In October 1961 at Crowley Field in Cincinnati Ohio an old deaf gentleman named William E. Hoy stood up to throw the first ball of the World Series. Most people at Crowley Field on that day probably did not remember Hoy because he had retired(退休) from professional baseball 58 years earlier in 1903. However he had been an outstanding player and the deaf people still talk about him and his years in baseball.

William E. Hoy was born in Houckstown Ohio on May 23, 1862. He became deaf when he was two years old. He attended the Columbus Ohio School for the deaf. After graduation he started playing baseball while working as a shoemaker.

Hoy began playing professional baseball in 1886 for Oshkosh(Wisconsin) of the Northwestern League. In 1888 he started as an outfielder(外场手) with the old Washington Senators. His small figure and speed made him an outstanding base runner. He was very good at stealing bases during his career. In the 1888 major league season he stole 82 bases. He was also the Senators’ leading hitter in 1888. Hoy was clever and he threw right-handed and batted left-handed. On June 19,1889 he threw out three batters(击球手) at the plate from his outfield position.

The arm signals used by judges today to show balls and strikes began because of Hoy. The judge lifted his right arm to show that the pitch was a strike and his left arm to signal that it was a ball.

For many years people talked about Hoy’s last ball game in 1903. He was playing for Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast Winter League. It was a memorable game because Hoy hit a wonderful ball which won the game. It was a very foggy day and therefore very hard to see the ball. In the ninth inning(棒球的一局) with two men out, Hoy managed to catch a fly ball to make the third out in spite of the fog. Los Angeles defeated their opposition and won the game.

　　After he retired Hoy stayed busy. He ran a dairy farm near Cincinnati for 20 years. He also became a public speaker and traveled giving speeches. Until a few years before his death he took 4-10 mile walks several mornings a week. On December 15, 1961 William Hoy died at the age of 99.

1. In which order did the following things happen in Hoy’s life?

　　a. Hoy worked as a shoemaker.

　　b. Hoy began to run a diary farm.

　　c. Hoy played a memorable game in the heavy fog.

　　d. Hoy threw the first ball of the World Series.

　　e. Hoy became deaf.

　　A. d e a c b            B. e a c b d            C. d a e c b            D. e a b c d

2. We can infer from the last paragraph that Hoy _______ in his late years.

　　A. became famous                       B. led a relaxed life

　　C. traveled around the world        D. was in good physical condition

3. This passage is mainly about _______.

　　A. a deaf player devoted to the game of baseball

　　B. baseball game rules and important players

　　C. the rise in the social position of the deaf people

　　D. where the baseball judge hand signals came from

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

　　A. Hoy was the greatest baseball player in his time.

　　B. Speaking and listening are not necessary in baseball games.

　　C. The judge had to study the hand signals very seriously.

    D. Hoy’s family encouraged him to become a baseball player.

If we say the four great inventions (Gunpowder,Compass,Paper and Art of Printing) reflected ancient China’s scientific achievements,then Zhaozhou Stone Bridge perfectly represented one of the greatest contributions to ancient China’s bridge building.Nobody was unfamiliar with the stone bridge full of legends and vivid folk stories.

The ancient Zhaozhou stone bridge started to be built in 590 during the Sui Dynasty (581～618) and established in 608.The pioneer for building the bridge was Li Chun who overcame unimaginable difficulties,undergoing all hardships.The location of the bridge is in Zhao County south,Hebei Province.It lay across the Xiaoshui River,far away from the mountains that provided rocky materials.In ancient times,it was such a busy,deep and wide river that could be used as an important carriage to transport heavy rocks and other materials.As we know,no train,no lifting machine could be used to move granite(花岗岩)blocks to the construction site.As an intelligent stonemason and engineer,Li Chun worked out his plan and design all from his own direct observation and investigation.It took his whole life-time in completing the great historical project inChina.Nowadays it is not only a historical remarkable model of architecture,but also a brilliant Chinese cultural crystallization(结晶) of wisdom.

The entire length of the bridge is 50.82 meters with 10 meters width.The whole stone bridge looks like a big bow,the span of which is 37.02 meters,and its height from the top to the surface of water at a regular position is 7.23 meters.The bridge arch seems to be moving smoothly and flatly.The whole arch consists of 28 big granite blocks connected each other tightly together.On both end sides of the general arch there are 4 smaller arches,2 of which on one side,the other 2 on the other side.The smaller arches could be used to decrease the weight of the bridge and save stone materials,and help flood get through easily,which seems to be much prettier.Such a hard-thinking and careful consideration of the engineering article is really a model of design and layout.The span was much wider than the other stone bridge in ancient times all over China.

Today Zhaozhou Stone Bridge is one of international cultural relics and perfectly protected and preserved by the concerned administration of China.

1.The best title of this passage is _________.

A.Great engineer in ancient China　　　　　 B.Zhaozhou stone bridge

C.Four great inventions　　　　　　　　　 D.How to build a bridge

2.The third paragraph mainly tells us _________.

A.the materials of Zhaozhou bridge　　　 B.the structure of Zhaozhou bridge

C.the arches of Zhaozhou bridge　　　　　 D.the importance of Zhaozhou bridge

3.The underlined word “carriage” probably refers to _________.

