Ted doesn’t like cars. He wants people to stop driving because cars make the air dirty. Ted had an idea. He said,“I’m going to cycle around North America. I want to show everyone that cycling is a fun way to get around. If more people ride bikes, the air will be cleaner.”
He left his hometown with $160 in his pocket. When he got to San Diego, he met another cyclist. The cyclist invited Ted to speak at a big meeting about the environment. He said,“We’ll pay your airfare to Texas and we’ll pay you to talk about your cycling trip.”Two hours later, Ted was on a plane to the environmental conference and to a big surprise!
While he was at the conference, he met Deanna. It was love at first sight! They talked for six hours straight.
The next day, Ted called Deanna and asked her to finish the trip with him. Deanna said yes, sold everything in her apartment, gave her notice at work, and was on the road with Ted 20 days later!
“It was difficult at first,”said Deanna. “Ted got up every morning at 6:00 a.m., but I wanted to sleep until noon.”After a few days, they started having fun. As they cycled from Florida to Montreal and then back to Vancouver, every day was an adventure. People paid for their food in restaurants and gave them extra money. Some people gave them $50 or $100. They slept in people’s backyards and drank beer with motorcycle gangs.
On their way back to Vancouver, they stopped in Edmonton to visit Ted’s relatives. During the stopover, they got married. People tied a “Just Married”sign and tin cans to the backs of their bikes. They now want to write a book about their trip. “We want people to know that you can be an environmentalist and still have fun, ”Ted said. Ted got paid for ______.
| A．giving a talk about his cycling trip | B．cycling throughout North America |
| C．traveling around North America by air | D．attending conferences on cycling |
The “big surprise” he had at the conference was that _______ .
| A．he met another cyclist who wanted to join him | B．he fell in love with a girl there |
| C．he gave a long talk lasting 6 hours | D．he had a lot of fun talking about his cycling trip |
The underlined part “gave her notice at work” probably means __________ .
| A．Deanna was fired by her boss for not going to work |
| B．Deanna asked for a long leave from work to join Ted in his trip |
| C．Deanna told people beforehand that she would leave her job |
| D．Deanna handed in the notice that she were asked to finish before |
During the trip, Ted and Deanne ___________.
| A．found it hard to get up early | B．were attacked by motorcycle gangs |
| C．never pay for their meals in restaurants | D．got married |
If you want to improve your child’s results at school, you could do a lot worse than ensuring that they do plenty of exercise. Scientists have already shown that physical activity can make you brainier. But a team in America has used scans to show that an important part of the brain actually grows in children who are fit. These youngsters tend to be more intelligent and have better memories than those who are inactive.
Scientists also found that one of the most important parts of their brains was 12 percent larger than those of unfit children. They believe that encouraging children to take exercise from a very young age could help them do better at school later. Researchers from the University of Illinois, in the U.S., studied the brains of 49 children aged nine and ten using a magnetic resonance imaging scan (核磁共振摄影扫描), a technique which provides very detailed pictures of organs and tissues in the body.
They also tested the fitness levels of the children by making them run on a treadmill (跑步机). The scientists found that the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, was around 12 percent larger in the fitter children.
Professor Art Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Brain Research, said the findings had important implications for encouraging individuals to take part in sport from a young age. “We knew that experience and environmental factors and socioeconomic status all impact brain development,” he said. “If you get some terrible genes from your parents, you can’t really fix that, and it’s not easy to do something about your economic status. But here’s something that we can do something about.” If you want to improve your children’s result in school, ____________.
| A．it is worse to ensure that they do plenty of exercise |
| B．you can have their brain scanned |
| C．it could be better to make sure that they do a lot of exercise |
| D．you can do a lot except ensuring that they do exercise |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The fitness level of the children is linked to their intelligence. |
| B．Children who have a larger hippocampus will probably have better memories. |
| C．You can do something about the genes from your parents. |
| D．Unhealthy children will probably have a smaller hippocampus than others. |
All the following factors that have some influence on one’s brain are mentioned EXCEPT ____________.
| A．genetic factor | B．economic status | C．physical fitness | D．economic development |
Where do most writers get their ideas? For Yoshiko Uchida, it all began with Brownie, a five-month-old puppy. So excited was Yoshiko by Brownie’s arrival that she started keeping a journal, writing about all the wonderful things Brownie did and the progress he made.
Soon she was writing about other memorable events in her life, too, like the day her family got their first refrigerator. She also began writing stories, thanks to one of her teachers. Yoshiko wrote stories about animal characters such as Jimmy Chipmunk and Willie the Squirrel. She kept on writing, sharing the kitchen table with her mother, who wrote poems on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes.
Yoshiko grew up in the 1930s in Berkeley, California. Her parents, both of whom had been born in Japan, provided a loving and happy home for Yoshiko and her sister. They also provided a stream of visitors to their home who later found their way into Yoshiko’s stories. One visitor who later appeared in several of Yoshiko’s stories was the bad-tempered Mr. Toga, who lived above the church that her family attended. Mr. Toga would scold anyone who displeased him. The children all feared him and loved to tell stories about how mean he was and how his false teeth rattled (咯咯响) when he talked.
