In the 18th century, New York was smaller than Philadelphia and Boston. Today it is the largest city in America. How can the change in its size and importance be explained?
To answer this question we must consider certain facts about geography, history, and economics. Together these three will explain the huge growth of America’s most famous city.
The map of the Northeast shows that the four areas with the largest populations in this region are around seaports. At these points materials from across the sea enter the United States, and the products of the land are sent there for export across the sea.
We know that places where transportation lines meet are good places for making raw materials into finished goods. That is why seaports often have cities nearby. But cities like New York needed more than their geographical location in order to become great industrial centers. Their development did not happen simply by chance.
About 1815, when many Americans from the east had already moved toward the west, transportation routes from the seaports to the central regions of the country began to be a serious problem. The slow wagons of that time, usually drawn by horses, were too expensive for moving heavy freight (货物) very far. In New York State a canal seemed the best answer to the transportation problem. From the eastern end of Lake Erie all the way across the state to the Hudson River there is a long strip of low land. Here the Erie Canal was built, and after several years of work it was completed in 1825.
The canal produced an immediate effect. Freight costs were cut to about one tenth of what they had been. New York City, which had been smaller than Philadelphia and Boston, quickly became the leading city of the coast. In the years that followed, transportation routes on the Great Lakes were joined to routes on the Mississippi River. Then New York City became the end point of a great inland shipping system that started from the Atlantic Ocean far up the western branches of the Mississippi.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Development of Transportation in New York |
| B．Export and Import of New York |
| C．How New York Became America's Largest City |
| D．How New York Exchanged with Europe |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The Erie Canal connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River. |
| B．Economists are of the opinion that places where farming is done are good for making raw materials into finished goods. |
| C．Wagons drawn by horses and oxen soon proved to be better and cheaper than canal transportation. |
| D．The seaports usually have less population but more business. |
Freight costs were reduced to 10% of what they had been because of ________.
| A．cheap and fast wagons | B．the new sea routes |
| C．the construction of the Erie Canal | D．the development of industry |
B
As a result of pollution, Lake Erie, on the borders of the USA and Canada, is now without any living things.
Pollution in water is not simply a matter of “poisons” killing large numbers of fish overnight, Very often the effects of pollution are not noticed for many months or years because the first organisms（生物体）to be affected are either plants or plankton(浮游生物). But these organisms are the food of fish and birds and other creatures. When this food disappears, the fish and birds die too. In this way a whole food chain can be wiped out, and it’s not until dead fish and water birds are seen at the river’s edge or on the seashore that people realize what is happening.
Where do the substances which pollute the water come from? There are two main sources of sewage（下水道污物）and industrial waste. As more detergent（洗涤剂）is used in the home, so more of it is finally put into our rivers, lakes and seas. Detergents harm water birds, dissolving the natural substances which keep their feathers water-proof (防水). Sewage itself, if not properly treated, makes the water dirty and prevents all forms of life in rivers and the sea from receiving the oxygen they need. Industrial waste is even more harmful as there are many highly poisonous things in it, such as copper and lead.
So, if we want to stop this pollution, the answer is simple: sewage and industrial waste must be made clear before flowing into the water. It may already be too late to save some rivers and lakes, but others can still be saved if the correct action is taken at once.
70. Pollution of water is noticed________.
A. when the first organisms are affected
B. when a good many fish and birds die
C. when poisonous things are poured into water
D. as soon as the balance of nature is destroyed
71.The living things die because there is no ________in the lake or river.
A. water B. fish C. poison D. oxygen
72. Which of the following is harmful according to the passage?
A. Organisms B. Plants and plankton in the water
C. Waste water from cleaning D. Industrial waste made clear before flowing into the water
73. The way to stop water pollution is to________.
A. realize the serious situation clearly
B. put oxygen into the river
C. make the waste material harmless before flowing into the water
D. make special room in the sea for our rubbish
Polly Townsend
PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A,B,C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage. (20%)
A
“Mummy, I don’t know what to play with. ” Steve interrupts his mother, who is talking to a friend, for the fourth time. “You’ve got a room full of toys!” his mother says, impatiently, In fact it is the jumble of toys which is to blame for four -year-old Steve's lack of interest in his dolls, cars and stuffed （packed）animals. Each morning he tips out three washing baskets of toys all over his floor, listlessly pulls out something and shortly after is standing at his mother’s desk or following her into the kitchen saying: “Mummy, I am bored.”
