There once lived a rich businessman who had a lazy son. The businessman wanted his son to realize the value of labour and said: “Today, I want you to go out and earn something, failing which you won’t have your meals tonight.”
He went crying straight to his mother. Her heart melted at her son’s eyes. She gave him a gold coin. When the father asked his son what he had earned, the son presented him the gold coin. The father asked him to throw it into a well.
The next day, he asked his son to earn something. This time he went crying to his sister who gave him a coin. When he showed it to his father he again asked him to throw it in a well. Then the father asked him to earn more money.
This time since there was no one to help him, the son was forced to go to the market. One shopkeeper told him he would pay him two coins if he carried his trunk to his house. He did so and sweated plenty. As he returned home he was asked to do the same. The son almost cried out. He could not imagine throwing his hard-earned money like this. He cried, “My entire body is aching. You are asking me to throw the money into the well.”
At this moment, the businessman told him one feels the pain only when the fruits of hard labour are wasted. On the earlier two occasions he was helped and therefore had no pain in throwing the coins into the well. The son had now realized the value of hard work. He promised never to be lazy and to safely keep the father’s wealth. The father handed over the keys of his shop to the son and promised to guide him through the rest of the life.Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．At first the son was hard-working and responsible. |
| B．The father taught his son a lesson in a good way. |
| C．The father didn’t like his son at all. |
| D．The businessman was a little lazy. |
According to the passage, the father wanted his son to realize ______.
| A．the importance of helping others |
| B．the importance of money |
| C．the value of hard labour |
| D．the value of money |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．the mother was very generous |
| B．the sister was very warm-hearted |
| C．the father was very strict |
| D．the shopkeeper was very cruel |
According to the last paragraph, we can guess the boy was likely to ______.
| A．look for a good job |
| B．use up his father’s wealth |
| C．become a successful guide |
| D．follow his father’s career |
Sherlock Holmes is considered by many people as the greatest detective in fictional literature. He is, in fact, more famous than his own creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the popular series of stories, Holmes is described as “tall and lean, pope-smoking, always in his cape and speaks in a splendid manner”. Doyle gave Holmes’ address as 221-B Baker Street, London, and to this day some visitors to London still go to Baker Street to search for 221-B. Of course, there never was really any such address. Holmes’ flat was supposed to be shared by the lovable, but sometimes clumsy Doctor Watson who went around with Holmes trying to solve crimes before Holmes did. Poor Dr Watson lost out to Holmes every time.
Doyle gave Holmes a masterly skill of deduction---the ability to come up with interesting conclusion from the simplest clues found at the scene of a crime. Doyle said that the description of Holmes was modeled on one of his lecturers at Edinburgh University where he studied medicine. That man was Dr Joseph Bell. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet published in 1887. Holmes was so loved by all that when his author killed him off in one of his stories, readers wrote in anger to complain. They refused to allow Holmes to die! Holmes was brought back to “life” and appeared in further stories.
The stories of Sherlock Holmes have been reprinted many times ever since then. Today we can watch Holmes at work on cinema and television screens as well as on stage.Sherlock Holmes was________.
| A．the greatest detective who ever lived |
| B．Dr Joseph Bell |
| C．Arthur Conan Doyle |
| D．only a character made up by Arthur Conan Dolye |
Dr Watson was________.
| A．tall and learn |
| B．lovable but always clumsy |
| C．lovable but sometimes clumsy |
| D．lovable and never clumsy |
Holmes was supposed to have lived_______.
| A．with Dr Watson | B．with Dr Joseph Bell |
| C．with the greatest detective | D．with Doyle |
Doyle made up the description of Holmes_______.
| A．from his own imagination |
| B．based on a famous London doctor |
| C．based on Dr Joseph Bell at Edinburgh University |
| D．based on a model of Holmes |
Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the learned in the early days of the history, while during the fifteenth century the term “reading” undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the nineteenth century did silent reading become popular.
One should be careful, however, of supposing that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud is distraction（分散注意力）to others. Examination of reasons connected with the historical development of silent reading shows that it became the usual mode of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.
The last century saw a gradual increase in literacy（读写能力）and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of listeners dropped, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the popularity of reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, trains and offices, where reading aloud would disturb other readers in a way.
Towards the end of the century there was still heated argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its advantages are, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one hand and by books and magazines for a specialized readership on the other.
By the end of t he century students were being advised to have some new ideas of books and to use skills in reading them which were not proper, if not impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological developments in the century had greatly changed what the term “reading” referred to.Why was reading aloud common before the nineteenth century?
| A．Because silent reading had not been discovered. |
| B．Because there were few places for private reading. |
| C．Because few people could read for themselves. |
| D．Because people depended on reading for enjoyment. |
The development of silent reading during the nineteenth century showed_______.
| A．a change in the position of literate people |
| B．a change in the nature of reading |
| C．an increase in the number of books |
| D．an increase in the average age of readers |
Educationalists are still arguing about__________.
| A．the importance of silent reading |
| B．the amount of information provided by books and newspapers |
| C．the effects of reading on health |
| D．the value of different types of reading material |
What is the writer of this passage attempting to do?
| A．To explain how present day reading habits developed. |
| B．To change people’s way to read. |
| C．To show how reading methods have improved. |
| D．To encourage the growth of reading. |
No poem should ever be discussed or “analyzed”, until it has been read aloud by someone, teacher or student. Better still, perhaps, is the practice of reading it twice, once at the beginning of the discussion and once at the end, so the sound of the poem is the last thing one hears of it.
