My son and I were trying to sell the house we had repaired, but in the barn（谷仓）there were bats and they would not leave. The barn was their home. They told us so in their own way they hung for the season. “Don’t worry about it, Dad.” Patrick said. “They keep down the mosquitoes（蚊子）.”
Unfortunately they also kept the buyers away. When we had asked a person to sell the house for us he had refused to show it because of the bats. “Bats are popular,” Patrick comforted me. “They are ecological.” “Isn’t there a machine you can buy that produces high-frequency sounds to keep bats away?” “ I don’t know,” said Patrick. “But I like bats, and whoever buys this house will probably like them too.’ “Probably?” I hated that word. “How many bats are there, anyway?” “I counted about 90 last night,” said Patrick. “They were dropping out from under the edge of the roof.” “You mean there are more------outside?” “They’re everywhere, Dad. But look at it this way. When the cold weather comes, they’ll be off to Mexico. Maybe in the spring we can keep them out. Don’t worry about it,” he said for the
the hundredth time. “It’s not a problem.”
The bat expert I called was even more active than Patrick. “I think you’ve got a large number there,” he said in wonder. “I’ve been trying to attract bats to our house for 25 years. A single bat ears up his weight in mosquitoes and black flies three times every night. You’ve a very lucky man.” I offered to share my luck with him. He could take them away. “Bats have a remarkable homing instinct（本能）,” he said. “They’d fly straight back even if I transported them 100 miles. Once they have settled, you can’t stop them from coming back.” I was silent.
Finally we managed to rent the house to a young family, who were also interested in buying it. “What about the bats?” I said to Patrick. “Oh, they love the bats,” he said. “No mosquitoes. No black flies. It’s one of the things that attracted them.” “Do you think they will really buy the house?” “Probably? Well, if they do, I suppose I’ll have to admit that I was wrong.” “You mean you’re going to eat your words?”
“Yes. I am.”What was the problem the author had with his house?
| A．Bats were living in the barn and wouldn’t go away. |
| B．The author and his son couldn’t sleep well because of the bats |
| C．The author and his son might be able to stay for the season. |
| D．The house was still badly in need of repair. |
What did Patrick suggest the author should do to stop the bats living in the barn?
| A．Buy a high-frequency machine. |
| B．Close the barn in the spring. |
| C．Reduce the number of mosquitoes. |
| D．Move them one hundred miles away. |
What happened to the house in the end?
| A．Some people agreed to rent the house. |
| B．The author failed to find anybody who wanted to live in the house |
| C．The bat expert made the decision to buy the house. |
| D．The bats left the house for Mexico in the spring. |
Why did the author think he might have to “eat his words”?
| A．He felt sorry for the bats. |
| B．He was happy about selling the house. |
| C．He realized they might be wrong about the bats’ actions |
| D．He might be mistaken about being unable to sell the house. |
When Ben delivered milk to my home one morning before Christmas，he wasn’t his usual sunny self. He told me a customer had left without paying the bill，$79，nor leaving her new address. So it meant that he had to cover the loss.
“She was a pretty woman，”he said， “with six children and another on the way. She was always saying. ‘I’m going to pay you soon when my husband gets a second job.’ I believed her，but she left. Isn’t it annoying?”
“Give her the milk. Make it a Christmas present to the kids who need it.” I said.
The holidays came and went. On a sunny January morning two weeks later，Ben was rushing to deliver milk when he saw a woman running down the street，waving money. He recognized her immediately--the woman who didn’t pay her bill.
“I’m so sorry.” she said. “I really have been meaning to pay you.”
She explained that her husband had come home one night and announced he' d found cheaper apartment. He' d also got a new job. With all that happened, she' d forgotten to leave the new address. “But I've been saving,” she said. “Here's $20 toward the bill.
“That' s all right,” Ben replied. “It's been paid.”
“Paid!” she exclaimed (惊叫). “What do you mean? Who paid it?”
“I did,” Ben said, “It went to the children as a Christmas present!”Ben was upset one morning because _______.
| A．a customer left without paying the bill |
| B．he lost $ 79 on the way of the delivery |
| C．he had to buy a present for the children |
| D．he was going to lose his job |
The author helped Ben by offering him _______.
| A．a Christmas present | B．the debtor' s new address |
| C．some money to cover the loss | D．a suggestion to cheer him up |
We can probably infer from the passage that the woman _______.
| A．cheated to raise her children | B．moved to escape paying back the debts |
| C．was a person with honesty | D．wanted to give her children a Christmas gift |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．An Unhappy Christmas | B．An Unusual Present |
| C．A Poor Couple's Life | D．A Helpful Customer |
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime (消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits. According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A．Those who often take exercise. |
| B．Those who often watch television. |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because _______.
| A．their parents often cook meals for them |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play |
| C．they can't choose what to eat |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around |
The main purpose of the text is to _________.
| A．tell a story | B．provide facts |
| C．give advice | D．compare opinions |
It may help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech. At some point in every speech, every speaker says something that is not understood exactly as he has planned. Fortunately, the moments are usually not obvious (明显的) to the listeners. Why? Because the listeners do not know what the speaker plans to say. They hear only what the speaker does say. If you lose your place for a moment, wrongly change the order of a couple of sentences, or forget to pause at a certain point, no one will be any the wiser. When such moments occur, don’t worry about them. Just continue as if nothing happened.
Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech, that doesn’t really matter. If you have ever listened to Martin Luther King’s famous speech — “I Have a dream”, you may notice that he stumbles (结巴) his words twice during the speech. Most likely, however, you don’t remember. Why? Because you were fixing your attention on his message rather than on his way of speech-making.
People care a lot about making a mistake in a speech because they regard speech–making as a kind of performance rather than as an act of communication (交流). They feel the listeners are like judges in an ice-skating competition. But, in fact, the listeners are not looking for a perfect performance. They are looking for a well-thought-out speech that expresses the speaker’s ideas clearly and directly. Sometimes a mistake or two can actually increase a speaker’s attractiveness by making him more human.
As you work on your speech, don’t worry about being perfect. Once you free your mind of this, you will find it much easier to give your speech freely. The underlined part in the first paragraph means that no one will ______.
| A．be smarter than you | B．notice your mistakes |
| C．do better than you | D．know what you are talking about |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．giving a speech is like giving a performance |
| B．one or two mistakes in a speech may not be bad |
| C．the listeners should pay more attention to how a speech is made |
| D．the more mistakes a speaker makes, the more attractive he will be |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．How to Be a Perfect Speaker |
| B．How to Make a Perfect Speech |
| C．Don’t Expect a Perfect Speech |
| D．Don’t Expect Mistakes in a Speech |
Winter is dangerous for drivers because it is so difficult to know what is going to happen and accidents take place easily. Bad weather can be waiting to meet you. Ice might be hiding under the snow, waiting to send you off the road. The car coming towards you might suddenly move across the road. Here are two rules for driving safely on icy roads:
Rule Number One is to drive smoothly. Irregular movements can make a car very difficult to manage. So each time you turn the wheel, touch the brake or increase your speed, you must be as gently and slow as possible. Just imagine you are driving with a full cup of hot coffee on the seat next to you. You should drive carefully enough in order that you would not get the coffee out of the cup.
Rule Number Two is to pay attention to what might happen. The more ice there is, the farther you have to look down the road. Test how long it takes to stop by gently braking. Remember that you may be driving more quickly than you think. Generally speaking, allow double your normal stopping distance when the road is wet, three times this distance on snow, and even more on ice. Try to stay in control of your car at all times, or you will get into trouble.Which of the following can be used to explain why driving in winter is very dangerous?
| A．People drive more gently and slowly. |
| B．People drive three times faster than usual. |
| C．Unexpected things may often take place. |
| D．Drivers usually have too much coffee. |
What is the main idea of Rule Number One?
| A．To increase the driving speed. |
| B．To drive smoothly on icy roads. |
| C．To manage your car irregularly. |
| D．To drive fast on snowy roads. |
Why does the writer want to take an example “a full cup of hot coffee” in Paragraph 2?
| A．Because drinks are necessary for drivers. |
| B．Because he wants to remind drivers to take a rest. |
| C．To enjoy the driving with a cup of coffee. |
| D．To explain the importance of careful and smooth driving. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Traffic Accidents. | B．Careless Driving. |
| C．Bad Weather. | D．Winter Driving. |
You know you have to read “between the lines” to get the most out of anything. I want to persuade you to do something equally important in the course of your reading. You have to “mark between the lines”. By marking you can make the most efficient kind of reading.
There are two ways in which one can own a book. The first is the property (财产) right you have by paying for it, just as you pay for clothes and furniture. While full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing marks on it.
Why is marking up a book indispensable to reading? First, it keeps you awake. Second, active reading is thinking, and thinking tends to express itself in words. Finally, marking helps you remember the thoughts you had, or the thoughts the author expressed.
Reading a book should be like making a conversation, a conversation between you and the author. Although he knows more about the subject than you do, don’t let anybody tell you that a reader is only on the receiving end. Understanding is a two-way operation. Reading doesn’t mean being a passive empty receiver, the reader has to question himself and question the author. And marking a book can show his own judgment on author’s opinion: agreement or difference.The author thinks “marking between the lines” is ______.
| A．the most important of all |
| B．more important than “reading between the lines” |
| C．as important as “reading between the lines” |
| D．not so important as “reading between the lines” |
“To own a book” in the most important sense means “______”.
| A．to absorb its content and make it a part of yourself |
| B．to have property right by paying for it |
| C．to write many words of sentences on it |
| D．to make a conversation with the author |
The underlined word “indispensable” most probably means “______”.
| A．troublesome | B．difficult | C．useless | D．necessary |
By saying “Understanding is a two-way operation” the author means_______.
| A．a reader will receive everything the book presents |
| B．the author should understand readers |
| C．a reader should have his own judgment of the author’s opinion |
| D．the author should help readers understand better |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．How to Own a Book | B．Mark Between the Lines |
| C．How to Understand Author | D．Read Between the Lines |
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