The United States will introduce a new and comprehensive(综合的) exam for students who seek to study in American and other English-speaking countries, Xinhua News Agency reported from New York.
The exam, which stands for a great change from the current English level test, was disclosed by Theresa Chang Wei Jen, associate director of the International Service of the US College Board, America’s leading educational organization.
The Advanced Placement International English Language (APIEL) will be offered for the first time throughout the world on May 10, 2002, said Jen.
However, the APIEL is a strange title to most Chinese students, and it is unlikely to soon gain the similarity of other already existing exams, such as the TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language), the GRE(Graduate Record Examination), or the IELTS(International English Language Testing System).
“I have never heard of such a test and I would prefer the IELTS if I need another exam,” said Xu Jingyan, a graduating student from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who wants to study in England and has already taken the TOEFL.
Most of Xu’s classmates have never heard of the APIEL. “The APIEL is designed for international students who wish to get university studies in English-speaking countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia.” said Jen.
The APIEL has been adopted, said Jen, because the TOEFL can no longer accurately reflect the abilities of students of using the English language comprehensively in an academic environment. Xinhua reported that a fairly large number of foreign students who earned high scores in TOEFL exam turned out to be very ordinary educational performers after admission.
Compared with the TOEFL, the APIEL measures a student’s ability to read, write, speak and understand English through testing his or her skills in listening comprehension, speaking with accuracy(精确) and resourcefulness, and writing with clarity and fluency(流畅), Jen said.The United States will introduce a new exam because _______.
| A．more and more students want to get further education in the USA |
| B．the Chinese people pay special attention to English studies with China’s entry into the WTO |
| C．the already existing exam systems seem to be far from perfect |
| D．it will bring the US government quite a lot of money |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the selection？
| A．It will take quite a period of time for people to accept the APIEL. |
| B．The TOEFL is more popular with the Chinese than the IELTS. |
| C．A student will have to take the APIEL if he or she wants to study in English—speaking countries from 2002. |
| D．Chinese students will prefer the IELTS rather than the APIEL even in the future. |
The underlined word current in the second paragraph means _______.
| A．modern | B．present | C．standard | D．formal |
Please decide which of the following would be the best title for this news report.
| A．The Key to English-speaking Countries |
| B．The Four Skills in Learning English |
| C．TOEFL, IELTS and GRE to be Out of Date |
| D．New Exam Designed for Students |
Hundreds of years ago, Native-American tribes lived in Mexico. The Aztecs built beautiful cities. They had a calendar (历法) and a written language. However, the Spanish destroyed the Aztecs in l521. For the next 300 years, Spain ruled over Mexico. That’s why Mexicans speak Spanish.
Every September l6 the Mexican people hold a celebration in Mexico City, their country’s capital. It is their Independence Day. On that date in 1821 they told Spain they would no longer be ruled. Breaking free from Spain caused a war. When it was over, the Mexicans had their own government. They made their own laws.
Today America and Mexico are friends, but it wasn’t always that way. President James Polk wanted America to reach from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He tried to buy what is now the American southwest from Mexico. Mexico would not sell. So from l846 to 1848 Mexico and America fought a war to ascertain where their borders would be. When the war ended, Mexico had lost a lot of land. Now the Rio Grande River forms the border between the two nations. America is on the north side of the river. Mexico is on the south side.
Mexico has mountains and a hot, dry climate. Crops can grow on only a small part of the land. Still, Mexicans grow much of the coffee, oranges, and sugar used in the US. Mexicans have influenced building styles in southwestern US and added words such as patio and canton to American English. Americans also enjoy eating many Mexican foods like burritos, tacos, tortillas, and tamales.