All discussions of poetry are, in fact, preparations for reading it aloud, and the reading of the poem is, finally, the most telling “interpretation” of it, suggesting tone, rhythm, and meaning all at once. Hearing a poet read the work in his or her own voice, on records or on film, is obviously a special reward. But even those aids to teaching can not replace the student and teacher reading it or, best of all, reciting it.
I have come to think, in fact, that time spent reading a poem aloud is much more important than “analyzing” it, if there isn’t time for both. I think one of our goals as teachers of English is to have students love poetry. Poetry is “ a criticism of life”, and “ a heightening(提升) of life”. It is “an approach to the truth of feeling”, and it “can save your life”. It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies.
I am not saying that every English teacher must teach poetry. Those who don’t like it should not be forced to put that dislike on anyone else. But those who do teach poetry must keep in mind a few things about its essential nature, about its sound as well as its sense, and they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it.To have a better understanding of a poem, one should________.
| A．discuss it with others | B．analyze it by oneself |
| C．copy it down in a notebook | D．practise reading it aloud |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a function of poetry?
| A．Extending your life | B．Saving your life |
| C．Criticizing life | D．Heightening life |
According to the writer, one of the purposes of teaching English is to get students________.
| A．to understand life. | B．to enjoy poetry. |
| C．to become teachers. | D．to become poets |
What does the last sentence in the third paragraph imply?
| A．More stress should be laid on the teaching of poetry. |
| B．Poetry is more important than any other subject. |
| C．One cannot enjoy life fully without an understanding of poetry |
| D．Poetry is the foundation of all language and literature courses |
The phrase “make room” in the last paragraph could be best replaced by
| A．“build a booth” | B．“provide equipment” |
| C．“leave a certain amount of time” | D．“set aside enough space” |
The year 2006 was a busy one for space and technology workers. A planet lost its status and space flights caught the imagination of people around the world.
The following is a short list of the major events of the year:____________
IBM has built a chip that runs about 100 times faster than the ones we have now. The development could lead to faster computers. The chip was first made in June. It can run at a speed of 500 gigahertz (千兆赫).
Pluto loses face
The International Astronomical Union created the first scientific definition (定义) of the word "planet" in August. Under the new rules, Pluto is no longer called a planet but a "dwarf planet" (矮行星).
Pluto had been considered a planet since its discovery in 1930. For now, there are only the eight "classical" planets in the solar system (太阳系): They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Woman space tourist
The first woman space tourist was launched on a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan on September 18. The flight carried a businesswoman, named Anousheh Ansari, along with a fresh crew for the International Space Station (ISS). Ansari is a 40-year-old American. She has paid at least US$20 million for the trip. She returned on September 28 after her eight-day stay at the International Space Station.
Discovery sent up
The US space shuttle Discovery took seven astronauts on a 12-day repair mission (任务) to the International Space Station on December 9. It was the first night launch by NASA in four years. The last one ended in the failure of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. The sub-title of the second paragraph probably would be _______.
| A．IBM |
| B．The development of computers |
| C．The first chip born |
| D．Faster computer chip |
The US space shuttle Discovery was sent up mainly to ________.
| A．do some research |
| B．do some repairs |
| C．be in memory to Columbia shuttle. |
| D．build a space station. |
Which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．Pluto is no longer a real planet according to the new theory. |
| B．People have been dreaming about space flight. |
| C．Anousheh Ansari was the first women space tourist. |
| D．The US space shuttle Discovery is the first one launched by NASA at night. |
The passage is written mainly to tell us_______.
| A．exciting new science of the year of 2006. |
| B．space flight full of wonders. |
| C．the major events of the year of 2006. |
| D．science and technology is the first productive. |
Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had stumbled over something and dropped all of the books he was carrying along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if Ihad killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life.”The underlined word “stumbled” in Paragraph One probably means .
| A．stopped himself | B．came to life |
| C．trapped himself | D．lost one’s balance |
It can be inferred that________ according to the passage.
| A．The boy took so many books with him because he was about to take an exam soon. |
| B．From the beginning, in fact, Mark knew Bill was to kill himself. |
| C．Bill valued the days whenthey spenttalkingandlaughing together |
| D．Bill was dismissed for his breaking the school rules |
What was it that saved Bill’s life in fact?
| A．Friendliness and kindness. | B．Understanding and Honesty. |
| C．Bill’s confidence and strong will | D．Bill’s mother’s encouragement |
From the passage we can learn that _____.
| A．Bill would have remove to another school if Mark hadn't met him that day |
| B．Bill had planned to go to kill himself for the loss of his girlfriend. |
| C．From the first meeting, they often talked and play together. |
| D．Mark found out Bill’s secret and saved his life. |
Which of the following should be the best title for this passage?
| A．A little but meaning thing |
| B．Just a Little Smile |
| C．Unforgettable School Life |
| D．Friendship and Life |
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