We considered a list of the best American books. Here are five that may help accurately show the national character. Most from a century or so ago, they still entertain, teach, and inspire:
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
First published in 1851, the adventure stories of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal(偏执的) pursuit of the white whale draw us into a universe full of fascinating characters and stories.
The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams
Published in 1918, the book was an autobiography. Born in one of America’s most famous political families, Adams provides insight into his family, including his experience as private secretary to his father, minister to England during the American Civil war.
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
When Whitman published Leaves of Grass in 1855, he wanted to accurately describe the American experience and reflect the great changes in the American literary world that had taken place during his lifetime.
Poems by Emily Dickinson
An enthusiastic poet whose works have had considerable influence on modern poetry, Dickson’s frequent use of dashes, occasional capitalization(大写) of nouns, and unconventional metaphors(隐喻) have contributed to her reputation as one of the most inventive poets of the 19th century American literature. However, most of her poems were not published during her lifetime.
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
First published in 1855, this is Longfellow’s most popular and most recognized poem, the heroic life and death of a magic American Indian, sent by the Great Spirit to guide the nations in the ways of peace.Walt Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass in order to _______.
| A．show his talent and heroic life to us |
| B．draw us into a fascinating universe |
| C．provide insight into his family |
| D．reflect the great changes in the American literary world |
If you want to read a story about a magic American Indian, you can read _______.
| A．Moby-Dick | B．The Song of Hiawatha |
| C．Poems | D．Leaves of Grass |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Because the five books are from a century or so ago, they can’t teach and inspire us. |
| B．Herman Melville was considered as one of the most inventive poets of the 19th century American literature. |
| C．The Education of Henry Adams is a non-fiction book. |
| D．Of the five books, Moby-Dick was published last. |
Why did the author write the passage?
| A．To introduce several best American books to readers. |
| B．To make an advertisement for a book store. |
| C．To tell stories of several famous writers. |
| D．To talk about some knowledge about literature. |
A Battery’s Nightmare
Portable electronics that can be carried about easily are only as good as their batteries (电池) and, let’s face it, batteries aren’t very good, especially when compared with, say, petrol, which packs 100 times a battery’s energy into an equal space. That’s why a large group of mechanical engineers (centered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but with partners at other universities and companies) are hard at work in an effort to replace batteries with a tiny engine that runs on fuel. Imagine a battery-free life! When the fuel runs out in your mobile phone, you just fill up and go.
The engine---about the size of a ten-cent coin---starts with a combustion chamber (燃烧室) that burns hydrogen. Its tiny parts are etched (蚀刻) onto silicon wafers (硅片) in the same manner that computer parts are etched onto integrated circuits (集成电路). The first engine is made up of five wafers. And since these wafers could be produced in much the same way as computer chips, they could probably be produced quite cheaply.
But the devil in all this nice detail is efficiency. Tiny engine parts don’t always behave like the bigger parts of the first engine. Something between the parts can slow down the works, according to Columbia University Professor LucFrechette, one of the engine’s designers. Extreme heat from the combustion chamber is also a problem, often leaking to other parts of the engine.
The scientists’ goal is to create an engine that will operate 10 times better than batteries operate. Frechette says that a complete system, with all parts in place and working, will be set up in the next couple of years, but commercial models aren’t likely until at least the end of the next ten years.According to the passage, the title suggests that _______ .
| A．batteries should be greatly improved |
| B．petrol will be used instead of batteries |
| C．the time of batteries will be gone forever |
| D．pollution problems caused by batteries must be solved |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “devil” in paragraph 3?
| A．Problem | B．Advantage | C．Invention | D．Technique |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The new invention doesn’t need any fuel. |
| B．The new engine has been produced in large quantities. |
| C．The new invention is much cheaper than the battery. |
| D．The new engine needs to be improved before it’s on sale. |
Dear mommy and daddy,
I write this letter to you in hopes that you should consider your method of parenting me before I arrive. I am a joyous child. I expect love and respect, order and discipline. When I arrive, I will seem very small to you. Even though I don’t look like an adult, please understand that I am a human being.
