____ at a college or university in the USA, Chinese and other international students must demonstrate a strong ability in spoken and written English.

   A. Having been accepted      B. To be accepted     C. Being accepted           D. Accepted

Who are these people rushing by you in the street? More than 215 million people now call America “home”, but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States, have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become “American” is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is more often a kind of “side-by-side” living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives—such as in schools, business, and sports—but they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This living “side-by-side” has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas and dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups, or newspapers.
【小题1】More than 215 million people call America “home” because_______.

A．they have their houses there

B．they settle there now

C．they want to make their home there

D．they like that land very much

【小题2】“Side-by-side” living style means _______.

A．to make friends with native people

B．to keep their own customs while sharing American ones in certain areas

C．the groups of people who live nearby

D．that they get closer to American society

【小题3】according to the passage, people in the USA ________.

A．share American customs and culture

B．live in a kind of “side-by-side” society

C．keep their own customs and habits firmly

D．make no choice to accept American customs

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true?

A．They always stick to their own customs and habits.

B．“Side-by-side” living style is not suitable.

C．They face the society they are not familiar with.

D．The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful.

【小题5】Which is the best title for this passage?

A．Advantages and Disadvantages.

B．Different Customs and Habits.

C．Home for the People.

D．“Side-by-side” Living Style in America.

For more than two decades, Oprah Winfrey has been the change-your-life champion who ruled over daytime television much like Johnny Caron once ruled late night.

However, now she’s ready to say goodbye, Wimfrey told viewers Friday that The Oprah Winfrey Show would close in September 2011 after 25 years on the air.

“I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it’s time to say goodbye,” Winfrey said, holding back tears.

Winfrey’s show “is one of daytime television’s very foundations,” said Larry Gerbrandt an analyst for the firm Media Valuation Partners in Los Angeles. “Stations build their schedules around her. They gave it the best time period and used it to promote other shows.”

Winfrey offered no specific plans for the future, except to say that she intended to produce the best possible shows during the final two years.

“I just wanted to say whether you’ve been here with me from the beginning or you joined me last week, I want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that I hold very dear,” she said. “Your trust in me and the sharing of your precious time every day with me have brought me the greatest joy I have ever known.”

The Oprah Winfrey Show’s open atmosphere and frank conversation determined the talk show style and made Winfrey one of the most influential women in the US as well as the wealthiest black woman in the world.

“She has had great effects on today’s society. She’s just part of every one’s life,” said Yasmeen Elhaj, a 19-year-old student from Chicago.

1. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. Winfrey’s Contributions to TV Show

B. Winfrey’s Show to Close in the Year 2011

C. Winfiey’s Great Influence in the USA

D. Winfrey’s Support for Black People

2. Winfrey’s talk show has lasted________.

A. nearly 25 years                     B. less than 20 years

C. no more than 20 years                D. more than 25 years

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Winfred will change her show style in the coming years.

B. Winfrey will have some other specific plan for the future.

C. Winfred does promote some other shows after her retirement.

D. Winfrey appreciates every moment she has with her viewers.

4. Which of the following can best describe Oprah Winfred?

A. Energetic and funny.                 B. Friendly and clever.

C. Frank and influential.                 D. Active and changeable.

 

On May 29, 1973, Thomas Bradley, a black man, was elected mayor of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the third largest city in the United States, with a population of three million. About sixteen percent of the city’s population are black.

News of this election appeared on the front pages of newspapers everywhere in the United States. Here is how one major newspaper reported the event:

LOS ANGELES ELECTS BRADLEY MAYOR UNSEATING YORTYBLACK WINS 56% OF VOTES

Bradley called his victory over Yorty “the fulfillment (实现) of a dream”. During his childhood and youth, people had kept telling him, “You can’t do this, you can’t go there, because you are a Negro.” Nevertheless he had won a decisive victory over a man who had been won 43.7 percent.

Los Angeles voters have had many opportunities to judge. Thomas Bradley had to form an opinion of him. The son of a poor farmer Texas, he joined the Los Angeles police force in 1940. During his twenty-one years on the police force he earned a law degree by attending school at night. He was elected to the city council (市政厅) ten years ago.

