driving accidents. Radio’s and television’s announcements warn people of the danger of drunk driving. Some places offer free rides home for drunken people.

The biggest and noisiest New year’s party in the United States takes place at Times Square in New York City. Thousands of people gather there. Some of them ring bells or let off crackers. Others blow whistles or car horns. And at 12 o’cloIk, they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple lights up on top of a tall building.

Americans keep up one other important tradition as the new year begins. They make decisions about how to improve themselves in the year ahead. Experts say that the most common New Year’s decisions in the United states are to eat less. But many Americans also promise themselves to stop smoking, or stop drinking wine, or to be nicer to their friends and families.

Experts find fewer than ten percent of Americans carry out their New Year’s decisions. Few want to give up this tradition. Almost everyone seems to enjoy looking back over the year that has just ended and looking forward to a nice beginning of a new year. ,

72. The article is about _____.

A. some important traditions in the USA

B. when and where Americans welcome the new year

C. New year’s celebrations in the USA

D. American ways of life and their interests

73. On New Year’s Eve _____ in America.

A. parties are held in different places

B. people are encouraged to drink as much as they like

C. some places offer free rides home for everyone

D. people begin to shout as soon as they see a red apple

74. . Most new year’s parties are usually noisy, because______.

A. people sing songs         B. bands play music  

C. guests pull crackers       D. people want to get rid of bad luck of the old year

75. In order to prevent car accidents _____ on New Year’s Eve.

A. many Americans promise to stop drinking wine

B. drunken people are forbidden to drive, but can be driven home for free in some places

C. little wine is served at New year’s celebrations

D. people are warned of the danger of drinking too much

The most popular way to welcome the new year in the United States is to have a big party. Some parties are at people’s homes. But in recent years, it has become more and more common

For Americans to go to a hotel or a club or a restaurant on the night of December the 31st. There they can have dinner, drink champagne ( a kind of wine), and dance.

Most New Year’s parties have something in common. First of all, they are usually noisy. People sing and bands (乐队)play. And often, guests pull a cracker（爆竹） when the clock strikes twelve at midnight. People think that loud sounds would drive away the evil spirits of the old year before the new year begins.

For many people New Year’s Eve is the night when they can drink as much as they like. Some New Year’s celebrations have ended sadly for people who got drunk and had driving accidents. Radio’s and television’s announcements warn people of the danger of drunk driving. Some places offer free rides home for drunken people.

The biggest and noisiest New year’s party in the United States takes place at Times Square in New York City. Thousands of people gather there. Some of them ring bells or let off crackers. Others blow whistles or car horns. And at 12 o’cloIk, they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple lights up on top of a tall building.

Americans keep up one other important tradition as the new year begins. They make decisions about how to improve themselves in the year ahead. Experts say that the most common New Year’s decisions in the United states are to eat less. But many Americans also promise themselves to stop smoking, or stop drinking wine, or to be nicer to their friends and families.

Experts find fewer than ten percent of Americans carry out their New Year’s decisions. Few want to give up this tradition. Almost everyone seems to enjoy looking back over the year that has just ended and looking forward to a nice beginning of a new year. ,

72. The article is about _____.

A. some important traditions in the USA

B. when and where Americans welcome the new year

C. New year’s celebrations in the USA

D. American ways of life and their interests

73. On New Year’s Eve _____ in America.

A. parties are held in different places

B. people are encouraged to drink as much as they like

C. some places offer free rides home for everyone

D. people begin to shout as soon as they see a red apple

74. . Most new year’s parties are usually noisy, because______.

A. people sing songs         B. bands play music  

C. guests pull crackers       D. people want to get rid of bad luck of the old year

75. In order to prevent car accidents _____ on New Year’s Eve.

A. many Americans promise to stop drinking wine

B. drunken people are forbidden to drive, but can be driven home for free in some places

C. little wine is served at New year’s celebrations

D. people are warned of the danger of drinking too much

The Mystery of the Flashing Fireflies

During summer nights fireflies flash in the darkness. They look like bright spots of light dancing on the breeze. Catching them in a jar for a few minutes can be fun. Fireflies are not really flies, though. They are winged beetles. Scientists are using these special beetles to learn more about our world.

The reason a firefly flashed its light is to find a mate. There are around two thousand species, or kinds, of fireflies. Fireflies mate only with their own species. Each kind of firefly has its own flash pattern. It is important that fireflies recognize this pattern. That way they can find bugs of their own kind. The male firefly flies around in the sky while the female firefly stays close to the ground.

For many years, how a firefly flashes its light was a mystery. Scientists now know that a firefly’s light is a cold light. It gives off all of its power as light. It does not produce heat. A normal light bulb gives off only ten percent of its power as light. The rest of the power is wasted as heat. That is why a light bulb that has been on for a while is very hot. The firefly’s light does not feel hot like a light bulb.

Scientists have also learned that fireflies have a small built-in lantern. This special lantern is located inside a firefly’s body. To create light, a gas flows through tiny tubes. This causes the firefly to light up. A firefly can also turn its light on and off quickly. This puzzled scientists. They learned that short bursts of this gas make the firefly glow. When the gas fades, the light goes out. This process happens very quickly.

Scientists know that what they learn from fireflies will be important. Medical studies using fireflies are helping scientists fight illnesses in human beings. They have made new medicines from the chemicals used by fireflies to make light. Fireflies have also helped with new discoveries. New flashlights and flares have been made based on fireflies. These new flashlights and flares produce a cold light like a firefly. This way all the power makes the light shine. This little bug may be a pleasure to watch, but it is also an important part of our lives.

Why did the author most likely include Paragraph 4?

A. To explain how fireflies make light.        B. To describe different kinds of fireflies.

C. To show how much power fireflies use.     D. To describe why fireflies make light.

Which of these is the best choice for a heading for Paragraph 5?

A. The Cool Light of Fireflies               B. Watching Fireflies Flash

C. Understanding the Patterns               D. Learning from Fireflies

According to the passage, a firefly’s light is different from a light bulb’s light because the firefly’s light _______.

A. shines brighter  B. does not fade   C. lasts longer  D. is not hot

A reader asks this question about the passage: “ How many different kinds of fireflies are there?” Which paragraph from the passage answers the question?

A. Paragraph 2   B. Paragraph 3     C. Paragraph 4   D. Paragraph 5

The author most likely wrote this passage in order to __.

A. tell why fireflies light up                B. give facts about fireflies

C. show how fireflies help doctors           D. compare a firefly to a light bulb