Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays travelling. They travel to visit other countries, modern cities and ancient towns. They travel to enjoy these special places, or just to relax. It is always interesting to discover new things and different ways of life, such as by meeting different people, trying different food, and listening to different music.
People who live in the country like to go to big cities. They like to spend their time visiting museums and art galleries, looking at shop windows and dining at restaurants. People who live in the city usually like a quiet holiday by the sea or in the mountains, with nothing to do but walk and bathe in the sun.
Most travellers take a camera with them and take pictures of everything that interests them. Then, perhaps years later, they can look at the photos and be reminded of the happy time they once had.
People often travel by train, by boat or by car. All means of travelling have their advantages and disadvantages and people choose one according to their plans and the places they are going.
If we travel a lot, we will see and discover a lot of things that we could never see or experience at home, though we may read about them in books and newspapers. The best way to study geography is to travel, and the best way to get to know and understand people is to meet them in their own homes.What is interesting to do when people travel?
| A．To find the advantages and the disadvantages of travelling. |
| B．To listen to different music and take pictures. |
| C．To discover new things and different ways of life. |
| D．To go to big cities and meet different people. |
How do people usually spend a quiet holiday by the sea or in the mountains?
| A．They spend their time visiting museums and art galleries. |
| B．They do nothing but walk and bathe in the sun. |
| C．They do nothing but sleep outdoors. |
| D．They go to look at shop windows and eat at restaurants. |
Why do many travellers take pictures of everything they like?
| A．Because they like taking all kinds of pictures. |
| B．Because they all take a camera with them while travelling. |
| C．Because the pictures are beautiful to look at. |
| D．Because the pictures can remind them of the happy time. |
What’s the best way to study geography?
| A．To travel a lot and experience more. |
| B．To meet some more people in their homes. |
| C．To learn in books or in newspapers. |
| D．To see and experience at home. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．We’d better go the countryside for a holiday. |
| B．Taking photos in a trip is unnecessary. |
| C．It’s good for us to travel more if possible. |
| D．Cities are the best choice of all the travellers. |
Be Brave With New Things
The old advertising slogan, “so simple a child can do it ,” has taken on new meaning to me. A few weeks ago I got a computer, but I an mechanically illiterate. I knew that children had no fear of the future, so that seemed a good place to seek help. I asked my nephew, twelve years old, at an elementary school, to help me.
My nephew took the machine for granted and has simply accepted the fact that computers are now a way of life. He plays with them and does his homework on them and even creates programs for them. I , on the other hand, are terrified by what this equipment can do. It can interchange paragraphs, switch words around and even correct my spelling. It informs me of Its limitations, takes commands and asks questions. It even seems to have a sense of communication. Rather than accusing me of making an error, it prints “One of us has made a mistake!” It never gets tired and is always patient and ready to go when I am.
I think it was somewhat normal for me to be suspicious of computers. They represent a break with some very familiar habits and traditions. It is only human to instinctively avoid anything that shifts thoroughly from the acceptable, comfortable past. But the world is governed by ceaseless change and we must therefore establish links with the present and future as well as the past. Computer technology is an excellent case in point, as the newest systems grow out of date in only a few years, or even months.
This ability to see, experience and accept the new is one of our saving characteristics. To be fearful of tomorrow, to close ourselves to possibilities, to resist the inevitable, to advocate standing still when all else is moving forward, is to lose touch. If we accept the new with joy and wonder, we can move gracefully into each tomorrow. More often than not, the children shall lead us.
6．What is the new meaning of “So simple a child can do it” for the author?
A．computers are so easy to operate that even a child can play them well
B．A child can always do more complex things than an adult.
C．It is easier for a child to accept new things than for an adult.
D．A child has greater ability than an adult in operating computers.
7．According to the second paragraph, which of the following statements is true?
A．The nephew thought it is natural to accept the fact that computers are now a way of life.
B．The nephew believed that machines were made for people to do whatever they wanted.
C．computers are not only used to communicate, but also to remove their limitations.
D．It is a fact that both adults and children have accepted computers as a way of life.
8．Which of the following doesn’t the author’s computer do ?
A．It asks the author if she has made a mistake.
B．It accuses the author of making mistakes.
C．It corrects the author’s spelling mistakes.
D．It informs the author of her mistakes.
9．According to the third paragraph, it is human nature that we resist those things which
A．only represent the comfortable and acceptable past
B．change thoroughly into the comfortable and acceptable past
C．make people stand still when all else is moving forward
D．change completely from the acceptable and comfortable past
10．How do you understand the underlined sentence in the text?
A. It is always ready to inform me when I am ready to go.
B. It is always ready to start working when I am ready for work.
C. When I am ready to go, it is patient to wait.
D. When I am ready to go, it has already gone.
Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidates.
Sixth-formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude（智能）tests, which are designed to assess（评价）thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional test to secure a place.
Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer（标准）of ability.
In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight. As at A-level, Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional test to identify the most able candidates. “The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the end-point in the admissions process,” he said. “The potential to achieved three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place.”
Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university’s Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3,000. A survey of 16,830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private schools last year showed that 2,860 had to sit at least one exam.
Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests — a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges —to make it easier to pick out the best candidates.
5．What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?
A. Approving. B. Doubtful. C. Opposed. D. Neutral（中立的）
6．Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates?
