Columbus returned home with the news of his discovery of “Indian” 36 Columbus called it. Then he was considered as the hero who had given a new world to Spain. Never had so great __37__ been shown to any __38__man.But there were some who were jealous of the __39__.”Who is this Columbus?” they asked, “and what has he done? Isn’t he a poor sailor from Italy？And could __40__ other seamen sail across the ocean just as he has done?”

One day Columbus was at 41 and several of these fellows were __42__ too. They tried to make Columbus __43__.”You have discovered strange lands __44__ the sea,”they said.“But we don’t see why there __45__ be so much said about it. Anybody can sail across the ocean and anybody can coast along the islands __46__ ,just as you have done. It is the __47__ thing in the world.”

Columbus made no answer, but after a while he took an egg from a dish and said to the people at the table, “Who __48__ you, gentlemen, can make the egg stand __49__ ?” One by one they tried the __50__．When the egg had gone __51__　around and everyone had failed, all said that it could not be done, Then Columbus took the egg and __52__the shell of the egg’s small end a little upon the table. After that there was no trouble in making it stand __53__.“Gentlemen,”said he, “what is easy than to do this __54__ you said was impossible ? It is simplest thing in the world. Anybody can do it-----AFTER HE HAD BEEN SHOWN __55__.”

1.A. so         B. when     C as        D. that

2.                A．respect         B．response        C．reward   D．request

 

3.                A．great          B．common        C．usual D．noble

 

4.                A．discovery       B．inventor        C．discover  D．bravery

 

5.                A．some          B．any            C．no   D．every

 

6.                A．palace         B．hotel           C．counter  D．dinner

 

7.                A．friendly        B．present         C．rude D．angry

 

8.                A．uncomfortable   B．happy          C．satisfied  D．disappointed

 

9.                A．beyond         B．in             C．along D．on

 

10.               A．could          B．would          C．should    D．might

 

11.                                A．on another side  B．on other side

C．on the other side                  D．on one side

 

12.               A．easiest         B．simplest        C．content   D．convenient

 

13.               A．besides        B．among         C．including  D．except

 

14.               A．on end         B．in end          C．by end    D．to end

 

15.               A．egg            B．experiment     C．method   D．way

 

16.               A．entirely        B．eventually      C．fluently   D．frequently

 

17.               A．supported      B．hit            C．broke D．stuck

 

18.               A．downward      B．upward         C．backward  D．inward

 

19.               A．that           B．what           C．how  D．why

 

20.               A．WHAT          B．WHEN          C．WHY  D．HOW

 

 

       阅读下面短文，掌握其大意， 然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

       Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly．Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be   36  for your health．And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it   37   ．

       Research is preliminary, but several studies   38  people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die．

       In an editorial   39  this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define   40  activity to highlight the dangers of sitting．

       While health officials have issued guidelines   41  minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven't suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated   42  ．[来源:Z+xx+k.Com]

       "After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send   43  signals," Ekblom-Bak said．She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucoseand fat in the   44  start to shut down．

       Even for people who   45   , spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful．Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day —   46  still spend a lot of time sitting — might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day,    47  in a single bout．

       That wasn't   48  news for Aytekin Can, 31, who works at a London financial company, and spends most of his days sitting    49   a computer．Several evenings a week, Can also teaches jiu jitsu, a Japanese martial art  50  wrestling, and also does Thai boxing．

       "I'm sure there are some detrimental   51  of staying still for too long, but I hope that being   52  when I can helps," he said．"I wouldn't want to think the sitting could be   53  dangerous．"

       Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat   54  had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised．

       Figures from a US survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars．

       Experts said more research is needed to    55  just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects．

