Despite the fact that it has never been seen almost everyone is familiar with the legendary unicorn(独
角兽). Descriptions of unicorns have been found dating from ancient times. The great philosopher Aristotle theorized that there were two types of unicorn--- the so-called Indian Ass and the Oryx, a kind of antelope. Unicorns are often used in the logo of a noble family, town council or university as their special sign. Even Scotland is represented by a unicorn.
According to the legend, anyone attempting to catch a unicorn had to be extremely careful as it was very fierce and dangerous. A clever trick suggested by unicorn-trappers, in order to catch this amazing animal without being hurt by its horn, was for the hunter to stand in front of a tree and then to move quickly behind it as the unicorn dashed angrily. Hopefully, the creature could then be caught when its horn was stuck in the tree.
When hollowed out and used as a drinking-cup, the unicorn’s horn was said to have the power to offer protection against person. It was believed that nobody could be harmed-by drinking the contents of a unicorn’s horn. Right up until the French Revolution in 1789, the French court was said to have used cups made of “unicorn” horn in order to protect the king. In addition, the horn was said to have medicinal value, so much so that it could be sold for more than ten times the price of the same weight of gold. What, then, was “unicorn” horn? We know at times the rhino(犀牛) was confused with this legendary creature. A drinking-cup supposedly made of “unicorn” horn was discovered to be made of the horn of a rhino.
Which of the following is TRUE of the unicorn?
| A．It was not historically recorded |
| B．Its horn was first used in France |
| C．It was similar to the Indian Ass and the Oryx |
| D．It could be the symbol of a university |
To catch a unicorn, the unicorn-trappers had to try all of the following EXCEPT ____.
| A．attracting the unicorn to attack |
| B．making use of the tree as a defense |
| C．hiding quickly behind the unicorn |
| D．having the unicorn horn stuck in the tree |
The last paragraph is mainly about ____.
| A．the functions of the unicorn horn |
| B．the users of the unicorn horn |
| C．the price of the unicorn horn |
| D．the comparison between the unicorn horn and the rhino horn |
A man was on the side of the road hitchhiking（搭便车）on a very dark night in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, with no cars on the road．The storm was so strong that the man could hardly see a few feet ahead of him．Suddenly, he saw a car come towards him and stop．The man, without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door and only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the steering wheel（方向盘）!
The car started to move very slowly．The man looked at the road and saw a curve （拐弯处）coming his way．Terrified, he started to pray, begging for his life．He had not come out of shock when, just before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the window and moved the wheel．The man, paralyzed with fear, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was drawing near a curve．Finally, although terrified, the man managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky car．Without looking back, the man ran through the storm all the way to the nearest town．In a state of complete horror, the man walked into a nearby bar and asked for two glasses of Scotch whisky．
Then, still shaking with fright, he started telling everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just went through in the spooky car．Everyone in the bar listened in silence and became frightened, with hair standing on end, when they realized the man was telling the truth because he was crying and he was certainly not drunk!
About half an hour later, two other young men walked into the same bar and one said to the other, “Hey, there’s a stupid man who jumped into the car while we were pushing it!”When the car was first drawing near a curve, the man ________．
| A．felt very curious | B．was extremely frightened |
| C．cried for help | D．remained as calm as possible |
According to the passage, what made the man’s experience believable?
