Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world in his own back yard. He sold the stone to a diamond dealer for over three hundred thousand dollars. In New York, the diamond was resold. This time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars. The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It’s easy to understand why the owner of the Joker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew, Kaplan. The cutter studied the diamond for twelve whole months.
When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw (瑕疵). He had to begin with his calculations (计算) all over again, or he might have made the stone useless. Six more months passed, and Kaplan finally said to the owner, “I am ready to start my work. There will be one excellent diamond that will be comparable to any in the world, plus eleven small diamonds of first-class quality.” Kaplan waited a few more days until he felt he was in the best physical and mental (精神的) condition possible. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first
blow. The diamond split (切开) exactly as he promised.Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world _______.
| A．in a minute | B．at the foot of a big mountain |
| C．in his own backyard | D．in a garage |
A diamond dealer is a person _______,
| A．in the diamond business | B．who stores diamonds |
| C．who cuts diamonds | D．who sells diamonds |
When the diamond was resold, _______.
| A．the dealer lost a lot of money |
| B．Joker made some more money |
| C．the dealer got 800,000 dollars |
| D．Kaplan got 800,000 dollars |
The owner of the diamond thought that if the diamond was cut successfully it might be worth _______.
| A．$300,000 | B．$500, 000 |
| C．$300, 000,000 | D．$800, 000, 000 |
Kaplan studied the diamond for _______.
| A．one and a half years | B．more than half a year |
| C．over eighteen months | D．more than nineteen months |
Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paper books (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．TV programs are a main provider of knowledge |
| B．cinemas are the best choice in getting information |
| C．reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun |
| D．newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself |
What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?
| A．People only need reading, though. | B．Reading is still necessary today. |
| C．Reading is more fun than television. | D．Watching television doesn’t help reading. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Fewer and fewer people will buy books. |
| B．A good dictionary should be kept in every home. |
| C．Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks. |
| D．More people like TV programs about famous men. |
People living in the UK take quite a few holidays abroad and in this country each year．Choices made about where to go, how to get there and what to do while there can either benefit or harm the environment．
While on holiday
Many of the things you can do to he greener on holiday will be the same things you can do at home—but there arc also sonic extra things too, like avoiding gifts made from endangered plants and animals．Here are some suggestions:
●Making the most of locally produced food and drink, and local activities and attractions will support people in the area you are visiting and reduce the need for further environmental influence from transport;
●Switching off any air conditioning, heating and lights will help reduce climate change effect;
●Save water—some countries suffer from water shortages and saving water can help avoid damage to our natural habitats （栖息地）.
Endangered species （物种）
Some gifts and foods available in some countries can be made from endangered plants or animals．Check before you buy, but if you doubt, avoid animal and plant gifts．More details of the types of products to avoid and illegal trade hotspots can be found on the Souvenir Alert webpage．
Making a positive contribution to the place you are visiting
There are ways in which your holiday can help support local people and the environment;
●There are many opportunities to volunteer and help with projects that conserve and improve natural habitats;
●When you are away, or if you are looking for somewhere to visit, you can support projects or attractions which protect wildlife, such as nature reserves and conservation projects．According to the passage, we can ____ to help reduce climate change effect.
| A．make good use of water | B．buy local food and drink |
| C．save electricity | D．go around on foot |
We can infer from the passage that ____．
| A．it is not easy for people to travel abroad |
| B．not everyone can tell an illegal souvenir |
| C．green holidays have been accepted by people |
| D．volunteer work is a must for protecting natural habitats |
The passage is mainly about _________
| A．travel dos and don'ts | B．the harm done to the environment |
| C．greener choices for holiday | D．tips on protecting endangered species |
Before I started school, people felt that I was not going to be successful．At the age of four I started speech lessons because basically I could not speak well enough for anyone to understand me．The story goes downhill from here．
The first grade was a struggle．I not only had difficulty speaking, but also felt nervous about the fact that I was expected to learn to read and I just couldn't do it．The second grade was not much better．I still struggled with the inability to read．It was in the third grade that the school district built a new school close to my home．I remember going there with my parents and helping to get the school ready so that we could move to the new one．However, things were still not much better as far as my schooling was concerned and did not get better for the next two years．
It was in the fifth grade．Mrs．Wakefield was my teacher, and if ever there was a teacher that deserved a gold star, it was her．She did not make me feel defeated．On the contrary, she did her best to let me know that I could be whatever I wanted to be．And that is just what I did．
For the past 22 years, I have been a fifth grade teacher．Because of Mrs．Wakefield's influence on my life, I am now encouraging students who have had difficulties in their lives to believe that they can overcome any difficulty and become someone．I have won numerous awards up to now, such as Teacher of the Year．I owe it all to one fifth grade teacher who believed in me and challenged me to be all that I could be．The writer ______ when he was in the third grade．
| A．did better in reading | B．began speech lessons |
| C．went to a new school | D．received a high award |
We can learn from the passage that the writer ______．
A. is a very successful teacher now
B. thinks teaching is a challenging job
C, has solved problems with his own effort
D. works in the same school with Mrs. WakefieldWhat is the writer's purpose in writing the passage?
| A．To express his devotion to his work． |
| B．To show his respect to a special teacher． |
| C．To share his leaching experience with us． |
| D．To tell us his story of overcoming difficulties． |
_____ Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.
The ridge （隆起） structure on a person's fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one, which bears a reproduction of the original pattern. Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.
Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer's ink. They can be recorded easily.
______ Because of the simplicity and economy of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. ___
___ .
When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. ______ . Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.
| A．Special techniques are used to "develop" them. |
| B．A fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges of all part of the finger. |
| C．It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed. |
| D．With special methods, identification can be achieved successfully within a short time. |
E. A latent(隐约的)print is the chance reproduction of the friction ridges deposited on the surface of an item.
F. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.
G. Every human being has a unique arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable.
Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so, but selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African-American woman they so rarely see.
Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing(普通的)theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype(陈规)of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic mothers.
These images have helped define the way all women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simple to be herself.
It won’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.
Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs have written about what they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House—mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone—an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise (沉着), confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around for far too long. Why does Michelle Obama hold a strong fascination for the author?
| A．She serves as a role model for African women. |
| B．She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady. |
| C．She will present to the world a new image of African-American women. |
| D．She will pay closer attention to the interests of African-American women. |
What is the common stereotype of African-American women according to the author?
| A．They are victims of violence. | B．They are of an inferior violence. |
| C．They use quite a lot of body language. | D．They live on charity and social welfare. |
What do many African-Americans write about in their blogs?
| A．Whether Michelle can live up to the high expectations of her fans. |
| B．How Michelle should behave as a public figure. |
| C．How proud they are to have a black woman in the White House. |
| D．What Michelle should do as wife and mother in the White House. |
What do many African-American women hope Michelle Obama will do?
| A．Help change the prevailing view about black women. |
| B．Help her husband in the task of changing America. |
| C．Outshine previous First Lady. |
| D．Fully display her fine qualities. |
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