Yoshiko also included in her stories some of the places she visited and the experiences she had. One of her favorite places was a farm her parents took her to one summer. The owners of the farm, showed Yoshiko and her sister how to pump water from the well and how to gather eggs in the henhouse. They fed the mules that later pulled a wagon loaded with hay while Yoshiko and the others rode in the back, staring up at the stars shining in the night sky. Yoshiko, who lived in the city, had never seen such a sight. As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life. The images of that hayride stayed with her long after the summer visit ended, and she used them in several of her stories.
The experiences Yoshiko had and the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created in over twenty books for young people, such as The Best Bad Thing and A Jar of Dreams. Because of such books, we can all share just a little bit of the world and the times in which this great writer grew up. The author tells about Mr. Toga’s false teeth in Paragraph 3 in order to ____________.
| A．show health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s |
| B．provide an interesting detail in Yoshiko’s life and stories |
| C．show Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening |
| D．tell about a beloved relative who helped Yoshiko learn how to write |
In Paragraph 4 “the stars” probably refer to ____________.
| A．family relationships | B．terrors in the night |
| C．limitless possibilities | D．sacrifices to benefit others |
What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Yoshiko loved to write about parades. |
| B．Yoshiko met many interesting people. |
| C．Yoshiko liked to go for long walks with others. |
| D．Yoshiko preferred to talk to her pets instead of to people. |
What is the main idea of this story?
| A．People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country. |
| B．Writers like Yoshiko Uchida must communicate with as many writers as possible. |
| C．Those who move to the United States often miss their homelands for many years. |
| D．Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material. |
It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers（生产商） follow certain uniform standards for various features of clothes．What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men．Take a look at the way your clothes button．Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s form the left．Considering most of the word’s population----men and women----are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women．So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here．Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants．For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier．On the other hand, having men’s shirts button form the right made sense, too．Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt．
Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning form the left is still the standard for them．Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change．At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned form the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right．After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch．Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts．What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
| A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years． |
| B．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s． |
| C．It woks better with men than with women． |
| D．It fails to consider right-handed people． |
What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
| A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons． |
| B．They were interested in the historical matters． |
| C．They were mostly dressed by servants． |
| D．They drew their swords from the left． |
Women’s clothes still button from the left today because ．
| A．adopting men’s style is improper for women |
| B．manufacturers should follow standards |
| C．customs are hard to change |
| D．modern women dress themselves |
The passage is mainly developed by ．
| A．analyzing causes | B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences | D．following the time order |
In the decade（十年）of the 1970s, the United Nations organized several important meetings on the human environment to study a very serious problem．We humans are destroying the world around us．We must learn to protect them, or life will be very bad for our children and grandchildren．
There are several major aspects to this problem．
Population
Most problems of the environment come from population growth．In 1700 there were 635 million people in the world; in 1900 there were 1．6 billion; in 1950, 2．5 billion; and in 1980, 4．4 billion．In the year 2010 there will be 7．3 billion．More people need more water, more food, more wood, and more petroleum．
Distribution
Scientists say there is enough water in the world for everyone, but some countries have a lot of water and some have only a little．Some areas get all rain during one season．The rest of the year is dry．
Petroleum
We are using up the world’s petroleum．We use it in our cars and to heat our buildings in winter．Farmers use petrochemicals to make the soil rich．They use them to kill insects on those plants．These chemicals go into rivers and lakes and kill the fish there．Thousands of people also die from these chemicals every year．Chemicals also go into the air and pollute it．Winds carry this polluted air to other countries and other countries．
Poverty
Poor farmers use the same land over and over．The land needs a rest so it will be better next year．However, the farmer must have food every year．Poor people cut down trees for firewood．In some areas when the trees are gone, the land becomes desert．However, people need wood to cook their food now．Poor people cannot save the environment for the future．
We now have the information and the ability to solve these huge problems．However, this is not a problem for one country or one area of the world．It is a problem for all humans．The people and the nation of the world must work together to protect the world’s resources．No one controls the future, but we all help make it．According to the passage, our world is being destroyed mainly because ______．
| A．pollution is getting worse and worse |
| B．population are increasing greatly |
| C．we humans are using up all of our natural resources |
| D．distribution is not reasonable． |
Good distribution means ________．
| A．having things in the right place at the right time． |
| B．cutting down forests and selling them to other countries． |
| C．building water systems to carry water to farms． |
| D．conserving our natural resources |
The best title of the passage should be ________
| A．The World Being Destroyed |
| B．A Serious Problem We Should Pay Attention to |
| C．Aspects That Destroyed Our World |
| D．Conserving the World’s Natural Resources |
Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life．
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is
Misbah, 27 years old．I was born in a war-torn area．Right now I’m a web designer．
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields．For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long．Those are my great memories．
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes．As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family．I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age．However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone．I learnt to be independent．
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area．I would have loved to live with my family in freedom．Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe．
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age．I want to give back what I’ve got．That’s our way．But I am working in another city．My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it．It filters（过滤） out your emotion and leaves your voice only．My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch．In Misbah’s childhood, ．
| A．he was free from worry |
| B．he liked living in the countryside |
| C．he was fond of getting close to nature |
| D．he often spent holidays with his family |
What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?
| A．Peace and freedom | B．A beautiful house． |
| C．A colorful life． | D．Money for his family． |
How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?
| A．By chatting on the Internet． | B．By calling them sometimes． |
| C．By paying weekly visits． | D．By writing them letters． |
If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?
| A．What was your childhood dream? | B．What is your biggest achievement? |
| C．What is your parents’ view of you? | D．What was your hardest experience in the war? |
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