阅读训练题

阅读训练题
Group I
A
I like bitter baking chocolate. Mother had bought a bar of it, so I couldn't stop thinking about it. When Mother was out feeding the chickens, I got the bar down. I slipped the chocolate into the front of my shirt and left quickly. I went to the barn and hid the chocolate there.
All the rest of the afternoon, I didn't like to look at Father. Every time he spoke, it made me shiver (发抖). I didn't want the chocolate any more. I just wanted a chance to put it back without being caught. I nearly decided to put it all back, when I remembered what Father had said once -- some of the family money was mine because I had helped to earn it.
I decided to leave the whole matter to the lord. I picked up a dried stalk and decided I would throw it up into the air and take my orders from the way it landed. If it pointed west, I'd take the whole bar back. If it pointed south, I'd take half an inch off the end. If it pointed east, I'd buy the bar with my own money and it wouldn't be stealing to keep it. I swung the stalk as high as I could. When it came down, it pointed mostly west but a little south.
That night I couldn't sleep. I kept trying to remember how much that stalk had really been pointing to the south. At last I got up, slipped out into the yard, went into the barn and took the chocolate outside and laid it on the lower part of the fence. Just as I was starting to cut, Father said: "Sorry"
I couldn't think of a thing to say, I grabbed (抓) up the bar of chocolate and hid it next to my chest before I turned around.
He strode me on my feet and asked if I thought I had deserved (应该得到) it. He said it wasn't so much that rd taken the chocolate, but that rd tried to hide it from him. "Son," he said, "I know you help to earn the family money. You could have had it if you'd asked for it. Now, do you want to keep your money separate from mine?"
I never knew till then how much I wanted my money to get in with Fathers.
1. After he had taken the chocolate, the boy __
A) ate it immediately without being noticed
B) went to the barn and the chocolate there
C) cut it with a knife
D) wanted a chance to share it with his mother

2. Why didn't the author like to look at his father?
A) Because he was too ashamed to look at his father.
B) Because his father was very strict and severe.
C) Because his mother told his father that he stole the chocolate.
D) Because he felt guilty for his action.

3. The father probably learned that the boy had done something wrong by __
A) watching the boy all the day
B) finding the chocolate in the barn
C) noticing that the chocolate was missing
D) talking with his son

4. By saying "You could have had it if you'd asked for it" the father suggested that__
A) the boy couldn't eat it without his parent's permission
B) the boy should share the chocolate with his parents
C) the boy could eat the chocolate at the time he wanted
D) the bo

y couldn't have the chocolate because he dared not ask for it

B
Bob and Annie had not known each other long before they became eager to get married: Bob because he wanted Annie and she (though she was fond of Bob in her own way) because she could at least lead a life away from her family. When Mrs. Thompson suggested that they marry and live with her in Dover Street until they could get a house of their own, Annie hesitated (犹豫). Her idea of marriage had been something which brought her a husband and an orderly, well-furnished home all at once. But she soon saw the advantages of this arrangement. She would, first of all, escape from her present life into a house which was quiet and efficiently run, not like her own; and she would be able to go on working so that she and Bob could save up all the money quickly for their own house. She would also get Bob, a good enough husband for any working-class girl; good-natured and ready to be bent to her way (顺从) whenever it was necessary for her ends.
Things went well until mother-in-law's death when Annie had to give up her job and was at home all day. Her father-in-law became just a silent figure in the house and although Bob became used to him, Annie began to find the old man's constant presence in the house a source of growing annoyance.
"He gets on my nerves 使人心烦), Bob," ,she said one night when they were alone. "Just sitting there all day and me having to clean up around him. And he hardly says a word from getting up in a morning to going to
"Well, I suppose he has a right to do as he likes," Bob said mildly. "It's his house, not ours. We're the lodgers." But to Annie, now looking after the house as if it were her own, it was beginning to seem the other way about.
5. The reason that Annie wanted to get married was __
A) she found she couldn't leave Bob
B) she could at least escape the present life
C) she lived alone for a long time
D) she could live in a big house

6. Annie thought Bob was__
A) kind and easy-going
B) poor but good for working-class girls
C) too good for her
D) good at making money

7. Annie found her father-in-law getting on her nerves because he__
A) sat when she was cleaning
B) never said what time he was getting up
C) rarely talked to her and Bob
D) caused her to give up her job

8. "It was beginning to seem the other way about"(the last sentence of the passage) means __
A) it seemed that she was a lodger
B) it seemed that her father-in-law was a housekeeper
C) it seemed that she was the owner of the house
D) it seemed that her father-in-law was looking after the house

C
Relations between the United States and Colombia suffered for many years because of an incident involving(牵涉)the Republic of Panama. By the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, many Americans felt that an easier and faster way was needed to get ships from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Some 'people in the

