After more than a year of bitter political debate, President Obama sat down in t

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After more than a year of bitter political debate, President Obama sat down in the White House East Room on March 23 and signed the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law with a pen，and then another pen，and another. Obama used 22 pens to sign the

$938 billion health care bill.
The practice of using different pens to sign important legislation（法规）dates at least as far back as Franklin Roosevelt. The reason is fairly simple. The pen used to sign historic legislation itself becomes a historical artifact. The more pens a President uses, the more thank-you gifts he can offer to those who helped create that piece of history. The White House often give pens to supporters of the newly signed legislation. When Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, he reportedly used more than 75 pens and gave one of the first ones to Martin Luther King Jr. And in 1996, President Clinton gave the four pens he used to sign the Line-Item Veto bill to those most likely to appreciate the bill"s consequence.
Once they"re given away, some pens end up in museums; others are displayed proudly in recipients"(接受者) offices or homes. But they sometimes appear again, like in the 2008 presidential campaign（竞选活动）, when John Macain promised to use the same pen given to him by President Reagan to

cut pork from the federal budget.
Not

every President goes for the multipen signature, however. President George W. Bush preferred signing bills with only one pen and then offering several unuse

d "gift" pens as souvenirs.
小题1:.We can learn from paragraph 1 that the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act .

A．has been passed easily

B．was put forward one year ago

C．becomes law in the USA

D．is unimportant

小题2:How are the pens dealt with after being used by President Obama?

A．Supporters of the newly signed legislation are likely to get some of them.

B．Obama will keep them.

C．They will be just set aside

D．They will be sold to the public at a high price.

小题3:What can we learn about John Macain?
A. He was ever President in the USA.
B. He took part in the 2008 presidential campaign.
C. He never used the pen given by Reagan.
D. He was only concerned about his own business.
小题4:What does this passage mainly tell us ?
A. Obama signed the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
B. It is a practice to use multiple pens to sign important legislation in the USA.
C. Pens are necessary in the signature.
D. All the presidents like the multipen signature.

答案

小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B
小题4:B

解析

略

举一反三

（BBC）The "father of the personal computer" who kick-started the careers of Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen has died at the age of 68. Dr Henry Ed

ward Roberts was the inventor of the Altair 8800, a machine that led to the home computer age.
Gates and Allen contacted Dr Roberts after seeing the machine on the front cover of a magazine and offered to write software for it. The program was known as Altair-Basic, the foundation of Microsoft"s business. "Ed was willing to take a chance on us - two young guys interested in computers , and we have always been thankful to hi

m," the Microsoft founders said in a statement.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told technology website CNET that Dr Roberts had taken " a critically important step that led to everything we have today".
Dr Roberts was the founder of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), originally set up to sell electronics parts to model rocket hobbyists. The company went on to sell electronic calculator parts, but was soon overshadowed by bigger firms.
In the mid-1970"s, with the firm struggling with debt, Dr Roberts began to develop a computer kit(配套零件) for hobbyists. The result was the Altair 8800. The $395 kit (around £1,000 today) was featured on the cover of Popular Electronics in 1975, resulting in a flood of orders.
Amongst those interested in the machine were Paul Allen and Bill Gates. The pair contacted Dr Roberts, offering to write software that would help people program the machine. The pair finally moved to Albuquerque - the home of MITS - where they founded Micro-Soft, to develop their software.
Dr Roberts sold his company in 1977. He died in hospital on 1 April after a long period of pneumonia．(肺炎)
小题1:Why did Dr Roberts probably decide to sell his company?

A．Because he was in heavy debt in the mid-1980"s .

B．Because he wanted to take a chance on Gates and Allen.

C．Because he

wanted to develop a computer kit for hobbyists.

D．Because he had difficulty competing with big companies.

小题2:What do we know about MITS?

A．It was set up by Steve Wozniak.

B．It sold electronics parts to big firms.

C．It is located in Albuquerque.

D．It is a technology website.

小题3:We can learn that Popular Electronics is likely to be ____.

A．a newspaper

B．a magazine

C．a Website

D．an organization

小题4:What is the best title of this passage?

