You are watching a film in which two men are having a fight. They hit one another hard. At the start they only fight with their fists. But soon they begin hitting one another over the heads with chairs. And so it goes on until one of the men crashes (撞击) through a wind and falls thirty feet to the ground below. He is dead！Of course he isn't really dead. With any luck he isn't even hurt. Why? Because the men who fall out of high windows or jump from fast moving trains, who crash cars or even catch fire, are professionals. They do this for a living. These men are called stuntmen. That is to say, they perform tricks. There are two sides to their work. They actually do most of the things you see on the screen. For example, they fall from a high building. However, they do not fall on to hard ground but on to empty cardboard boxes covered with a mattress (床垫). Again, when they hit one another with chairs, the chairs are made of soft wood and when they crash through windows, the glass is made of sugar! But although their work depends on trick of this sort, it also requires a high degree of skill and training. Often a stuntman' s success depends on careful timing. For example, when he is "blown up" in a battle scene, he has to jump out of the way of the explosion just at the right moment.
Naturally stuntmen are well paid for their work, but they lead dangerous lives. They often get seriously injured, and sometimes killed. A Norwegian stuntman, for example, skied over the edge of a cliff (悬崖) a thousand feet high. His parachute (降落伞) failed to open, and he was killed. In spite of all the risks, this is no longer a profession for men only. Men no longer dress up as women when actresses have to perform some dangerous action. For nowadays there are stuntgirls too.Stuntmen are those who ______.
| A．often dress up as actors |
| B．prefer to lead dangerous lives |
| C．often perform seemingly dangerous actions |
| D．often fight each other for their lives |
Stuntmen earn their living by ______.
| A．playing their dirty tricks |
| B．selling their special skills |
| C．jumping out of high windows |
| D．jumping from fast moving trains |
Which of the following is the main factor (因素) of a successful performance?
| A．Strength. | B．Exactness. |
| C．Speed. | D．Carefulness. |
What can be inferred from the author' s example of the Norwegian stuntman?
A.Sometimes an accident can occur to a stuntman.
B The percentage of serious accidents is high.
C. Parachutes must be of good quality.
D. The cliff is too high.
A single night of taking the drug Ecstasy (摇头丸) can cause serious brain damage and speed up the start of Parkinson’s disease, scientists say. Just two or three Ecstasy tablets can permanently destroy brain cells that affect movement and reasoning, according to American research that links the drug to Parkinson’s for the first time.
A study by a team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, involving squirrel monkeys and baboons (狒狒) found that both species suffered permanent damage to key cells, which are lost in Parkinson’s, after receiving three low doses（剂量）of Ecstasy at three-hour periods.
The study is particularly important because baboons are one of the best animal models for the human brain. George Ricaurte, who led the research, said that the widespread abuse of drug might have caused severe damage. “The most troubling result is that young adults using Ecstasy may be increasing their risk of developing Parkinsonism as they get older.”
Alan Leshner, a former director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, said, “This study emphasizes the multi-aspect damage that Ecstasy causes to users. We’ve long known that repeated use damages brain cells. But this study shows that even very occasional use can have long-lasting effects on many different brain systems. It sends an important message to young people: don’t experiment with your own brain.”
Janet Betts, a mother whose teenage daughter Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995, said, “This comes as no surprise. But people can’t see the effects at first, and they say it won’t happen to them. We’ll see the symptoms later, just as we have with s
moking.” The article is intended to ______.
| A．explain the bad effects of drugs on people’s health |
| B．warn young people of the risk of taking the drug Ecstasy |
| C．persuade people out of such bad habits as smoking and using drugs |
| D．tell us the links between the drug Ecstasy and Parkinson’s disease |
We know from the passage that a low dose of Ecstasy ______.
| A．won’t cause serious brain damage |
| B．can permanently destroy one’s brain cells |
| C．will result in immediate symptoms |
| D．may bring on Parkinson’s at once |
Why are squirrel monkeys and baboons involved in the experiments?
| A．Because their brain is similar to human being’s. |
| B．Because these animals usually take drugs. |
| C．Because these animals will soon get well after the experiment. |
D．Because there is a  model in the animals’ brains. |
The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph probably means that ______.
| A．Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995 |
| B．taking drug has the same symptoms as smoking |
| C．occasional use of the drug can have long-lasting effects on the brain systems |
D．people have long known that re peated use of the drug damages brain cells |
Two Chinese farmers who became an overnight sensation(轰动)when their heart-rendingversion of a famous pop song appeared on the Internet took to the stage in front of thousands offans in Shanghai last Saturday.