6. According to the passage, what happened second on historical timeline?
A. Mexicans declared their independence from Spain.
B. The Spanish ruled Mexico.
C. The Aztecs lived in Mexico.
D. Americans fought a war with Mexico.
7. The passage says that President Polk wanted ______.
A. the US to expand its borders to the Pacific Ocean
B. Mexico to change its Independence Day to July 4th
C. Mexico to become one of the states of the Union
D. Americans to adopt the Mexican language
8. Another word for the underlined word “ascertain” is ______.
A. inspect B. cover C. change D. determine
9. Mexicans have the following influences on America EXCEPT ______.
A. building styles B. vocabulary C. clothes D. food
10. Before the Aztecs were conquered(征服), these Native Americans probably ______.
A. didn’t speak Spanish B. couldn’t read or write any language
C. didn’t have tools D. didn’t understand the concept of time
七．阅读理解 (20分)
February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
1. Which of the following is not a custom for a boy to do on Valentine’s Day?
A. to take his girlfriend out to dinner
B. to buy his girlfriend flowers and chocolates
C. to make Valentine’s cards for teachers and friends
D. to spell out his girlfriend’s name with rose petals
2. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?
A. Because there were few women in his country at that time.
B. Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers.
C. Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people.
D. Because he wanted to control the birth rate.
3. Valentine was put into prison because ______.
A. he killed one of the soldiers
B. he stole a lot of food
C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order
D. he didn’t want to be a soldier
4. The last paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A. students in China send cards to their teachers
B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now
5. The best title for this passage should be ______.
A. Valentine’s Day B. A Brave Priest
C. Valentine’s Day in China D. A Romantic Man
Gao Yuanyuan, a Beijing girl, is lucky. She seems to have everything that most girls can only dream of. Her pretty face and slim figure were spotted by a talent scout (星探) when she was only 16. Now her latest work, “Shanghai Dreams” won the Jury
Prize (评委会奖) at the 58th Cannes Film Festival, in France, on May 21. That success put Gao in the spotlight everywhere.
But Gao, 25, said that she didn’t think there was much to get excited about. “I am an actress. That’s my job,” she said. Nowadays people pay more attention to fame and money in the entertainment world, but ignore the effort(努力，汗水) made by an actor.” “Acting in front of the camera is just a vocation（职业）. Like any other job, you need to show that you are capable,” Gao explained. With more young people seeing acting as an ideal job, Gao advises that they first ask themselves seriously, “Do I love performing, or do I want to be a star?” For Gao, being a good actress is the most important thing.
Gao admitted that she didn’t like acting before. Her dream was to be an office worker. Her major at college was secretarial studies. “I did shoot ads and films when I was in college, but I thought of it as just a part-time job,” she added. “It was nothing special, in the same way my classmates were tutors and salesmen in their spare time.”
It was not until the TV series “Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber” was shot that Gao began to love acting. At first, she said, the Hong Kong director didn’t think she was suitable for the role. “I performed in a fit of pique (赌气) and I’d never been so serious before,” she said. Then Gao found she became more interested in performing and worked harder for perfection.
51. Gao Yuanyuan became a star probably because __________.
A. She had pretty face and slim figure
B. She had always dreamed of it.
C. “Shanghai Dreams” won the Jury Prize at the 58th Cannes Film Festival, in France
D. Her job was an actress.
52. The word “ ignore” in Paragraph 2 means _________.
A. know about B. respect C. pay no attention to D. pay much attention to
53. Gao’s advice on being actress shows _____________.
A. one needs to work hard. B. one has to work hard.
C. one should be honest D. one should be capable
54. The best title of the passage is ____________.
A. Gao and her acting life B. Gao’s new work “Shanghai Dreams”
C. Gao and her TV series D. Gao’s loving of acting
55. We may infer（推断） that Gao ________.
A. Gao loved acting when she was young
B. the Hong kong director didn’t appreciate her performance at first
C. the TV series “Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber” was popular
D. When she was young, she acted in “Shanghai Dreams”
Do you love your family? Then May 15, the International Day of Families, was a good day to celebrate! The United Nations started this special day in 1994. it wanted people to know how important families are. If all the families on Earth could be happy, then the whole world would be a more peaceful place.
What makes a happy family? Our readers say it’s understanding!
Zhao Wei, 15, girl, Harbin Lianzhong Middle School: “My parents seldom fight with each other. I quarrel with them sometimes. They think I should not make friends with some kids who think they are bad. I think I’ve grown up and can make my own decisions. But most of the time, my parents are right. To me, family is like a soft sofa. I can be very comfortable on it!”