36．A．bad B．good        C．mean       D．dead

37．A．does        B．occurs      C．matches    D．dies

38．A．advise      B．talk C．suggest    D．say

39．A．thrown    B．caught     C．seen D．published

40．A．biological       B．physical   C．psychological D．logical

41．A．commending   B．mending C．recommending        D．communicating

42．A．stand       B．state        C．post       D．position

43．A．harmful   B．careful     C．wonderful       D．skillful

44．A．head        B．arm C．body        D．foot

45．A．sleep       B．rest   C．walk        D．exercise

46．A．and B．so     C．but   D．then

47．A．rather than      B．other than       C．more than D．less than

48．A．bad B．harmful   C．disadvantage    D．welcome

49．A．behind     B．back        C．in front of       D．forward

50．A．referring B．involving        C．taking      D．bringing

51．A．effects     B．prefects    C．affects     D．offers

52．A．inactive   B．active      C．interactive       D．positive

53．A．such        B．little        C．lot    D．that

54．A．less B．fewer       C．more       D．further

55．A．leave out  B．bring out C．hold out   D．figure out

The United States is already one year into a depression That was the news this week from the Na-tional Bureau of Economic Research. The downturn is the longest since a depression that began in 1981and lasted sixteen months.
Economists generally wait for production to shrink for six months in a row before they declare a re-cession. But the bureau, a private group, uses a wider set of information to measure the economy. Thenews only confirmed what many people already knew: that the world's largest economy is weak and maynot recover soon.
Worsening conclitions have led to a big drop in spending, especially on costly products like new cars. Even Japanese automaker Toyota saw its sales fall thirty - four percent in the United States in November from a year ago.
The heads of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors retumed to Congress this week to again ask for federal aid.  Congressional leaders denounced(指责) them two weeks ago after they came in private jets with no clear plans for saving their industry. This time, the chiefs drove to Washington in fuel- saving hybrid vehicles. And their companies presented detailed restructuring plans. The reguest for aid has risen from twenty-five billion dollars two weeks ago to thirty-four billion in loans and credit lines.
G.M. wants almost half of that, and says it needs four billion dollars this month. It warned that without support it cannot continue to operate.
Ford is in a better position, But the sharing of suppliers means it could be affected if G.M. or
Chrysler fails. Ford is asking for a nine billion dollar credit line in case it needs it.
Chrysler is the smallest and most trouble of America's Big Three. It says it needs a seven billion dollar loan by the end of the month.
Two days of congressional hearings began Thursday in the Senate Banking Committee. The chairman, Democrat Chris Dodd, said he would support helping the automakers for the good of the economy.
But the committee's top Republican, Richard Shelby, continued to express opposition to a bailout(贿政援助）．
A main root of the world financial crisis is the weak housing market in the United States. The Trea-sury Department has been under pressure to help troubled homeowners. Now comes news that the depart-ment is developing a plan aimed at reducing interest rates on mortgage loans(汽车贷款) for some buyers of homes. That could be good for homeowners trying to sell.
【小题1】From the first two paragraphs, we know       .

A．the United States is expected to recover soon

B．the depression has lasted more than 16 months

C．the depression is much more severe than expected

D．the depression will last no more than 6 months

【小题2】Why were the automakers refused for federal aid two weeks ago?

A．Because the government had no extra money to help.

B．Because they didn't have a ciear plan to save their industry.

C．Because they had wasted too much on costly new cars.

D．Because they had enough money to save their industry.

【小题3】Which of the following is asking for the largest federal aide

A．G.M.

B．Toyota.

C．Chrysler.

D．Ford.

【小题4】From the passage we may know Richard Shelby        tile automakers' request for federal aid?

A．was for

B．was against

C．didn't care about

D．took no notice of

【小题5】Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The hearings on Thursday agreed on a federal aid to the automakers.

B．The main cause of the crisis is weak housing market in the U.S..

C．The government is taking measures to save t he housing market.

D．The Treasury Department had to help the troubled homeowners.

      Ella Fant was a middle-aged lady who lived with her only son John in a small house. She   26   John very much. In her   27   he couldn't do anything   28  . Every morning she would give him breakfast   29   bed and bring him the papers to   30  . It isn't really true that he was too   31   to work-in fact he had tried a few   32  . First of all he was a window-cleaner and in his first week he managed to   33   at least six windows. Then he   34   a bus conductor and on his second 35   a passenger stole his bag with all the fare (车费) collected. He   36   lost his job as a postman   37   he sent off all the letters when he should have taken them to people's houses. It seemed that there was   38    suitable work for him. So he    39   to join the army. Mrs. Fant was so   40   about this that she told the   41   to all her neighbours. “My John is going to be a soldier,” she said， “He is going to be the best soldier there   42   was, I can tell you!”

     Then the great day came   43   he was to march past the palace in the parade (接受检阅的队伍). His   44   mother travelled to the city early in the morning to be sure of getting a good   45   in the crowd.

