阅读理解

  Can trees talk? Yes--but not in words. Scientists have reasons to believe that trees do communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree（柳树）attacked in the woods by caterpillars（毛毛虫）changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that the caterpillars got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special vapour--a signal causing its neighbours to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty.

　　Communication, of course, doesn't need to be always in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar（花蜜）for honey. So why shouldn't trees have ways of sending messages?

（1）When attacked, a willow tree will protect itself by _______.

[　　]

A. changing its leaves' chemistry

B. changing its leaves' colour

C. talking to caterpillars

D. sending out a special vapour

（2）From the passage we know that caterpillars _______ .

[　　]

A. like willow trees

B. enjoy eating fallen leaves

C. feed on willow tree leaves

D. could communicate with willow trees

（3）Caterpillars will stop eating willow tree leaves which _______ .

[　　]

A. have a chemical change and become tasteless

B. have a pleasant taste

C. are being attacked

D. are communicating

（4）According to the passage, how do willow trees communicate with each other?

[　　]

A. They talk in words.

B. They send out a special vapour.

C. They wave their leaves.

D. They make special sounds.

（5）According to the passage, bees communicate with each other by ______ .

[　　]

A. talking

B. making unusual sounds

C. singing songs

D. flying in certain patterns

阅读理解

　　I've loved my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be most wonderful thing in the word.

　　Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother.“But the desk,”she'd said again, “is for Elizabeth.”

   I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.

　　They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was“too emotional”. But she lived“on the surface”.

　　As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.

　　I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.

　　My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace-it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn't be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.

　　Now the present of her desk told, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work, I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside--a photo of my father and one-page letter, folded and refolded many times.

　　Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.

(1)The writer began to love her mother's desk ________.

[　　]

A. after Mother died

B. before she became a writer

C. when she was a child

D. when Mother gave in to her

(2)The passage shows that ________.

[　　]

A. Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter

B. Mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done

C. Mother cared much about her daughter in words

D. Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words

(3)The word“gulf”in the passage means ________.

[　　]

A. deep understanding between the old and the young

B. different ideas between the mother and the daughter

C. free talks between mother and daughter

D. part of the sea going far in land

(4)What did Mother do with her daughter's letter asking for forgiveness?

[　　]

A. She had never received the letter.

B. For years, she often talked about the letter.

C. She didn't forgive her daughter at all in her life.

D. She read the letter again ad again till she died.

(5)What's the best title(题目)of the passage?

[　　]

A. My Letter to Mother.

B. Mother and Children.

C. My Mother's Desk.

D. Talks between mother and me.

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案.

　　When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P.T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles' parents along with him, and they traveled the world together.

　　He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new name, General Tom Thumb．He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act, and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up (激起) great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.

　　During the show, Tom fought battles pretendedly with tall people. He also danced upon a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall.

　　Tom's act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.

　　Fortunately for Tom, Mr Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.

　　The ceremony (庆典) and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about two thousand guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon, just before going to live in Tom's house in Connecticut.

　　Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade (浅淡), communities throughout the country sponsored (主持) “Tom Thumb” weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

(1)“talk of the town” means ________.

[　　]

A．it was in the newspaper

B．people spread mean rumors (谣言) about it

C．it was the most popular thing happening

D．it was discussed in a city meeting

(2)What does the author think about Tom Thumb's wedding?

[　　]

A．People gave it too much of their attention.

B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time.

C．It was funny and ridiculous (荒谬可笑).

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

(3)Which of the following is the best clue to the fact that Tom was smart?

[　　]

A．He became a billionaire twenty-five.

B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age.

C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon.

D．He married a school teacher.

(4)Tom would dance on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because ________.

[　　]

A．the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom were tap dancing

B．It made Tom feel taller

C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted

D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller

(5)What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

[　　]

A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine.

B．People are always disappointed during war time.

C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose.

D．People should be married when they are small children.

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案.

　　Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become“computer-literate”. But not all experts (专家) agree that this is a good idea.

　　One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbut, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that way. He says that Computertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them “people-literate”.

　　David Tebbutt thinks Computertowns are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any questions they have. They are not told what to do, they find out. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask. People don't have to learn computer terms (术语), but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming“people-literate”.

