For centuries,the only form of written correspondence (通信)was the letters, lett

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For centuries,the only form of written correspondence (通信)was the letters, letters were, and are, sent by some form of postal service, the history of which goes back a long way .Indeed, the Egyptians began sending letters from about 2000 BC,as did the Chinese a thousand years later.
Of course, modern postal service now are much more developed and faster, depending as they do on cars and planes for delivery. Yet they are still too slow for some people to send urgent documents (紧急文件)and letters.
The invention of the fax (传真) machine increased the speed of delivering documents even more. When you send a fax，you are sending a copy of a piece of correspondence to someone by telephone service. It was not until the early 1980s that such a service was developed enough for businesses to be able to fax documents to each other.
The fax service is still very much in use when copies of documents require to be sent ,but, as a way of fast correspondence, it has been largely taken the place of by email ,Email is used to describe messages sent form one computer user to another.
There are advantages and disadvantages with emails. If you send some one an email , then he will receive it extremely quickly .Normal postal services are rather slow as far as speed of delivery is concerned.
However, if you write something by email, which you might later regret ,and send it immediately, there is no chance for second thoughts. At least, if you are posting a letter you have to address and seal(封)the envelope and take it to the post box.There is plenty of time to change your mind .The message is think before you email!
41.We can learn from the text that__________.
A.email is less popular than the fax service
B.the postal service has over the years become faster
C. the postal service has over the years become slower
D. the fax service has a history as long as the postal service does
42.It can be inferred from the text that_________.
A. the fax service had been fully developed by the 1980s
B. letters have been used in China for about 1,000 years
C. the fax machine was invented after the 1980s
D. letters have been used in Egypt for about 2,000 years
43.In the last paragraph, the writer mentions "think before you email" to show that________.
A. you may regret if you don’t your envelope        B. you may regret before you send something by email
C. you’d better not send your email in a hurry     D. you need plenty of time to send an email
44.The text mainly deal with_________.
A. the progress in correspondence                      B. the advantage of fax machines
C .the advantage of emails                                 D. the invention of fax machines

答案

41．B 42．A 43．C 44．A

解析

41．解析：这是一道细节推断题。根据第二段第一句“modern postal services now are much developed and faster”可知选B。
42．解析：这是一道推断题。根据“It was not until the early 1980s that such a service has developed enough …”可以推断20世纪80年代初fax已经比较发达可以满足商用了，所以选A.
43．解析：这是一道细节题。由于email方便高速，可供考虑的时间很短，如果发现问题就来不及了，所以作者建议发送前多想想，选C.
44．解析：这是一道主旨题。本文讲述了通讯的发展和由此带来的变化，着重于不同通讯方式的比较和发展过程，而不是单单针对某种方式来讲述。A 选项最贴近这一点。

举一反三

The report came to the British on May 21, 1941. The German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful warship in the world, was moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. Her task: to destroy the ships carrying supplies from the United States to war-torn England.
The British had feared such a task. No warship they had could match the Bismarck in speed in firepower. The Bismarck had eight 15-inch guns and 81 smaller guns. She could move at 31 nautical miles (海里) an hour. She was believed to be unsinkable.However, the British had to sink her. They sent out a task force headed by their best battleship Hood to hunt down the Bismarck. On May 24, the Hood found the Bismarck.
It was a meeting that the German commander Luetjens did not want to see. His orders were to destroy the British ships that were carrying supplies, but to stay away from a fight with British warships.
The battle didn"t last long. The Bismarck"s first torpedo (鱼雷) hit the Hood, which went down taking all but three of her 1 419 men with her.
But in the fight, the Bismarck was slightly damaged (损坏). Her commander decided to run for repair to France, which had at that time been taken by the Germans. The British force followed her. However, because of the Bismarck"s speed and the heavy fog, they lost sight of her.
For two days, every British ship in the Atlantic tried to find the Bismarck, but with no success. Finally, she was sighted by a plane from Ireland. Trying to slow the Bismarck down so that their ships could catch up with her, the British fired at her from the air. The Bismarck was hit.
On the morning of May 27, the last battle was fought. Four British ships fired on the Bismarck, and she was finally sunk.
61. The Bismarck sailed into the Atlantic Ocean _______.
A.   to sink the Hood                                                           B. to gain control of France
C. to cut off American supplies to British                               D. to stop British warship reaching German
62. Many people believed that Bismarck could not be defeated because she _______.
A. was fast and powerful                                               B. had more men on board
C. was under Luetjens" command                                    D. had biggest guns than other ships
63. We learn from the text that on 24 May _______.
A. the British won the battle against the Bismarck
B. the Bismarck won the battle against the British
C. the British gunfire damaged the Bismarck seriously
D. the Bismarck succeeded in keeping away from the British
64. Luetjens tried to sail to France in order to _______.
A. have the ship repaired                                               B. join the other Germans
C. get help from the French                                           D. get away from the British
65. Which of the following is the immediate cause of the sinking of the Bismarck?
A. The British air strikes.                                             B. The damage done by the Hood.
C. Gunfire from four British ships.                                D. Luetjens" decision to run for France.

