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 |
Henry Ford was the first person to build cars which were cheap，strong and fast．He was able to sell millions of models because be could produce them in large numbers at a time；that is，he made a great many cars of exactly the same kind．Ford’s father hoped that his son would become a farmer，but the young man did not like the idea and he went to Detroit（底特律）where he worked as a mechanic（机械师）．By the age of 29，in 1892，he had built his first car．However，the car made in this way，the famous “Model T” did not appear until 1908-five years after Ford had started his great motor car factory．This car showed to be well-known that it remained unchanged for twenty years．Since Ford’s time，this way of producing cars in large numbers has become common in industry and has reduced the price of many goods which would otherwise be very expensive． Henry Ford was the man to built _____ cars．
| A．cheap and strong | B．cheap and long |
| C．fast and expensive | D．strong and slow |
Ford was able to sell millions of cars，because_____．
| A．he made many great cars |
| B．his cars are many |
| C．he made lots of cars of the same kind |
| D．both A and B |
The young man became a mechanic，_______．
| A．which was his father’s will |
| B．which was against his own will |
| C．which was against his father’s will |
| D．which was the will of both |
The “Model T” was very famous_____．
| A．before 1908 | B．between 1982 and 1908 |
| C．before 1892 | D．after 1908 |
Ford built his own car factory______
| A．in 1903 | B．in 1908 | C．in 1913 | D．in 1897 |
When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.
Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported (出口) to other countries like America and Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.
Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.
Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate (单独的) schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．How Columbus found Costa Rica. |
| B．How Costa Rica got its name. |
| C．What the Costa Ricans wore. |
| D．What language the Costa Ricans spoke. |
The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.
| A．pink and red | B．grey and black |
| C．blue and green | D．yellow and orange |
In Costa Rica, boys and girls between seven and fourteen ______.
| A．must go to school |
| B．study in the same school |
| C．do not have to go to school at all |
| D．can choose to stop schooling at any time |
From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.
| A．have lessons every day |
| B．have their examinations |
| C．help their parents pick coffee beans |
| D．help their parents decorate their houses |
This passage is mainly about ______.
| A．Christopher Columbus |
| B．Costa Rica |
| C．some products from Costa Rica |
| D．the education of Costa Rica |
Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph
. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time! The text is mainly about ________.
| A．a strange man |
| B．an unusual party |
| C．how the roller skating began |
| D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.
| A．often gave others surprises | B．was a gifted musician |
| C．invented the roller skates | D．was full of imagination |
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .
| A．impress the party guests | B．arrive at the party sooner |
| C．test his invention | D．show his skill in walking on wheels |
What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
| A．The roller skates needed further improvement. |
| B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool. |
| C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation. |
| D．Merlin got himself into trouble. |
The idea of skating______
| A．existed in 1750 | B． existed after 1750 |
| C．existed before 1750 | D． didn’t exist before 1750 |
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not merely teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important. Generally speaking, children’s skills __________.
| A．come from their parents |
| B．have nothing to do with their education |
| C．may be different from child to child |
| D．have something to do with their marks in the exams |
The writer of this passage does not seem to be satisfied with_______.
| A．the parents’ ideas of educating their children |
| B．the education system |
| C．children’s skills |
| D．children’s hobbies |
Doing some cooking at home helps children_________.
| A．learn how to serve their parents |
| B．learn how to become strong and fat |
| C．benefit from it and prepare themselves for the future |
| D．make their parents believe that they are clever |
According to the passage, which of the following is True?
| A．Chinese are not very generous on educating their children. |
| B．All Parents know how to teach their children well. |
| C．Teaching a child to cook can improve the skills that he will need in the future. |
| D．Poor parents cannot buy a computer for their children. |
Cooking_____
A demands patience B demands time.
C. is an enjoyable but difficult experience.
D.above all
It was a dark and cold night. The car driver didn’t have even one passenger all day. When he went by the railway station, he saw a young man coming out with two bags in his hands. So he quickly opened the door of the car and asked, “Where do you want to go, sir?”
“To the Star Hotel,” the young man answered. When the car driver heard that, he didn’t feel happy. The young man would give him only three dollars because the hotel was not far from the railway station. But suddenly, he had an idea. He took the passenger through many streets of the big city.
After a long time, the car finally arrived at the hotel. “You should pay me fifteen dollars,” the car driver said to the young man. “What! Fifteen dollars? Do you think I’m a fool? Only last week I took a car from the railway station to this same hotel and I only gave the driver thirteen dollars. I know how much I have to pay for the trip. I won’t pay you one dollar more than I paid to the other car driver last week.” Which of the following is true? ____________
| A．The young man went past the railway station. |
| B．The young man was working in the railway station |
| C．The young man had just got off a train. |
| D．The young man was waiting for his friend there. |
What do you think of the car driver?__________
| A．He was a nice and clever man. | B．He liked to work very hard. |
| C．He was good at driving | D．He was not an honest person. |
The driver felt very _________ when he saw the young man coming out of the railway station.
| A．sad | B．sorry | C．happy | D．worried |
From the passage we know that the young man__________.
| A．knew clearly how far it was from the station to the hotel. |
| B．had been to the hotel several times. |
| C．didn’t want to stay in this city. |
| D．Must be a stranger and didn’t know the city very well. |
The young man should have paid the driver_____
A 15 dollars B.13dollars C.3 dollars D. 8dollars
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