United States first believed that a canal across Nicaragua was the answer. However, President Theodore Roosevelt decided that a canal through Panama would be a better choice.
In order to build the canal, the United States had to negotiate (谈判) a treaty with Colombia, which at that time controlled Panama. Roosevelt offered Colombia $ 10 million pins $ 250,000 a year for 99 years for a six-mile-wide strip of land across Panama. Colombia rejected the United State offer. This angered President Roosevelt, and negotiations with Colombia ended.
In 1903, a revolution broke out in Panama. The United States ships were sent by President Roosevelt to protect the Panamanian revolutionaries from Colombian forces. The revolution succeeded, and Panama declared its independence from Colombia. The United States then negotiated with the newly formed government. A treaty was signed, and the United States began building the canal.
As a result of the incident, Colombia and the United States remained on bad terms for many years. Not until 1921, when the United States agreed to pay Colombia some compensation (赔偿) for its lost territory, did relations between the two countries improved.
9. According to the passage, the United States and Colombia were on bad terms because the United States had___
A) at first wished to build a canal through Nicaragua
B) promised to pay Colombia $ 10 million for Panama
C) wished to build a canal through Panama
D) supported Panamanian revolutionaries in their fight for independence from Colombia

10. From the information in the passage, it can be concluded that the United States__
A) wanted to build a canal because it was considering starting a war
B) felt that building a canal through Panama was worth the risk of mining relations with Colombia
C) believed that a canal through Nicaragua would be profitable
D) had lost the Spanish-American War

11. It can be inferred from the passage that an important reason for the decision of the United States to build a canal was to__
A) develop trade relations with Europe
B) improve relations with South American countries
C) prevent European ships from reaching the Pacific Ocean
D) reduce travel time for its ships in case of war

12. The tone of the passage can be best described as __
A) argumentative
B) informative
C) humorous
D) detective

D
Bulbs (鳞茎) are ideal for new gardeners including children, because they are easy to plant and they always flower well in their first season. They need comparatively little attention, provided that the soil has been properly prepared, and the place where they are planted is chosen with care. They will last for many years and give you an annual (第年的) show of flowers that are often so richly colored or beautifully formed as to be in a class apart from other garden flowers.
However, it is a mistake to buy bulbs without any plan of what effect you really want from them. I have written this b

ook to help in selecting the most suitable bulbs for the typical, small, modern garden of the non-specialist gardener, and have made some suggestions to help readers who may not have had a garden before.
Too many books for beginners tell new gardeners to grow a few "sensible" kinds of plants and leave the more interesting kinds to adventurous experts. For the first few years of ands gardening life one should, it seems, concentrate on learning simple techniques while admiring the gardens of more experienced neighbors.
In fact, as a learner-gardener you need not fear that your efforts will necessarily show your inexperience, because (and here I give away a most closely-guarded secret), provided the bulbs come from a really reliable source, it is possible to produce as good results in your first year of gardening as in your eightieth.
There are some difficult bulbs that will disappoint you, especially some lilies 百合花) and a few very small daffodils (黄水仙), but these are often no more attractive than the really easy ones. Therefore, be bold with bulbs; they are a sound investment for any garden.
13. Inexperienced gardeners are often told that they should __
A) learn from other gardeners
B) plant only a few types of plants
C) get some suggestions from experienced neighbors
D) make more experiments with plants

14. Why should new gardeners try growing bulbs?
A) Once planted, little after-care is needed.
B) Their flowers become beautiful and beautiful each year.
C) They are cheap.
D) They can grow anywhere in the garden.

15. Bulbs are described as an investment because__
A) the people can appreciate them
B) they make other flowers look beautiful
C) they flower year after year
D) they continue to flower all summer

16. What is this book on gardening about
A) General advice for gardeners.
B) The choice of bulbs for small gardens.
C) The latest information on new bulbs.
D) Planning on easily maintained (保养) garden

E
Americans trace their origins from so many different countries that there is a wide range of "acceptable" social customs in America. As a result, no one visiting the United States should feel uncomfortable or incorrect if he chooses to follow his own native habits.
However, it may be helpful to have a more detailed understanding of the customs usually followed in the United States, especially of some of them which are different from Chinese customs.
Americans are often very informal in social situations. For example, when two people meet for the first time it is normal for them to call each other by their names immediately. This may-seem too personal to you, but the best thing to do is probably to use the name the other person uses when he introduces himself to you.
In China, of course, the given name isn't used to freely; and this can cause a small problem. In addition, many Americans do not know that the order of Chinese names is different

from American names. Therefore an American may sometimes call you by your given name by mistake, because he wants to be polite and thinks that truant is your family name. It is easiest to decide exactly what you want to be called in America and use that name very clearly when you introduce yourself.
Another way in which conversations in America are different is in the kind of questions that can be asked. Americans, like Chinese, ask about where you work, how many children you have, and how large your house is. But there are some subjects that are avoided (避免) unless you have very close relationship with the other person. They are considered too personal and therefore too impolite. These subjects include the person's age, and almost anything that concerns the question of money. It seems very rude to an American to be asked how much money he gets at work--for example, even parents often do not know how much money their children have. Also Americans seldom ask each other how much clothes or other possessions cost. If such a question is asked, the answer is usually not at all clear. "Oh, it was very cheap, really." Religion (宗教) and politics are two other areas which it is best to avoid until you know the other person well.
Americans often say that they have no time for formalities because life moves so fast in the United States. So you needn't worry about seeming to be impolite---just act naturally. And if you are asked questions that seem too personal to you, you need not answer them. You can just say that you do not know, or, "In my country that would be a strange question". Or you can change the subject of conversation to something that is less personal. The American will not think that you are being rude, and it is likely that he will understand from your remark that you prefer not to answer such personal questions or continue that subject of conversation.
17. An American sometimes calls a Chinese by his first name when he meets him for the first time. He does this because___
A) he wants to be friendly to the Chinese
B) he is not sure which name should be used in those circumstances
C) he mistakes this for the family name of the Chinese
D) he is sure that's the usual Chinese practice