Wang Xu, 44，and Liu Gang, 29, sang “In the Spring" alongside the song's star composerWang Feng, in front of about 80,000 people at the Shanghai Stadium.
The audience buzzed with excitement and let out deafening cheers, the moment as theywere introduced on the stage and then when Liu started the first sentence of their parts 
of thesong.
The two migrant workers became stars after singing the tearjerker(催人泪下的）songduring an evening drinking session in a 6-square-meter rented room in a late August evening. Afriend recorded the performance on a cell phone and posted it on the Internet.
“If someday I am dead, please bury me in the spring," they sing. Wang's penetrating chorus,delivered with his eyes closed, has moved thousands to tears.
Wang and Liu consider the song a true portrait of lower-class groups like themselves."With no credit card, no girlfriend, or a home with hot water, but only a guitar, I am singinghappily, on streets, under bridges or in wild country, though nobody pays attention to themusic," they sing.
To support his wife and two sons, Wang came to Beijing in 2000 from the countryside andhas worked as a boiler man, and street peddler, before becoming a medical warehouse keeper,with a monthly pay of around 1,500 yuan. Little is left after he pays 600 yuan for rent and buysfood.
Liu came to Beijing in 2002. “I wanted to try my luck in the big city，，，he said. He hadworked as a guard, roadside peddler, and porter, but never had a stable job. Street performingwas his main income, even after he married and became a father three years ago.
Wang and Liu are still uncertain where their fame will lead. Wang has started learning touse a computer. They even have a microblog(微博）account to communicate with fans.Wang Xu and Liu Gang first became nationally known after______.
| A．they sang the song “In the Spring" with a star composer Wang Feng |
| B．the video of them singing “In the Spring" was posted on the Internet |
| C．they sang on streets and under bridges |
| D．they started their microblog |
People like Wang and Liu's version of “In the Spring" because ______ .
| A．they sang the song better than other singers |
| B．they were introduced to the public by the song writer himself |
| C．it was specially composed for them two |
| D．it is a heartfelt expression of the two singers as migrant workers |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．migrant workers' conditions will be improved soon |
| B．they will learn to write songs on computers |
C．a song showing people's real life and feeling s is more likely to be accepted |
| D．singers for migrant workers are more likely to become popular |
The best possible title for the passage is______.
| A．Internet Farmer Stars Make Stage Appearance |
| B．“In the Spring"—A Touching Song |
| C．A Successful Internet Performance |
| D．No Pains, No Gains |
It was about midday. I’d left work early in the morning to cash a cheque. I walked along to the bank, and found that there weren’t too many people about ten or eleven customers in there, which was pretty unusual for those central city banks.
I waited until it was my turn and just went up to the desk and started to talk to the bank clerk. He had a really strange expression
on his face -- just sort of blank stare at least I thought he was looking at me and then I realized he was staring over my shoulder.
I began to turn round to see what he was looking at. At the same moment the outside bank guard came flying through the door and lay face down on the floor and following him through the door were three frightening masked men. They were carrying guns; at least I think the one in front was carrying a gun. Whether or not they said anything at that point I can’t remember to this day, or whether people just automatically put their hands up I’ve just no idea.
For a few moments there was just total silence, suddenly broken by the telephone ringing and I remember thinking and wondering who was on the other end of the telephone. Nobody went to answer the telephone, so this thing just kept on ringing and ringing. Then two of the masked men went to the counter, jumped over it and got the cashiers and the bank clerks to start filling the bags with cash. While the two were getting the money, the one at the door who was covering us with the gun was a bit frightened. He started swearing at them, and telling them to hurry up, to get a move on. They jumped back over the counter. One of them slipp
ed as he landed on the floor and fell over and the other two swore at him again. They left through the door. Warning us, “Don’t move, stay like that with your hands up for ten minutes.” And then they just disappeared. Again back to total silence. People put their hands down, I put my hands down but I just stayed exactly where I was.What does the writer mean by saying “…a pretty unusual number for those central banks” in the first paragraph?
