| How often do people move house in your country? "In my country many people don"t stay in one place for a very long time. They often move every ten years or so." - Cheryl, Boston, USA |
| 阅读理解。 |
| As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week. Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Getting material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long-hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them. Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is Donald and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny (保姆). Most evenings Donald wouldn"t get home until eight or nine o"clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by. Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. "I always wanted to have a farm here," says Donald,"and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It"s taken some getting used to, but it"s been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it"s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier." Liz, however, is not quite sure."I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I"m not really a country girl, but I suppose I"m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all." |
| 1. What do the first two paragraphs tell us? |
| A. People seldom work long hours to make money. B. People hardly buy more things than necessary. C. People are sure everything they own is in the right place. D. People realise there is more to life than just making money. |
| 2. When Donald was a reporter he _____. |
| A. lived in central London B. disliked his job C. lost his children D. was well paid |
| 3. Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm _____. |
| A. was easy to organise B. has improved family life C. was extremely expensive D. has been a total success |
| 4. The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph means _____. |
| A. going downtown and repairing your car by yourself B. earning a lot of money and spending it very carefully C. moving to the countryside for a simpler and better life D. living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out often |
| 5. What does Donald mean by saying "It"s taken some getting used to, but it"s been worth it" ? |
| A. He thinks that he has made the big and right decision. B. It will be quite some time before he"s used to the life there. C. It"s worth thinking twice of spending money on car repairs. D. He is not too pleased with the present life on the farm. |
| 阅读理解。 |
| The human nose has given to the language of the world many interesting expressions. Of course, this is not surprising. Without the nose, We could not breathe or smell. It is the part of the face that gives a person special character. Cyrano de Bergerac said that a large nose showed a great man-courageous, manly, and wise. A famous woman poet wished that she had two noses to smell a rose! Blaise Pascal made an interesting remark about Cleopatra"s nose. If it had been shorter, he said, it would have changed the whole face of the world! Man"s nose has had an important role in his imagination. Man has referred to the nose in many ways to express his emotions. Expressions dealing with the nose refer to human"s weakness, anger, pride, jealousy and revenge (报复). In English there are a number of phrases about the nose. For example, to hold up one"s nose expresses a basic human feeling-pride. People can hold up their noses at people, things, and places. The phrase, to be led around by the nose, shows man"s weakness. A person who is led around by the nose lets other people control him. On the other hand, a person who follows his nose lets his instinct (本能) guide him. There are a number of others. However, it should be as plain as the nose on your face that the nose is more than an organ for breathing and smelling. |
| 1. The passage is about ______. |
| A. an organ, with which people can breathe and smell B. the nose, which gives different and useful expressions C. the nose giving a person special character D. the interesting remarks about the nose made by some people |
| 2. From the passage we know _______. |
| A. "Cleopatra"s nose" changed the whole face of the world indeed B. Cleopatra had a strong will to change the whole look of the world C. Cleopatra"s nose was not short D. Cleopatra hoped that people would change the whole face of the world |
| 3. The nose expresses ______. |
| A. some human weakness or other B. people"s shortcomings C. people"s different emotions D. human feelings in bad sense |
| 4. A person who follows his nose _____. |
| A. won"t take others" advice B. is easily controlled by others C. is weak-minded D. will let his will guide him |
| 阅读理解。 |
| The swallows of Capistrano may be famous for returning to the same nests each spring. But they have nothing on the purple martins (紫燕). These beautiful birds spend each winter in the warm climate of south America,then return each spring to nesting places in the Southeastern United States. Purple martlns are birds that are pleasant to watch. Many people also like to have the martins around because the birds control insect pests. If hollow gourds (葫芦) with two-inch open spaces are hung out for them,martins are happy to move in. They require only small open spaces to discourage wild animals from eating them. The gourds should also be hung in an open place away from buildings or trees,so squirrels or cats can"t disturb the birds. Common garden grown gourds sometimes rot (腐烂) in the climate of the southeast, so many purple martin lovers have tried using different materials to create stronger nest. Lengths of plastic pipe have been used, along with old-fashioned wooden bird houses with martin-sized entrance holes,but the birds clearly prefer the shape of a gourd. One company is now selling a plastic gourd, just the right size and shape with a two-inch entrance hole for the martins. The hole is high enough to allow the martins about four inches. The plastic gourd can be used for a long time. The permanent (永久的)state is important for martin lovers because the birds can become almost part of the family. Some families have had the same groups of martins returning to their yards each year for sixty days. |
| 1. The purpose of the passage is to ______. |
| A. discuss the swallows of Capistrano B. describe homes for purple martins C. discuss the season journey of purple martins D. discuss the uses of gourds |
| 2. According to the passage,which of the following statements is Not True? |
| A. Gourds should be hung in open spaces. B. Small open spaces in gourds discourage wild animals. C. The swallows of Capistrano are actually purple martins. D. Plastic gourds are now being sold as homes for purple martins. |
| 3. It can be concluded from the passage that ______. |
| A. some people try to make proper nest to attract purple martins B. purple martins never nest in the same place two years C. too many purple martins nesting in one area can become a harm D. plastic gourds are not as good as wooden bird houses |
| 4. The passage suggests that ______. |
| A. wooden bird houses are too small for purple martins B. Durple martins refuse to live in any place but plastic gourds C. purple martins are dangerous to small animals D. Purple martins don"t like to live with squirrels. |
| 阅读理解。 |
| Children have their own rules in playing games. They seldom need a referee and rarely trouble to keep scores. They don"t care much about who wins or loses, and it doesn"t seem to worry them if the game is not finished. Yet, they like games that depend a lot on luck, so that their personal abilities cannot be directly compared. They also enjoy games that move in stages, in which each stage, the choosing of leaders, the picking-up of sides, or the determining of which side shall start, is almost a game in itself. Grown-ups can hardly find children"s games exciting, and they often feel puzzled at why their kids play such simple games again and again. However, it is found that a child plays games for very important reasons. He can be a good player without having to think whether he is a popular person, and he can find himself being a useful partner to someone of whom he is ordinarily afraid. He becomes a leader when it comes to his turn. He can be confident, too, in particular games, that it is his place to give orders, to pretend to be dead, to throw a ball actually at someone, or to kiss someone he has caught. It appears to us that when children play a game they imagine a situation under their control. Everyone knows the rules, and more importantly, everyone plays according to the rules. Those rules may be childish, but they make sure that every child has a chance to win. |
| 1. What is true about children when they play games? |
| A. they can stop playing any time they like. B. They can test their personal abilities. C. They want to pick a better team. D. They don"t need rules. |
| 2. To become a leader in a game the child has to ________. |
| A. play well B. wait for his turn C. be confident in himself D. be popular among his playmates |
| 3. What do we know about grown-ups? |
| A. They are not interested in games. B. They find children"s games too easy. C. They don"t need a reason to play games. D. They don"t understand children"s games. |
| 4. Why does a child like playing games? |
| A. Because he can be someone other than himself. B. Because he can become popular among friends. C. Because he finds he is always lucky in games. D. Because he likes the place where he plays a game. |
| 5. The writer believes that _______. |
| A. children should make better rules for their games. B. children should invite grown-ups to plays with them. C. children"s games can do them a lot of good D. children play games without reasons |