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B
After the American Revolution won in 1787, the new government in the U.S.A. had to choose a capital city. The thirteen states quarreled about this. So the government decided to build a completely new capital. The land on the River Potomac was given the name District of Columbia (D.C). The new Capital was built on the north bank of the river. It was named after George Washington, the president of the U.S.A.

Washington D. C., a government city, is an important cultural (文化) center as well as a big tourist (游览) center.

Most capital cities have simply grown from small cities. Washington, however was planned as the capital of a great nation. It was designed by a French artist who first made a study of many capital cities of Europe. In general, his plan followed the plan of the beautiful French city of Versailles (凡尔赛).

61. When the new capital was built , America was made up of ____ states.

A. thirteen B. thirty C. fifty D. fifteen

62. Washington D.C. is the name of _______.

A. an American president B. America’s capital

C. a famous river D. a beautiful garden city

63. According to the passage we can conclude that America’s capital_____.

A. lies in the center on the country B. came from a small city

C. was built by French workers D. lies on the River Potomac

64. According to the passage we can infer that Washington D.C. is the center of America’s ______.

A. economy (经济), sports and culture B. culture, traveling and sports

C. politics, culture and traveling D. politics, culture and economy

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E
In 1789 the U.S. government passed a law which said that the land of the American Indians could never be taken from them without their agieement. One hundred years later, however, the Indians only had a very small part of the land that originally belonged to them. How did this great
Injustice(不公正） occur?
After 1812 white settlers began to move west across North America. At first, the settlers and the Indians lived in peace. However, the number of settlers increased greatly every year. and slowly the Indians began to see the white settlers as a danger to their survival. To feed themselves, the settlers killed more and more wild animals. the Indians, who depended on these animals for food, had to struggle against starvation. The settlers also brought with them many diseases which were common in white society. but which were new for the Indians. Great numbers of Indians became sick and died.Between 1843 and 1854 the Indian population in one area of the country went down from 100,000 to30,000.
More land was needed for the increasing number of white settlers. In Washington, the old respect for the rights of the Indians disappeared. The old promises to the Indians were broken; the government began to move groups of Indians fiom their original homelands to other poorer parts of
the country. Some Indians reacted angrily and violently to this treatment. They began to attack white settlers, and the Indian war began. For 30 years, until the late 1880s, different groups of Indians fought against the injustices of the white mari. They had a few famous successes, but the result of the siruggle was never in doubt. There were too many white soldiers, and they were too powerful. Many Indians were killed; the survivors were moved from their homelands to different areas of the country.It was a terrible chapter in the history of a country that promised freedom and equality to everyone.
57. What can we infer from the passage?
A. In the U.S. there were many laws that provided the rights of American Indians.
B. The law which was passed in 1789 by the U.S. government was not successfully carried out.
C. In the 19th century no injustices were done against the Indians by the U.S. government.
D. The majority of white settlers were openly opposed to the law passed in 1789.
58. According to the passage which of the following is TRUE?
A. The Indians believed that killing too many wild animals had disturbed the balance of nature.
B. The government began to have a better understanding of the Indians in the fifties of the nineteenth century.
C. Between 1843 and 1854 about 70,000 Indians were killed in the battle.
D. The whites carried serious diseases into where the Indians lived.
59.It is implied ln the passage that____
A. the Indians had many great successes in the Indians wars
B. the Indians had no doubt that they would win the wars
C. after the war the indians stayed where they were before
D. the Indians were too weak to win the struggle
60.What is the writer"s opinion about the treatment that the Indians received from the U.S. government?
A. He believed that the government always respected the rights of the Indians.
B. He believed that the government can"t be criticized for its treatment to the Indians.
C. He believed that the government treated the Indians unjustly
D. He believed that the government"s unfair treatment against the Indians was not on purpose.

