Reading Comprehension. The tomato is the world"s most popular fruit. Unlike
题型：0109 期末题难度：来源：
More than 60 million tons of tomatoes are produced per year, 16 million tons more than the second most
popular fruit, the banana. Apples are the third most popular (36 million tons), then oranges (34 million tons)
and watermelons (22 million tons).
Tomatoes were first cultivated in 700 by Aztecs and Incas. People returning from Mexico introduced the
tomato into Europe, where it was first mentioned in 1556.The French called it "the apple of love", the Germans
"the apple of paradise".
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C. Furthermore, new medical research suggests that the consumption
of tomatoes may prevent cancer. And it"s low in cholesterol (胆固醇). An average tomato (148 gram, or 5 oz)
contains only 35 calories (卡路里).
The scientific term for the common tomato is lycopersicon, which means "wolf peach". It is a cousin of
the eggplant, red pepper, ground cherry, potato. There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.
Tomatoes are used in many food products, including, of course, tomato sauce (ketchup), pasta and pizza.
According to a Steel Packing Council survey of 1997, 68% of chefs use canned tomatoes for convenience,
quality and flavouring. It hasn"t changed much since.
2. In which country was the tomato most likely cultivated first? (No more than two words)
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3. Please mention one of tomatoes" advantages. (No more than ten words)
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4. Lycopersicon, which means "wolf peach", is ________. (No more than ten words)
答案
2. Mexico
3. It"s rich in vitamins A and C./ It may prevent cancer./ It"s low in cholesterol
4. the scientific term for the common tomato
（3、4题答案不唯一）
举一反三
an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native
language was not English. Experts said the goal was admirable (令人敬畏的),but the method would not work.
They were proved wrong. The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA.
And they still are.
Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. But
during the years its role has expanded. It also helps people learn American English. And it provides listeners,
even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere.
Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day. Each half-hour
broadcast begins with 10 minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming. There is
a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the
weekend, about news events and American idioms.
Three elements make Special English unique. It has a limited vocabulary of 1,500 words. Most are simple
words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Special English is written in short, simple sentences that
contain only one idea. And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard
English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are English
speakers understand complex subjects.
Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it
was not designed as a teaching program. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way.
In countries around the world, English teachers assign Special English to their students. They praise it for
improving their students" ability to understand American English and for the content of the programs.
Universities and private companies in many countries produce packages of Special English materials for
students" use.
B. rejected by native people
C. doubted by some professionals
D. intended for teaching English
B. American English
C. Both British and American English
D. Not certain
a. limited vocabulary
b. short simple sentences
c. good communication method
d. slow speed
e. interesting feature programming
B. a, c, d
C. a, b, d
D. b, d, e
B. Native English speakers don"t go in for Special English much.
C. Special English usually starts with 20 minutes of the latest news.
D. People can learn some idioms from Special English.
B. Listening to Special English can improve the content of the program
C. Some students record the Special English material for sale
D. Learning English from VOA is a traditional way for English learners
your computer major classmates, you may have the last laugh. There are many advantages for the social
science major because this high-tech "Information Age" demands people who are flexible (灵活的) and who
have good ______.
[2] There are many social science majors in large companies who take up important positions. For example,
a number of research studies found that social science majors have achieved greater managerial success than
those who had technical training or pre-professional courses. Studies show that social science majors are most
suited to change, which is the leading feature of the high speed, high-pressure, high-tech world we now live in.
[3] Social science majors are not only experiencing success in their long-term company jobs, but they are
also finding jobs more easily. A study showed that many companies had filled a large percentage of their entry-
level positions with social science graduates. The study also showed that the most sought-after (广受欢迎的)
quality in a person who was looking for a job was communication skills, noted as "very important" by 92
percent of the companies. Social science majors have these skills, often without knowing how important they
are. It is probably due to these skills that they have been offered a wide variety of positions.
[4] Finally, although some social science majors may still find it more difficult than their technically trained
classmates to land the first job, recent graduates report that they don"t regret their choice of study.
____________________________________________________________
2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
For instance, a study showed that social science majors had held more important positions,
compared to those technically trained studies.
____________________________________________________________
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3. Fill in the blank with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.
