The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe.
Many wrong ideas about the Atlantic made early sailors unwilling to sail far out into it. One idea was that it reached out to “the edge of the world” . Sailors were afraid that they might sail off the earth. Another idea was that at the equator(赤道) the ocean would be boiling hot.
The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the Pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,00 miles (3,200 km) wide.
Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual. For so large an ocean it has few islands. Also, it is the world’s saltiest ocean.
There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into it and no more water was brought to it by rivers, it would take the ocean about more than 4,000 years to dry up. On the average, the water is a little more than two miles (3.2km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This “deep” measures 30,246 feet---almost six miles (9.6km).
One of the longest mountain ranges of the world rises from the floor of the Atlantic. This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean. The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands.
Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. In the days of sailing vessels(船) the crew were afraid they would be becalmed (can’t move) here. Sometimes they were.
Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is, however, not always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the far North across the paths of ships.
We now have such fast ways of traveling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!
61. What caused people to be unwilling to explore the Atlantic?
A. There were no ships big enough to get across the Ocean.
B. Sailors were afraid of being lost in the Ocean.
C. The Atlantic Ocean was very unusual because it has few islands and the saltiest water.
D. Many incorrect ideas such as “the edge of the world”, “the equator with boiling hot water” made people think the Ocean was full of danger.
62. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?
A. How deep the water is.
B. How to measure the water in the Atlantic.
C. How much water the ocean holds.
D. How rain affects the Ocean water.
63. What does the underlined word “highway” mean?
A. High road B. Broad way C. Fast road D. Main water way
64. Why does the writer think “this big ocean seems to have grown smaller”?
A. The water in the ocean is becoming less.
B. We have more and more advanced traveling tools now
C. The distance between the ocean and us is shorter.
D. The steamship has a higher speed.
C
Why must we pay taxes? The answer is that the government needs money for many things, for example to pay its soldiers, sailors and airmen, to build roads, bridges, offices, schools, etc and to buy goods from abroad; and only the people of the country can supply the money．One of the most important taxes is income-tax which a person pays according to the amount of his income-tax．Whether he is a businessman, a doctor, a lawyer, a shopkeeper, a miner, or anything else．This is called a “direct” tax, because it is paid in money direct to the government．
Another tax is paid on goods such as watches, jewellery, new clothes, tobacco, wine, etc, when they are brought into a country, such a tax is paid as part of the price of these goods if they are later sold in shops．We call it “indirect” tax, because it is paid indirectly through the shopkeeper．
People usually complain about having to pay taxes, but they forget that the money is spent on the things that they and their families need．We need policemen to catch thieves, to see that men obey the laws, to direct traffic, etc, and they must be paid what they earn; children need education and there must be schools and teachers; we want our streets to be kept clean, and the wages of men who do this kind of work have to be paid．Above all, the country must always be ready to defend itself against attacking enemies, and we cannot have an army without paying for it．
Taxes, therefore, cannot be avoided．We buy our own food and clothes and pay for our own amusements, but there are several things that the State finds the money for, and that are necessary for us if our society is to continue．So we have no real cause to complain when we are asked to supply money to be spent for the good of ourselves and for our fellow-citizens．
64．Indirect tax means _______．
A．tax that one pays direct to the government
B．tax that is not paid directly to the government
C．tax that is paid as an extra amount added to the price of certain goods
D．Both B and C
65．Which of the following is right?
A．Taxes are paid to the sellers．
B．Income-tax is an indirect tax．
C．The tax on new clothes is paid in money direct to the government．
D．Tax is amount of money that you have to pay to the government so that it can pay for public services．
66．People have no real reason to complain about having to pay taxes because _______．
A．some shopkeepers are very rich
B．they need money to buy goods from abroad
C．their children need education
D．the money is spent on the things that they and their families need
67．“Taxes cannot be avoided” means _______．
A．people have to pay taxes to the government
B．you do not have to pay tax on some goods
C．soldiers do not have to pay taxes
D．all goods have to be taxed
B
Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart．Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists．
Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon．The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town’s newspaper．The Beldon Post:
FIRE AT SEABREEZE
Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom．The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire．We say again to all our visitors： “Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed．” This was Beldon’s first hotel fire for five years．
The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one：
ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE
Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel．An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire．The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels．When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp．” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield．
What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident．There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August: that is one fact．Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel．
Now what do you think of the rest of the “news” ?
60．Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?
A．Beldon and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer．
B．A fire broke out at night in Seabreeze Hotel last summer．
C．It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers．
D．Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter．
61．Which of the following are probably facts?
a．The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel．
b．A cigarette started the fire．
c．An old lamp started the fire．
d．The fire broke out at night．
e．There has never been a fire in Canfield．
A．b and c B．a and d C．c and e D．a and c
62．The Canfield Times used the headline like this in order to make its readers think _______．
A．hotels in Beldon often catch fire
B．hotels in Beldon don’t often catch fire
C．this was the second fire at the Seabreeze Hotel
D．Beldon was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe
63．The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Beldon Post by saying that _______．
A．the bedroom lamps were very old at the Seabreeze Hotel
B．the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took place
C．the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other things
D．such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项
A
Last year．I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, DC．I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．Immediately, I pulled out all of my change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office．”
In an instant, I realized what I had done．I acted with prejudice―I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the US at the age of 15．I started my new life with two suitcases,my brother and sister．Through the years, I have been a doorkeeper, cashier and pizza delivery driver among many other humble(卑微的)jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer．
In my own life, I have experienced prejudice．I remember a time―at the age of 17―when I was a busboy, I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am, where I have been ,and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility(谦虚)．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．
56．How did the writer give the blind woman money?
