4. It is possible to talk to several complete strangers at the same time through __________. A. the TV screen. B. a fax machine. C. the Internet. D. the phone.

3. Which do you think support the idea that phones improve people's life? A. Point 1 and 2. B. Point 3 and 4. C. Point 1 and 3. D. Point 2 and 5.

2. People's attitude towards mobile phone is that it _________. A. helps people deal with the emergency. B. brings convenience as well as little secret to people. C. is so important and should be encouraged. D. is part of people's life.

1. Point 1 mainly tells us that __________. A. the writer's daughter enjoys talking on the phone. B. More roads create more traffic. C. phones create the need to communication D　 it's easy to communicate through phones.

4. The writer thinks that the railways, far from being dead, are very much alive because __________. A. we can have a smooth and untroubled journey. B. we'll not have enough money to fly in planes. C. we can now travel in super fast train. D. all of the above.

3. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true? A. It is cheaper to travel by train than by plane. B. The railway's station is usually at the centre of a city. C. When you get off the plane you will find yourself right in the city centre. D. No motorcar of　 plane can carry as many goods as a train does.

2. The writer's idea seems to be that __________. A. we can do without railways. B. trains have much in common with motorcars and planes. C. motorcars and planes are not as good as trains. D. trains are as good as motorcars and planes.

1. Some people think the railways are unnecessary for many reasons except that __________. A. planes and motorcars have taken the place of trains. B. oil is expensive today. C. trains are slow. D. railways lose money.

4. The explanation of the underlined "turning their early promises into practical reality" is __________. A. earning their living and keeping promises. B. doing practical jobs and facing reality. C. doing what they have promised. D. realizing what they were expected.

Correct answers: CADD

　　 本篇题1是考查对文章的中心主旨的理解，而由于生词和不熟悉的表达法，匆匆一读是很难把握中心意思的。 其实作者在文章的开头已表明了自己的观点和看法。他说：神童过早消耗精力(burn themselves)，大脑负担过重(overtax their brains)，深受失败和精神疾病之苦 (therefore, are prey to failure and mental illness)，是以往的一种看法。作者认为这种看法是虚构和荒诞的(The old idea is just a myth)。作者进一步说：这些神童很有可能成长为智慧过人，前途光明的成年人。 　　 进而，作者以一项跟踪调查的结果为依据，说明这1500个神童成人后的健康情况和对生活的满意度，他们后来受教育的程度，他们从事的工作性质，他们的学术成就，他们的物质生活和收入水平都等同于或高于常人。 　　 最后的结论是：这些神童成人后根本不是那种关在象牙塔里的不合群的怪人(far from being strange, maladjusted people locked in an ivory tower)，他们的大多数人正在实现自己早年的梦想。 　　 这样一来,本文的中心主旨就清楚了，题1的答案是C (that gifted children were most likely to become bright grown-ups)。

本篇选自2002年海淀区高三英语期末试卷(2002/01)

Passage 13　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

For years and years people have been saying that the railways are dead.　 "We can do without railways."　 People say ... as if motorcars and planes have made the railways unnecessary.　 We all keep hearing that trains are slow, that they lose money, that they're dying.　 But this is far from the truth:　 In these days of expensive oil, the railways have become highly competitive (有竞争力的) with motorcars and planes.　 If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they are cheaper than planes.　 And they have much in common with planes.　 A plane goes in a straight line and so does a railway.　 What is more, it takes you form the heart of a city into the heart of another.　 It doesn't leave you up as a plane does, miles and miles from the city centre.　 It doesn't hold you up as a car does, in endless traffic jams, and a single train can carry goods which a plane or motorcar could never do.

Far from being dead, the railways are very much alive.　 Modern railway lines give you a smooth, untroubled journey.　 Where else can you eat well, sleep in comfort, feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are travelling at speed at the same time?　 And we are only at the beginning.　 For we have just entered the age of super-fast trains(超级高速列车), trains travelling at 150 miles an hour and more.　 Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on motorcars we can't use because we have not enough money to buy the oil and planes we can't fly for the same reason.