A. Harvard. B. Oxford. C. Cambridge. D. Washington D.C.
7．What can we know about the A-level system?
A. It can indicate the brightest candidates.
B. It was designed to assess students’ thinking abilities.
C. It is longer an accurate way to assess students’ abilities.
D. It was recommended by the National Foundation for Educational Research.
8．What can we infer from the passage?
A. The reform is more popular in American colleges than in British ones.
B. The reform will be applied by all universities in the future.
C. Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students.
D. Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets As.
9．What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to get into leading universities.
B. The disadvantages of the A-level system.
C. Different ways to identify students’ abilities.
D. Universities using extra exams to choose students.
A new weapon is on the way in the fight against smoking in Europe. Soon when smokers buy cigarettes, they might see a shocking photo of a blackened lung or a cancer patient staring back at them from the packet.
Some boys may think of smoking as cool and sexy. Their friends won’t agree when they see their packets of cigarettes lying on the table.
The European Union announced on October 22, that it had chosen 42 photos that showed the damage cigarettes could do to the body. It called on member nations to put these pictures on packets to discourage young smokers.
To catch the attention of teenagers, the special packets warn of long-term medical dangers, like cancer. Short-term effects, like bad skin, are also on the list.
“The true fact of smoking is disease, death and horror. That is the message we should send to the young,” said David Byrne, an EU health official. “Hopefully these pictures will shock students out of their love for cigarettes.”
The EU head office hoped the pictures would work better than current written warnings on packs of cigarettes. The warning included “smoking kills” and “smoking can lead to a slow and painful death.”
So far, Ireland and Belgium have shown interest in the photos. Canada has used similar pictures and warnings on cigarette packs since 2000. The country has recently seen a fall in the number of smokers.
According to studies, smoking is the single biggest cause of avoidable death in EU. Every year more than 650,000 smokers die, more than one person a minute.
20．What would be the best title for the text?
A. New Ways to Stop Smoking. B. Pictures to Shock Smokers.
C. New Packers of Cigarettes. D. Dangers of Smoking.
21．Which of the following is NOT the true face of smoking?
A. Disease. B. Death. C. Horror. D. Happinese.
22．We can learn from the test that _______.
A. The EU countries have put the new warning method into practice
B. only a small number of the EU countries have used the new warning method
C. the new warning method has worked in some EU countries
D. countries in the EU still use the old warning method
23．Which country is most successful in stopping smoking?
A. Ireland. B. Belgium. C. Canada. D. EU
24．The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggests that ________.
A. It’s hard to stop smoking in EU
B. deaths caused by smoking could have been avoided
C. smoking is the biggest cause of deaths in EU
D. EU has the largest number of deaths caused by smoking
Few people would question the value of taking part in sports for young people．With proper training，supervision，protective equipment and techniques，and an proper emphasis on winning，sports can develop a healthy body and spirit and a life-long interest in being active and fit .Without such measures，childhood sports can lead to injuries and even paralysis or death．
Even in the best conditions，no activity can be risk—free．But most serious hazards are preventable．Cyclists and football players can reduce their risks by wearing helmets；hockey players by wearing masks；basketball and tennis players by wearing eye guards；baseball players by wearing batting helmets．
Besides，risks to individual players can often be found，and thus prevented，through a properly performed medical exam before a child plays．For accidents that may not be preventable，having an emergency plan and first-aid equipment，and someone trained to use the equipment，can be lifesaving．
Still，each year，according to the American College of Sports Medicine，more than 775,000 children under 14 are treated in emergency rooms for sports injuries，nearly half of them preventable．An estimated 300,000 athletes experience exercise—related head illnesses each year，and almost all of them should have been avoided．
Further，from half to three—fourths of sports-related concussions（脑震荡） are never even diagnosed；the injured are often sent back in to play too soon and put at risk of another more serious brain—damaging concussion．To help reduce these risks, the National Center for Sports Safety, with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, offers a three-hour online safety course for coaches for $28 at www.SportsSafety.org.
1．Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．All the accidents can be prevented．
B．All the accidents cannot be prevented．
C．Lives can be saved so long as there is proper equipment．
D．Lives cannot be saved even if there is proper equipment．
2．What does the underlined word “hazards”(in paragraph 2)mean?
A．mistakes B．diseases C．dangers D．situations
3．It is implied in the passage that ．
A．prevention of injuries is not paid enough attention to
B．children under 14 are more easily hurt in sports
C．most head illnesses are related with exercise
D．none of the head illnesses should have happened
4．What can coaches mainly learn from the online safety course?
A．How to cure brain-damaging concussion．
B．How to diagnose brain-damaging concussion．
C．How to predict the possibility of brain damage．
D．How to deal with the injured properly．
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically（热情地）responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”
“No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor everyday. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
“The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics（歌词）and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
17. Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.
A. serious B. cold C. humorous D. crazy
18. From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.
A. Rose finished the college degree within a year
B. Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married through college education
C. Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
D. Rose grew so old that she stopped playing
19. Rose delivered the speech ______.
A. at the graduation B. which she prepared carefully
C. ended with “The Song of Rose” D. to challenge all the other speakers
20. According to her speech, ______.
A. whenever you have a dream, you succeed
B. all people don’t grow up while growing older
C. Rose usually regretted having done something
D. a nine-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything
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