My interest in Chinese food started many years ago, when I had my first job. I was a young reporter for the Daily Journal in San Francisco. Our office wasn’t far from Chinatown. I usually managed to arrange my time so that I could go there at least two or three times a week for a good meal.
The first time I ever ate Chinese food I loved it. And since then, it just tastes better and better to me. The first thing I noticed was the fresh tastes of the meat and vegetable. When I learned more about the food, I began to understand why it has this special feature.
About 5000 years ago, China lost much of its wood because of over population and poor management of its forest. This loss was very bad for the country, of course, but it turned out to be very good for the food. Wood became very expensive and hard to get, so the Chinese had to learn how to use it better.
In order to use less wood in cooking, they started to cut their meat and vegetables into small pieces before they put them in the hot oil. That way, the food cooked faster and they saved their fuel. The food prepared in this manner kept its fresh flavor(风味)—and it’s this flavor that attracts people to the art of Chinese cooking.
I often wonder if the Chinese appreciated their solution to that ancient energy problem as much as I do now –whenever I eat Chinese food.
【小题1】This passage is mainly about _________.

A．why Chinese food tastes fresh

B．what Chinese food tastes like

C．how Chinese food is cooked

D．what makes Chinese food special

【小题2】The author got to know Chinese food __________.

A．when he worked as a reporter in China

B．from a news story in the Daily Journal

C．after he got a taste of it in the Chinatown

D．before he got his first job in San Francisco

【小题3】The author thought the Chinese chop their meat and vegetable into small pieces in order to ________.

A．keeping its fresh flavor

B．saving their hard-to-get wood

C．producing a different kind of food

D．attracting westerners to their food

【小题4】The word “fuel” in the 4th paragraph most probably means ______

A．fresh flavor

B．meat and vegetable

C．hot oil

D．firewood

【小题5】According to the passage, the special freshness of Chinese food is the result of _______.

A．the wood used to make the cooking fire

B．the fast speed (速度) at the cooking

C．the high quality of Chinese meat and vegetable

D．the well-developed art of Chinese cooking

When I was 14, I decided to make some pocket money by mowing lawns (修剪草坪) in summer. I worked hard because that was my first part-time job. After working for one week, Mr Miller said that he had no money for me. Oh, dear! He wouldn’t pay for my work! That surprised me greatly. I argued with him, and then I went back home.
My parents told me not to complain about Mr Miller. He was in difficulties. Then my mother call up Mr Miller and they talked about something on the phone. A few days later, my mother asked me to return to Mr Miller’s garden, because he was too weak to look after it.
When I came back, Mr Miller said, “Sorry, I have no money, but I can do something for you.” He played CD for me. Hearing the beautiful music, I was so interested in it that I forgot the money and did the work with pleasure. At last, Mr Miller gave me a ticket to a concert.
After that, I became very interested in music. And now, I have been a popular musician. I should thank Mr Miller greatly.
【小题1】Why did the author argue with Mr Miller?

A．Because that was her first part-time job.	B．Because Mr Miller had no time for him.
C．Because she wanted to go home.	D．Because Mr Miller wouldn’t pay for her work.

【小题2】A few days later, the author’s mother asked her to        .

A．call up Mr Miller	B．complain about Mr Miller
C．return to Mr Miller’s garden	D．look after Mr Miller

【小题3】The beautiful music from the CD made the author        .

A．forget to go home	B．forget the money
C．forget the work	D．forget a ticket to a concert

【小题4】According to the passage, we can learn that        .

A．the author’s mother was kind

B．Mr Miller was so bad that nobody liked him

C．the author was too poor to have pocket money

D．the author had experience to work in the garden

【小题5】In some ways,        , the author has become a popular musician.

A．because of the MP3	B．because of having no money
C．thanks to Miller	D．with the help of his mother

 Sports can help you keep fit and close to nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should realize that sport you choose might have great influence on the environment.

    Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also lots of water. Besides, huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses（球场）in good condition. This causes major environmental changes. For example, in the dry places of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for (为...承担责任） serious water shortage(短缺) in some local areas.

    There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don't need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes, and you don't have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also help you stay healthy. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and keep thin.

    Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener than by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be "green gyms." They are better replacements(替代) for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership(会员身份)． And best of all, it's free.

1.Which of following does the author most probably support according to the passage?

A. Bicycling around the lake.                    B. Car racing on the road.

C. Playing basketball in a gym.         D. Swimming in a sports center.

2. What does the phrase "resource-hungry" in this passage mean in Chinese?

A. 广为流行的.    B. 亲近自然的.    C.低成本的.    D. 耗费资源的.

3. The author uses power walking as an example mainly because

A. it is an outdoor sport.                            B. it is loved by many people.

C. it uses fewer recourses.              D. it is supported by experts.

4.The author writes the passage to_______.

A. show us disadvantages of golf.

B. encourage us to take part in green sports.

C. explain the major sports influence of popular sports,

D. discuss different kinds of environment-friendly sport.

 

How should one invest a sum of money in these clays of inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves（奴隶）."
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring（量） the time of clay according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout tire time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable（可靠的） ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in air antique clock and perhaps make a future profit（收益）?
【小题1】According to the passage, collecting antique clocks____.

A．can hardly keep the value of your savings

B．will cost much of your savings

C．may increase your wealth

D．needs your bravery

【小题2】By quoting (引用) the remark of a being from another planet, the author intends to____.

A．suggest human beings are controlled by a clock

B．describe why clocks can rule the planet Earth

C．tell readers what clocks look like

D．compare chocks to human beings

【小题3】Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?

A．Counting the beating of one's own heart.

B．Making use of candles, sand and water.

C．Observing shadows cast by the sun.

D．Keeping slaves busy day and night.

【小题4】The underlined phrase stately homes in paragraph（段落）4 means_________.

A．state-owned houses

B．houses in very good condition

C．grand houses open to the public

D．houses where statesmen meet regularly

【小题5】The purpose of the passage is________.

A．to introduce the culture of antique clocks

B．to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks

C．to compare different ways to make a future profit

D．to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time

阅读下文并回答问题。

There are many advantages of becoming a professional musician. The biggest advantage is being able to do something you love. You will have the chance to travel to many different places and meet a lot of different people. That will open up your eyes.

However, there are also disadvantages of being a professional musician. One of the biggest disadvantages for most musicians is that they don’t always have enough money. Most of the time, you will be looking for jobs. Sometimes you won’t be able to find a good job. Another disadvantage is the place you live in. If you want to be a musician, you usually have to move to an area that has a lot of jobs, such as New York City. The cost of living in these areas is usually very high. The third disadvantage is that you can’t have a stable (不稳定的) family life. Different jobs will take a musician to different places, so most musicians are unable to have a regular (正常的) family.

1.Is a person able to do something he loves when he becomes a professional musician?

   _______________________________________________________________________________.

2.Why can’t most musians have a stable family life?

   _______________________________________________________________________________.

3.What does the author mainly tells us in the passage?

_______________________________________________________________________________.