Sydney 2005-01-01 08:33 --- mother of two, Jillian Searle, had to choose between her children when she made a life-or-death decision.
Swept up by mountainous tsunami（海啸）waves at a Thai resort ( 旅游胜地), she couldn't hold on to both her young sons and survive. Fighting to stay above the waters, she had to choose which one would have to take his chances in the swirling torrent ( 漩流 ).
“I knew I had to let go of one of them and I just thought I’d better let go of the one that's the older,” she told Sky News Television in a report broadcast on Thursday. She said she was accompanied by the two boys, Lachie, 5, and two-year-old Blake, and their father, Brad, who had watched the drama helplessly from their first-floor hotel room, when the waves struck. “and I was screaming, trying to find him, and we thought he was dead,” she told reporters on arrival back in Australia.
Lachie was found alive about 2 hours later clinging (扳住) to a door and, looked uninjured as his mother spoke to reporters.
British surfer ( 冲浪运动员) Martin Markwell is also a lucky man. He had always dreamed of catching that perfect wave-- but when it finally came along, it was a nightmare (噩梦). He was on his surfboard when he was swept up by a tsunami wave.
“It was really terrible because I was surfing. I was really surfing on a wave I wasn't supposed to be on.” he said. “As an experienced surfer, when I saw the wave come, I realized something was wrong, but I couldn't escape because my surfboard was tied to my ankle（脚踝）.”
His wife Vicki and son Jake looked on in horror from a hotel balcony (阳台) as he crashed towards the shore. Luckily, he stayed atop his board until he reached the hotel, jumped off and got to safety as the ocean rolled back to feed a much larger tsunami wave on its way. The family regrouped and ran to safety just minutes before a giant tsunami wave 10 meters high. When the waves struck, the father Brad _______.
| A．reported the disaster to Sky News Television |
| B．was watching a drama on TV in the hotel |
| C．tried to find his son lost in the waters |
| D．watched things going on, unable to do anything |
The underlined word “him” in the third paragraph refers to _______.
| A．an old man | B．Lachie | C．Brad | D．Blake |
It's not true that Lachie and Martin _______.
| A．were both accompanied by their family when the disaster happened |
| B．both survived from the high waves when tsunami struck |
| C．were both travelers from Europe on holiday in Thailand |
| D．were both alive owing to their proper judgment and determination |
The best title of this news story would be_______.
| A．Narrow escape | B．Disaster caused by tsunami |
| C．Exciting surfing experience | D．Struggle against tsunami |
My mother-in-law, Dorothy, is showing me the red notebook that’s almost as precious to her as my husband’s baby pictures. Inside the notebook is a list of the books she has read since 2007. For some people waking up in the middle of the night is a terrible thing. But for my mother-in-law, that time is a gift. At 87, she is getting the education she never had by working her way through great literature. She has now read close to 100 books, including every single novel by Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Henry James and Thomas Mann.
My mother-in-law discusses her passion with the enthusiasm of a young girl, although she can also be a very tough critic, writing “VG’ for “ very good” in the margins next to her favorites. So far, only a handful of books have received the top prize.
Born in Ridgefield, Conn, Dorothy was the youngest daughter of an Italian gardener. She taught herself English by reading The New York Times. Eager to come to Manhattan, she became a nurse, married a dentist and spent the next several decades keeping the house and raising a family. In her later years, she put her nursing skills to good use by taking care of my father-in-law, who had lung cancer. There were many trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night and then a long hospital stay. She stayed awake to watch over him for 15 hours a day. Always a light sleeper, she developed sleeplessness as a result of the stress.
It worsened after he died. Deeply sad and lonely for the first time in her life, she began waking up around 2am. Julian and Sylvia, the elderly couple next door suggest she read literature. And so Julian, a great lover of literature, became her “professor”, providing books from his large library. Suddenly the terrifying hole turned onto a world of amazing characters.Why is Dorothy considered a tough critic?
| A．Because no books are inspiring enough in her eyes. |
| B．Because only a few books are thought highly of by her. |
| C．Because she only reads books by famous writers. |
| D．Because she finds fault with every book she reads. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．the books Dorothy has read were bought by her husband. |
| B．the couple next door are college professors. |
| C．the author loves literature too. |
| D．Dorothy was a great wife. |
The underlined part “the terrifying hole” in the last paragraph refers to _____.
| A．the frightening death |
| B．Dorothy’s lack of education |
| C．waking up in the middle of the night |
| D．a hole in a book that Dorothy read |
What helped Dorothy get over the sadness and loneliness of losing her husband?
| A．Living with her son. |
| B．Reading literature. |
| C．Seeing her son’s baby pictures. |
| D．Talking with neighbors. |
Everyday we go to school and listen to the teacher, and the teacher will ask us some questions. Sometimes, the classmates will ask your opinions of the work of the class. When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying. You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat（闲谈）with friends — you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say. You must speak so that they can hear you — loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout of appearing to force yourself.
Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you. The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease（轻松）but the situation is somewhat（一点儿）different from that of an ordinary conversation. You must take special care that you can be heard.
36. When you speak to the class, you should speak _______________.
A．as loudly as possible B．in a low voice
C．loudly D．forcefully
37. Usually, when you speak to the class, the class is _________________.
A. noisy B．quiet C．having a rest D．serious
38. The situation in the class is _______________ that in your house.
A．not very different from B．sometimes the same as
C.．sometimes not the same as D．not the same as
39. If you are having a conversation with an official, the most important thing for you is _______.
A．to show your ability B．to be very gentle
C. to make sure that you can be heard D．to put the official at ease
40. The main idea of this passage is _______________.
A．that we must use different ways at different situations B．that we must speak loudly
C．that we must keep silent at any time D．that we must talk with the class
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card(信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Web site(网站).Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care. On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number — or sell the information over the Internet.
Computers hackers(黑客) have broken down security(安全) systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago, 25 000 customers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(批发商),were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157 828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud. MasterCard is working on plans for Web-only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line.
However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm's on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders are responsible(对……负有责任的) for the first US $78 of any fraudulent spending.
And shop only at secure sites: Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers-advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Web site address may also start with https:// — the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: Most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.
41. What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?
A. A lot of stolen credit-cards were sold on the Internet. B. Fraud on the Internet.
C. Many Web sites are destroyed. D. Many illegal Web sites are on the Internet.
42. What is the meaning of “fraud”?
A. cheating B. sale C. payment D. safety
43. How can the thieves get the information of the credit-card?
A. The customers give them the information.
B. The thieves steal the information from Web sites.
C. The customers sell the information to them. D. Both A and B.
44. How many pieces of advice does the passage give to you?
A. Four. B. Three. C. Five. D. Six.
45. You are shopping on the site: http://www.shopping.com,and you want to buy a TV set, what does this article suggest doing?
A. Order the TV set at once. B. Do not buy the TV set on this site.
C. E-mail the site your credit-card information.
D. Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you.
Very few people were coming to eat at the White Rose Restaurant, and its owner did not know what to do. The price was reasonable and the food was of good quality, but nobody seemed to want to eat there.
Then he did something that changed all that, and in a few weeks his restaurant is always full of men with their lady friends. Whenever a gentleman came in with a lady, a smiling waiter gave each of them a menu(菜单), The menu looked exactly the same on the outside, but there was an important difference inside. The menu that the waiter gave to the man supplied the correct price for each dish and each bottle of wine. while the menu that he gave to the lady supplied a much higher price! So when the man calmly ordered dish after dish and wine after wine, the lady thought he was much more generous(慷慨) than he really was.
31. Why didn’t people come to the White Rose Restaurant to eat at first?
A. Because the price was high. B. Because the food was too cheap.
C. Because the food was not good. D. The passage didn’t mention.
32. According to the passage we can conclude that the people who eat at this restaurant are mostly _______________.
A. poor old people B. rich young people
C. men with their girl friends D. parents with their children
33. The difference between the two kinds of menu lie in ______________.
A. the color B. the shape
C. the price D. the food
34. According to the passage we can infer that when men with their girl friends eat at this restaurant, the food was paid ___________________.
A. always by the ladies only B. always by the men only
C. sometimes by the ladies D. either by the men or by the ladies
35. According to the passage we can know that, generally speaking, ____________.
A. men are more generous than women B. women are more generous than men
C. men like their lady friends to be generous.
D. women like their men friends to be generous
Ⅱ 阅读(共两节，满分50分)
第一节：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A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
In Europe, people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises.
A few explanations for this American style are as follows:
(1) Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.
(2) Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（叛逆者）.They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.
(3) Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.
Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（无知）of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders（入侵者）.However, such alertness（警觉） is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.
26 Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.
A. the right hand B. the left hand
C. both hands D. either of the two hands
27. As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _________________.
A. show their independence of Mother England
B. show their disrespect to Mother England
C. add a new tradition to those in Mother England
D. show off their creativeness to Mother England
28. In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means ____________.
A. hold B. play with C. pick up D. lay down
29. Also in the last sentence, the two “them” refer to ____________.
A. Americans B. Europeans
C. Americans and Europeans separately
D. Europeans and Americans separately
30. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.
B. The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics.
C. The zigzag eating method has become an American feature.
D. European people will use the American method because of its efficiency.
粤公网安备 44130202000953号