(Please answer within 5 words.)
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4. What have you learned about the social science majors in finding a job in
this high-tech "Information Age"? (Please answer within 30 words.)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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5. Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
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paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology (生物技术). With the help of new
medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and
war. Today"s leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change
in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were
known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were
sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond l20 years because the basic materials of cells, such as
those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime
between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will
be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life,
will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on-in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take
the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imaging that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human
existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
B. accidents and war
C. accidents and aging
D. heart disease and war
B. the Internet
C. brain cells
D. human organ
B. human brains can decide the final death
C. the basic materials of cells will last forever
D. human organs can be repaired by new medicine
B. More than 120 years.
C. About 150 years.
D. The passage doesn"t tell us.
B. humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now
C. much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life
D. we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells
 | A. Microsoft Office: This computer software package provides you with everything for your business or study needs. Whether you need to write a report, do your business accounts, design a web page or stay in touch through email, Office can do it "all and much more. Cost $740 |
| B. Motorola L7i mobile phone: Web enabled phone that allows you to surf the net anywhere at anytime, with 2 mega pixel camera built in for photo and video. 1 GB memory to store large music and movie files. Cost $530 |  |
 | C. Lenovo laptop computer X61: This ultra- portable notebook is ideal for mobile users such as travellers and businessmen because it is lightweight (only 1 kilo) and offers extremely long battery life (up to 8 hours before recharging is necessary). Cost $1,200 |
| D. Supersonic MP4 Player: Multimedia player is just what you need to stay entertained wherever you go. Use the 1.5-inch screen as a video player or to play games. With 15GB of storage you can also store and listen to thousands of your favourite songs with just tile click of a button. Cost $140 |  |
 | E. Nintendo Game Boy: This portable video game system allows you to have fun wherever you are. With thousands of different games available to play on this system you are sure to never get bored. Cost $240 |
| F. Sony Thinline Digital TV: This TV provides the crystal clear picture you expect from Sony and is only 2 cm thick. Has 120GB built in memory allowing you to record and store hundreds of hours of your favourite programmes with just the touch of a button. Cost: $3,500 |  |
| 阅读理解。 | |
| To wash yourself, you take a bath (洗澡) or a shower. Animals need to keep clean, too. How do animals clean themselves? Cats lick (舔) themselves to keep their fur clean. Have you ever watched a pet cat clean itself? Elephants take baths much as you do. But instead of jumping into the tub (浴缸), they walk into a river or lake. Pigs also like to roll around in water. This keeps them clean and cool. If there is no clean water, they will roll in mud (泥) on a hot day. They do this to cool off. Pigs do not really like mud. They are happier in a nice, clean pond (水池). Bats have a funny way to keep clean. They lick their thumbs to clean their ears! Guess how polar bears clean themselves. They use snow, of course! Some animals take baths in dust instead of water! The wombat (毛鼻袋熊) is an Australian animal with lots of fur. To get clean, it lies down. Then it covers itself with sand! Birds clean themselves in many ways. Sometimes they wash in water. That"s why some people put birdbaths in their yard. At other times birds take dust baths, just like wombats. Birds also use their beaks (喙) to keep their feathers clean. They use their beaks the way you use a comb. Sometimes a bird has itchy bugs (发痒的虫子) in its feathers. Birds may use ants to help them clean off the bugs. A bird will lie down on an ant nest. Then the ants will crawl on the bird. The ants make a kind of bug spray (喷雾) on the feathers;. Then the itchy bugs die! Birds take baths in something else besides dust and ants! Some birds take "smoke baths" They sit on chimneys. They wave their wings in the smoke! | |
| 1. This passage mainly tells us _____. | |
| [ ] | |
| A. why some people put birdbaths in their yard B. why birds allow ants to crawl on their body C. how animals cool off on hot days D. how some animals keep clean | |
| 2. What is a pig"s favorite way to get clean? | |
| [ ] | |
| A. Licking itself. B. Lying down on ants. C. Rolling in nice, thick mud. D. Taking a bath in clean water. | |
| 3. Which of the following animals use dust to clean themselves? | |
| [ ] | |
| A. Cats. B. Bats. C. Wombats. D. Ants. |