The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks (火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.
“Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉), even if it is only to pass the time?” said the blacksmith. “Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you.”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“How funny it seems,” he used to say, “even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.” The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ________.
| A．his father told him to | B．he wanted to learn a skill |
| C．Jones encouraged him to | D．he just wanted to pass his time |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Old Mr. Smith enjoyed making the shoe tacks. |
| B．The blacksmith had predicted the young man would be in need of the skill. |
| C．The higher prices they paid, the more tacks the shoemakers would get. |
| D．The young man earned his living by his skills learnt when he was young. |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Skill makes life easy. |
| C．A good beginning makes a good ending. | D．Every man has his gift. |
Most of the sandstorms that had swept China last year came from foreign land，a Chinese official in charge of desertification（荒漠化） control said on Monday. And the invasions(入侵)could partly explain the frequent sandstorms in the country in recent years despite its achievements in desertification control.
Since the start of last spring，the north and northwestern Chinese regions had been hit by 17 sandstorms，of which，a dozen came from foreign land.
Situated in the centralAsia sandstorm region，one of the world's four largest sandstorm sources，China also suffers from sandstorms from outside the country while being blamed as a sand source to northeast Asia. The other three major sources are in Africa，North America and Australia.
The land suffering from desertification has been decreasing by 7,585 square kilometres annually in China，and the area of sandy land has also been falling by 1,284 square kilometres a year.
The shrinkage(收缩)forms a clear contrast to the fact that the land suffering from desertification and sandy feature was added by 10,400 square kilometres and 3,436 square kilometres late last century，respectively.
Currently，the desertification land in China makes up 2.64 million square kilometres，accounting for 27.46 percent of the nation's land，and its sandy land totals 1.74 million square kilometres，accounting for 18.1 percent of the country's total.
What does the underlined word “decreasing” mean in Paragraph 4?
| A．Going down. | B．Going up. |
| C．Coming from. | D．Taking up. |
Where do most of the sandstorms in China come from?
| A．The northwestern Chinese regions. |
| B．The northern Chinese regions. |
| C．The western part of China. |
| D．Foreign countries. |
Which of the following is believed to be the sand source to northeast Asia?
| A．Mongolia. | B．Africa. |
| C．China. | D．Australia. |
What can we infer from this passage?
| A．The land in China suffering from desertification has been increasing greatly. |
| B．China has made achievements in its own desertification control. |
| C．The desertification land makes up nearly half of China's territory. |
| D．Little progress has been made in controlling desertification in China. |
Washington D.C.is the capital of the United States. It's the center of the national government. It's a busy，working city with a large population. But what is more，Washington is also a city of history and culture.
Washington was created in 1790，when Congress(国会)decided to place the nation's new capital in the east of the country. It was built halfway between the northern and the southern states of the America. And of course it was named after George Washington，the first President of the United States.
There are many tourist sights in Washington. One of them is the White House. This is the home and office of the President of the United States. Most visitors are，however，surprised by how small the White House actually is.
Washington is also a great culture city. The Library of Congress contains(包括)one of the largest library collections in the world. The Smithsonian Museum holds the nation's largest collection of cultural materials. And John F．Kennedy Center is a famous center of art and culture. It has many great musical and theatre performances throughout the year.The writer mainly talks about________.
| A．Washington |
| B．the history of Washington |
| C．buildings and sights in Washington |
| D．the history and culture of Washington |
From the passage we know that Washington is situated(位于)in________.
| A．the east of the USA |
| B．the center of the USA |
| C．the east，on the middle point from north to south of the country |
| D．the east and halfway away from the north |
The writer introduces Washington in the order(顺序)of ________.
| A．general introduction，sights and history |
| B．general introduction，history，sights and culture |
| C．population，history and culture |
| D．history and culture |
It can be learned from the passage that________.
| A．Washington is the largest city in the USA |
| B．Washington is also the center of economic in the USA |
| C．Washington is a young city |
| D．it is situated in the west of the USA |
In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one.
The is that countries around the world have growing mountains of because
People are throwing out more rubbish than ever before.
How did we a throwaway society ? First of all, it is now easier to an object than to spend time and money to repair it. modern manufacturing and technology, companies are able to produce products quickly and inexpensively. Products are plentiful and .
Another cause is our of disposable(一次性)products. As people we are always looking for to save time and make our lives easier. Companies thousands of different kinds of disposable products: paper plates, plastic cups, and cameras, to name a few.
Our appetite for new products also to the problem. We are buying new things.