A．The story of the Altair 8800

B．The founder of MITS

C．Father of the personal computer died

D．The story of Dr Roberts

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Living an Adventurous Life
Nearly ten years ago, I was told that I had a brain tumor （瘤）, and this experience changed my attitude about adventure forever．I thought that I was going to die and that all my adventures were over．I did not have a brain tumor, it turned out, but rather multiple sclerosis （多发性硬化症）, which meant that, although they were not over, the nature of my adventures could have to change．
Each morning that I wake up is a fresh event, something that I might not have had．Each gesture that I make carries the weight of uncertainty and demands significant attention: buttoning my shirt, changing a light bulb, walking down stairs．I might not be able to do it this time．If I could not delight in them, they would likely drown me in anger and in self-pity．
I admire the grand adventures of others．I read about them with interest．With Peter Matthiessen I have hiked across the Himalayas to the Crystal Mountain．I have walked with Annie Dillard up, down, into, and across Tinker Creek in all seasons．David Bain has gone with me along 110 miles of Philippine coast, and Ed Abbey has rowed me down the Colorado River．I enjoy the adventures of these courageous figures, who can strike out on difficult trips – 2 miles, 250 miles, 3000 miles – ready to bear cold and tiredness, indeed not just to bear but to celebrate．
But as for me, I can no longer walk very far from the armchair in which I read．Some days I don’t even make it to the backyard．And yet I’m unwilling to give up the adventurous life, the difficulty of it, even the pain, the anxiety and fear, and the sudden brief lift of spirit that makes a hard journey more attractive．
I refine adventure, make it smaller and smaller．And now, whether I am moving on my hands and knees across the dining room to help my cat, lying wide-eyed in the dark battling another period of sadness, gathering flowers from the garden, meeting a friend for lunch, I am always having the adventures that are mine to have．
小题1:Which of the following is TRUE about the author’s reaction after the illness?

A．The author is drowned in anger and self-pity．

B．The author travels to places he/she has dreamed of．

C．The author can’t take care of himself/herself any longer．

D．The a

uthor adapts to the condition successfully．

小题2:Why does the author admire the people mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A．Because they write popular novels．	B．Because they are great adventurers．
C．Because they are famous geographers．	D．Because they fight with hardship in life．

小题3:Which of the following shows the author’s strong love for adventures?

A．The author spends almost every day looking for adventures．

B．The author works hard to make more money for adventures．

C．The author imagines having adventures while reading．

D．The author expects to recover only to continue adventures．

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The Times(January 8，2008)一A climber was left hanging over a 500 ft cliff for more than seven hours in temperatures below zero as his companions looked on helplessly．
After setting out at dawn to make what they thought was straight forward ascent(垂直攀爬) in the Caimgorrns．one of the three friends suddenly slipped and then was 150 ft backwards into a gully(沟壑)．The only thing that stopped the climberfalling to his death wast he safety line fixed to his friends．
They stayed on an icy rock face at 2，500 ft．All they could see wash is head torch shining in the darkness and they had to shout down in turns to make sure that he was still alive．By the time .they were airlifted off the mountain just after midnight,the temperature had fallen to—20 ℃ and heavy snowstorms were setting in．Surprisingly,none ofthe three was seriously hurt．
The group had left their car at 8：30 am for the expedition which was expected to end with an 800 ft climb called Kiwi Gully in an area known as Hell’s Lure to the west of Lock Avon．Generally,there will be few problems for experienced climbers but it had become very harder after heavy snowfalls．Just before 4 pm the climbers reached a narrow part beneath a steep section of rock．Two of the party made it to the ice．Having got through the steepest section,he slipped when the ice suddenly gave way．He was left hanging and couldn’t climb back up because he had damaged his ankle and was in shock．
At 8 pm a team of ten rescue workers was dropped on a snowy place 300 ft above the climbers．One of the team was lowered to where the climbers were trapped．During a four-hour operation，they were saved．Thirty minutes later snowstorms enveloped the mountain．
56．The climber didn’t climb back up because      ．
A．the safety line was easy to break    B．he was too frightened to climb
C．he was shocked by some animals D．his damaged ankle prevented him climbing
57．Which of the following about the rescue work is TRUE?
A．Ten people were sent to rescue the climbers at dawn．
B．The work lasted about four hours ．
C．It was the workers that lifted the climber up．
D．The three climbers were seriously hurt during the work
58.According to the passage, it was implied that the person hanging over a cliff was     ．
A．a climbing learner            B．a clever climber
C. an experienced climber         D．a climbing guide
59．What will be the best title for the passage?
A．Climber Saved After Hanging for 7 Hours
B．An Unforgettable Climbing Experience
C．Time is Life for Climbers
D．Climber Left Hanging over a Cliff