| A．More customers than usual were staying in the bank. |
| B．Less bank clerks than expected were in the bank. |
| C．There were often more than a dozen customers in the bank. |
| D．More banks should be open to serve customers in the city center. |
The bank clerk wore a blank expression on his face probably because ________.
| A．he was feeling upset at that moment |
| B．he felt puzzled and sensed something terrible |
| C．he was required to keep silence |
| D．he was threatened with a gun by robbers |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The customers didn’t wait in line but jumped the queue because of the confusion. |
| B．All the people in the bank except the writer put their hands up automatically. |
| C．Nobody answered the phone because all the clerks were busy with work. |
| D．the bank workers were forced to fill the robbers’ bags with cash. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．A Street Gang | B．A Strange Bank |
| C．A Bank Robbery | D．A Horrible Adventure |
No one is glad to hear that his body has to be cut open by a surgeon（外科医生） and part of it taken out． Today， however， we needn't worry about feeling pain during the operation． The sick person falls into a kind of sleep，and when he awakes，the operation is finished. But these happy conditions are fairly new．It is not many years since a man who had to have operation felt all its pain．
Long ago， operation had usually to be done while the sick man could feel everything． The sick man had to be held down(压制，控制) on a table by force while the doctors did their best for him． He could feel all the pain if his leg or arm was being cut off， and his fearful cries filled the room and the hearts of those who watched．
Soon after 1770, Josept Priestley discovered a gas which is now called “laughing gas”．Laughing gas became known in America．Young men and women went to parties to try it．Most of the
m spent their time laughing，but one man at a party，Horace Wells，noticed that people didn't seem to feel pain when they were using this gas．He decided to make an experiment on himself．He asked a friend to help him．
Wells took some of the gas，and his friend pulled out one of Well’s teeth．Wells felt no pain at all．
As he didn't know enough about laughing gas，he gave a man less gas than he should have. The man cried out with pain when his tooth was being pulled out．
Wells tried again，but this tim
e he gave too much of the gas，and the man died．Wells never forgot this terrible event． It is ＿＿＿＿ since a man being operated felt all the pain．
| A．a few more years | B．not long | C．few years | D．two thousand years |
Long ago，when the sick man was operated on, he ＿＿＿＿．
| A．could feel nothing | B．could not want anything |
| C．could feel all the pain | D．could do anything |
Using the laughing gas，the people did not seem to ＿＿＿＿．
| A．be afraid of anything | B．feel pain | C．want to go to the parties | D．be ill |
If a man took less laughing gas than he should have when an operation went on，he ＿．
| A．felt nothing | B．felt very comfortable | C．still felt pain | D．would die |
One who took too much of the laughing gas ＿＿＿．
| A．would laugh all the time | B．would die |
| C．would never feel pain | D．would be very calm |
Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of all the many colleges and universities in the United States. Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard.
In the early years, these schools were much alike(*similar).Only young men went to college. All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated(*毕业),most of them became ministers or teachers.
In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later, lawyers could receive their training in Harvard’s law school. In 1825, besides Latin and Greek, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German. Soon it began teaching American history.
As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them.
Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are made up of smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There’s so much to learn that one kind of school can’t offer it all.The oldest university in the US is _________.
| A．Yale | B．Harvard | C．Princeton | D．Columbia |
From the second paragraph, we can see that in the early years,______.
| A．those colleges and universities were the same |
| B．people, young or old, might study in the colleges |
| C．students studied only some languages and science |
| D．when the students finished their school, they became lawyers or teachers |
Modern languages the Harvard taught in 1825 were ________.
| A．Latin and Greek | B．Latin, Green, French and German |
| C．American history and German | D．French and German |
As knowledge increased, colleges began to teach_______.
| A．everything that was known | B．law and something about medicine |
| C．many new subjects | D．the subjects that interested students |
On the whole, the passage is about___________.
| A．how to start a university | B．the world-famous colleges in America |
| C．how colleges have changed | D．what kind of lesson each college teaches |
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