Little Bit

"Meow, meow, meow," is what I heard as I walked. I went to the noise and found there was a 36 black and white cat under a piece of wood. I picked him up and 　37 he must be freezing to death. I 　38 home with the cat held in my jacket.

My new best friend, who soon became known as Little Bit, received his name because he was almost 　　39　　 when I held him in my hands. He stood about five inches tall. Little Bit's small size had a great advantage -- he 　40 perfectly in the pocket of my jacket, which made 41 him everywhere very easy. Any time I was home, he wouldn’t leave my 　42 . He was always eager to play with me. When I fell asleep at night, he would always roll up around my head to keep me 　43.

　 Unfortunately, I grew up. My teenage life 　44 my relationship with Little Bit. I lived at such a fast pace (节奏) that I stopped making time for him. My free time was spent with my 　45 　　 instead. I would come in the house on my phone and not 　46 him at all. His meows became an annoyance to me, but it wasn’t his fault that he 　47 his best friend back.

　 With time going by, Little Bit became 48 . His body began shutting down and by the time I realized 　49 was wrong with him, he had already lost his balance. He lay there and looked at me, and 　50 this day I still remember the 　51 look in his bright green eyes. I took him to the vet (兽医), but there was nothing he could do. The last time I 　52 him he wasn’t the same tiny cat I had found ten years before. Little Bit filled my arms and he was put to sleep that day.

Little Bit’ s 　53 made me realize how much he meant to me. He was always there for me when I 　54 him. I regret our last years together and I feel sorry for not always being there for him. I will always 　55 the special memories we made.

36. A. tiny 　　　　　　　　 B. lovely　　　　　　　　　　　 C. pretty 　　　　　 D. friendly

37. A. agreed 　　　　　　　　　　 B. remembered 　　　　　 C. realized　　 　　 D. proved

38. A. left 　　　　　　　　　 B. stayed 　　　　　　　　　 C. drove 　　　　　　　　　　 D. hurried

39. A. useless 　　　　　　 B. weightless 　　　　　　　 C. breathless 　　　 D. hopeless

40. A. fitted 　　　　　　　 B. grew　　　　　　　　 　 C. played 　　　　　　 D. existed

41. A. showing 　　　　　 B. keeping 　　　　　　　　　 C. taking 　　　　　　 D. putting

42. A. pocket 　　　　　　　　　　 B. heart 　　　　　　　　　　 C. mind 　　　　　　　 D. side

43. A. quiet 　　　　　　　　 B. asleep 　　　　　　　　　　 C. safe 　　　　　　　 D. warm

44. A. built 　　　　　　　　 B. weakened　　　　 　 C. deepened 　　　　 D. sharpened

45. A. computer　　　　　 B. friends　　　　　　　　　　 　 C. parents 　　　　　 D. relatives

46. A. find 　　　　　　　　 B. feed 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. notice 　　　　　　 D. hear

47. A. pulled 　　　　　　　 B. won 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. wanted 　　　　　 D. permitted

48. A. weak　　　　　　　　 B. big　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. strong 　　　　　　 D. healthy

49. A. everything 　　　　 B. nothing 　　　　　　　　　 C. anything 　　　　 D. something

50. A. until 　　　　　　　　 B. before 　　　　　　　　　 C. during 　　　　　　 D. for

51. A. shameful 　　　　　 B. serious 　　　　　　　　　 C. long 　　　　　　　 D. sorrowful

52. A. helped 　　　　　　　 B. met 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. held 　　　　　　　 D. doubted

53. A. death 　　　　　　　 B. illness　　　　　　　　　　　 C. sadness 　　　　　 D. story

54. A. caught　　　　 　 B. needed　　　　　　　　　　 　 C. protected 　　　　 D. picked

55. A. admire 　　　　　　 　　B. treasure　　　　　　　　　 C. remind 　　　　　 D. explore

Living things can regulate their own activities in such a way that they fit into the rhythms (节奏) in nature. For example, plants consume (大量吸收) sunshine during the day and do most of their breathing at night. Small animals which live in very hot regions remain deep in their holes during the heat of the day and only come out at night to obtain food. These rhythmic patterns of activity in living things can be called biological clocks.

