Jeans are trousers made of a kind of clothe called denim. For many people, blue jeans represent American culture.

      The history of blue jeans usually begins with a man named Levi Strauss. Although he did not invent the jeans, he is considered the first person to produce and sell this kind of clothing in large amounts.

Levi Strauss was born in Bavaria, Germany. In 1847, he and his family moved to the US. He opened a store, first in New York, and then in San Francisco, California. Among the products he sold were jeans. These trousers were especially useful for miners in California who needed clothing made of a strong material.

Levi Strauss partnered with a clothing maker named Jacob Davis, who had invented a process for making rivets(铆钉) for jeans. These metal things helped strengthen the blue jean cloth to make the trousers stronger. In 1873, Strauss and Davis received a patent to officially own this invention. They began producing “ copper-riveted waist overalls(工装裤)”. In 1928 the Levi Strauss company used the word “Levi’s” as the trademark for their products.

The 19^th-century workers would probably be surprised to know that their trousers would one day become a fashion object. Today, jeans are worn by people of all ages, incomes and lifestyles. Jeans come in many colors other than blue and in many styles and at many prices.

A national museum in Washington, D.C. has one of the oldest known pairs of Levi’s jeans in its collection. Jeans have come to express different ideas about American culture based on the people who wear them. These include the heroes of the Wild West and famous Hollywood actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando in the 1950s. Writer James Sullivan published a book called Jean: A Cultural History of an American Icon. In the book, he says jeans serve as a sign for two American values, creativity and rebellion (叛逆).

This passage is mainly about _______.

   A. the life story of Levi Strauss                            B. jeans and American culture

   C. why jeans are popular.                                 D. the history of jeans

We know from the passage that Levi Strauss _________.

   A. was the first person who wore jeans.               B. moved to the US from Germany alone.

   C. not only sold jeans at first in his store              D. helped Jacob Davis invent a kind of rivet

Which of the following statements is TRUE about jeans?

   A. Strauss and Davis owned the invention of using rivets on jeans.     

B. In California, Levi’s was the only jeans seller in 1928.

   C. Jeans were called copper-riveted waist overalls at first.           

 D. Jeans were originally made for heroes of the Wild West.

According to the last but one paragraph,jeans should be best described as _________.

   A. strong            B. cultural              C.  popular           D. unique

China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety. In Panama, it is said that medicine made with a poisonous chemical sickened some people. A Chinese company had identified it as diethylamide glycol （ [化]乙二醇）, a low – cost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze（防冻剂）.
Some countries have banned Chinese-made toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol. China has now told companies to discontinue its use, even though it says the toothpaste is safe. Another industrial chemical, melamine, was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America. Thousands of dogs and cats became sick.
The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned substance. And questions have been raised about other products, including children’s toys covered with lead paint.
Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union, the biggest trading partner, with detailed reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods.
Meglena Kuneva, commissioner (理事) for consumer protection of the European Union said China should have kept its promise.
China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare. And it dismissed the former head of its food and drug administration. He was found guilty of corruption (腐败) for approving unsafe drugs. This week, a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the supervision of food safety. The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers, greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities.
But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in China. They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes. Next Week, American and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation.
【小题1】How many cases with safety problems are mentioned in the passage?

A．Six

B．Five

C．Four

D．Three

【小题2】How was Panama case dealt with afterwards?
A. Three companies linked to it were closed down.
B. The former head of food and drug administration was removed from his position.
C. More serious punishment was conducted for leaders linked to it.
D. Both A and B.
【小题3】We can infer the followings except that ________.

A．Chinese- made toothpaste is safe

B．the safety of “made in China” is doubted

C．there are safety problems with more Chinese products

D．the Chinese government is to blame partly for the product safety problems.

【小题4】The passage is mainly about ________.

A．China is facing product safety problems

B．more controls are taken of Chinese goods

C．overstated problems with Chinese goods

D．China is losing its trade partners

【小题5】What does “ it ” refer to in the last but one paragraph?

A．China	B．The European Union
C．Chinese officials	D．The Chinese company

阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示 2）首字母提示 3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整的写右边相对应的横线上，所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。

 

 

Li Lei,

       I’m sorry to hear that you are having trouble in coping with the

new college life. Here I would like to give you some a           1___________

First of all, you should s         no efforts to work hard at all    2___________

your lessons and develop your different a          . Only in     3___________

this way are you l        ___ to get an ideal job for a better      4___________

future. Secondly, communication skills are also r        if you   5___________

want to get along well with your friends ________ college campus  6___________

Last but not least, living _________ (独立) is of great significance  7___________

to you, _______means you should learn to face all challenges by   8____________

yourself, and this will surely b      you a lot when you step into  9____________

_________(社会). I’ll be glad if you find my advice practical.    10 ___________

 

When a first-time father saw his newborn son, he immediately noticed the baby's ears obviously standing out from his head. He expressed his concern to the nurse that some children might be made fun of his child. A doctor examined the baby and reassured the new dad that his son was healthy---- the ears presented only a small problem with its appearance.

But the nervous father continued. He wondered if the child might suffer psychological effects of ridicule, or if they should consider plastic surgery(整形手术). The nurse assured him that it was really no problem, and he should just wait to see if the boy grows into his ears.

The father finally felt more optimistic about his child, but now he worried about his wife's reaction to those large ears. She had been delivered by operation, and had not yet seen the child.

“She doesn't take things as easily as I do,” he said to the nurse.

By this time, the new mother was settled in the recovery room and ready to meet her new baby. The nurse went along with the dad to lend some support in case this inexperienced mother became upset about her baby's large ears.

The baby was in a blanket(毛毯) with his head covered for the short trip through the cold air-conditioned corridor. The baby was placed in his mother's arms, who eased the blanket back so that she could look at her child for the first time.

She took one look at her baby's face and looked to her husband and gasped, “Oh, Honey! Look! He has your ears!”

No problem with Mom. She married those ears...and she loves the man to whom they are attached.

The poet Kahlil Gibran said, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” It's hard to see the ears when you're looking into the light.

1.When the father first saw his baby, he was worried that________.

A．The baby might not grow up healthily.

B．The baby might be laughed at by others.

C．The baby might disappoint its mother.

D．the baby might have mental problems.

2.According to the doctor and nurse, the baby’s ears________.

A．could not function well.

B．looked the same as others.

C．only caused a small problem.

D．needed to have plastic surgery.

3.What is true about the baby’s mother?

A．She blamed her husband for the baby’s big ears.

B．She was the first to discover the baby’s large ears.

C．She suggested having an operation on the baby immediately.

D．She found something similar between the baby and its father.

4.What does the underlined word they refer to in the last but on paragraph(倒数第2段)?

A．The ears.

B．The parents.

C．The doctor and nurse.

D．The problems

5.What’s the function of the last paragraph?

A．To advise readers to listen carefully.

B．To draw a conclusion from the story.

C．To criticize the wrong attitude to physical beauty.

D．To stress the importance of doctor-patient relationship.