18. "How large is your noise is a question that can be asked___
A) only by Americans
B) only by Chinas
C) neither by Americans nor by Chinese
D) by both Americans and Chinese

19. Americans are said to be very informal. Their being informal comes from the fact that __
A) they are more informal
B) formalities make them feel uncomfortable
C) they have no time for formalities
D) they fee] that formalities are uninteresting

20. If you are asked a personal question that you are not willing to answer, the passage suggests that you should__
A) keep silent
B) check your anger
C) ask the other person the same question
D) change the subject of conversation

Group II
A
Fred, a close friend of mine, li

ves with six hundred wild animals on a small island. Ever since he left school, where I first knew him, he has traveled all over Africa collecting animals for his zoo. He hoped to collect at least two animals of each kind on his island, like Noah before the Great Flood. But the flood that my friend was afraid of, was a flood not of water, but of people. I expect you have heard of my friend: he writes books about his travels, and about the wild and wonderful animals that he collects. The money from the books helps to pay for all the food that those animals eat.
Fred told me that when he was out looking for water last week (there is not enough water on the island, though there is plenty all around it), he found oil. He needs money for his travels, and for his zoo, and a little off will buy enough water for a lifetime; but he knows that if he tells anybody else about it, it will be the end of his zoo and his life's work.
So, if I know my friend, he will not tell anybody (but you and me) about what he found.
21. What is Fred most afraid of if a flood of people come onto the island?
A) The zoo will be destroyed when they make it an oilfield.
B) They may come in large crowds and frighten the animals.
C) There will be so much noise that he can not write any more.
D) Nobody can look after the zoo when he is away traveling.

22. Fred pays for the food the animals eat by __
A) selling oil on his island
B) traveling all over the world
C) collecting two animals of every kind
D) writing and selling books

23. Last week Fred___
A) went out looking for oil to pay for his travels
B) found enough water on his island to last a lifetime
C) found plenty of oil all around the island
D) was looking for water, but found oil

24. In the last part of the passage, "if I know my friend" means___
A) in fact I don't understand my friend
B) so far as I know about my friend
C) as long as I trust my friend
D) actually I don't believe my friend

B
You get a terrible feeling when you find you've had a burglar. 'It isn't only anger against the thief and at your loss. It's much more. For months Meter my burglar came one night, I hated my house, though I knew it wasn't my houses fault---any more than Jack Larsen's loss was the fault of his house. Poor Jack suffered more: he lived only a month after his "burglars" came, so they were, in a way, his murderers.
Jack and I lived opposite each other on the edge of a village. It so happened that, last July, I had to go into hospital for a week. At the same time, Jack heard from Norway that his sister had died. So we were both away from our properties (地产) for about a week. He was due back the day before I was.
When Jack returned, his house was gone. All that remained was the hard base on which the house had stood. He went to the police, of course, and the slow, legal (法定的) inquiries (调查) began. When I returned, he came to stay with me.

We soon found out from various people what had happened. On the third day of our absence, some "workmen" in a lorry arrived at Jack's house. They declared that they were there on the orders of the court. They said that the house was an illegal building and had to be removed before the owner returned. They even said that the police knew all about the case and told the village postman to deliver Mr. Larsen's letters to the police. It was all over in less than two days.
Jack went out of his mind. As I said, he didn't live long. It is January now, and so far the police haven't found the house or anything else.
25. In Paragraph 1, the word "burglar" most closely means a ___.
A) poor neighbor
B) terrible occident
C) night thief
D) heavy loss

26. Mr. Larsen had all his properties stolen ____ before he returned.
A) about two days
B) a week
C) only the night
D) five days

27. The people at the village did not report the accident to the police at the time it happened most probably because____
A) they believed what the thieves said at that time
B) they knew nothing about the accident at all
C) they did not know where the police station was
D) the "workmen" were familiar to them

28. Mr. Larsen died soon after he returned from Norway because __
A) he was extremely tired after his journey to Norway
B) he was seriously hurt by the loss of all his properties
C) he had been suffering from a serious disease for years

