The hardworking businessman Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks(火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see him every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the man worked.
“ Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉) , even if it is only to pass the time ? ” said Jones. “ Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you .”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son because of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“ How funny it seems, ” he used to say, “ even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”

1. 1.

   The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because______．

   1. A.
      his father told him to
   2. B.
      he wanted to learn a skill
   3. C.
      Jones encouraged him to
   4. D.
      he just wanted to pass his time
2. 2.

   Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?

   1. A.
      Old Mr. Smith enjoyed making the shoe tacks
   2. B.
      Jones had said the young man must be in need of the skill
   3. C.
      The higher prices they paid, the more tacks the shoemakers would get
   4. D.
      The young man earned his living by his skills learnt when he was young
3. 3.

   What can we learn from the story ?

   1. A.
      Practice makes perfect
   2. B.
      Skill makes life easy
   3. C.
      A good beginning makes good ending
   4. D.
      Every man has his gift

If you and your friends wish to share a secret, you can write it in code, and no one else will be able to read it. Codes are one way of writing in secret. Ciphers （暗码） are another. In a code, each word is written as a secret code or code number. In a cipher each letter is changed.

    Codes and ciphers have played an important role in the history of the world. Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler who defeated almost all the countries in Europe about 2,000 years ago, used a cipher when he sent secret messages to his troops. During the American Revolution, George Washington’s spies used a kind of code to send him information about the enemy before his military（军事的） action. In World War II, the Americans “broke”, or figured out, Japan’s most important navy codes and got enough information to destroy a powerful Japanese fleet.

    Storekeepers use codes to mark their goods. The codes show how much was paid for the goods or when they were added to the stock（商品）. Businessmen use codes to hide plans from their business enemies. Sometimes personal letters or diaries are written in code. Many people enjoy figuring out codes and ciphers simply as a hobby.

    In the 16th century, codes and ciphers were very popular among scientists. They wrote messages to each other in code so that no one else would learn their secrets. Geronimo Gardano, an Italian astrologer（星相家）, mathematician, and doctor, invented the trellis cipher. He took to sheets of paper and cut exactly the same holes in each one. Then he sent one sheet, which he called a trellis, to a friend and kept the other for himself. Whenever he wanted to write a message, he put his trellis over a clean sheet of paper and wrote the secret message through the holes. Then he removed the trellis and filled the rest of the paper with words that would make sense. When his friend received it he put his trellis over the writing and read the secret message.

1．The best title of this passage is                  .

       A．Codes and Ciphers                               B．Differences between Codes and Ciphers

       C．History of Codes and Ciphers                D．Inventors of Codes and Ciphers

2．Which of the following statements is true?

       A．Ciphers can be broken or figured out more easily than codes.

       B．You could read some words in Geronimo’s letter without his trellis.

       C．The first person who ever used a cipher in history was Julius Caesar.

       D．Fondness of using codes was the hobby of the scientists in the 16^th century.

3．According to Geronimo Cardano, a trellis is                .

       A．a piece of paper with many small holes 

       B．a secret message with a lot of small holes

       C．a letter with unreadable words and sentences

       D．a sheet of paper with groups of Arabic figures

4．It is NOT mentioned in the passage that codes and ciphers are used for the purpose of       .

       A．military affairs                                     B．commercial secrets

       C．scientific achievements                D．personal enjoyment

Recently I was asked, “Are we anywhere near the day when you can climb into a car on Long Island, program it to take you to your niece’s house in Chicago, hit enter, and after the first hundred yards, once you hit a main road, the car takes over automatically and you just sit back and enjoy the ride?”

It is a question I worry about. But I had to answer truthfully, “Absolutely. We are without a doubt near the day.” Look, we’re already doing it with airplanes.

Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk takes off at an air base in the US, climbs to 50,000 feet, flies to Australia, and lands at an Australian air base, where there is a grandstand filled with military officials,－with no human pilot .

The necessary technology is already here. We have radar technology that can be tied to cruise（巡航）control and brakes, which automatically adjust your speed based on following distance and preprogrammed settings. It’s still a little bit raw, but it does work great. The technology can allow cars and trucks to follow each other in very closely spaced roads.

     GPS can also changes speed with location. Let’s say you’re in a state with a 75-mph limit and you cross into a state with a 65-mph limit. GPS knows that and can adjust your speed accordingly.

     It’s not out of the question to imagine that someday soon you’ll be able to start the car, make proper settings, then turn the front seats around and play cards and eat lunch as if you’re riding on a train. All in perfect comfort and safety, all the way to that niece’s place in Chicago.

     If asked to estimate just how far time is, I’d say a working system is ten years out, practice maybe 20 years.

1．The purpose of the question asked in the first paragraph probably is ____.

       A．to draw reader’s attention to his theory

       B．to introduce the topic to be discussed in the passage

       C．to describe the car in the future

       D．to prove that his idea is right

2．What’s the key technology to automatically car driving according to the passage?

       A．The technology of airplanes.                 B．The technology to be developed in the future.

       C．The technology of satellites.                  D．The technology of radar and GPS.

3．What does the author think of the change in car driving?

       A．It’s a terrible thing to come.                  B．It’s a wonder to drive such a car.

       C．It’s a pity to give up the skill of driving. D．It’s very likely to come true in the future.

4．Which of the following may be the best title for this passage?

       A．Driving is dead?                                   B．Comfortable car driving

       C．Will new technology change cars?         D．Cars is in the future.