A．In a modest way B．In a polite way
C．In an impatient way． D．In a painful way
57According to the text, the writer__________．
A．still lives a poor life B．was busy with his work
C．was born in Honduras D．was a native of Washington D．C．
58．According to the text, the author most probably agrees that one should__________．
A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled
B．try to experience different kinds of culture
C．treat others equally with love and respect
D．think about one’s past as often as possible
59．What would be the best title of the text?
A．A priceless lesson B．An act of prejudice
C．A sightseeing trip D．A humble moment
D
Over 70 percent of the "double single-child couples" in China need help from their parents in taking care of their own kids, according to a recent survey．
"Women of China" magazine and a consulting company carried out a survey recently on young couples of the "single-child" generation, the Morning Post reports．The couples surveyed were around 29 and have been married for three years on average, with university education and monthly income of 4．000 yuan ($531)．Among them, 43．5 percent have kids．
Results show that 71．9 percent of the young couples have help from their parents in taking care of their kids．
Grown up as the "single-child", the only child in a family since the family planning policy was adopted in 1979, this generation depends much on their parents．
The parents of the "single-child" generation focused more on their children's physical well-being rather than their attitudes and values, according to some psychologists．
The research also found that the "double single-child couples" follow a rather traditional value system．
Survey shows that 27．5 percent of them got married after dating for one to two years, 25．2 percent two to five years, and 20 percent didn't tie the knot until dating for five years．Also, 30 percent of the couples were schoolmates, while 43．8 percent were introduced by someone．
Since their marriage are based on enduring relationships, 65．2 percent of the husbands and 62．9 percent of the wives think that compromise(妥协)and tolerance(宽容)are necessary in their marriage．Meanwhile, 21．7 percent of the husbands and 37．1 percent of the wives support the idea that happiness is the key standard for a marriage．
71．The best title for the passage should be_______．
A．Mom and Dad,Take Care of My Kid Please
B．Bouble Single-child Couples
C．The Problem of the Single Child
D．A Recent Survey By Woman of China"
72．Which of the following is NOT supported by the passage?
A．The majority of the "double single-child couples" in China depend much on their parents．
B．The parents of the “single-child”generation more care about their study and education．
C．One-fifth of the couples surveyed didn't get marriied until dating for five years．
D．All the couples surveyed have university education and 30 percent of them were schoolmates
73．Which of the following descriptions about “double single-child couples” is True ?
A．They are single child in either family and independent of their parents
B．They are single child in either family and they are dependent on their parents
C．They have at least two children and can afford to support themselves
D．They, who were introduced by someone, follow a rather traditional value system
74．The traditional value system mentioned in the passage refers that_____．
A．parents are concerned about their children’s physical life as well as the spiritual life
B．most couples were introduced by someone and made dating for a long time
C．once begun, double single-child couples’marriage will last forever
D．the couples think that compromise and tolerance are necessary in their marriage．
75．According to the passage, we can learn that ______ is necessary in marriage．
A．wealth B．health C．understanding D．education
C
People turn to magic(魔力)chiefly as a form of insurance--that is, they use it along with actions that actually bring results．For example, hunters may use a hunting charm(咒语)．But they also use their hunting skills and knowledge of animals．The charm may give hunters the extra confidence they need to hunt even more successfully than they would without it．If they shoot a lot of game(猎物), they credit the charm for their success．Many events happen naturally without magic．Crops grow without it, and sick people get well without it．But if people use magic to bring a good harvest or to cure a patient, they may believe the magic was responsible．
People also tend to forget magic's failures and to be impressed by its surface successes．They may consider magic successful if it appears to work only 10 per cent of the time．Even when magic fails, people often explain the failure without doubting the power of the magic．They may say that the magician made a mistake in reciting the spell or that another magician cast a more powerful spell against the magician．
Many anthropologists(人类学家) believe that people have faith in magic because they feel a need to believe in it．People may turn to magic to reduce their fear and uncertainty if they feel they have no control over the outcome of a situation．For example, farmers use knowledge and skill when they plant their fields．But they know that weather, insects, or diseases might ruin the crops．So farmers in some societies may also plant a charm or perform a magic rite to ensure a good harvest．
66．From the passage, we can learn that the writer of the passage may be _______．
A．a hunter B．a farmer C．a magician D．an anthropologist
67．Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A．Magic And Hunting． B．Magic And Farming．
C．Why Magic Works? D．Why People Believe in Magic?
68．The underlined word “spell”(Paragraph 2) most likely means______．
A．magic words． B．magic events．
C．words or expressions D．magicians．
69．People believe in magic because________．
A．magic powers are greater than natural powers
B．magic can turn dreams into reality
C．they are not sure of themselves
D．magic can bring good results
70．Which of the following statements is NOT ture according to the passage?
A．Even though magic fails ,believers in magic will explain the reason．
B．Believers in magic usually overstate the power of magic．
C．People use magic to reduce their uncertainty and give them extra confidence
D．Magic can solve problems people can’t deal with in a natural way．
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