C
Why do we laugh? For years scientists have asked themselves this question. No animals laugh and smile only human beings, so does laughing help us to live longer in any way? The answer seems to be that smiling and laughing help us to become less worried and calm, preventing illnesses which are caused by stress. Laughing is really the best medicine.
But if you're unhappy, it can't do you any good to smile, can it? That's not true. It is clear that smiling works just in the same way whether you feel like smiling or not. Scientists in California asked a group of students to act five different feelings: happiness, sadness, anger, surprise and fear -- just using their faces. Changes in their heart rate (率), blood pressure and temperature were recorded. Most of the feelings they acted didn't cause changes, but when the students smiled their heart rate and their blood pressure went down. That happened even though they were only acting! So even if we feel sad inside, smiling seems to make us feel better.
Now, what makes us laugh? It seems that the answer to the question is far from simple. Everyone likes jokes, but we don't laugh at the same ones. It depends largely on how old we are. There's a kind of jokes, for example, which children love but older people might not find funny. Nationality, too, can make a difference.
29. In the passage, the writer seems to pay more attention to __
A) how laughing and smiling are connected with health
B) comparing human beings with animals

C) the degree to which laughing and smiling are helpful
D) finding out if any research has been done about laughing

30. The passage tells us that smiling and laughing __
A) have nothing to do with one's heart rate
B) do one no good when he is sad
C) improve one's blood pressure
D) lower the temperature of the body''

31. In the first paragraph, the word "stress" can be best explained as__
A) surprise and fear
B) work and duties
C) happiness and sadness
D) pressure and worries

32. It is __ to answer the question "What makes us laugh?"
A) really simple
B) not easy at all
C) an interesting matter
D) a thing in the future

D
Shanghai is the fastest-growing, richest city in eastern China. The city and the area around and nearby has a population of more than 120 million people. Yet just a few years ago, the city's restaurants offered only traditional (传统的) Chinese food. Today, however, Shanghai has hundreds of fast food restaurants. They include McDonald Pizza Hut and the Chinese-style California Beef Noodle King.
Chinese customers like this new style (方式) of dining because it is fast, convenient and clean. These restaurant chains offer a wide variety of foods which are new to China. McDonald's customers are still more likely to eat chicken or fish than the company's more famous hamburgers, though. This is because Chinese customers are not so familiar with beef. Over time, however, the city's customers are likely to eat more beef, cheese and French fries than previous (早先的) generations. This is because more young people than old people are eating Western fast food.
Shanghai's Western fast-food restaurants are more expensive than the city's Chinese-style food outlets. As a result, it is members of Shanghai's growing middle class who eat in them frequently. This group of people are earning more money and spending it on entertainment (娱乐) and food. Nowadays, about half of Shanghai's consumers are young men below the age of 36.
How fast has the spread of fast-food restaurants been in China? Take a look at Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) ' and McDonald's: KFC had 40 restaurants in Shanghai in 1996, and 250 in 1998, while McDonalds had 180 restaurants across China in 1998. Such popularity means that these figures will most probably double by the end of 20th century.
33. A few years ago, Shanghai __
A) had many different kinds of restaurants
B) didn't have any restaurants at all
C) only had Chinese-style restaurants
D) had very few restaurants

34. People in Shanghai like eating in Western fast-food restaurants because it is ___ way of eating.
A) a dean, easy and slow
B) an easy, fast and clean
C) ac clean and expensive but fast
D) a fast, cheap and easy

35. Chinese customers prefer chicken and fish to hamburgers and French fries because __
A) beef, cheese and potatoes are not common foods in China
B) they don't like beef, cheese and potatoes
C)

they don't like Western food
D) beef and cheese are Very healthy

36. The number of Western fast-food restaurants in China will__ in the future.
A) increase a little
B) stay about the same
C) increase a lot
D) reduce a little

E
Bill Gates, the billionaire head of software giant Microsoft, developed his first product at high school. Gates, who was born in 1955, became the richest person in the world in 1998. He has a personal fortune of over US $ 50 billion. His riches have come from the international success of the Windows computer packages. Windows 98, the latest version of the computer program, is used by 100 million personal computers worldwide.
William Henry Gates m did not rise from rags (破衣)to riches, but was born into a wealthy family. He increased his wealth through computer software. This is the set of programs and packages that are used to run a computer system 系统).
Bill Gates has worked with computers since he was 13 years old. He soon developed an interesting programming. By the time he was 17, he had sold his first computer program to his school. They paid him US $ 200. His business career (生涯) began at Harvard University. Gates and his high-school friend Paul Allen thought that they could improve the performance of the Altaic computer, one of the earliest computer models.
Gates and Allen produced a better computer program for the Altaic. They left Adversity early to set up their own company called Microsoft. In 1980, Gates went into business with IBM computers. He provide IBM with software for their new personal computer. IBM also allowed Microsoft to sell the software to other computer manufacturers. This, however, was a big mistake for IBM. It meant that people could buy personal computers similar to IB is, but more cheaply
By 1987, the company's huge success had made Bill Gates the world's youngest self-made billionaire at 31. Nowadays, his company makes the software for about 100 per cent of the worlds personal computers. Like many software programmers, Gates has always been a workaholic -- although he now leaves the office before 'midnight because he get married in January 1994.
Bill Gates can afford to enjoy a relaxing life full of luxury (奢侈). However, Gates says that he plans to remain actively involved in his company for another 20 years.
37. Windows 98___
A) is the name of Bill Gated company
B． As a type of computer made by IBM
C) is a popular computer program
D) was the first program developed by Bill Gates

38. Bill Gates started Microsoft__
A) at school
B) with an old high-school friend
C) with his family
D) with a friend he met at University