Even though I will not speak words to you, I will know you with my heart. I will feel all your feelings, absorb your thoughts. I will come to know you more than you may know yourself. Do not be misled (误导) by my silence. I am open, growing and learning more rapidly than you can imagine.
I will keep in heart all that I see, so please give me sweet music and language that tells me how much I am loved. Give me silence to rest my ears. I will absorb all that I feel, so please wrap life in love.
I am waiting patiently to be with you. I am so happy to have the opportunity to be alive. Maybe when you see me you will remember how precious life is too!
Your joyous childAccording to the letter, why did the child write this letter?
| A．Because the child wanted to apologize to its parents. |
| B．Because the child wanted the parents to consider the method of being parents. |
| C．Because the child expressed the happiness of having such parents. |
| D．Because the child wanted to show how much it understood its parents. |
According to the text, we can infer the “child” is in fact _______ .
| A．a lovely boy | B．a joyous child |
| C．an unborn baby | D．a lovely girl |
The child in the text required all the following EXCEPT that ________ .
| A．it should be looked on as a human being |
| B．it would like to be loved by its parents |
| C．it wanted to be with the parents an soon as possible |
| D．it wanted a place full of beautiful music and love language |
The letter is likely to be printed in the part of ______ in a magazine.
| A．“Baby’s world” | B．“Current news” |
| C．“Young parent center” | D．“Science and our life” |
Everyone makes mistakes in life, but for whales and dolphins, the “mistake” of landing on the shore costs the highest price---their lives.
People living along the coast of Australia and New Zealand have been shocked and saddened by the number of whales and dolphins that they have found on their beaches recently. Since November 28th, 96 whales and dolphins have died in Australia and 53 whales died in New Zealand. Although 20 whales were saved, some of these were not expected to live, as they were too weak to swim with the others back to sea.
Bob Brown, leader of Australia’s Green party, said the mass beaching was caused by the recent “sound bombing” of the ocean floor between the two countries. This is a method of testing for oil and gas reserves (储藏量).
But mass beaching of whales has long puzzled scientists. Typically most members of the stranded (搁浅) group will appear to be perfectly healthy. “Some researchers believe that close relationship within the group causes the problem, if one gets into trouble, the others will not leave” said Shery Gibney, a leading biologist in New Zealand. “Some will come in and try and assist it; if they get trapped on the beach, then more will come.”
Another common theory is that the whales’ navigation (导航) system are thought to break down in some way. It has been said that whales follow electromagnetic (电磁的) patterns in the sea-bed. The whales can get confused because these patterns sometimes change. That would be a bit like a new roundabout (环状交叉路) being built on a road you were used to driving on. You might be confused for a minute when you come to it for the first time, and you might even take a wrong turning before getting back on your route.
A different idea is that when whales chase fish for food they end up in shallow waters because 
they are not paying attention to where they are going.
And yet, from time to time a group will swim on purpose into shallow waters and end up on the beach, where they die. If returned to the sea, some whales often show great determination in restraining themselves.
67. ________ whales and dolphins would probably die in this mass beaching along the coast of Australia and New Zealand.
A. Less than 100 B. Less than 150 C. More than 150 D. 149
68. Which of the following can be used to explain the term “sound bombing”?
A. The terrible sound that is caused in the war between two countries.
B. Human activities that aim to explore the ocean floor.
C. The loud sound that whales and dolphins make.
D. The earthquakes that happen on the ocean floor.
69. Which of the following couldn’t probably lead to the mass beaching of whales?
A. A change in the electromagnetic patterns t
hat whales follow.
B. New roundabout being built on a road.
C.
Their full attention to the search for food.
D. Exploiting natural resources in oceans.
70. The passage is mainly about _______.
A. that whales and dolphins may make mistakes as well as human beings
B. how scientists have found the reasons for the mass beaching of whales
C. how human beings make use of the ocean resources
D. why the mass beaching of whales happens
Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you’re looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially spoken English.