A.cart　　　　　 B.transport　　　　 C.channel　　　　 D.resourse

 

Here is the Nine O’clock News: 　　 President Absul Krim of Syria has said that the danger of war in the Middle East is greater now than for the past two years .His country does not want war, he says, but the Syrian people have waited too long for an end to the troubles with their neighbors. If war comes, says Mr. Krim, Syria will be ready. 　　 Ben Kitson, a writer of stories and plays for children, has died at his home in California. Mr. Kitson was 82. His most famous book of stories, “The Gentleman’s House” sells all over the world, in more than twenty-five languages. 　　 Policemen in New York have gone on strike. Their leader Mr. Paul Angeli says that they will return to work only when they receive more money for working long hours and doing what Mr. Angeli calls “the most dangerous job in the city”. 　　 It has been a good year on the farm. The warm wet spring and the fine summer have been very good for all kinds of food plants. This means that fruits and vegetables will cost less in the shops this year. 1. The Syrian people___________________. A. are ready and waiting for war.　　　 B. are ready to wait another two years for war C. do not want war, but will be ready if it comes D. are a great danger of peace in the Middle East 2. Mr. Kitson wrote_______________. A. plays and stories for children　　 　B. 82 stories about his home in California. C. in more than twenty-five languages D. books, and then sold them all over the world 3. Mr Paul Angeli is ____________________________________. A. the most dangerous policeman in New York B. a policeman who receives more money for working long hours C. the leader of the New York City Policemen D. a policeman and the leader of New York City 4.It can be inferred(推理)from the third piece of news that__________________. A. policemen in New York hate their dangerous jobs B. policemen in New York love their important jobs C. the government will refuse to raise the policemen’s salary and the policemen will never return to work. D. the government will be forced to raise the policemen’s salary and the policemen will return to work. 5. As food plants have grown well, ______________. A. fruit and vegetables will be cheaper this year B. there will be a warm, wet spring and a fine summer C. food will be cheaper than it was in the spring D. plants will be cheaper in the shops this year

 

http://edhelper.com/womens_theme405.htm Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist. She was born on May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child. 　 Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris. 　 Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous French painter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes(笔画) in their work. They recognized Mary 's spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows. 　 Mary painted what she saw: gardens, and paintings of persons, especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today. 　 Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately, all her life, she refused to accept students. 1. Which year was the most critical to her career and life? A. 1877　　 B. 1864　　 C. 1860　　　 D. 1914 2. Mary left Pennsylvania for Europe at age 20 mainly because_____. A. she didn’t learn anything in Pennsylvania B she wanted to learn another style of paintings C. her desire for the learning wasn’t satisfied well D. her father didn’t want her to learn painting again 3. Mary Cassatt stopping painting because of_____. A. her poor eyesight　　 B. her old age　　 C. lack of interest　 D. her family 4. Which of the statements about Mary Cassatt is supported by the passage? A. Her painting featured scenes of everyday living B. Her father had a decisive effect on her painting C. She used various colors and long lines in her works D. She studied the paintings of the masters in U.S.A 5. It can be inferred from the passage that _____. A. the paintings of Edgar Degas belong to realism B. during the last ten year of life, she painted nothing. C. her works were controversial though highly recognized D. her students showed great respect for her

 

Dubai, the Gulf desert city state, which is well-known for its huge projects before it was hit by the global financial crisis(危机), on Saturday announced a new development to open the world’s biggest mall and a park larger than London’s Hyde Park.
　　The ruler of the Gulf desert city state, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, announced the plan for a “new city within Dubai”, according to an official statement, naming it after himself.
　　No cost was stated for “Mohammed bin Rashid City,” to be carried out by his private companies, which developed many of Dubai’s well-known projects, including Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower.
　　The “Mall of the World” will attract 80 million visitors a year to become the “largest in the world,” said the statement, while its park will be “30 percent bigger than Hyde Park of London.”

The mall will be connected to a family entertainment center to be developed in cooperation with Universal Studios International that will be the largest in the area, aiming to attract six million visitors a year.

Dubai already has countless malls and hotels, including the Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, with 62 million visitors this year. “The malls and hotels available at present in Dubai need to be enlarged in line with the future ambitions for the city,” Sheikh Mohammed said in the statement.

Dubai’s tourism is growing by 13 percent a year, according to the statement, with hotel occupancy(入住率) hitting 82 percent in 2011 while hotel profits grew 22 percent last year, more than$4.4 billion.

The city state rocked global financial markets in autumn 2009 over its debt crisis, but its economy has returned to growth.

56. The “new city within Dubai” will __________.

　　　 A. attract 62 million visitors a year
B. become the world’s tallest tower

C. be named after the ruler of the state

D. be the world’s largest family entertainment center
57. All the followings are mentioned in the official statement EXCEPT __________?

　　　 A. the name of the new city

　　　 B. the developer of the new city

　　　 C. the cost of building the new city
　　　 D the number of the visitors the new city expects to attract
58. Which would be the best title of the news?

　　　 A. Tourism and Hotel Profits Growing in Dubai

　　　 B. Biggest Mall to be Developed In Dubai

　　　 C. Global Financial Crisis Hit Dubai

　　　 D. Plan to Rebuild Dubai Announced