The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe.
The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) wide.
There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into and no more water was brought to it by rivers. It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. On the average the water is a little more than 2 miles (3.2 km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This "deep" measures 30,246 feet --- almost six miles (9.6 km).
Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships. We now have such fast ways of travelling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!From the third paragraph, we can learn that ______ .
| A．the Atlantic will dry up in 4,000 years' time |
| B．no river flows into the Atlantic ocean |
| C．it's hard to imagine how much water there is in the Atlantic ocean |
| D．the Ocean floor is rather flat |
Suppose it's February 27th, 2000. You take a steamship to cross the Atlantic to North America, when will you probably get there?
| A．On March 2nd | B．On March 3rd |
| C．On February 28th | D．In eight hours' time |
What can you learn from the last paragraph of the passage ?
| A．The Atlantic has grown smaller than it used to be. |
| B．The Atlantic had grown wider than it used to be. |
| C．Fast ways of travelling make the ocean grow smaller. |
| D．Fast ways of travelling make the ocean seem to grow smaller. |
Pop music is the name for different forms of popular, commercial(商业) music. It had its beginning in the USA and spread throughout the whole world during the 1950s and 1960s. It is widely liked by the young people. The best known early form of pop music was “rock’ n’ roll”; another was “blues”. A more recent development is “folk-rock”. Pop music has taken the place of native music in many parts of the world; it has caused the number of people for jazz to become much smaller than it was in the 1950s and earlier, and it has now begun to rule musical stage productions. It’s a big industry. Much pop music is without artistic value, but the work of some pop singers, e.g. the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the groups like Floyd and Crosby, Stills and Nash, is on a higher musical level. And there is still a great interest in it today. Pop music concerts and festivals are held all over the world.All of the following forms belong to pop music EXCEPT __________________.
| A．blues | B．rock’ n ’roll | C．jazz | D．folk-rock |
According to the article, the number of people for jazz in the 1950s and earlier was ___________ it is today.
| A．much greater than | B．much smaller than | C．as great as | D．as small as |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．No pop music is on a high musical level. |
| B．Much pop music is very artistic. |
| C．Pop music is highly artistic. |
| D．Not all pop music is without artistic value. |
“It is a big industry” means that _______________.
A．it makes a lot of music al instruments (乐器) |
| B．it is a big musical and commercial business |
| C．the pop singers are very hard-working |
| D．pop music is on a very high musical level |
Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients(contents) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.
Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands th
at are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.
Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.All the following statements are true about the phrase “ordinary items” in Paragraph 2 EXCEPT __________.
| A．ordinary items never say “New and Improved” or “All Natural” |
| B．ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands |
| C．producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items |
| D．the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands |
What does the writer think about ads? __________
| A．They are believable. | B．They are attractive. |
| C．They are full of misinformation. | D．They are helpful to consumers. |
One of the author’s suggestions to consumers is __________.
| A．to make use of ads |
| B．not to buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural” |
| C．to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch |
| D．to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands |
The author implies that __________.
| A．going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy more than you plan to |
| B．the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively low |
| C．discount clothing stores are good places to go to |
| D．ads sometimes don’t tell the truth |
John Milton was born in 1606. his father expected him to enter the church of England, but Milton wanted to be a poet. At twenty-nine Milton set off for a travel on the continent. He traveled in France, Switzerland and Italy, winning the friendship of many artists and scientists, including Galileo, the famous Italian scientist who suffered for his discovery in prison. In 1639, he was planning to go on this journey when the news reached him of the break between the king and Parliament(国会). Milton returned to England immediately, and put himself into the struggle against the king, for which he had long been prepared. During the Civil war, Milton worked as the spokesman of the revolution. By the beginning of 1652, Milton had become completely blind, yet he didn’t stop fighting. After the Restoration(复辟), his books were burnt, and he himself avoided being killed because of his blindness.
John Milton was not only a brave revolutionary but also a great poet. His famous poem Paradise Lost(失乐园) was an immediate success. But, for its publication (being published), Milton received only 18 pounds.
He died in 1671.Milton set off for a travel on the continent here “continent” means ________.
| A．Asia | B．Europe | C．America | D．Africa |
It was ______ who was put in prison in Italy.
| A．Milton | B．the king | C．Galileo | D．Milton’s father |
Milton would have been killed if ________________.
| A．he had been the spokesman of the revolution |
| B．his books hadn’t been burnt |
| C．he hadn’t written the poem Paradise Lost |
| D．he hadn’t been completely blind |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
| A．John Milton was an ordinary poet, who wasn’t interested in politics. |
| B．John Milton spent many years traveling around the world. |
| C．John Milton wrote the poem Paradise Lost, which was liked by the King. |
| D．John Milton was a fearless revolutionary and a famous poet. |
Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station(加油站) about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, w
here I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend’s. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and the battery(电池) was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership—a shop selling cars—was right next door. I walked over and found 
two salesmen in the showroom.
“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?”I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.The underlined words“took off”in Paragraph 2 mean .
| A．turned off | B．moved off | C．put up | D．set up |
What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?
| A．He had it pulled back to the gas station. |
| B．The couple sent him a business card. |
| C．The couple offered to help him. |
| D．He called his friend for help. |
The battery of the author’s car was dead because .
| A．something went wrong with the lights |
| B．his meeting lasted a whole day |
C．he forgot to turn off  the lights |
| D．he drove too long a distance |
By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show .
| A．how to write a thank-you letter |
| B．how to deal with car problems |
| C．the kind-heartedness of older people |
| D．the importance of expressing thanks |
Saturday, March 24th
We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok. This is our first trip to Thailand. All the different smells make us want to try the food. We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight. The hotel we are staying in is cheap, and very clean. We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.
Tuesday, March 27th
Bangkok is wonderful and surprising! The places are interesting. We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables. Everything is so colorf
ul, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai. We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.
Friday, March 30th
Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring. We visited a small village in the mountains. The village people here love the quiet life—no computers or phones. They are the kindest people I have ever met.
They always smile and say “hello”. Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness. I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year.It seems that visitors_________ in Bangkok.
| A．often felt hungry | B．could always find cheap things |
| C．couldn’t take any photos | D．enjoyed themselves |
Which of the following is TRUE?
Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand.
The writer left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai on a bus.
Chiang Rai is a boring city in the mountains.
The writer traveled alone in Thailand. The people in the village_________.
| A．are friendly to others | B．like to speak English |
| C．are very weak | D．hope to live in the cities |
What can be the best title for the whole diary?
| A．My first Travel | B．The outside World |
| C．Travelling in Thailand | D．A country on the Train |
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