E
Mass transportation revised the social and economic fabric（结构） of the American city in three fundamental ways. It catalyzed（加速） physical expansion, it sorted out people and land uses, and it accelerated the inherent instability of urban life. By opening vast areas of unoccupied land for residential expansion, the omnibuses, horse railways, commuter trains, and electric trolleys pulled settled regions outward two to four times more distant form city centers than they were in the premodern era. In 1850, for example, the borders of Boston lay scarcely two miles from the old business district; by the turn of the century the radius extended ten miles. Now those who could afford it could live far removed from the old city center and still commute there for work, shopping, and entertainment. The new accessibility of land around the periphery（周围）of almost every major city sparked an explosion of real estate development and fueled what we now know as urban sprawl. Between 1890 and 1920, for example, some 250,000 new residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago, most of them located in outlying areas. Over the same period, another 550,000 were plotted outside the city limits but within the metropolitan area. Anxious to take advantage of the possibilities of commuting, real estate developers added 800,000 potential building sites to the Chicago region in just thirty years – lots that could have housed five to six million people.
Of course, many were never occupied; there was always a huge surplus of subdivided, but vacant, land around Chicago and other cities. These excesses underscore a feature of residential expansion related to the growth of mass transportation: urban sprawl（建筑物无计划延伸） was essentially unplanned. It was carried out by thousands of small investors who paid little heed to coordinated land use or to future land users. Those who purchased and prepared land for residential purposes, particularly land near or outside city borders where transit lines and middle-class inhabitants were anticipated, did so to create demand as much as to respond to it. Chicago is a prime example of this process. Real estate subdivision （再划分小区）there proceeded much faster than population growth.
72．With which of the following subjects is the passage mainly concerned?
A．Types of mass transportation.
B．Instability of urban life.
C．How supply and demand determine land use.
D．The effect of mass transportation on urban expansion.
73．Why does the author mention both Boston and Chicago?
A．To demonstrate positive and negative effects of growth.
B．To exemplify cities with and without mass transportation.
C．To show mass transportation changed many cities.
D．To contrast their rate of growth.
74．According to the passage, what was one disadvantage of residential expansion?
A．It was expensive.
B．It happened too slowly.
C．It was unplanned.
D．It created a demand for public transportation.
75．The author mentions Chicago in the second paragraph as an example of a city,
A．that is large.
B．that is used as a model for land development.
C．where the development of land exceeded population growth.
D．with an excellent mass transportation system.
Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing. Three years ago, few people would go swimming in the icy waters, But now there is a Winter-swimming Enthusiast’s club(冬泳爱好者协会)and it has more than 2,000 members. The oldest is 84years old and the youngest in only 7. The members are from all walks of life. They may be workers, peasants, soldiers, teachers, students...
Though it is now the coldest part of the season and the water temperature in the city’s lakes is around 0℃, many winter swimmers still swim in the icy waters, even when it is snowing. They enjoy themselves in the lake, while the people by the side of the lake are wearing heavy clothes.
Why are so many people interested in winter-swimming? Because winter-swimming can be good for one’s health.
Bei Sha is a good example. He is 69,and he once suffered from heart trouble for 26 years. After ten years of winter-swimming he is now in good health. Scientists are now studying the effects of winter-swimming on health.Among the winter-swimmers the oldest man is _______ years older than then youngest one.
| A．91 | B．84 | C．77 | D．7 |
Guess what “The members are from all walks of life” means?
| A．The members do different jobs at different places. |
| B．They come from all parts of Beijing. |
| C．They are persons of different ages. |
| D．They are men and women, old and young. |
The winter-swimmers are able to swim in the icy waters, even on snowy days because______.
| A．They are not afraid of coldness. |
| B．They often swim in the icy waters. |
| C．They know that they can benefit from it. |
| D．winter-swimmers can make people healthy. |
Winter-swimming has become popular in Beijing because_____________.
| A．more and more people like to swim Beijing |
| B．it is more interesting than swimming in summer |
| C．winter-swimmers are brave men |
| D．winter-swimmers does a lot of good to one’s health |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．People in Beijing Like swimming in Winter |
| B．Winter-swimming—A Craze in Beijing |
| C．People Benefit from Winter-swimming |
| D．winter-swimmers Are Brave Men |
You speak, write a letter, make a telephone. Your words carry a message. People communicate with words. Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad.