| A．His reasonable behavior． | B．His vivid description． |
| C．His plain appearance． | D．His honest attitude． |
We can infer from the passage that ________．
| A．it is unsafe for people to take a free ride |
| B．the man was telling a lie to his listeners |
| C．the car probably broke down on the way |
| D．the two young men were familiar with the man |
Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast．Mullets，crabs，rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pier．Birds covered in oil are crawling（爬）deep into marshes（沼泽），never to be seen again．
Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster（英国石油公司漏油事件）are seeing some strange phenomena．Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and gathering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign．The animals.presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted，and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen．Also，the animals could easily be captured by their enemies．
The nearly two-month-old spill（漏油）has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem．Scienfists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life．For nearly four hours Monday，a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised（巡航）past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana．They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking（嬉戏）in the oily sheen（光泽）and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young．But they spotted no dead animals．
“I think part of the reason why we’re not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning，”Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said．
The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise；the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages．What do the marine life react to the BP disaster？
| A．Dolphins and sharks show up in deep water． |
| B．Tens of thousands of marine animals are found dead． |
| C．Sea creatures flee from oil spill，gathering near seashore． |
| D．Birds crawl（爬）deep into caves． |
The environmental disaster was caused by ．
| A．the lack of environmental sense of BP |
| B．the nearly two-mouth-old oil spill |
| C．the crowding marine life |
| D．the damage of Mexico Gulf ecosystem |
What is John Hocevar’s attitude towards the disaster？
| A．Disappointed | B．Depressed | C．Neutral | D．Worried |
From the passage，we can infer that ．
| A．marine scientists have seen some strange phenomena． |
| B．the disaster has little influence on dolphins． |
| C．a three-person crew reached no conclusion． |
| D．BP will pay much money according to the number of dead wildlife there． |
In this age of Internet chat，videogames and reality television，there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied．Yet，despite the competition，my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories．She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest，a competition she won last year．
As a writer I know about winning contests，and about losing them．I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher．I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories．What if she doesn.t win the contest again？That’s the strange thing about being a parent．So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface．
A revelation（启示）came last week when l asked her，”Don’t you want to win again？” “No,” she replied，“I
just want to tell the story of an angel（天使）going to first grade．”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously（自发地）told them．Telling myself that l was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall. I offered suggestions for characters，conflicts and endings for her tales．The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly“guided”by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson．I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it．
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks．Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade，I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting（借用）my daughter’s experience．
While stepping back was difficult for me，it was certainly a good first step that l will quickly follow with more steps，putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked．All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment，grow and find their own voices．What did the author say about her own writing experience？
| A．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers． |
| B．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer． |
| C．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations． |
| D．She was constantly under pressure of writing more． |
Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest？
| A．She wanted to share her stories with readers． |
| B．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help． |
| C．She believed she possessed real talent for writing． |
| D．She had won a prize in the previous contest． |
The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ．
| A．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing |
| B．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much |
| C．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance |
| D．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer |
What’s the author’s advice for parents？
| A．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in． |
| B．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience． |
| C．A writing career，though attractive，is not for every child to pursue． |
| D．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions． |
When you are at odds with someone close to you，the One-Minute Drill can show you how to express your feelings effectively-and how to listen more skillfully．All it requires is two individuals who are committed to improving their relationship．
Set aside at least ten minutes，and then sit facing each other．Decide who will be the Talker and who will be the Lastener．It makes no difference，because later you will change roles．
How to perform the One-Minute Drill
