Sharpen your axe (斧头)
A young man approached the foreman (工头)of a logging crew and asked for a job.
“That ” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you fell this tree.”
The young man stepped forward and skillfully a great tree. , the foreman exclaimed, “You can start Monday.”
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and on Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your on the way out today.” , the young man replied, “I thought you paid on Friday.”
“ we do,” said the foreman. “But we’re letting you go today because you’ve . Our daily felling charts show that you’ve from first place on Monday to last place today.”
“But I’m a worker,” the young man objected. “I arrive first, leave last, and have worked through my coffee breaks!”
The foreman, the young man’s honesty, thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you ____ your axe?”
The young man replied, “No, sir, I’ve been working too hard to take time for !”
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so that we don’t take time to sharpen the axe. In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to sharp?
There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we all need time to , to think and meditate(谋划), to learn and . If we don’t take time to sharpen the axe, we will become and lose our effectiveness.
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D
One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes. Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain. Later, when the pottoes were harvested, Everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost. Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open. The following year was the same. And year after year, whoever had business in the field aways had Nancy’s ring in his mind.
Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins. So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed. Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses. Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring, and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in. At this time, when he came there, he found it .He picked it up, put it carefully into his pocket, left his horse, and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy’s hand.
76.How did Nancy come to lose her ring?
A.She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field
B.She lost it while watering the plants in the field.
C.She lost it while working in the field.
D.She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field.
77.What was done so that the lost ring could be found?
A.Friends were asked to join in the search.
B.The field was searched for a long time.
C.Ｄogs were called to look for it.
D.Both A and B
78.Why did people keep looking for the ring even after the farm changed hands?
A.It was a very expensive ring
B.
They all wanted to solve the mystery.
C.They all loved Nancy.
D.Everybody wanted to have this ring.
79.What did the ploughman do after finding the ring?
A.He picked it up and put it in his pocket.
B.He ran back to tell everybody in the village.
C.He placed it in a secret spot.
D.He returned it to the owner.
80.What can you infer from the story?
A.The ring was invaluable.
B.People on the farm were honest and helpful.
C.The ring’s mysterious disappearance was the work of supernatural power.
D.Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again.
C
The first newspaper were handwritten sheets which were posted in pubic places. The earliest recorded newspaper was started in Rom in 59 BC. In the 700’s the world’s first printed newspaper was developed in China. The paper was printed from carved(雕刻的) wooden blocks and sent out among the citizens. Europe didn’t have a regularly(定期的) published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The fist regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published weekly. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant, which didn’t appear until March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But the local(当地的) government soon stopped its publication. In 1704, John Campbell started The Boston News-letter, the first newspaper to be published daily in America. By 1760, the whole America had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1
800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation(发行量) in the world. The largest circulation for a newspaper, however, is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, which sells over eleven million copies every day.
71.In Europe, the newspaper was first regularly published_____.
A.in England B.in Germany C.in France D.in London
72.The first English newspaper printed and sold every day appeared _________.
A.in 1620 B.in 1609
C.at the end of the 17th century D.at the beginning of the 18th century.
73.How many years earlier was the newspaper printed in China than in America?
A.9 or 10 centuries. B.More than 1000 years. C.700 years or so D.Less than 800 years.
74.As suggested by the article, which of the
following newspapers have the largest umber of readers in the world?
A.Italian language newspapers. B.German language newspapers.
C.English language newspapers. D.Japanese language newspapers.
75.Which title best gives the main idea of the passage?
A.The World’s First Newspaper.
B.History of Newspaper.
C.The First Daily Newspaper in American.
D.A Remarkable Man-Benjamin Harris.
B
Everybody knows that words can carry messages. People communicate with words. Books, magazines, TV ， radio and films all help us to know what is going on in the world and what people are thinking about.
Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your fac
e shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you put up your hand in class, the teacher knows that you say something or ask a question. You shake your head, and people know you are saying “No”. You nod and people know you are saying “Yes”.
Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed there are a lot of signs around you and you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many ways without words. For example, an artist can use his drawings to tell about beautiful mountains, seas and many other things.
66.Choose the best title for this passage.
A.Ways for Communication.
B.The Best Way for Communication.
C.The Only Way for Communication.
D.Words Can Carry Messages.
67.How can people communicate with each other?
A.With words only
B.Only without words.
C.Either with words or without words.
D.Just by using different kinds of signs.
68.Which of the following is NOT a way for communication without words?
A.A cry for help B.A smile on your face C.Making a face D.Nodding your head
69.What does the road sign P tell people?
A.You can go into the park. B.You can please everybody.
C.You can leave your car there. D.You can cross the street there.
70.How can a musician (someone who writes music) communicate with people?
A.By saying something. B.By playing some music.
C.By writhing letters. D.All of the above are right.
IV、阅读理解（共40分）
A
Hunting with birds is a very old sport. In some countries the golden eagle is used for hunting wild animals. They are used for hunting foxes and wolves.
Training an eagle to hunt takes a long time. Hunters catch young eagles in nets made of hair. After being trained the eagle is taken to a field. A blindfold over the bird’s eyes keeps it quiet until 
the hunter is ready.
The eagle sits in the arm of the hunter. The hunter’s arm is covered with a long, special glove to protect it from the sharp claws of the bird. In the field, as soon as the hunter sees a fox or a wolf, he removes the blindfold. The eagle quickly flies into the air and began to look for the wild animal.
The eagle sees the animal and catches it with claws like steel. Its beak and claws are strong enough to hold the animal. Usually, the bird carries the animal back to the hunter. Sometimes fast animals with good eyes can get away.
61.A hunting eagle is trained when_________.
A.it is still young B.it is taken to a field
C.its eyes are covered with a blindfold D.the hunter is ready
62.Hunters use nets made of hair to ________.
A.train young foxes B.catch young wolves C.train young eagles D.catch young eagles
63.The trained eagle_______.
A.carries the hunter home
B.wears a blindfold when hunting an animal
C.is covered with a long, special glove
D.has strong claws like steel
64.A hunter wears a special glove to _______.
A.protect his arm from the sharp claws of a trained eagle
B.protect his arm from the sharp claws of a young fox
C.protect his arm from the sharp claws of a young wolf
D.protect his arm from the sharp claws of wild animals
65.According to the text, which of the following is true?
A.Fast animals with sharp eyes are sometimes difficult to catch
B.As soon as the blindfold is removed, the eagle flies into a tree
C.Hunters always blindfold young eagles before training them.
D.Sometimes hunters train young foxes they have caught.
( D )
In Western countries people have been using the installment plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U. S., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is, however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression. This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.
56. Which of the following is NOT true about the installment plan?
A. A lot of British families use the installment plan.
B. More than 10 percent American families buy things on installments.
C. Americans depend more on installment than British people do.
D. Americans spend one tenth of their income on installment buying.
57. Goods bought on installments are more expensive than goods bought by cash because ______.
A. the buyer has to pay extra money as interest
B. the delivery of the goods charges extra money
C. the buyer has to pay a down payment
D. the service offered by installment plan charged extra money
58. What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments?
A. He might lose his job.
B. He will stop owning the item he has bought.
C. He will have to sell what he has bought.
D. He will go into debt.
59. The advantage of installment buying might include all the following EXCEPT that ________.
A. purchasing power is strengthened
B. employment might be increased
C. people develop a good habit of saving money
D. young couples are able to furnish their homes
60. In some countries, the governments control the installment plan to ________.
A. increase employment
B. avoid depressions
C. ensure that businesses make good profits
D. ensure that people can pay for what hey buy
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