Scientists have discovered some very interesting facts about biological clocks. Their most important discovery is that although  biological clocks approximately (近似地) correspond to the rhythms of day and night, light and darkness, they do not always depend on them. Many biological clocks are independent. How can this be proved? It can be proved by showing that a biological clock will continue to operate even when its surroundings are changed so that it can no longer respond to alternating periods of lights and darkness.

We will take the crab (蟹) as an example. This animal is a living clock. It indicates (指出) the time by the color of its skin, which is dark during the day and lighter in color during the night. The daytime darkness of the crab's skin, which prevents its enemies from noticing it and also prevents the crab from getting too hot, is repeated every 24 hours. The alternating colors of the skin appear to follow the alternating rhythm of day and night. How can we prove the statement that crab is an independent clock which creates its own rhythm, its own time? Perhaps it only responds to sunlight, by growing darker when in contact with sunshine and growing lighter in color when the sun sinks behind the horizon (地平线)?

To answer this question, biologists did a simple experiment. They kept the crab in a dark room at a constant temperature for two months. They found that the skin of the crab continued to change color according to the same 24-hour rhythm, following the movements of the sun outside. In this way they proved that the crab's biological clock was independent of events in its natural surroundings. It was not just a series of responses to external events.

　　 1. Biological clocks in living things are——.

　　　　  A. natural rhythms

　　　　  B. the alterations of day and night

　　　　  C. living thing's activities corresponding to some natural rhythms

　　　　  D. the repetition of activities of living things

　　 2. The author compares a crab to——.

　　　　  A. a biological clock　　　　　　　　   B. an example of biological clock

　　　　  C. a living clock　　　　　　   　　　　 D. a model of biological clocks

　　 3. A crab is an example of biological clocks in living things because it

　　　　  A. looks like clocks

　　　　  B. has dark skin

　　　　  C. creates its own time

　　　　  D. alternates color of its skin to follow the alternating rhythm of day and night

　　 4. The colors of the crab's skin can

　　　　   A. indicate the time

　　　　   B. prevent its enemies from noticing it

　　　　   C. prevent it from getting too hot

　　   D. do all the above

Scientists have discovered some very interesting facts about biological clocks. Their most important discovery is that although  biological clocks approximately (近似地) correspond to the rhythms of day and night, light and darkness, they do not always depend on them. Many biological clocks are independent. How can this be proved? It can be proved by showing that a biological clock will continue to operate even when its surroundings are changed so that it can no longer respond to alternating periods of lights and darkness.

We will take the crab (蟹) as an example. This animal is a living clock. It indicates (指出) the time by the color of its skin, which is dark during the day and lighter in color during the night. The daytime darkness of the crab's skin, which prevents its enemies from noticing it and also prevents the crab from getting too hot, is repeated every 24 hours. The alternating colors of the skin appear to follow the alternating rhythm of day and night. How can we prove the statement that crab is an independent clock which creates its own rhythm, its own time? Perhaps it only responds to sunlight, by growing darker when in contact with sunshine and growing lighter in color when the sun sinks behind the horizon (地平线)?

To answer this question, biologists did a simple experiment. They kept the crab in a dark room at a constant temperature for two months. They found that the skin of the crab continued to change color according to the same 24-hour rhythm, following the movements of the sun outside. In this way they proved that the crab's biological clock was independent of events in its natural surroundings. It was not just a series of responses to external events.

　　 1. Biological clocks in living things are——.

　　　　  A. natural rhythms

　　　　  B. the alterations of day and night

　　　　  C. living thing's activities corresponding to some natural rhythms

　　　　  D. the repetition of activities of living things

　　 2. The author compares a crab to——.

　　　　  A. a biological clock　　　　　　　　   B. an example of biological clock

　　　　  C. a living clock　　　　　　   　　　　 D. a model of biological clocks

　　 3. A crab is an example of biological clocks in living things because it

　　　　  A. looks like clocks

　　　　  B. has dark skin

　　　　  C. creates its own time

　　　　  D. alternates color of its skin to follow the alternating rhythm of day and night

　　 4. The colors of the crab's skin can

　　　　   A. indicate the time

　　　　   B. prevent its enemies from noticing it

　　　　   C. prevent it from getting too hot

　　   D. do all the above

There are some topics that readers never grow bored with, and the search for a suitable partner（伴侣） is one of them. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, first published in 1813, tells the story of five young women, all of whom are looking for a husband. In order to fully understand the novel, the readers must know that at the time when Jane Austen was writing, if a family was not rich, the daughters needed to marry well in order to live a comfortable, independent life. That is the reason why Mrs Bennet, the mother of the five girls, is so eager to have her daughters married.