A family therapist（治疗专家）explains why children lose interest when they have a whole “toy shop” at home : “According to their brain development, little children are not in a position to judge the quality of a variety of things at once. There is always just one favorite toy for the moment. All the rest is left lying about.” What can parents do to stop their children from being oversupplied with toys? Under no conditions simply make something disappear without the child’s knowledge. If he/she takes no more notice of a toy, a parent can ask if it can be stored or given away. Be warned though the child will help. Lyn is the mother of four-year-old Jessie, and holds the toys and books that are the current（at present）favorites. When it seems to her that her daughter is tired from a cupboard in another room. The box of “old” toys goes into the cupboard. When her 
child says she is “bored”, they also get something from her cupboard—it may be something she has had for some time but because she hasn’t seen it for a while it is almost like a new toy.
Some favorite toys stay out all the time, and there is collection of dolls which sits in the comer, but in this way Lyn has found that she has fewer toys to put away at the end of the day and her daughter always has something “fresh” to play with.
66. Steve interrupted his mother several times because________.
A. he felt uninterested in his toys B. he disliked his mother’s guest
C. he didn't have enough toys to play with D. he hoped his mother would play with him
67. According to the therapist, children often complain that they have nothing, to play with because________.
A. they can’t play alone for a long time
B. they are too young to play with so many toys
C. they are too lazy to pick out their favorites
D. the
y lack the ability to value too many things at a time
68. Which of the following can be used in place of the underlined word “jumble ”？
A. Simple choice. B. Mixture in disorder.
C. Ordinary appearance. D. Same shape.
69. Which is the advice given to parents in the text?________.
A. Buy fewer toys for their children
B. Form good habits for their children
C. Spare some time to play with their children
D.Put some toys away without telling their children
D
On Anger
Doctors say anger can be an extremely harmful emotion, unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that angry feelings can lead to heart disease, stomach problem, headaches, emotional problems and possibly cancer.
Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time. Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger, losing control of themselves. But other people repress their anger. They cannot or will not express it.
For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person’s health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry, the brain releases the same hormones (激素) that are produced during tense situations. They speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, or sugar into the blood and narrow the blood vessels to the interstices (空隙). In general, the person feels excited and ready 
to act.
Doctors said that repressing these feelings only makes the feelings continue. And this can lead to many medical problems. Doctors thought a person could prevent these problems by letting the anger out by expressing it freely. But recently some doctors held a different view. They said that people who express anger repeatedly and violently did become, in fact, more and not less angry. They said this, too, can cause medical problems.
Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger strongly may be more likely to develop heart disease, and they believe that those 
who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
Doctors say the solution is learning how to deal with anger. They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger, then decide if the cause is serious, enough to get angry about. If it is, they say, “Do not express your anger while angry. Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably.”
69. Repressing anger was considered to be dangerous because of all the following EXCEPT that __________ .
A. the heart rate increases B. the blood pressure rises
C. the blood contains sugar D. some blood vessels become thinner
70. Which of the following is the more recent view about the expression of anger?
A. It is dangerous to express anger repeatedly or repress one’s anger.
B. One can avoid his medical problems by expressing his anger freely.
C. One’s heart rate will increase if his anger is repressed.
D. One is likely to suffer from high blood pressure in a fit of great anger.
71. When you get angry, which of the following should you do for the sake of health?
A. Repressing the anger. B. Expressing the anger.
C. Treating the anger properly. D. Learning how to make a deal.
72. What is the central topic of this passage about?
A. The different ways of dealing with anger.
B. The dangers of anger and the solution
C. New medical discoveries.
D. The argument between the new and old views about anger.
C
The journey two divers made some time ago to the deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be studied. The two men went down seven miles to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball to find out if there are any ocean currents(水流) or signs of life.
