In many stories on TV and in science-fiction books, men travel to faraway stars. They have quick, easy journeys. But so far, men have been able to reach only the earth’s own moon.Suppose a man wanted to reach a distant star. Even if he traveled his whole life, he would have to move faster than the speed of the light. Nothing can move that fast except light itself.Strange things happen to an object when it moves rapidly. The object weighs more. An object moving at 86 percent of the speed of light is twice as heavy as it is at rest. A stick appears shorter. A clock runs more slowly. A man would not age so fast as he would on the earth.Light travels more than 186,000 miles a second, or about 11 million miles a minute. In one year, light travels six trillion miles. That great distance is called a light-year. It is used to measure distance in space.The star closest to our sun is Alpha Centauri. It is more than four light-years away. If one traveled at the speed of light, he could make a round trip to Alpha Centauri in nine years. But, even at that speed, he could not reach Alcaid (北斗星) in the handle of the Big Dipper. A one-way journey to Alcaid would take almost 200 years1．In this passage the words “closest to our sun” means the star（）.A、the earth we live onB、Alpha CentauriC、the Big DipperD、the moon2．A one-way journey to Alcaid would take（）.A、about nine yearsB、less than four yearsC、almost 200 yearsD、less than 100 years3．Why do we measure the distance in light-years instead of miles?（）A、Units of light-years sound better.B、Using light- years reduced the number of figures used.C、We used to measure distance in light-years long ago.D、We do not make mistakes when we use light-years.4．If a stone moved at the speed of light, it（）.A、would weigh twice more than it is motionlessB、would weigh as much as it is on earthC、would weigh less than it is on earthD、would not have weight at all5．This story is mainly about （）.A、the distance between the sun and the other starsB、the problems of traveling to faraway starsC、what happens when we travel faster than the speed of lightD、the tool we use when we go to faraway stars

第1题

（）' s stories still had many unrealistic qualities: " tall tales" and unlikely coincidences. He is never a pure realist.

A.Henry James

B.Mark Twain

C.Nathaniel Hawthorne

D.Henry David Thoreau

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第2题

Passage OneShortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days' holid

Passage One

Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days' holiday with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He rented a cottage in the country, although he rarely spent much time there. The cottage, however, had no comfortable furniture in it, many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked, making the whole house damp.

On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories our uncle had had to tell of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed, but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle's exciting tales.

He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had, when there was a loud crash from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.

"It sounds as if the roof has fallen in!" shouted my uncle, with a loud laugh.

When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had collapsed (坍塌), falling right on to the pillow of my bed. I was glad that I had stayed up late to listen to my uncle's stories, otherwise I should certainly have been seriously injured, perhaps killed.

That night we all slept on the floor of the sitting room downstairs not wishing to risk our lives by sleeping under a roof which might at any moment collapse on our heads. We left for London the very next morning and my uncle gave up his cottage in the country. This was not the kind of adventure he cared for, either!

What does the writer say about his uncle during the war？

A．He had a lot of adventures.

B．He fought as a soldier.

C．He made a lot of money.

D．He enjoyed many of his adventures.

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第3题

We may infer from the second paragraph that[A] DNA technology has been widely applied t

We may infer from the second paragraph that

[A] DNA technology has been widely applied to history research.

[B] in its early days the U.S. was confronted with delicate situations.

[C] historians deliberately made up some stories of Jefferson’s life.

[D] political compromises are easily found throughout the U.S. history.

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第4题

Were you constantly bored as a child？ Maybe that helped you to develop your ability to be

creative.

Boredom can be a good thing for children, according to Dr Teresa Belton, researcher at the University of East Anglia ’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning. After interviewing authors, artists and scientists in Britain, she’s reached the conclusion that cultural expectations that children should be constantly active could block the development of their imagination.

British actress and writer Meera Syal grew up in a small mining village with few distractions. The researcher said:“Lack of things to do urged her to talk to people she wouldn’t otherwise have engaged with and try activities she wouldn ’ under other circumstances, have experienced, such as talking to elderly neighbors and learning to bake cakes.”

Belton added: “Boredom made her write. Meera Syal kept a diary from a young age, filling it with observations, short stories, poems. ”

The researcher didn’t ignore the old saying the devil finds work for idle hands, though. Belton pointed out that young people who don ’t have the interior resources to deal with boredom creatively may end up smashing up bus shelters or taking cars out for a joyride.

How about watching TV and videos on the computer？ The researcher believes that nothing replaces standing and staring at things and observing your surroundings.