39. Gates and Allen's first success together was __
A) building the Altaic computer
B) their business deal with IBM computers
C) making a new program for the Altaic computer
D) the Windows 98 computers program

40. In the 1980s, Microsoft's so

ftware was used by __
A) IBM computers only
B) high schools
C) a variety of computers
D) Altaic computers only

Group III
A
The most popular way to welcome the new year in the United States is to have a big party. Some parties are at peoples homes. But in recent years, it has become more and more common for Americans to go to a hotel or a clubber restaurant on the night of December the 31st. There, they can have dinner, drink champagne (a kind of wine), and dance.
Most New Year's parties have something in common. First of all, they are usually noisy. People sing and bands (乐队) play. And often, guests pull a cracker (爆竹) when the clock strikes twelve at midnight. People think that loud sounds would drive away the evil spirits (恶魔) of the old year before the new year begins.
For many people New Years Eve is the night when they can drink as much as they like. Some New Year's celebrations have ended sadly for people who got drunk and had driving accidents. Radio and television announcements warn people of the danger of drunk driving. Some places offer free rides home for drunken people.
The biggest and noisiest New Yeast party in the United States takes place at Times Square in New York City. Thousands of people gather there. Some of them ring bells or let off crackers. Others blow whistles or car hours. And at 12 o'clock, they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple lights up on top of a tall building.
Americans keep up one other important tradition (传统) as the new year begins. They make decisions about how to improve themselves in the year ahead. Experts say that the most common New Year's decision in the United States is to eat less. But many Americans also promise themselves to stop smoking, or stop drinking wine, or to be nicer to their friends and families.

Experts find fewer than ten percent of Americans carry out their New Years decisions; Few want to give up this tradition. Almost everyone seems to enjoy looking back over the year that has just ended and looking forward to a nice beginning of a new year.
41. The article is about____
A) some important traditions in the USA
B) when and where Americans welcome the new year
C) New Years celebrations in the USA
D) American ways of life and their interests

42. Most New Years parties' are usually noisy, because __
A) people sing songs
B) bands play music
C) guests pull crackers
D) people want to get rid of bad luck of the old year

43. In order to prevent car accidents __ on New Years Eve.
A) many Americans promise to stop drinking wine
B) drunken people are forbidden to drive, but can be driven home free
C) little wine is served at New Years celebrations
D) people are warned of the danger of drinking too much

44. Which of the following is not mentioned in the text?
A) The biggest and noisiest New Year's party is held at Times Square.
B) Americans hold parties and make decision

s for the new year.
C) People give presents and say "Happy New Year" to each other.
D) People enjoy looking back over the past year and looking forward to a good beginning of a new year.

B
In 1972 American Department of Education published forty pages of facts about college freshmen (大学一年级学生) in the United States. The acts had been obtained (获得) from thousands of students in their first year of university study by asking such questions as these:
(1) How old will you be on December 31 of ties year?
(2) How many miles is this college from your parents' home?
(3) Where did you live while you were growing up?
(4) Are your parents still living, and are they still married to each other?
The answers to these questions showed that seventy-eight percent of the freshmen were eighteen years old, and fourteen percent were nineteen. It is quite unusual for a freshman to be younger than eighteen or older than nineteen.
More than haft of the freshmen were studying in colleges far from their parent homes; only forty percent were within a distance of fifty miles from home.
The report showed that most college students had grown up in or near cities. About one-fifth of the freshmen reported that they had been brought up in small towns; only seven percent came from families.
Rather surprisingly, the report showed that comparatively few of the freshmen (eight percent) had parents who were divorced or separated. In most eases, both parents were still alive and still married to each other.
When asked how they were paying for their education, almost a third of the freshmen said they had part-time jobs or were working during summer vacations. For a few, scholarships (奖学金) were sources (来源) of support. However, fifty-six percent of the students depended upon their parents to pay their college bills.
For many of these families a college education was something new. Less than half of the freshens fathers had never attended college themselves.
45. At what age do the Americans usually begin their college study?
A) More than 3/4 are 18.
B) 49% of them are 19.
C) Few of them are over 18.
D) Most of them are 19.

46. More than half of them paid for the education___
A) by doing part-time jobs
B) by obtaining scholarships
C) by working during summer holidays
D) by getting money from their parents

47. Why is it that se many fresh meds fathers didn't attend college?
A) The reason is not mentioned in the passage.
B) Universities and-colleges were not open to them
C) Most universities and colleges were too far away.
D) A college education was something new.