(1)Which of the following is David Tebbutt's idea on the relationship between people and computers?

[　　]

A．Computer learning should be made easier.

B．There should be more computer clubs for experts.

C．People should work harder to master computer use.

D．Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them.

(2)We can infer from the text that “computer-literate” means ________.

[　　]

A．being able to afford a computer

B．being able to write computer programs

C．working with the computer and finding out its value

D．understanding the computer and knowing how to use it

(3)The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to the idea that Computertowns ________.

[　　]

A．help to set up more computer clubs

B．bring people to learn to use computers

C．bring more experts to work together

D．help to sell computers to the public

(4)David Tebbutt started Computertown UK with the purpose of ________.

[　　]

A．making better use of computer experts

B．improving computer programs

C．increasing computer sales

D．popularizing computers

阅读理解

  Switzerland is famous for its watches. However, this country didn't invent the watch. It was the British who did it. Here is a story of how the watch was brought to Switzerland.

　　Many years ago, an Englishman was travelling to Italy. On his way he stopped in a small town in South Switzerland. This Englishman travelled in a carriage inside which there was a carriage watch. This was the earliest kind of watch. A native shop assistant happened to see the watch. He wondered what is was and asked the Englishman about it. “It is a carriage watch,”said the man. “This machine tells the time, but now it isn't working.”

　　At once the shop assistant offered to try to repair it. So the traveller handed him the watch. The assistant was a very wise man. So it was not surprising that he managed to repair it. He even remembered how it was made. As soon the traveller had gone on his journey, he made a watch exactly the type.

　　Thus the watch-making started in Switzerland. Today Switzerland watches are sold in stores all over the world.

（1）Switzerland is famous for _______ .

[　　]

A. making watches

B. selling watches

C. inventing watches

D. the carriage watch

（2）It was _______ who brought a watch to Switzerland earliest.

[　　]

（3）The earliest watches were made in ______ .

[　　]

（4）The first Swiss watch was made by _______ .

[　　]

A. an Italian

B. an English shop assistant

C. a man who came from Switzerland

D. a man who travelled to Italy

（5）The carriage watch was a machine which _______ .

[　　]

A. was put in the carriage

B. wasn't working

C. told people time

D. had to be repaired

阅读理解

  On the coast of Cuba lived an old fisherman. He was thin and had many deep lines in the back of his neck. His skin was very brown, and his hands were marked by pulling heavy fish at the end of ropes. But all these marks were old. Every part of him seemed old except his eyes. They were cheerful and the same color as the sea.

　　For eighty days he did not catch any fish. People said that the old man was unlucky. But the old man still loved the sea. He was still strong and a good fisherman. On the eighty fifth day the old man sailed farther out to sea than any of the other boats. He sailed to where the water was very deep. Then he felt fishing-line being pulled gently by a big fish which was swimming very deep in the water.

　　The fish was so powerful that it pulled the boat after it. It took the small boat far out to sea. The old man could no longer see the land.

　　“Fish,” he said softly, aloud, “I'll stay with you until I am dead.”

（1）The old man's eyes were _______ .

[　　]

A. very brown

B. full of fear and pain

C. cheerful

D. not able to see the sea clearly

（2）We may infer that the old man _______ .

[　　]

A. just came to the sea for a holiday

B. had lived on the coast for a long time

C. was very sick and weak

D. did not have money to buy fish

（3）On the eighty fifth day the old man _______ .

[　　]

A. sailed far out to the sea

B. stopped fishing

C. sailed with a strong fisherman

D. waited for a big fish to come

（4）Which of the following statement is true?

[　　]

A. The fish in his net was big but weak.

B. The fish pulled the old man into the sea.

C. The fish was killed by the old man.

D. The old man drowned in the sea.

（5）The sentence“Fish, I'll stay with you until I am dead”means the old man _______ .

[　　]

A. had to wait for death

B. wanted to live with the fish

C. could do nothing

D. was brave and had strong will

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案.

    Three million people visit Pisa each year to see a tower. A look at the picture will tell you why. The tower leans! It is known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

   The tower looks as if it might fall at any time. Engineers say that the visitors are safe--at least for a while. But the tower does lean. It slants (倾斜) 14 feet 10 inches at the present time. The tower has been leaning for 800 years. And every year it leans a little bit more. If this keeps on, the tower will fall.