It was necessary to set out early, so that the ball would come to the surface in daylight, and be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it. The divers began preparations early in the morning and soon afterwards, when all was ready
, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water.
The divers felt as if they were going down steps as they passed through warm and cold layers (层) of water. In time the temperature dropped to the freezing point. They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone telling how they felt. Then, at a depth of 3,000 feet, the telephone stopped working and they were quite cut off from the outside world. All went well until some four hours later at 30,000 feet, the men were frightened by a loud, cracking noise. Even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death. Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that had broken. Soon afterwards, the ball touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of "dust" made up of small dead sea creatures. Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite untroubled by the great water pressure. But they did not dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from them made the water boil. Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the faint but clear voices of the divers were heard on the mother ship seven miles away. After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up, arriving three hours later, cold and wet through, but none was worse for their experience.
65. The purpose of the divers' journey to the deepest point on the earth was to find
A. if there are water currents, and life in the great depths
B. if people can stand the severe cold in the great depths
C. if there are steps in the great depths
D. if the telephone works well in the great depths
66. The divers set out early in the morning so that .
A. they could return to the surface during the day
B. they could see at the bottom of the ocean
C. they could avoid the cold at night
D. they could stay long at the bottom
67. As the divers went down to the ocean floor, the telephone .
A. kept working all the time
B. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again after they reached the bottom
C. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again at 30,000 feet
D. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again when they returned to the same depth
68. On the ocean floor, the divers found that .
A. there was no life but some small dead sea creatures
B. fish were swimming as freely as they do near the surface
C. fish were not swimming freely in the dark water
D. fish were not swimming freely under the high water pressure
B
I went over my grandmother’s house today and she didn’t have time for me. You see, the lady’s husband downstairs died and my Grandmother wanted to make some cookies for her. My grandmother did not analyze (分析) how the lady treated her, or if the lady needed any cookies, or even if the lady would like the cookies. She didn’t think how much the lady has done for her. She simply began baking.
My Grandmother turned 94 last week and this I believe is her secret to life. My grandmother is generous (慷慨) and hard-working in a way that is rare for our time. She lives by a simple belief: if someone needs your help, you help. Never mind all the analyzing and thinking whether the person deserves or appreciates the help. My grandmother doesn’t sit around thinking about who might be making use of her: she simply does what is needed.
At 94, she is busy in life. She is making a blanket for a new great grandchild, and worried that I don’t have enough kitchen towels for my home. She is bringing soup to a sick neighbor, and teaching the new wife of her cousin (who is 88) how to cook Italian food.
My grandmother had every right to give up, but she didn’t — and amazingly life did bring her good things, like a husband with twinkling blue eyes who was much ahead of his time and believed that men should do an equal amount of cooking and cleaning in the home, three beautiful children (my father and two aunts), 22 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. My grandmother is not afraid to give someone she barely knows a bowl of soup. She never keeps herself out of the world.
61. The reason why my grandmother made cookies for the lady downstairs is that ________.
A. she thought the lady was too busy
B. she would make them as thanks to her
C. she thought she 
should do something for the lady at the special time
D. they had had an agreement before
62. In the writer’s opinion, ________.
A. my grandmother has a secret way of living
B. my grandmother does everything on careful consideration
C. few people are as generous as my grandmother now
D. my grandmother will get something in return
63. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. My grandmother cares for her children even some strangers.
B. My grandfather does not treat women in an unfair way.
C. This is a family in which there are nearly 30 people now.
D. My grandmother never keeps everything for herself.
64. We may infer from the text that the writer ________.
A. thinks his grandmother is living a tired life
B. thinks his grandmother is doing what she should do
C. thinks his grandmother should not be so kind
D. is proud of his grandmother
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