48. From the passage, who do you think were able to study more attentively (专心) to enter a university? Those__
A) whose parents were divorced or separated
B) who lived with fathers only
C) who had very kind mothers
D) with a both-parent family

C
Already we have seen that money acts as a standard of value

. When we change our goods for money we are said to sell. When we change money for goods we are said to buy. This buying and selling through the use of money en-ablest us to speak of things as being WORTH SO MUCH MONEY. Thus money conveniently measures value by a common standard. This measure of value by money we call price he has set. The price of an article is its value expressed in money.
Let us imagine that your father is a furniture shop owner. Money measures the value of his tables; that is, your father sots a price on his tables, motor-cars have their price, and suits also. Your father can sell his tables to those who want them at the price. When he has sold ten tables to ten different people, he has the price of a motor-car. When he has sold one table he has the price of suit, and has some money left over. Your father has exchanged his goods for the goods he wants, not directly, but by the medium (媒介手段) of money. Money is a MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE. When we know that our money will buy more of this or less of that, we are greatly helped by prices in deciding what to buy and what to sell.
Money also serves as a sorer of value. Upon receiving payment to cover the sale of some of his tables, your father may not wish to spend all of it right away. A part of it will probably be put in the bank until he has use for it. Meanwhile, he knows that those dollars put away will buy approximately (接近) as many groceries, pairs of shoes, suits of clothes, or government bonds (债券) next week or even next year as they will today. Thus money also serves as a sorer of value.
49. The activity of buying and selling through the use of money __
A) shows that money itself has real value
B) indicates how people exchange things in terms of money
C) makes exchange of things complicated
D) tells us the history and convenience of using money

50. The "imaginary case of your father" shows that __
A) money helps people exchange things
B) everything has its price
C) the price of ten tables equals that of a motor-car
D) prices help people to choose what they like

51. According to the passage, the word "price" means __
A) value of thing
B) value in money of a thing
C) measure of value
D) store for a thing

52. The passage as a whole suggests that __
A) money is a store of value only for some things
B) things are different in prices
C) people use money to value things
D) people exchange things in many ways

D
Britain has laws to make sure that women have the same opportunities as men in education, jobs and training. But it's still unusual to find women doing dirty or heavy jobs.
Nikki Enrique's is a car maintenance engineer in London. She used to be a secretary. Bart Phillips, a journalist with "The Observer", a Sunday newspaper, asked her why she wanted to work with cars.
"My first reason was independence," she said, "I also wanted to use my hands, and I like learning about how things

work. Many people prefer to have a woman repair their cars, too."
Nikki didn't find it easy to become a car maintenance engineer. She went to a Government Skill Center-'- a special sort of college where people can learn a new job -- for twenty weeks. "For ten weeks I was the only woman among four hundred men, and some of them were rude to me, just because of my sox. It was also very tiring - from 8 in the morning to 5 at night, with only 30 minutes for lunch." Now Nikki works free-lance -- that is, sheds self employed, working for herself and not for a garage or a company.
Bart Phillips also spoke to Rose, who works as a general bunker in Sheffield, and industrial town in the north of England. Like Nikki, Rose used to be a secretary. "I didn't enjoy it at all," she said. "I wanted to do more practical work, and I wanted to be soil-employed."
Rose joined a women's building co, operative, and she learnt her job from other people and from experience. However, many of the women in her group have been specially trained. Most of the jobs they do are improvements 'to buildings and general repairs.
"People often say, 'Oh, women aren't strong enough, ' but I don't think strength is important," said Rose. "The important thing is to get used to doing a different sort of work."
Rose would like more women to come into the building industry. "Everything built at the moment is a product of man's world. If women become builders, they will be able to understand the production of their houses and their towns."
53. There are laws in Britain to help women __
A) get higher pay than men
B) enjoy more freedom that men
C) do whatever they like to do
D) have equal chances with men in education and work

54. The job of a car maintenance engineer is to __
A) produce cars
B) sell cars
C) keep cars for others
D) repair cars

55. The most important reason for Nikki to be a car maintenance engineer is that __
A) she Wants to be independent
B) she has to make her own living
C) she likes to use her hands
D) she wants to get the same pay as men

56. According to Rose, a woman wishing to be a general builder __
A) must be specially trained
B) should be strong enough
C) can learn her job either from others or by experience
D) must get used to doing a different sort of work

E
It is chiefly a matter of custom. Our faces, exposed to cold, do get cold, but they do not feel cold because the nerves (神经) by which we feel cold are used to this state of affairs and take no notice of it. In fact, all nerves act in this way; messages travel along them only when there is change in the usual condition of the body. We tolerate (容忍) without noticing them, degrees of cold to which we are accustomed (习惯于) in our face and hands; but we actually feel that our feet are do if we expose them. Yet people who are accustomed to bare feet feel no more and suffer no more from them than we do from bare hands. On a winter d

ay we may not notice that our noses and ear tips are cold, even when they are quite cold. You soon find that they are if you put a warm hand against them. There is a very great difference between being cold and feeling cold.
This law about custom, and the way in which nerves are affected by it, also explains many other things - for example, why the country man cannot at first sleep in the town because of the noise, while the townsman often cannot sleep in the country because of the silence. At last, however, the country man gets used to the noise and the townsman gets used to the silence, and both sleep soundly.
57. the word "message" in paragraph 1 refers to __
A) being cold
B) not being cold
C) body condition
D) the temperature change

58. From the passage we know that __
A) hare-footed people do not feel cold on a winter day
B) being cold is one thing and feeling cold is another
C) our noses are not sensitive to cold
D) country men do not mind the noise in big cities

59. Exposed to cold, our faces do not feel cold because __
A) the nerves in the face do not work
B) our faces have fewer nerves
C) our faces have got used to the cold
D) the usual condition of the body changes