Wu Hao, 14, boy, Nanjing Foreign Language School: “My family is not rich. When I was a small child, other kids had a lot of good stuff (东西) but I didn’t. I asked my parents why. They told me that we didn’t have much money. I began to understand my parents then. I will do part-time jobs when I enter college. That way my parents won’t have to work so hard. Family is like a nest. It’s warm and safe.”
Zhang Xun, 15, boy, Hefei No 45 Middle School: “I’m a naughty boy who doesn’t study very hard. My parents always talk to me about this and they get very angry sometimes. I hope they won’t get angry when they talk to me. And I should behave well and be a good boy. My family is like my basketball. I love playing basketball. It makes me happy.”
46. People have celebrated the International Day for _________ years.
A. more than 19 B. about 15 C. less than 15 D. just 8
47. The United Nations started the International Day mainly _______.
A. to amuse people B. to get people to know families are important
C. to make people a peaceful world D. to make people who have families happy
48. Zhao Wei sometimes quarrels with her parents because _______.
A. she has grown up B. she enjoys making friends with kids
C. they stop her from making friends D. her parents are always right
49. Wu Hao will _________ when he enters college.
A. do part-time jobs to make his parents relaxed
B. make his family warm and safe
C. work to buy a lot of good stuff
D. do part-time jobs to get some money
50. Zhang Xun _______.
A. likes his family very much
B. likes his family if his parents let him play basketball
C. hates his family because his parents don’t like him
D. hates his family because his parents always get angry with him
Henry Ford’s parents left Ireland during the potato famine and settled in the Detroit area in the.1840s. Ford was born in what is now Dearborn, Michigan. His formal education was limited, but even as a youngster, he was handy with machinery. He worked for the Detroit Edison Company, advancing from machine-shop apprentice to chief engineer.
In 1893, Ford built a gasoline engine, and within a few years, an automobile, still a novelty item of the rich or do-it-yourself engineers. In 1899, Ford left Edison to help run the Detroit Automobile Company. Cars were still built essentially one at a time. Ford hoped to incorporate ideas from other industries----standardized parts as Eli Whitney has used with gun manufacturing, or assembly line methods George Eastman tried in photo processing ----to make the process more efficient. This idea struck others in his field as crazy, so before long, Ford quit Detroit Automobile Company and began to build his own racing cars. They were good enough to attract backers and even partners, and in 1903, he set up the Ford Motor Company.
He still met resistance to his ideas for mass production of a car the average worker could afford. But he stuck to his goal and finally in 1908, began production of the Model T. Ford gradually adapted the production line until in 1913, his plant incorporated the first moving assembly line. Demand for the affordable car soared even as production went up: before Ford stopped making the model T in 1927, 15 million had been sold, and Ford had become the leading auto manufacturer in the country. In addition to the moving assembly line, Ford revolutionized the auto industry by increasing the pay and decreasing the hours of his employees, ensuring he could get enough and the best workers. During the Model T era, Ford bought out his shareholders so he had completed financial control of the now vast corporation. He continued to innovate, competitors (growing more powerful though fewer in number) began to cut into Ford’s market share.
Ford and his family spent a food deal of time and money on charitable work. They set up a historical museum in Greenfield Village, Michigan, and most notably set up the Ford Foundation, which provides grants for research, education, and development.
“A bore (讨厌鬼) is a fellow who opens his mouth and puts his feats (技艺) in it,” said Ford
51. The main idea of the first paragraph is _________.
A. Ford’s education B. Ford’s family
C. Ford’s quickness to learn D. Ford’s interest and handiness in machinery
52. Which of the following statements is right?
A. Ford created the idea of standardized parts in industry
B. Ford is the first to imply production line in manufacturing
C. Ford is the first to create the idea of mass production of a car affordable for the average workers.
D. Ford is the first to make cars.
53. The reason why Ford left Detroit Automobile Company probably was that _________.
A. he was fired for his crazy idea
B. he hoped to carry out his own idea on car-making
C. people didn’t like to work with him
D. he wanted to set up his own car factory
54. According to the passage, Henry Ford can be probably described as a man of _______.
A. stubbornness B. C. caution C. determination D. well-education
55. Which of the following quotes means most similarly with the last sentence of the passage?
A. You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.
B. Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening.
C. The greatest thing you can do is surprise yourself
D. For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.
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