He shut the window ________ the cold air might be kept out.

1. A.
   so as that
2. B.
   in order that
3. C.
   so as to
4. D.
   so that.

Where we live, on the eastern shore of Maryland, the gentle waters run in and out like fingers slimming at the tips.

The Canada geese know this place, as do the white swans and ducks. In the autumn, they come home for the winter. Once or twice each year, snow and frozen rain move into the area. When this happens, if the river is at its narrowest, there is a freeze which hardens the water to the ice.

One morning, a friend of mine set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which overlooked the Tred Avon River. Suddenly she leaned forward and cried out, “There is a goose out

there.”

We saw the figure of a large Canada goose, very iii, its wings folded tight to its sides, its feet frozen to the ice.

Then from the dark sky, she saw a line of swans. They floated from the top of the sky downward and at last landed on the ice. My friend was on her feet now, with one unbelieving hand against her mouth. As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, she feared what life it still had might be pecked（啄）out by those great swan beaks.

Instead, those beaks began to work on the ice. The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again. It went on for a long time. At last, the goose’s head lifted. Its body pulled. Then the goose was free and standing on the ice. And the swans stood in the air watching. Then, as if it had cried, “I cannot fly,” four of the swans came down around it. Their powerful beaks chipped off the ice and held in the feathers. Slowly, the goose spread its wings as far as they could go, and moved slowly into the sky.

This is a true story. I just think of it in the bad moments, and from it comes only one hopeful question:“ If so for birds, why not for man?”

1.What happened to the Canada goose?

A. It was deserted by other geese.        B. It was stuck in the ice.

    C. It was wounded and couldn’t fly.       D. It was lost in the water.

2. At first the author’s friend was worried that ________.

    A. the swans would not help the Canada goose

    B. the swans would have the same fate with the Canada goose

    C. the Canada goose wouldn’t identify with the swans

    D. the swans would peck the Canada goose to death

3.What did the swans do when they saw the Canada goose couldn’t fly?

    A. They chipped off the ice held in its feathers.

    B. They waited patiently for the ice held in its feathers to melt.

    C. They came down and lifted it up to the sky together.

    D. They stayed with it and protected it.

4.What would probably happen to the author’s friend in the end?

    A. She stood there, watching attentively, still feeling a bit worried.

    B. She was on her feet, laughing at the swans and the Canada goose.

    C. She was embarrassed and went on with her breakfast silently.

    D. She stood there quietly, not realizing tears had come down her cheeks.

任务型阅读

某校正在开展课外阅读小组活动Peter, Helen, Catherine, Elizabeth和Jessica想根据自己小组成员的喜好找一篇英语阅读材料。阅读下面某报纸的文章摘要（A, B, C, D, E, F），选出适合他们的文章，并在答题纸上将相应选项的标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。

1．Peter’s group members are fond of an article which can help them to find something that can both challenge their intelligence and provide entertainment．

2．Helen’s group members are fashionable and fond of advanced technology．They like reading something that can provide them with inspirations in achieving success and changing people’s way of life．

3．Catherine’s group members are athletic and spend a lot of time working out．They are fond of any stories about stars in the sports world．

4．Elizabeth’s group members want to read some articles which can help them keep pace with the trend of fashion．They hope to find in the article some hints on helping improve their appearances．

5．Jessica’s group members are keen on becoming volunteers and therefore are looking for some articles that can increase their chances of being chosen．

Stepping into a pool of water is common enough, but who could ever imagine stepping into a pool of fish? In February of 1974, Bill Tapp, an Australian farmer, saw a rain of fish that covered his farm.How surprised he must have been!

    What caused this strange occurrence? This is a question that had long puzzled people who study fish. The answer turned out to be a combination of wind and storm．   

    When it is spring in the northern part of the world, it is fall in Australia. Throughout the autumn season, terrible storms arise and rains flood the land. The strong winds sweep over Australia like huge vacuum cleaners (吸尘器), collecting seaweed, pieces of wood, and even schools of fish. Strong winds may carry these bits of nature for many miles before vacuum dropping them on fields, houses, and astonished people．

    Although they seem unusual, fish-falls occur frequently in Australia. When Bill Tapp was asked to describe the scene of fish, he remarked, “They look like millions of dead birds falling down. ” His statement is not surprising. The wonders of the natural world are as common as rain. Nature, with its infinite wonders, can create waterfalls that flow upward and fish that fall out of the sky．

What could be the feelings of Bill Tapp the moment he saw the rain of fish?

A. excited    B． scared    C． calm      D． amazed

Fish-falls occur in Australia ________．

A. quite often  B. on large farms C. only in winter  D  when the air is calm

The word “infinite” is closest in meaning to _________．

   A． easy     B. difficult    C. countless   D． dangerous

What might be the reasons of the rain of fish?

A. Vacuum cleaners        B. Strong wind

  C. Wind and storm         D. It is still a puzzle

What is this passage about?

A．A sad story．           B. Australia's northern part．

C．A rain of fish．         D. The damage done by floods．

Where we live, on the eastern shore of Maryland, the gentle waters run in and out like fingers slimming at the tips.
The Canada geese know this place, as do the white swans and ducks. In the autumn, they come home for the winter. Once or twice each year, snow and frozen rain move into the area. When this happens, if the river is at its narrowest, there is a freeze which hardens the water to the ice.
One morning, a friend of mine set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which overlooked the Tred Avon River. Suddenly she leaned forward and cried out, “There is a goose out
there.”
We saw the figure of a large Canada goose, very iii, its wings folded tight to its sides, its feet frozen to the ice.
Then from the dark sky, she saw a line of swans. They floated from the top of the sky downward and at last landed on the ice. My friend was on her feet now, with one unbelieving hand against her mouth. As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, she feared what life it still had might be pecked（啄）out by those great swan beaks.
Instead, those beaks began to work on the ice. The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again. It went on for a long time. At last, the goose’s head lifted. Its body pulled. Then the goose was free and standing on the ice. And the swans stood in the air watching. Then, as if it had cried, “I cannot fly,” four of the swans came down around it. Their powerful beaks chipped off the ice and held in the feathers. Slowly, the goose spread its wings as far as they could go, and moved slowly into the sky.
This is a true story. I just think of it in the bad moments, and from it comes only one hopeful question:“ If so for birds, why not for man?”
【小题1】What happened to the Canada goose?