The heroine of the story is Elizabeth Bennet, and as in all good romantic novels, she and Darcy, the man she finally marries, remain separate until the very end of the story. The wealthy Darcy is a proud, unsociable man, and when Elizabeth hears that he has insulted both her and her family, she dislikes him very much. Poor Darcy then falls head over heels in love with Elizabeth, and has to work terribly hard to persuade her to change her mind about him. He succeeds of course, and they live happily ever after.

Set at the turn of the 19th century, the novel is still attractive to modern readers. It has become one of the most popular novels and receives great attention from literary scholars（学者）.Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic（戏剧的）and a lot of novels and stories modeling after Austen’s memorable characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide.

Jane Austen is rightly famous for her style. Her sentences have a wonderful rhythm（韵律）, and she makes such clever, true comments about people. It is not surprising that Pride and Prejudice has lasted.

56. In the 19th century, a poor girl in Britain was often encouraged to 　　　　　.

　　 A. master the skills of writing　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. marry the one she loved

　　 C. obey her parents　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　D. change her life by marrying rich

57. The underlined word “insulted” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to 　　　　　.

　 A. treated warmly　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. paid no attention to

　 C. had mercy on　　　　　　　　　　　　 　 　　　　　　 D. said something rude about

58. What do we know about Elizabeth and Darcy?

A. They’ve experienced ups and downs but get married in the end.

　 B. They both come from poor families and wish to marry rich.

　 C. They get separated from each other shortly after being married.

　 D. Darcy falls over and gets hurt but Elizabeth still loves him.

59. According to the passage, Pride and Prejudice _________.

　 A. was first published in 1813 and sold 20 million copies soon

　 B. tells a sad love story which moves generations of readers

　 C. inspired many other novels and many plays have been produced based on it.

　 D. is set at the turn of the 19th century and not well received worldwide

阅读理解。

　　When you feel tired, how do you relax? Drink coffee, take a bath, do some exercise, or play some music and dance?

　　For dance music fans and nightclub lovers, the world famous English DJ (disco jockey) Sasha will bring them the world's finest dance music. He is coming to Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai on November 18-20 as part of his world tour in support of his new CD.

　　One of the main roles of music has always been to go with dancing. But, today's dance music is very different from the past. The history of dance music goes back to the 16th century. In the Renaissance(文艺复兴) and Baroque(巴洛克) periods in Europe, rich people were expected to be able to dance at social events. Each type of dance gave rise to its own form of music.

　　During the 18th and 19th centuries the most popular dances were the Waltz and the Polka(波尔卡舞)．In this period, dances were often written for the concert hall. For example, symphonies would have a waltz movement, and piano pieces were sometimes in waltz or polka.

　　In the 1970s, dance music moved into new places called discos. The music was faster, had more bass and started to become more electric. Disco music began to develop in the US and around Europe. By the 1980s the music became much faster and even more electronic.

　　In the 1990s clubs took over discos. DJs mixed other people's music. Club dance rhythms(韵律) became a major part of popular music. Club dance music has different forms, including drum and bass(低音乐器), hip-hop, R&B. It makes use of technology and DJs play a bigger part in spreading the music.

1．Which of the following does not show the difference between today's dance music and that of the past?

[　　]

A．More technology is made use of.

B．Today's music is more professional.

C．Greater variety of forms.

D．The music is faster.

2．Which of the following is correct according to the order of each type becoming popular?

a．Waltz.　　b．Disco music.　　c．R&B.

[　　]

3．From the third paragraph, we can see that ________.

[　　]

A．dancing cannot be separated from music

B．in the 16th century, people still did not have much social life

C．people's social needs resulted in the birth of different types of dance music

D．the time of its birth can tell the difference between today's dance music and that of the past

4．Which of the following is not true about dance music?

[　　]

A．Dance music has gone through different stages.

B．Types of dances determine the changes in dance music.

C．Dance music dates back to the 16th century.

D．In different periods, dance music is written for different places.

5．According to the story, a DJ's job is mainly to ________.

[　　]

A．create music for the club

B．put different music forms together

C．develop disco music

D．choose and play music using technology