Advertisements persuade us that is better and that we will be happier with the latest products. The result is that we useful possessions to make room for new ones.
All around the world, we can see the of this throwaway lifestyle. Mountains of rubbish just keep getting bigger. To the amount of rubbish and to protect the , more governments are requiring people to recycle materials. , this is not enough to solve(解决) our problem.
Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possession throwing them away.
We also need to rethink our attitudes about . Repairing our possessions and changing our spending habits may be the best way to reduce the amount of rubbish and take care of our environment.
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On May 23,1989, Stefania Follini came out from a cave at Carlsbad , New Mexico．She hadn’t seen the sun for eighteen and a half weeks ．Stefania was in a research program, and the scientists in the program were studying body rhythms （节奏）。In this experiment Stefania had spent 130 days in a cave ,30 feet in depth．
During her time in the cave, Stefania had been completely alone except for two white mice．Her living place had been very comfortable ,but there had been nothing to feel her the time ．She’d had no clock or watches , no television or radio．There had been no natural light and the temperature had always been kept at 21℃
The results were very interesting. Stefania had been in the cave for over four months, but she thought she had been there for only two. Her body clock had changed. She hadn't kept to a 24hour day, she had stayed awake for 20～25 hours and then had slept for 10 hours. She had eaten fewer meals and had lost 171 bs in weight as a result!She had also become rather depressed (抑郁).
How had she spent her time in the cave?As part of the experiment she'd done some physical and mental tests. She'd recorded her daily activities and the results of the tests on a computer. This computer had been specially programmed for the project. Whenever she was free, she'd played cards, read books and listened to music. She'd also learned French from tapes.
The experiment showed that our body clocks are affected by light and temperature. For example, the pattern of day and night makes us wake up and go to sleep. However, people are affected in different ways. Some people wake up naturally at 5:00 am, but others don't start to wake up till 9:00 or 10:00 am. This affects the whole daily rhythm. As a result, the early risers are at their best in the late morning. The late risers, on the other hand, are tired during the day and only come to life in the afternoon or evening!Stefania stayed in the cave for a long time because___________．
| A．she was asked to do research on mice |
| B．she wanted to experience loneliness |
| C．she was the subject of a study |
| D．she needed to record her life |
What is a cause for the change of Stefania’s body clock?
| A．Eating fewer hours |
| B．Having more hours of sleep |
| C．Lacking physical exercise． |
| D．Getting no natural light． |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A novel． | B．A news story． |
| C．A pet magazine． | D． A text |
Welcome to the future. It’s year 2050 and Scotland is now powered completely by“clean”energy.
Homes have entire roofs made of solar materials, rooms are kept warm by wallpaper, and people go to and from work in electric and hydrogen( 氢) cars.
Oil is still being found in the North Sea, but it’s not now only used to keep aircraft flying. And a new 500---mile underwater link with Iceland has been built to catch heat from the hot springs. There’s still a role for king coal—but the black diamonds are now environment---friendly.
People will be able to import the electricity they need and export any excess(超过的量) they make through rooftop windmills(风车). New technology will store electricity better and provide it on demand. Heat exchangers will provide heating and hot water.
Harmful carbon dioxide waste is being piped offshore to St Fergus and from there into some of the remaining oil—producing fields to be stored safely without entering the atmosphere. Gas remains the preferred energy source of industry and is now shipped in liquid form. But hydrogen is imported through pipelines from France and from a geothermal (地热的) plant in Iceland.
Hydrogen—fuelled cars have become popular. Electric bikes are common in cities using the new urban two—wheel network. Electric vehicles have become common, and their performances have been improved because of the developments in electrical drive technology like high—temperature super conducting motors. Many people leave their vehicles in a giant park where they can be recharged from the national electrical system . Oilseed rape (油菜) is widely grown to fuel some motors .What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 2 mean ?
| A．The hot springs | B．Oil |
| C．Coal | D．Oil and coal |
Which sources of energy play a more important role in people’s daily life in the future ?
| A．Oil and coal |
| B．Hydrogen and gas |
| C．Electricity and gas |
| D．Solar energy and wind |
The means of transport people use in 2050 do not include__________.
| A．windmills | B．electric bikes |
| C．hydrogen—fuelled cars | D．aircraft |
The passage is written to tell us in the future_____________.
| A．life will be better and better |
| B．the energy will become cleaner and cleaner |
| C．people will use some new sources of energy |
| D．people will pay more attention to the environment |
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