   If you look at the picture, you will see that one side of the tower is deeper in the earth than the other. Why has this happened?

   Pisa's tower weights 14,500 tons. A heavy tower like this must have a very strong foundation. The Leaning Tower's foundation is just not deep or wide enough for the tower above it.

   Can anything be done about the tower?

   Italian engineers have special plans. They don't want to make the tower straight--just keep it from leaning any further. So all the plans ask for a new foundation that Won't sink. But a new foundation can't be built while the tower is resting on the old one. The tower must be raised．One plan is to place 15 big Jacks (千斤顶) around the tower. They would raise the tower and hold it up while the new foundation is being built.

    The Italian engineers are searching for the best plan to rescue the tower. They know that any plan will take a lot of money. But many Italians refuse to believe that the old tower is in danger. “It leans and leans and leans,” they say “but it will never fall down.”

    The engineers want to make sure that it won't.

(1)Engineers believe if the tower keeps on leaning, it will fall ________.

[　　]

(2)The tower is leaning because ________.

[　　]

A．the foundation of it is not strong enough

B．it was wrongly designed

C．it was designed so on purpose

D．the tower was built carelessly

(3)The Italian engineers want to ________.

[　　]

A．stop it from leaning further

B．make it straight

C．build a new tower

D．move the tower to a safe place

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案.

With his standard Mandarin pronunciation, practiced skills on Chinese expressions and special humour with a Beijing accent, Dashan has become a household name across China.

People have always wondered how the 36-year-old Canadian can be so skillful in the Chinese language even though it is considered by many as one of the most difficult languages in the world．But to Dashan, the great challenge was a piece of cake due to his deep interest, proper method and the excellent environment he created for himself.

“Interest is the best teacher.” That is a universal principle. Even if the 20-year-old Mark Rowswell--Dashan's real name--hadn't fully realized what attracted him to the Chinese department at the University of Toronto in Canada, he was already deeply interested in Chinese culture when he decided to have further study in Beijing.

   Entering the Chinese department of Peking University in 1988, Dashan felt like a duck in water. Study is always a hard job, no matter how much interest you have. Therefore, effective ways are necessary to improvement. “Learn for life and learn in life” is Dashan's belief.

    As a freshman at the University of Toronto, the student did study the textbooks, which especially aimed on foreign Chinese learners. They did help him build a solid foundation.

   However, that's far from enough to grasp the Chinese language. Starting in his junior year, Dashan began to read original Chinese novels, Chinese newspapers and even the selected works of Deng Xiaoping. “Only the material for Chinese native readers could give me a proper sense of the language,” he said.

The language that is the daily means of communication is the principle that Dashan always keeps in his mind．What you have really learned depends on what you can use, not necessarily your mastery of textbooks.

    To learn in daily life requires a favorable language environment, which is also necessary for improvement. Dashan admits it is hard for Chinese English learners to be brought into a good English speaking environment, but insists, “to listen and speak as much as possible does help.”

    To help Chinese English learners develop a favourable environment, Dashan took part in a VCD programme--“Travel with Dashan”-- to teach daily and up-to-date English in real-life situations.

(1)Dashan could learn Chinese very well because of ________.

[　　]

A．his interest

B．practiced skills on Chinese expression

C．his special method

D．special humour with a Beijing accent

(2)The sentence “learn for life and learn in life” here means ________.

[　　]

A．learn things in our daily life, otherwise it will not last long

B．we should study in practice all our lives

C．life is difficult, so we'd better learn more to lead a better life

D．langnage is the necessary part of our daily life, so we must practice it frequently

(3)The main idea of the passage is ________.

[　　]

A．Dashan has become a household name across China

B．how can we master a foreign language in a short time

C．Dashan took part in a VCD programme “Travel with Dashan” to teach

English in real-life situation

D．try to learn English under the direction of Dashan, and you'll succeed one day

(4)The underlined phrase “a piece of cake” here refers to ________.

[　　]

(5)Dashan read the selected works of Deng Xiaoping because ________.

[　　]

A．he admired the former leader of the government

B．he hoped to learn more of the spirits of it

C．he wanted to give him a proper sense of the Chinese language

D．they are very popular in modem times

阅读理解

　　LONDON--A morning's train ride away, across the Channel. English kids talk about Liverpool's soccer team in a Paris pub.