     The parade was full of sound and colour. But when John and his   46   came in sight some of the people watching   47   laughing at the one who couldn't keep pace with the others as they marched along.

     But Ella Fant , who was filled with    48   , shouted at the top of her voice, “Look at   49  ! They're all out of   50   except my John! Isn't he the best!”

26. A. depended on       B. waited on                C. trusted              D. loved

27. A. hope                         B. eyes                                C. head                 D. beliefs

28. A. wrong                       B. great                              C. good                      D. strange

29. A. to                             B. at                                   C. in                           D. by

30. A. check                 B. read                               C. keep               D. sign

31. A. lazy                          B. young                            C. weak              D. shy

32. A. ones                         B. years                              C. tasks               D. jobs

33. A. rub                           B. drop                              C. break                      D. clean

34. A. followed            B. met                                  C. became                  D. found

35. A. day                           B. try                                  C. route                      D. chance

36. A. thus                           B. even                               C. once                D. only

37. A. even if               B. so that                            C. because             D. though

38. A. some                        B. such                               C. less                         D. no

39. A. began                       B. promised                        C. managed           D. decided

40. A. excited                      B. worried                          C. anxious                   D. curious

41. A. incident                     B. change                           C. news                       D. matter

42. A. yet                            B. ever                                C. never                      D. just

43. A. where                       B. since                              C. when               D. till

44. A. proud                       B. kind                               C. strict                       D. lucky

45. A. time                         B. position                          C. experience        D. impression

46. A. neighbours          B. army officer               C. mother                  D. fellow soldiers

47. A. couldn't help              B. shouldn't burst out   C. stopped           D. kept

48. A. sadness               B. happiness                       C. surprise                   D. regret

49. A. them                         B. those                              C. that                         D. him

50. A. sight                          B. order                              C. mind                       D. step

Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly. Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be   1  for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it   2   .

Research is preliminary, but several studies   3  people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.

In an editorial   4  this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define   5  activity to highlight the dangers of sitting.

While health officials have issued guidelines   6  minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven't suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated   7  .

"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send   8  signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucoseand fat in the   9  start to shut down.

Even for people who   10   , spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day —   11  still spend a lot of time sitting — might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day,    12  in a single bout.

That wasn't   13  news for Aytekin Can, 31, who works at a London financial company, and spends most of his days sitting    14   a computer. Several evenings a week, Can also teaches jiu jitsu, a Japanese martial art  15  wrestling, and also does Thai boxing.

"I'm sure there are some detrimental   16  of staying still for too long, but I hope that being   17  when I can helps," he said. "I wouldn't want to think the sitting could be   18  dangerous."

Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat   19  had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised.

Figures from a US survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars.

Experts said more research is needed to    20  just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects.

(   ) 1. A. bad                    B. good               C. mean                      D. dead

(   ) 2. A. does                  B. occurs              C. matches                   D. dies

(   ) 3. A. advise               B. talk                  C. suggest                    D. say

(   ) 4. A. thrown                      B. caught              C. seen                        D. published

(   ) 5. A. biological           B. physical            C. psychological           D. logical

(   ) 6. A. commending      B. mending           C. recommending        D. communicating

(   ) 7. A. stand                 B. state                 C. post                 D. position

(   ) 8. A. harmful             B. careful             C. wonderful        D. skillful

(   ) 9. A. head                  B. arm                  C. body               D. foot

(   ) 10. A. sleep               B. rest                  C. walk               D. exercise

(   ) 11. A. and                  B. so                    C. but                   D. then

(   ) 12. A. rather than               B. other than        C. more than        D. less than

(   ) 13. A. bad                  B. harmful            C. disadvantage     D. welcome

(   ) 14. A. behind             B. back                 C. in front of               D. forward

(   ) 15. A. referring          B. involving          C. taking              D. bringing

(   ) 16. A. effects              B. prefects            C. affects              D. offers

(   ) 17. A. inactive            B. active               C. interactive               D. positive

(   ) 18. A. such                 B. little                 C. lot                   D. that

(   ) 19. A. less                  B. fewer                      C. more               D. further

(   ) 20. A. leave out          B. bring out          C. hold out           D. figure out