Here are some ads about English language training from newspapers. You may find the information you need.
Global English Center
﹡General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading and
writing.
﹡3-month (700yuan), 6-month (1,200yuan) and one year (2,000yuan) courses.
﹡Choice of morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day, Mon.---Fri.
﹡Experienced college English teachers.
﹡close to city center and bus stop.
Tel: 67605272 Add: 105 Zhongshan Road, 100082
Modern Language School
﹡Special courses in English for business, travel, banking, hotel management and office skills.
﹡Small classes (12-16 students) on Sat. & Sun. from 2:00p.m.---5:00p.m.
﹡Native English teachers from Canada and USA.
﹡Language lab and comp
uter supplies.
﹡3-month course: 1,050 yuan.
﹡6-month course: 1,850 yuan.
Write or phone: Modern Language School, 675 Park Road, 100056
Tel: 67353019
The 21st Century English Training Center
﹡We specialize (专门研究) in effective teaching at all levels.
﹡We offer morning or afternoon classes, both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan.
﹡We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holiday.
﹡Entrance exams: June 1 and December 1.
﹡Only 15-minute walk from city center.
Call 67801642 for more information.
The International House of English
﹡Three/ Six-month English courses for students of all levels at a very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient class hours: 9:00a.m. –12:00a.m. and 2:00p.m.—5:00p.m.
﹡A four-month evening programme for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).
﹡Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as a second/ foreign language.
﹡Free sightseeing and social activities.
For further information call 57432308.
63. You work from 9:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. every day. Which school will you choose?
A. Global English Center and Modern Languange School.
B. Global English Center and the International House.
C. Modern Languange School and the 21st Century.
D. The 21st Century and the International House.
64. The 21st Century’s difference from the other three schools is that ________ .
A. its teaching quality is better
B. it is nearest to the city center
C. its courses are more advanced
D. it requires an entrance examination
65. You will probably prefer to go to the International House because it ________ .
A. offers sightseeing and social activities
B. has a special course in spoken English
C. costs less than the other schools
D. has native English teachers
66. Modern Language School runs only _______ .
A. big classes B. special classes C. normal classes D. small classes
A Battery’s Nightmare
Portable electronics that can be carried about easily are only as good as their batteries (电池) and, let’s face it, batteries aren’t very good, especially when compared with, say, petrol, which packs 100 times a battery’s energy into an equal space. That’s why a large group of mechanical engineers (centered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but with partners at other universities and companies) are hard at work in an effort to replace batteries with a tiny engine that runs on fuel. Imagine a battery-free life! When the fuel runs out in your mobile phone, you just fill up and go.
The engine---about the size of a ten-cent coin---starts with a combustion chamber (燃烧室) that burns hydrogen. Its tiny parts are etched (蚀刻) onto silicon wafers (硅片) in the same manner that computer parts are etched onto integrated circuits (集成电路). The first engine is made up of five wafers. And since these wafers could be produced in much the same way as computer chips, they could probably be produced quite cheaply.
But the devil in all this nice detail is efficiency. Tiny engine parts don’t always behave like the bigger parts of the first engine. Something between the parts can slow down the works, according to Columbia University Professor LucFrechette, one of the engine’s designers. Extreme heat from the combustion chamber is also a problem, often leaking to other parts of the engine.
The scientists’ goal is to create an engine that will operate 10 times better than batteries operate. Frechette says that a complete system, with all parts in place and working, will be set up in the next couple of years, but commercial models aren’t likely until at least the end of the next ten years.
60. According to the passage, the title suggests that _______ .
A. batteries should be greatly improved
B. petrol will be used instead of batteries
C. the time of batteries will be gone forever
D. pollution problems caused by batteries must be solved
61. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “devil” in paragraph 3?
A. Problem B. Advantage C. Invention D. Technique
62. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The new invention doesn’t need any fuel.
B. The new engine has been produced in large quantities.
C. The new invention is much cheaper than the battery.
D. The new engine needs to be improved before it’s on sale.
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