　　Some Parisians have even started to go to work in London.

　　In the 19 century, Charles Dickens compared the two great rival（竞争的）cities, London and Paris, in “A Tale of Two Cities.”These days, it might be A Tale of One City.

　　Parisians are these days likely to smile in sympathy at a visitor's broken French and respond in polite English.

　　As Jobs grew lack at home over recent years, perhaps 250,000 Frenchmen moved across the Channel. With an undersea tunnel, they could travel between cities in three hours. The European Union frees them from immigration and customs.

　　Paris, rich in beauty, is more attractive. But London feels more full of life, and more fun until the pubs shut down.

　　“For me, the difference is that London is real, alive,”said Trevor Wheeler, a banker.

　　Chantal Jaouen, a professional designer, agrees.“I am French, but I'll stay in London,”she said.

　　There is, of course, the other view. Julie Lenoux is a student who moved to London two years ago.“I think people laugh more in Paris,”she said.

　　In fact, London and Paris, with their obvious new similarities, are beyond the old descriptions. As the European Union gradually loosened controls, Londoners flocked into Paris to shop, eat and buy property.

　　“Both cities have changed beyond recognition. ”said Larry Collins, a writer and sometimes a Londoner.

　　Like most people who know both well, he finds the two now fit together comfortably.

　　“I first fell in love with Paris in the 1950s, and is still a wonderful place.”Collins said.

　　“But if I had to choose, it would be London. Things are so much more ordered, and life is better.”

　　But certainly not cheaper.

　　In fancy parts of London, rents can be twice than those on Avenue Foch in Paris.

　　Deciding between London and Paris requires a lifestyle choice.

　　Like Daphne Benoit, a French journalism student with perfect English, many young people are happy to be close enough to they don't have to choose.

　　“I love Paris, my little neighborhood, the way I can walk around a centre, but life is so structured,”she said.“In London, you can be who you want. No one cares.”

（1）The best title for this passage is ______ .

[　　]

A. Londoners and Parisians

B. A Modem Tale of Two Cities

C. The Similarity of Two Cities

D. Fancy London and Fashionable Paris

（2）We can infer from the text ______ .

[　　]

A. Paris and London have become perfect partners

B. London feels more full of life

C. life in Paris is structured

D. Paris and London have become fierce competitors

（3）The underlined word“flocked”probably means ______ .

[　　]

A. came in large numbers

B. flew a long way

C. rushed hurriedly

D. drove long distances

（4）Living in Paris, you may find ______ .

[　　]

A. life is better

B. things are cheaper

C. more attractive people

D. a job easily

（5）From the passage we can know ______ .

[　　]

A. the two cities have developed very fast

B. London is better than Paris now

C. Paris is a favorite place for all journalism students

D. people in both London and Paris now lead a regular life

阅读理解

　　On June 17, 1744, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the next day they refused the offer as follows:

　　We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of living of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are certain that you mean to do us good by your suggestion; and we thank you heartily. But you must know that different nations have different ways of looking at things, and you will therefore not be displeased if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces; they were taught all your sciences; but, when they came back to us, they were bad runners, and they knew little little of every means of living in the woods...they were totally good for noting.

　　We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it; and to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their education, teach them in all we know, and make men of them.

（1）The passage is about ______ .

[　　]

A. the talk between the Indians and the officials

B. the colleges of the northern provinces

C. the educational values of the Indians

D. the problems of the Americans in the mid-eighteenth century

（2）The Indians' chief purpose in writing the letter seems to be to _____ .

[　　]

A. Politely refuse a friendly offer

B. express their opinions on equal treatment

C. show their pride

D. describe Indian customs

（3）According to the letter, the Indians believed that ______ .

[　　]

A. it would be better for their boy to receive some schooling

B. they were being hurt by the offer

C. they knew more about science that the officials

D. they had a better way of education young men

（4）Different from the officials' view of education, the Indians thought _____ .

[　　]

A. young women should also be educated

B. they had different objects of education

C. they taught different branches of science

D. they should teach the sons of the officials first

（5）The mood of the letter as a whole is best described as ______ .

[　　]