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In the year 480 BC the Greek allies (联军) faced invasion by the King of Persia, Xerxes, who commanded a huge army of about half a million men. When the Persian army marched into northern Greece, the Greek states, led by Athens and Sparta, were ill equipped to deal with the threat. The Persians were well supplied with food and weapons. Their army included infantry, cavalry, and a large navy. It seemed that they would easily defeat the Greeks.
The Greek allies decided to send 10,000 men northwards to slow down the Persians, while the rest prepared to defend their homelands. A group of 300 best Spartan soldiers were chosen to lead the force going north, with Leonidas in command. Leonidas realized that the only hope of slowing the Persians would be to block the narrow passage of land at Thermopylae. The Pass of
Thermopylae was the route between the mountains and the sea, and was so narrow that only a few men could get through at a time.
When the Persian army arrived at Thermopylae, they found Leonidas" tiny army opposing them. The Persians attacked, but could not get through. They attacked again and again, but each time they were driven back by the Greeks, led by the fearless Spartans. Leonidas" plan worked well until a Greek traitor called Ephialtes went m Xerxes. He told the Persian king about a goat"s path in the mountains that would take the Persian army past Thermopylae. When Leonidas saw the enemy crossing the mountains, he realized that he could no longer hold Thermopylae. He sent all the Greek soldiers except the 300 Spartans back to their homelands.
The Spartans waited for the 500,000 Persians at the goat’s path. Although hopelessly outnumbered, the Spartans fought bravely. They all died, but the other Greeks were able to get home to strengthen the defenses.
61. Compared with the Persian army, the Greek allies were very________.
A. powerful B. wise C. weak D. foolish
62. The Pass of Thermopylae was very important for the Greeks because __
A. it was easy to hold but hard to attack
B. only very small boats could get through it
C, it was a secret pass unknown to the Persians
D. a huge number of soldiers could be stationed there
63. Why did Leonidas send most of his soldiers back to their homelands?
A. Because their homelands were under attack.
B. Because he found they were not brave enough.
C. Because the Persians gave up attacking Thermopylae.
D. Because he found it impossible to hold Thermopylae.
64. Which of the following is NOT ture according to the passage?
A. Leonidas was a great commander.
B. The Persians failed to pass Thermopylae.
C. Ephialtes betrayed his own country.
D. The 300 Spatans would be regarded as heroes by the Greeks.
65. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Greek Allies B. The Goat’s Path C. The King of Persia D. Xerxes and Ephialtes

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C
Why are so many coin banks shaped like pigs? Why not dogs or cats or elephants?
Coin banks weren"t always made to look like pigs. In fact, the name "piggy bank" may have come from a kind of clay and not from the animal at all.
The history of the piggy bank goes back to the Middle ages. At that time in Western Europe, metals were expensive, so a cheap orange clay known as pygg was used for everyday items such as dishes and jars. In fact something made from pygg clay was often just called a pygg. The first piggy bank may well have been a pygg in which a person put a few extra pennies to buy a treat on market day.
People have always had a hobby of saving pennies, and using a pygg as a coin bank became common practice. Potters (陶工) began making jars specially for saving coins, and eventually these jars took a pig-like shape. Modeling a bank to look like a pig may have been influenced by the name of the clay. The earliest Roman coin bank ever found was decorated with a pig. Because it was considered as a valuable farm animal in many countries, the pig was an appropriate symbol of wealth and prosperity.
These early clay banks were fragile and easily broken. As time passed, mining became less expensive. Iron, copper, and silver gradually replaced pygg clay in the production of household items. Although pygg clay lost its popularity, the habit of saving pennies did not. Today piggy "banks are made of every material imaginable.
The familiar saying "A penny saved is a penny earned" is as old as the clearly piggy banks. Marry a child received his or her first coin bank accompanied by this wise advice. The modern-day piggy bank may have changed in sine, shape, and spelling, but it saves our pennies just as well as the first pygg did countries ago.
64. In the Middle ages, people used pygg to make dishes because ________.
A. it was precious                             B. it stood for wealth
C. it had a beautiful color                           D. it was cheaper than other materials
65. What do we know about the pygg bank?
A. Its name might come from an animal.                   B. The first pygg bank looked like a pig.
C. It was designed for children at the beginning.         D. The early piggy banks were easily damaged.
66. Why did pygg day lose its popularity?
A. Other cheap and solid materials appeared.    B. It was inconvenient to carry it to the market.
C. It couldn"t be made into other shapes.          D. People had run out of this kind of material.
67. In the last paragraph, the author intends to tell us ________.
A. piggy banks nowadays are not practical          B. piggy banks still play a part in our daily lives
C. piggy banks today are mainly made of iron
D. most children don" t have the habit of saving money

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