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At three a.m., Jack Mills was sitting at the controls of the mail train. The train was made up of 13 cars. At the end of the train, 71 mailmen sat sorting the mail. Inside the second car, there were only five mailmen and 128 bags full of five-pound notes. This train had run more than 100 years without being robbed(抢劫). At three minutes past three, Mills and his helper, David Whitby, saw a yellow warning light. They slowed the train, and then stopped. Whitby went to the telephone beside the track. It was out of order. Then he saw a man moving between the second and the third cars. Before Whitby could give a warning, he was knocked down by two men. Mills’ cars with all the mailmen had been disconnected by the robbers. At the bridge, the bags of money were unloaded from the train and thrown into waiting trucks. One of the robbers who obviously knew the schedules(时刻表) of all the trains kept looking at his watch. At 3:45 he said, “That will have to be enough.” The robbers drove away with more than 2,500,000 pounds.
41. The robbery took place______.
A. before 3:03                                                         B. in the early morning
C. after three o’clock in the afternoon             D. after 3:45
42. The robbers_____ before the train stopped.
A. were all in the train                                          B. forced Mills to stop the train
C. were waiting for the train to stop                D. ordered Mills to go on driving
43. Why didn’t the other mailmen help the mailmen in the second car when the robbery happened?
A. Because they were busy sorting the mail.
B. Because they didn’t want to help the mailmen in the second car.
C. Because the last eleven cars were separated from the front cars.
D. Because they knew nothing about the robbery.
44. One of the robbers kept looking at his watch because________.
A. he wanted to know the exact time               B. he enjoyed looking at his watch
C. he didn’t know when another train would come
D. they had to leave before another train came
45. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The train was out of order.
B. The telephone was put out of order by the robbers
C. Whitby had an assistant driver.
D. The robbers carried the money away by truck.

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To swim across the English Channel takes at least nine hours. It‘s hard work and it makes you short of breath. To fly over the channel takes only twenty minutes as long as you’re not held up at the airport， but it‘s an expensive way to travel. You can travel by hovercraft （气垫船）if you don’t mind the noise and that takes forty minutes. Otherwise， you can go by boat， if you remember your sea-sickness pills. All these means of transport have their problems， and the weary（厌烦的）traveler often dreams of being able to drive to France in his own car. “Not possible， you say. Well， wait a minute. People are once again considering the idea of a channel tunnel or bridge.” This time， the great London Council（议会）is looking into the possibility of building a channel link straight to London. A bridge would cost far more than a tunnel， but you would be able to make a journey by rail or by car on a bridge， yet a tunnel would provide a rail link only. Why is this idea being discussed again？ Is Britain realizing the need for links with Europe as a result of joining EEC？Well， perhaps， the main reason， though， is that a tunnel or bridge would reach the twenty square kilometers of London‘s discussed dockland（船坞）。 A link from London to the continent would stimulate（刺激） trade and revitalize（使重新具有活力）the port， and would make London a main trading center in Europe. With a link over the Channel， you could buy your fish and chips in England and be able to eat them in France while they are still warm！
小题1:From the lines we can see that people crossed the Channel by ______ in the past.

A．air

B．boat

C．swimming

D．A， B， or C

小题2:The weary traveler thinks the best way to cross the Channel is ______.

A．by swimming

B．in his own car

C．by air

D．by hovercraft

小题3:A tunnel would cost______ a bridge.

A．far less than

B．as much as

C．far more than

D．as little as

小题4: The main idea of the passage is______.

A．how to develop the trade of London

B．when to cross the Channel

C．how to get to Europe from London more conveniently

D．what to do in the developing of traveling

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