60. When our hands are exposed to cold__
A) we feel cold at once
B) we may not feel cold at all
C) we tolerate the pain of coldness
D) we put a warm hand against them

Group IV
A
If you are out in the countryside, and you happen to come across an area of dry, sandy soil, you may find some small holes in the ground, shaped like an upside-down cone (锥形物), perfectly round at the top and tapering (逐渐变细) down to pint. If you then get a piece of grass, and gently touch the side of this hole, making a few grains of sand fall to the bottom, and a little creature may finally appear, looking for a meal.
The creature is called an ant lion, and the hole or pit is the method it uses to catch its food. The ant lion is actuary the wormlike young of an insect from the family Myrmeleonidae (蚁蛉科). It digs its pit by crawling backwards in a small circle. It uses one of its front legs to pile sand up on its head, and then twists its head quickly, throwing the sand out of the pit. Round and round it goes, in sm'filer and smaller circles, throwing out the sand, until it has created a pit of about 5 centimeters in diameter (直径) at the top, and 3 or 4 centimeters deep. Next it buries itself at the bottom, with just its strong jaws showing. Then it sits and waits with great patience.
Finally, an ant or another small insect will come by, and step into the pit. If it falls to the bottom, the ant lion will seize it in its jaws, and eat it. But if the ant tries to climb up the side of the pit, the falling sand will warn the ant lion at the bottom, and it will throw up sand with its head, causing a small fall of sand which will make the ant fall back down again, to its death.
62. The purpose of touching the ant

lion's hole with a piece of grass is to __
A) try to catch an ant lion
B) see how it catches insects
C) give the ant lion some food
D) make it bury itself in the sand

63. According to the information given in the passage, the ant lion is a kind of___
A) ant
B) lion
C) insect
D) locust

64. The main purpose of the second paragraph is to tell __
A) how the ant lion digs its hole
B) what kind of creature the ant lion is
C) how the ant lion eats its food
D) the direction in which the ant lion usually moves

65. The lion uses its___ to remove sand from its hole.
A) back legs
B) front legs
C) jaws
D) head

B
Tom Dyson tried to find out what his new machine could do. One day he fixed the small box to a flowering plant that was growing in a pot. He didn't say anything at all, but he began to think some cruel thoughts.
"I'm going to cut off these flowers. They're getting old and ugly. So FI1 cut them off"'"
The needle on the machine climbed quickly from zero to 8, then 10, 12, 15, It stopped at 17. The plant was in trouble! Something was worrying it. Was it fear or sadness? The thought of being cut? The flowers bent their heads. They suddenly looked old and tired, and Tom felt sorry for them.
"No, no!" he cried. "I won't cut you. You're my friends. I just want you to grow and be lovely, I'll take you outside, into the sunshine. You'll like that, won't you?"
The flowers lifted their heads slowly and seemed to smile at him. The needle returned to zero. Tom put away the machine, picked up the plant and walked outside. It was very nice in the garden that morning.
All plants enjoy their owners love and care and kindness. They know the sound of their voices. They also seem to understand peoples thoughts. So if you have flowers of your own, think about them with love. They will return your kindness in the only way they can: they will grow strong and beautiful.
66. Choose the right order of the events given in the article.
a. The needle pointed to 17.
b. Tom felt sorry for the flowers.
c. Tom thought of cutting off the flowers,
d. The flowers looked old and tired.
e. Tom fixed the machine to a plant,
f. Tom took the plant outside.
g. The needle returned to zero.
h. Tom cried, "I won't cut you."
A .e, a, g, h, d, b, c, f
B .c, e, d, a, b, h, g, f
C .e, c, a, d, h, b, f, g
D .e, c, a, d, b, h, g, f

67. The only way in which plants can show their love is __
A) enjoying their owners love
B) bringing up nicely
C) holding up their heads
D) smiling at their owners

68. Which of the following is true according to the article?
A) Tom wanted to cut off the flowers.
B) Tom said nothing, but the flowers could understand him.
C) The machine didn't work properly.
D) The flowers were getting had-looking.

C
During the second half of 1776, the British had driven Washington's armies from their strongholds in and near New York

City. Washington retreated, moving southeast across New Jersey.
Before his army reached the shores of the Delaware, he sent soldiers ahead to bring together all the boats they could find. When the British arrived at the east hank early in December, the Colonials were safely across. And the British could find only two small boats on a pond.
For the time being, the British gave up the chase (追逐). They set up camp at Trenton and at other strongholds along the Delaware.
Washington had the beats on the Pennsylvania (宾夕法尼亚) side, but that was about all he had. Food was short, and many soldiers were too ill to march. And any day now, the fiver might freeze, making it possible for the British force to crease into Pennsylvania.
If the struggle for freedom was to continue, Washington had to have a victory. Finally he decided to recess the Delaware at McKinney's Ferry. That was nine miles upriver from Trenton. Washington's plan was to cross under cover of darkness on Christmas night and attack the 2,000 to 3,000 British soldiers in Trenton. The general expected that the enemy force would still be celebrating the holiday.
On the evening of December 25, Washington gave the orders to cross. It was snowing and sleeting (下雨雪), and the river was filled with floating ice. Finally, his force of more than 2,000 men was on the Jersey side. It was after 2 a. m. In a battle that lasted less than two hours, they defeated the enemy force. Washington had the victory he nee
69. This story is about __
A) the human for human fights and progress
B) the battle of Delaware River
C) the American Civil War
D) the American War of Independence