For approximately 30 seconds，the Talker can say anything he or she wants．Your job will be to express your thoughts and feelings．You can discuss problems you’ve had a hard time talking about．Remember to limit yourself to about 30 seconds．When the Talker finishes，the Listener will summarize what the Talker just said，as well as how the Talker was feeling inside，as accurately as possible．
The Talker now gives the Listener a grade between 0 and 100 percent to indicate how accurate the summary was．If the rat
ing is 95 percent or more，you can change roles；the new Talker can continue with the same topic or move on to something entirely new．
However，if the grade is below 95 percent，the Talker should point out what the Listener missed or got wrong，and repeat the process until the overall rating is 95 percent or more．Then you can change roles and repeat the exercise for as long as you both like．
How it works
Thirty seconds of emotionally charged information is sufficiently challenging for anyone．Express your feelings in strong，clear，direct language，but as your partner will be listening attentively，you won’t need to shout，exaggerate or put your partner down．
The Listener should sit and listen respectfully without interrupting．Look into your partner’s eyes，but avoid using negative body language． If you like，take a few notes．
So the Talker might say：“When I come home from work， I feel tired and I need some quiet time．But you tell me I’m supposed to spend time with the kids．This makes me feel frustrated．I work hard and I’m exhausted at the end of the day．I feel like I deserve a little time to relax，not listen to more demands．”
In response，the Listener might summarize like this：“You just told me that you feel exhausted when you come home at night because you’ve been working hard all day．When l tell you l want you to spend time with the kids，you feel frustrated and ticked off because you’re tired and you need time to relax．You see me as very demanding，and you’re probably feeling like I don’t appreciate you．”
The first time you attempt the One-Minute Drill，you may get a low score．Don’t worry，because you’ll get up to speed quickly．Once you’ve tried this exercise a few times，you’ll find that you can nearly always get ratings of 95 percent or better on the first or second try．Who is the One-Minute Drill intended for？
| A．Those who are preparing for the interview in order to make a good first impression． |
| B．Those who have difficulty communicating with their colleagues or family members． |
| C．Those who have troubled relationships with their friends or family members and try to improve them． |
| D．Those who are to act some roles in a certain play for the first time in their life． |
Which of the following is NOT true？
| A．The Talker should talk about his/her thoughts and feelings in a brief way． |
| B．The Listener should listen carefully，respectfully and later summarize accurately． |
| C．After the Talker finishes talking，the Listener is to give him/her a grade． |
| D．In the One-Minute Drill，the Talker and the Listener change roles in the process． |
From the example given in“How it works”，we can guess that the talk might be between ．
| A．father and son | B．mother and daughter |
| C．sister and brother | D．husband and wife |
What does the underlined part“ticked off”probably mean in this reading？
| A．very angry | B．burst into tears |
| C．marked with a symbol | D．fast asleep |
WASHINGTON—A chaotic scene unfolded near the U S．Capitol（美国国会大厦）on Wednesday after police shot and killed an armed man in what authorities described as a rush hour traffic stop that turned deadly．
U S．Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt．Kim Schneider said the unidentified 35-year-old man sped away in a white car after being stopped a few blocks from the Capitol．The man drove the wrong way down a street and c
rashed into a police car in a heavily guarded area about a block north of the Capitol grounds，striking two officers with his car along the way，she said． Police then opened fire after seeing the man hold up his handgun and refuse to put it down，said Schneider，who described the melee（人群）as“very fast moving”．“The officers felt they were being threatened-they were in fear for their lives，”Schneider said．
She did not know if the man ever fired at police．He was taken to a hospital，where he was pronounced dead．
The officers who were hit——one of whom was on a motorcycle——had minor injuries，Schneider said．
The late afternoon scare occurred as lawmakers were wrapping up a third day of hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor．Police briefly closed up part of the Capiltol as a precaution，but the buildings were reopened about a half—hour later．Authorities said the
shooting was not related to the Capitol．
Carol Lanigan，of Toledo，Ohio，described how she save a white car come flying down the street with two police cars chasing it．She said she heard about four or five shots．
“There were so many gunshots being fired，my family got down．”said Robert Drumm of Oklahoma，who was touring the nation’s capital with his family．
Numerous emergency vehicles came together quickly on the area．
Lanigan’s husband，Dale Lanigan，described a similar scene，saying that as the car sped past him the driver had one hand on the wheel and it looked like he was reaching for something．What can be learned from the passage？
| A．Three police officers were hurt in the shooting． |
| B．The shooting had something to do with the Capitol． |
| C．The Capitol was unprotected when the gunshot happened． |
| D．The gunshot case had nothing to do with the Capitol． |
When the case happened， ．
| A．CaroI Lanigan heard five shots exactly |
| B．many emergency vehicles appeared in the area |
| C．Robert Drumm stopped to tour the nation’s capital by himself |
| D．Carol Lanigan didn’t come to the scene |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word“chaotic”？
| A．disordered | B．accessible | C．lifelike | D．arranged |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage？
| A．A police accident near the U．S．Capitol |
| B．Defend the U．S．Capitol |
| C．Police chasing the peace breaker |
| D．Armed man was shot near the Capitol by police |
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