When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers（铜钱）.The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip（条）of vellum（牛皮纸）on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”!
The touchstone was a small pebble（小园石）that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was thi
s: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold-throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. 
The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant（警惕的）, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it’s just as easy to throw it away.The book was special to the man because ______.
| A．it was made of vellum |
| B．it was the only book that survived the great fire |
C．it was a story about how to tell th e touchstone from ordinary stones |
| D．it included the secret of the touchstone |
He threw pebbles into the sea ______.
| A．to test how far he could throw |
| B．to practice throwing pebbles |
| C．to avoid picking up the same pebble once again |
| D．to express his disappointment at failing to find the touchstone |
What message does the story want to convey?
| A．Careful habits can lead to success. |
| B．Habits can benefit you but also hold you back. |
| C．Never judge a person or a thing by appearances. |
D．Opportunity only visits the re ady and watchful mind |
Information for Visitors to the Breenda Museum
Opening times
The Breenda Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission (门票) is free and the museum is open to all.
The Breenda Museum is closed for the Christmas Holidays from 5:00 pm on Wednesday 23 December 2009 until 10:00 am Wednesday 6 January 2010.
Location and local transport network
The museum is located inside The Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.
The College is within easy walking distance of Tower underground station. It is a short taxi or underground journey from most major rail stations. There are two NCP car parks nearby.
Group bookings
All groups must book in advance. An online booking form for groups is now available.
Admission is free. A donation (捐献) of ￡3 per person is encouraged.
To book a visit please contact the museum on 020 7788 6060 or email: museums@rcsng.ac.uk
Tours for groups
Tours of the museum can be booked for up to 30 people:
*An introductory tour lasts 30 minutes and is ￡100 plus VAT (增殖税).
*A specialized tour lasts 45 minutes and is ￡130 plus VAT.
*Tours for schools are free, but donations are encouraged (￡3 per person).
*After hours tours (5:30-7:30 pm) are ￡130 per tour plus VAT. A tour will last 20-25 minutes.
To book a tour or a place for the free tour, please call 020 7869 6560.
60. From the text we know the Breenda Museum is open at .
A. 4:00 pm Monday Jan.11, 2010 B. 11:00 am Friday Dec. 18, 2009
C. 6:00 am Thursday Jan.7, 2010 D. 11:00 am Wednesday Dec.30, 2009
61. To get to the museum, a tourist at the Tower underground station .
A. can just walk B. may go by train
C. should take a bus D. must take another underground
62. Which of the following is true about group bookings?
A. Every person is charged ￡3. B. Tours are available any time.
C. Tours must be booked in time. D. Free tours can be booked on the Internet.
63. Which tour lasts the shortest time?
A. Tours for schools. B. Tours for after hours.
C. The specialized tours. D. The introductory tours.
Before human’s history, in the middle of an ocean, miles from the nearest island, an undersea volcano broke out. The hot liquid rock piled higher and higher and spread wider and wider. In this way, an island rose up in the sea.
As time went on, hot sun and cool rains made the rock split and break into pieces. Sea waves dashed against the rock. In this way, soil and sand came into being.
Nothing lived on the naked soil. And then the wind and birds brought plant seeds, spiders and other little creatures there. Only plants could grow at first. Only they, in sunlight, could produce food from the minerals of the soil, water and air. While many animals landed on the island, they could find no food. A spider wove its web in vain, because there were no insects for its web to catch. Insects couldn’t stay until there were plants for them to eat. So plants had to be the pioneer life on this new island.
The underlined part “in vain” can be replaced by ________.
A. tirelessly B. uselessly C. fearlessly D. effortlessly
According to the passage, ________ made the island rise up in the sea.
A. rock from the nearest island B. sand brought by the wind
C. hot liquid rock from the volcano D. sea waves dashing against the rock
What is the correct order of things appearing on the island?
A. Spiders, birds and plants. B. Soil, plants and animals
C. Soil, hot liquid rock and animals. D. Hot liquid rock, animals and plants.
The passage is mainly about ________.
A. how an island formed B. how a volcano broke out
C. how plants were brought to the island D. how plants and animals began to live on the island
Dear College Dean
It is my understanding that this college has received a large donation to be used to enhance (improve) the quality of life for students: expand the bookstore or add computers to the computer lab. It is the tradition of this school to promote education and to be at the vanguard of new technology. That is why I strongly argue in favor of the addition of more computers to the computer lab.
Although expanding the campus bookstore to include CDs, gifts, and a snack bar will give a nicer look to the college, we have to think about a greater goal and a more practical way to enhance the quality of life for students. What do we want for our students and our college? Do we want our college to be known as a place with a great bookstore where you can find CDs and gifts, or as a place where the students can explore and research in their field using the best tools provided by technology? In addition, there are already several snack bars on campus, and there are music stores nearby, so students do not depend on the college bookstore for these things.
We live in a highly technological world and computers play an increasingly important role in how we live. As a learning institution, this college has the responsibility to offer its students the best technology to help them prepare for their future. Many students will be expected to be familiar with the latest software and other tools when they go on to work or to graduate school.