70. The British set up camp at Trenton because__
A) they wanted to attack Washington at Trenton
B) they had no boats in which to cress the Delaware River
C) they needed time to make some preparations
D) they wanted Washington to think they had given up fighting

71. General Washington chose Christmas night for his attack because __
A) he was sure his men were ready to fight
B) he was told in a dream that he would win the war on Christmas night
C) he expected the British force would still be celebrating the holiday and they wouldn't be prepared for the sudden attack
D) his men wanted to return home to spend New Year

D
GARDEN RESTAURANT
Telephone: 2706030
Address: 9020 Bridgeport Road
Open-- Mon. to Fri. 7:00 a.m. 2:30 p.m. 9:00 p. m.
Sat. 7:00a. m.--ll:0Oa, m. and5:0Op, m. 9:0Op. m.
Sun. ll:00a, m. 2:00p. m. and5:00p, m.--9:00p, m.
NEW YORK MUSEUM
Telephone: 7364431
Address: Vainer Park, 1100 Chestnut St. New York
America's largest museum specialized (专门研究) in American history and art of our native people.
Open Mon. to Fri 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p. m. (Monday free)
Sat. 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p. m.
LANSDOWNE PAR'K SHOPPING CENTRE
Telephone: 3562367
Address: 5200 No. 3 Road
Mon. Tues. & Sat. 9:30a. m. 5:30p. m.
Wed.

Thurs. & Fri. 9:30 a.m. 9:30 p. m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. 5:00 p. m.
SKYLINE HOTEL
Telephone: 2785161
Address: 3031 No. 3 Road (at Sea Island Way)
The Hangar Den Wed. to Sun. Dinner from 5:30 p. m.
Coffee Shop-- Mon. Fri. 6:00 a. m.; Sat. 6:30 a. m. Sun. 7:00 a. m. Mon Wed. to 10:00 p. m.
Thurs. -- Sun to 11:00 p. m.
72. If you want to buy a new jacket, you have to go to __
A) 3031 No. 3 Road
B) 5200 No. 3 Road
C) 9020 Bridgeport Road
D) 1100 Chestnut Street

73. If you want to go out for lunch on Sunday, you can call up the number __
A) 2785161 or 2706030
B) 2706030 or 3562367
C) 7364431 or 2785161
D) 3562367 or 2785161

74. You don't have to pay on Monday if you go to __
A) Skyline Hotel!
B) Lansdowne Park Shopping Center
C) New York Museum
D) Garden Restaurant

75. If you want to enjoy yourself on Sunday mornings, you can go to __
A) Lansdowne Park Shopping Center
B) New York Museum
C) the Hangar Den
D) Coffee Shop

E
Before Johan Guttenberg developed the printing press in 1437, news traveled by word of mouth. This meant that information was slow to reach the public and that details changed as news spread from one person to the next. Printed mitten more accurately (准确). In 1844 Samuel Morse made a system of sending coded messages through electric wires perfect, founding an early form of long-distance communication. The work of communications was developed in 1858 through the work of Julius von Reuter, who made newspapers reach different countries by telegraphing. With each of these developments, the public wondered at the cleverness of the communication pioneers and asked, "What will they think of next?"
"They" thought of plenty. Alexander Graham Bell had the idea of passing speech by electrical impulses and invented the first telephone in 1876 the invention of the "wireless" by Guillermo Macron in 1895 made the way for modern-day radio transmission. V. K. Z working worked on one of the first televisions in 1928.
Communications reached new heights when televisions were mass produced in the 1950s. In 1962 the first communication satellite made people see live broadcast from anywhere in the world. Underground and underwater cables (电缆) also send on programs from one area to another. Telecommunications and computer networking are of big advances of our times and mean even greater developments to come.
76. The main idea of the passage is __
A) it is not easy to use modern ways of communication
B) so many people made achievements in developing the means of communication
C) the means of communication have gone through many stages (阶段) before they are perfected
D) the development of history has lasted such a long time

77. In the 1950s___
A) wireless telephones began to be used
B) television came into being
C) televisions were produced in large numbers
D) modern communication reached the highest point

78. Which of the following

is true according to the passage
A) The first word "They" in the 2nd paragraph refers to scientists.
B) Alexander Graham Bell gave the first speech in 1876.
C) The printing press was perfected in the fourteenth century.
D) Since many means of communication have been developed, a great number of people needn't read newspapers.

79. The beginning of the long-distance communication was____
A) sending messages by word of mouth
B) when people see programmed at the time of performances
C) in the nineteenth century
D) when the "wireless" was invented

80. Telecommunications and computer networking__
A) mean there will be greater development
B) show the 20th century's means are the most perfect
C) mean modern society has developed from one area to another
D) show people's life can be better and better