At the time of the Los Angeles election, three other American cities already had black mayors, but none of those cities had as large a population as Los Angeles. Besides, the percentage of blacks in those other cities was much larger. Cleveland, Ohio, had thirty-six percent black when Carl Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland in 1967. In the same year Richard Hatcher was elected mayor of Cary. In Newark, New Jersey, sixty percent of the population were black when Kenneth Gibson was elected in 1970. Thus election of a black mayor in those cities was not very surprising.

In Los Angeles thousands of white citizens voted for Thomas Bradley because they believed he would be a better mayor than the white candidate(候选人). Bradley had spent forty-eight of his fifty-five years in Los Angeles. Four years ago Bradley lost mayoral election to Yorty. This time Bradley won.

1. In the author’s opinion, it was surprising that _______.

A. the whites would vote for a black mayor　　

B. a black mayor would be elected in such a large city

C. a black from a poor farmer’s family could be elected mayor of Los Angeles

D. there would be so many black mayors

2. From the passage we can infer that people ________.

A. voted for Bradley because of his black color

B. didn’t care much about his color when they voted

C. voted for him to give a chance to fulfill his dream

D. voted for Bradley because they trust him

3. Bradley hit the front page headline for _______.

A. he was the first black mayor in history

B. he was the first black mayor in the south of USA

C. he was the first black mayor of one of the largest cities in USA

D. a poor farmer’s son could also win an important election

4. From Bradley’s victory in the election we can see that ________.

A. blacks had equal rights as whites in the USA

B. black people’s situation began to be improving much more than before

C. one can be successful through hard work in the USA no matter what color he is

D. it is certain that someday the USA will have a black president

What is the difference between a college and a university? This is a good question for students who want to attend a college or a university in the United States.
Colleges and universities have many things in common. Both provide a greater understanding of the world and its past. Both provide education in the arts and sciences. And both can help prepare young people to earn a living.
Students who complete their undergraduate studies either at a four-year college or a university receive a bachelor’s degree. One difference is that many colleges do not offer graduate studies.
Universities are generally bigger, offer more programs and do more research. Modern universities developed from those of the Middle Ages in Europe. The word “university” comes from the Latin “universitas”. This described a group of people organized for a common purpose. The word “college” comes from a Latin word with a similar meaning, “collegium”. In England, colleges were formed to provide students with places to live in. Usually each group of students was studying the same thing. So college came to mean an area of study. But a college can also be a part of a university. The first American universities divided their studies into a number of areas and called each one a college. This is still true.
Programs in higher learning may also be called schools. The University of Arizona in Tucson, for example, has 18 colleges and 10 schools. They include the colleges of pharmacy (制药学), education, engineering and law. They also include the schools of architecture, dance and public administration.
College is also used as a general term for higher education. A news report might talk about “college students” even if they include students at universities. Or someone might ask, “Where do you go to college?”
Today, most American colleges offer an area of study called liberal arts. These are subjects first developed and taught in ancient Greece. They include language, philosophy and mathematics. The purpose is to train a person’s mind instead of teaching job skills.
【小题1】The passage is probably written to _________.

A．persuade students to go to college instead of schools

B．tell students the differences between colleges and universities

C．help students make a better choice of what kind of colleges they should go to

D．inform students about how much they are going to spend in going to college

【小题2】When the term “college students” appears in a newspaper, it may refer to ________.

A．only students studying in colleges

B．students studying in colleges in the USA

C．only students studying in universities

D．students receiving higher education

【小题3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Both universities and colleges include different schools.

B．The purpose of liberal arts is to train a person’s job skill.

C．Both universities and colleges can help prepare students to make a living.

D．Most American universities have 18 colleges and 10 schools.

【小题4】The area of study called liberal arts is designed to _______.

A．get students ready to earn a living

B．teach students subjects from engineering to philosophy

C．help students achieve a stronger and clearer mind

D．encourage more students to begin the study of arts