While they are in college, students find they are expected to use computers. Many professors expect students to use computers to do homework or to complete projects. Students are asked to create PowerPoint presentations and use spreadsheets and database programs, as well as to research many topics on the Internet. Since students are competing for good grades, those who have limited access to computers are at a great disadvantage. Furthermore, being able to do projects using the computer enhances the process of learning, giving students the opportunity to find information that without a computer would be much more difficult to find.
If there are more computers, students will also be able to complete their work more efficiently. No more will they have to wait in line, paper and disk in hand, while scanning the room for an empty chair and computer. No longer will they have to sit and wait while an outdated computer struggles to follow their commands. Having more new and faster computers available will enable students to finish their work more quickly.
The more computers are used in society the more colleges will depend on them as a tool of teaching and learning. Making computers more available to students facilitates their learning process by making the process easier, more interesting, more engaging, and in the process enhancing their quality of life
The purpose of the author in writing the passage is .
| A．to describe the problems caused by lack of computers |
| B．to explain why students are in great need of computers |
| C．to tell us what benefits students can gain from computers |
| D．to persuade the Dean to purchase more advanced computers |
From the passage we can infer that .
| A．present computers in the college cannot meet the demands of the students |
| B．computers in the college will be updated to meet the student’s demands soon |
| C．the college has the responsibility to help the students to prepare for their future |
| D．it is also necessary to expand the college bookstore by using part of the donation |
In paragraph 4, the author mainly wants to tell us that .
| A．computers are beneficial to students’ academic success |
| B．computers are helpful to student’s competition for success |
| C．students find it convenient to do assignments by using computers |
| D．students wish to use the money to buy more advanced computers |
Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
|
It is thought that crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tear, whether they are of sorrow, anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears (落泪者) is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive (适得其反).
Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance (increase) survival.
Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves.
Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress, University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.
Other researchers are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University’s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of “dry eye” syndrome（综合症）and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.
What does the phrase “both those responses” in Paragraph 1 refer to ?
| A．Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness. |
| B．The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers. |
| C．The tear shedder’s apology and the observer’s effort to stop the crying. |
| D．Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears. |
From the passage we can infer that .
| A．it is unnatural for people to shed tears |
| B．we can reduce our stress by shedding tears |
| C．shedders of tears can’t get help by crying loudly |
| D．unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Roles of emotional tears. | B．functions of shedding tears. |
| C．Unwelcome shedders of tears. | D．Research on the effects of tears. |
The Great Wall of China is one of Beijing’s biggest
draws for tourists; despite its fame and ubiquity in
postcards across the world, it rarely fails to attract tourists at
the first proper sight.
Yet the authorities open only certain sections of the wall
as fit for viewing, and few get to visit the unauthorized sections.
|
Fewer still are aware of the existence of at least one part of the Wall that remains in almost original condition, nearly 1,500 years after construction of legendary fortification began. But there’s a good reason for this – it’s underwater.
American journalist Steven Sch
wankert has been diving
since age 10. It was though his setting – up of a diving school
that Schwankert came to explore some of lesser – known areas
of China’s lakes – and discovered the underwater Wall under a
reservoir.
“The most fascinating piece of diving I ever did in China must be the Great Wall. I managed to find out about it via the Internet. It wasn’t difficult to get to Pan Jiakou in Hebei Province, near the East Qing Tomb about 4 hour’s drive from Beijing. Why do I want to dive the Great Wall? Why do people want to walk on the Great Wall? It’s the same answer.”
There are, however, advantages of visiting the Great Wall in a diving suit over being on foot. The water acts as a preservative by preventing the kind of mass tourism that has brought trouble on other parts of the Wall. “Unlike the people who walk in the Wall, we as divers never need to actually touch it. I’ve dived twice there, the last time in July. I found that the water then was much deeper than it was before – 13 meters deep.” When he first dived, parts of the Wall were visible above the surface. Now even the guard tower is completely submerged. “It’s better that the Wall is deep under water, as there are lots of boats coming in and out around that area. Their wave action could potentially damage the brickwork. So, the deeper, the better.”
| A．collecting photos of the Wall | B．walking along on the Wall |
| C．diving the underwater Wall | D．visiting some famous lakes |
What does the underlined word “submerged” in Paragraph 5 most probably mean?
| A．Damaged by water. | B．Washed by water. |
| C．Preserved by water. | D．Covered by water. |
What is the topic discussed in the last paragraph?
| A．Advantages of walking on the Great Wall. |
| B．Advantages of visiting the underwater Wall. |
| C．The reasons why the Wall is deep under water. |
| D．The reasons why the underwater Wall is protected. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．The underwater Wall will sink deeper year by year. |
| B．Diving the Wall is popular with divers all over the world. |
| C．Diving is a good way to visit the Wall without causing much damage. |
| D．More and more tourists will come to visit the underwater Wall in China. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号