When you put up your hands in class, the teacher 
knows you want to say something or ask questions. You shake your head, and people know you are saying "No". You nod and people know you are saying "Yes". Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the door helps you where to go in or out. Have you ever thought that there are a lot of signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many other ways. An artist can use his drawing to tell beautiful mountains, about the blue sea and many other things. Books are written to tell about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas. Books, magazines, TV, radio and films all help us communicate with others. They can help us to know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about.People communicate ________.
| A．with words only | B．in many different ways |
| C．in letters and drawings | D．with smiles, tears and hands |
Signs can carry as many _________ as words.
| A．questions | B．examples | C．tears and smiles | D．messages |
Which of the following is not talked in the passage as which can help us communicate?
| A．books and magazines | B．TV and films | C．newspapers | D．radio |
Communication is important because it can help people to ______.
| A．understand the world and other people better around us. |
| B．teach each other to speak, write, read and draw. |
| C．know what other people are thinking about |
| D．learn about mountains,blue sea and other things. |
The best title（题目）for this short passage is _________.
| A．Signs Carry Messages | B．The important Communication |
| C．Words, Signs and Drawing | D．Ways of Communication. |
The word “day” has two meanings. When we talk about the number of days in a year, we are using “day” to mean 24 hours. But when we talk about day and night, we are using “day” to mean the time between sunrise and sunset. Since the earth looks like a ball, the sun can shine on only half of it at a time. Always one half of the earth is having day and the other half night. A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by the spinning(旋转) of the earth. At the equator(赤道) day and night are sometimes the same length. They are each twelve hours long. The sun rises at 6 in the morning and sets at 6 in the evening. For six months the North Pole is tilted(倾斜) toward the sun. In those months the Northern Hemisphere(半球) gets more hours of sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere. Days are longer than nights. South of the equator nights are longer than days. For the other six months the North Pole is tilted away from the sun. Then the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight. Days are longer than night. North of the equator nights are longer than days. Winter is the season of long nights. Summer is the season of long days.When the Western Hemisphere is having day, the Eastern Hemisphere is having ______.
| A．both day and night | B．day | C．neither day nor night | D．night |
A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by ______ of the earth.
| A．the pushing | B．the pulling | C．the spinning | D．the passing |
At the equator day is as long as night ______.
| A．sometimes | B．never | C．usually | D．always |
When the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, the Northern Hemisphere gets _____ sunlight.
| A．less | B．more | C．all | D．no |
When it is winter in China, ______.
| A．the USA is tilted toward the sun |
| B．the South Pole is tilted away from the sun |
| C．the North Pole is tilted toward the sun |
| D．the North Pole is tilted away from the sun |
Are you looking for something fun and would you like to help others in your spare time? Then join us to be a volunteer! We’re a non-profit (赢利的) organization. We have volunteer jobs of all ages. Anyone, from twelve-year-old children to people in their seventies can become a volunteer.
You can help people in many ways. Schools need help with taking care of children while parents are working. Hospitals need volunteers to look after children while their parents are seeing a doctor. Animal lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes. There is something for everyone.
“As a volunteer, I don’t want to get anything. Seeing the children’s happy faces, I’m happy, too.” Said Carlos Domingo, an old woman of 62. “I often played computer games in my spare time before. Now I help older people learn how to use computers.” said another volunteer at the age of 18.
If everyone helps out a bit, we’ll have a better world to live in. Interested? Call us 1-800-555-5756 or visit our website: www.activol.com.When do the volunteers help others?
| A．In their spare time. | B．At weekends | C．On weekdays. | D．In the evenings. |
_____ can be a volunteer.
| A．Children | B．Old women | C．Anyone aged 12-70 | D．Young people |
Volunteers want to get _______ when they help others.
| A．money | B．computers | C．everything | D．nothing |
Carlos Domingo does volunteer work with ______.
| A．animals | B．children | C．computers | D．older people |
We can read such a passage ______.
| A．in a newspaper | B．in a storybook | C．in a picture book | D．in a textbook |
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings.
If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly
A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.
A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area-until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or gray.
| A．On the other hand, black is depressing. |
| B．They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as grow up—we are born with our preference. |
| C．The rooms are pained in different colors as you like. |
| D．If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. |
E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods-there is no doubt about it.
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