A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment．The unpunctual man, on the other hand, never does what he has to do at the right time．1

There's a proverb which says，“Time flies never to be recalled．” This is true．2．The unpunctual man is forever wasting his most valuable possessions as well as others'．The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments．3  He knows that he can get through his huge amount of work only if he faithfully keeps every appointment and deals with every piece of work when it has to be attended to．

4 ．If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him．Usually this will be regarded as rude both to the host and the other guests．

Unpunctuality, moreover，is very harmful when it comes to one's duty．Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time．5

A．They appear to be busy but never get well paid．

B．He is always in a hurry and ends up losing time．

C．Maybe nobody minds being kept waiting at a dinner party．

D．A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained．

E．But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time．

F．A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by others．

G．Failure to be punctual in keeping one's appointment is a sign of disrespect towards others．

Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing. Three years ago, few people would go swimming in the icy waters. But now there is a Winter-swimming Enthusiasts’ Club（冬泳爱好者协会）and it has more than 2,000 members. The oldest is 84 years old and the youngest is only 7. The members are from all walks of life. They may be workers, peasants, soldiers, teachers, students…
Though it is now the coldest part of the season and the water temperature in the city’s lakes is around 0℃, many winter-swimmers still swim in the icy waters, even when it is snowing. They enjoy themselves in the lake, while the people by the side of the lake are wearing heavy clothes.
Why are so many people interested in winter-swimming? Because winter-swimming can be good for one’s health.
Bei Sha is a good example. He is 69, and he once suffered from（患……病）heart trouble for 26 years. After ten years of winter-swimming he is now in good health. Scientists are now studying the effects of winter-swimming on health.
【小题1】 Among the winter-swimmers the oldest man is_______ years older than the youngest one.

A．they are not afraid of coldness

B．they often swim in the icy waters

C．they know that they can benefit（得益）from it

D．winter-swimming can make people healthy

单词拼写 (共10小题；满分5分,每题0.5分）
根据所给中文或首字母写出相应单词的正确形式（每格一词）.
【小题1】Nowadays, there’re more and more family problems _________（产生）from lack of   communication.
【小题2】They supposed that their theories could explain conclusively the many natural __________（现象）.
【小题3】With the flight d__________ by the storm, the passengers had to stay at the airport for the night.
【小题4】A good night's sleep can be b__________ to one's health.
【小题5】Now we all know it is necessary and important to pass strict law to forbid d          driving,     as lots accidents happen every year.
【小题6】To be on time is important to Americans. The ideal person is p          and is considerate of     other people’s time.
【小题7】_______________(不幸) for him, he had his leg broken in the football match. What’s worse was     that his puppy love ended up in failure.
【小题8】Some people maintain that watching violence on TV is one of the major causes of              (好斗的) behavior and crime in society.
【小题9】___________ (统计数据) show that women live longer than men.
【小题10】 Dr. Johnson ___________ (承担) the task of writing an English dictionary last year.

If there is one thing I’m quite sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we still be reading newspapers. Not those newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of the news from the television or have the radio switched on in the background or in the car. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.

The basic British character won’t change, and one of the characteristics of the British is that we don’t much like talking to each other when we get up. So what better way is there to keep yourself thinking in the morning than to wrap yourself in a newspaper?

Over the past couple of centuries, human beings have developed a close relationship with the newspaper. It has become as natural as breathing or enjoying the sun. And it is not just the British who love newspapers. On suburban trains in Calcutta, for instance, just one person in the whole car will buy a newspaper and read aloud the best bits to his fellow passengers, much to everybody’s enjoyment.

The nature of what is news may change. What essentially (本质上) makes news is what affects our lives and the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic engineering. In the future I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do, whether it’s love or depression. We develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.

It’s quite possible that in the next century newspaper will be transmitted electronically from the national equivalents of Fleet Street (伦敦的舰队街，以报馆集中而著称) and printed out in our own homes. In fact, I’m pretty sure that that is how it will happen in future. You’ll be probably selecting from a menu, making up your own bespoke newspaper by picking out the things you want to read and say. You might even have an intelligent screening device (装置) to do the job for you.

I think people have got it wrong when they talk about the competition between the different media. They actually have a relationship, feeding off each other. It was once predicted that television would kill off newspapers, which hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page is more enduring (持久的) than pictures on a flickering screen or sound lost in the sky. And as for the Internet, it’s never really satisfying to read something just on a screen.

1.The author of the passage is most probably from _______________.

A．Russia            B．India             C．Britain            D．America

2.According to the passage, the future of newspapers ____________.

A．will be mainly connected with scientific research

B．will report more important political activities

C．will directly cover more on scientific research

D．will build a bridge between different people

3.The underlined part “bespoke newspaper” of the passage probably refers to _____________.

A．a newspaper which dares to report the truth

B．a newspaper edited to one’s own interest

C．a newspaper edited and published for the public

D．a newspaper which only covers the life of family members

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．It was centuries ago that newspapers came into being .

B．Televisions have taken the place of newspapers .

C．The Internet will gradually take the place of newspapers.

D．The nature of news may remain the same over generations.

第三部分：阅读（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

If you think American cooking means opening a package and throwing the contents into the microwave oven （微波炉）， think again. On one hand, it’s true that many Americans have cold cereal  ( 谷类食品 ) for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and instant dinners. From busy homemakers to working people, many Americans enjoy the convenience of fast food that can be ready to serve in 10 minutes or less. On the other hand, many Americans realize the importance of cooking skills. Parents－especially mothers－see the importance of training their children－ especially daughters. Most Americans think that there’s nothing better than a good home-cooked meal. But with cooking, as with any other skill, good results don’t happen by accident.

Probably every cook has his or her own way of cooking. But there are some basic skills that most people follow. For example, baking is a main method of preparing food in America. For that reason, Americans would find it next to impossible to live without an oven. American cooks pay special attention to the balance of foods, too. In planning a big meal they try to include meat, a few vegetables, some bread and often a dessert. They also like to make sure the meal is colouful. Having several different colors of food on the plate usually makes for a healthy meal.

For those who need guidance in their cooking, or for those who have just run out of ideas, recipes are a great help. Recipes list all the ingredients for a dish ( generally in the order used ), the amount of each to use, and a description of how to put them together.

61.This passage mainly tells us that _______________.

A.Americans usually have fast food, but they pay special attention to cooking as well.

B.without an oven, Americans find it impossible to live conveniently.

C.Americans pay special attention to recipes and nutritious meals.

D.Americans like to have several different colors of food on the plate.

62.The underlined word “ convenience “ in the first paragraph means _______________.

A.the lower and acceptable price

B.being suitable to one’s comfort or needs.

C.The high quality and low price.

D.The unusual taste of the food.

63.Many Americans have cold cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and instant dinner because ______________.

A.they like instant food very much

B.they don’t like cooking at all.

C.most American working people are busy and don’t have time to cook

D.fast food is delicious and it usually contains a lot of vitamins.

64.By saying “ But with cooking, as with any other skill, good results don’t happen by accident, the author means _____________.

A.good cooking doesn’t come easily; it needs a lot of practice

B.just like any other skill, cooking may bring good results

C.cooking comes from one’s gift, not through practice

D cooking can lead to accidents

65.From the passage, we know that _____________.

A.Americans don’t care about food

B.Americans are not good at cooking because they like to use recipes

C.an oven plays an important role in cooking for Americans

D.while cooking, Americans usually run out of ideas