It’s the sort of thing thatstimulates the imagination, she said, while the screen “tends to short circuit that process and the development of creative capacity. ” Dr Belton concluded: “For the sake of creativity, perhaps we need to slow down and stay offline from time to time. ”

11. Dr Teresa Belton did her research by_____ .

A.studying cultural differences

B.interviewing professionals

C.keeping a diary

D.observing the surroundings

The expression “the devil finds work for idle hands ” probably means that people are more likely to ？A.do what they should not do if they meet devils

B.achieve nothing if they work with devils

C.do more work if they didn ’t work hard when they were young

D.get involved in trouble if they have nothing to do with their time

Which of the following is the best title for the passage？A.Deal with boredom wisely

B.Learn from a young age

C.Enjoy village life

D.Forget old sayings

What is Dr Belton ’s advice for youngsters ？A.Observe the world around them

B.Get information online from time to time

C.Remain constantly active

D.Read as many books as possible

Which of the following best describes the village where Meera Syal grew up？A.Modern and open

B.Tiny and unexciting

C.Poor and underdevelopment

D.Remote and violent

请帮忙给出每个问题的正确答案和分析，谢谢！

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第5题

Bad news for bankersThere was great uncertainty today about the future for employees of La

Bad news for bankers

There was great uncertainty today about the future for employees of Lancet Bank following publication of (29) ...company's yearly financial results. Losses reached ￡8.5m, (30) ... this year's financial figures the worst (31) ... almost 20 years. Lancet Bank, (32) .,. was founded over a century ago (33) ...Jamie McCIoud, currently employs more (34) ... 5,000 staff at 200 branches, mainly in Wales and the north of England. Many people believe stories that the bank is planning to close most of (35) ... branches in Wales. However, the bank has refused to comment on (36) ... rumours. Gary Tooley, a spokesman for Lancet, warned that (37) ... some redundancies would be unavoidable, he could give no further details (38) ... September at the earliest. Union officials are currently involved. (39) ... talks with management and are trying to find an acceptable solution for (40) ... parties.

(29)

A．the

B．a

C．any

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第6题

In the United States many have been told that anyone can become rich and successful if he works hard and has some good luck.

Yet, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tries to look as rich and as successful as his neighbors.

The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American by the name of Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself: he began earning $125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. Young Momand was very proud of his riches. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City. But just moving there was not enough. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horse riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.

It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. Momand and his wife could not do that.

The race ended for them when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They left their wealthy neighborhood and moved back to an apartment in New York City.

Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “keeping up with the Joneses”, because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.

Every city has an area where people want to live because others will think better of them if they do. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses, because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.

6. The writer of the selection believes（）.

A. many people in the United States think anyone can become rich if he works hard and has some good luck

B. anyone in the United Sates can become rich if he works hard and has some good luck

C. he can become rich in the future

D. anyone in the United States can become rich

7. Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because（）.

A. they want to be as rich as their neighbors

B. they want others to know or to think that they are rich

C. they don’t want others to know they are rich

D. they want to be happy

8. It can be inferred from the story that rich people（）.

A. like to live in apartments

B. like to live in New York City

C. like to live outside New York City

D. like to have many neighbors

9. Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because Jones is（）.

A,. an important name

B. a popular name in the United States

C. his neighbor’s name

D. not a good name

10. According to the writer, it is（）.

A. correct to keep up with the Joneses

B. impossible to keep up with the Joneses

C. interesting to keep up with the Joneses

D. good to keep up with the Joneses

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第7题

Legends about King Arthur have existed since the 6th century. Stories of the man and his d

oings have grown far beyond anything that could be regarded as factual history. Here are some of the highlights.

Arthur was born as a result of the wizardry of Merlin, who arranged all adulterous liaison between Arthur's father, King Uther Pendragon, and his lover, a married duchess. Merlin agreed to do this only if the lovers allowed him to bring up the child born of the affair. When Uther Pendragon died some years later, there was confusion in the kingdom about who should inherit the throne. Merlin arranged a pageant where many knights came to try their luck at pulling a sword out of a stone. Whoever successfully extracted the blade was the rightful king. After many a brave knight had tried and failed, Merlin presented the young Arthur who, to everyone's surprise, easily pulled out the sword.

As king, Arthur established the knightly fellowship of the Round Table at his castle of Camelot, so appear all the other chivalrous knights associated with the king. The knights of the Round Table spent much of their time on the quest for the Holy Grail. The Grail is the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, which was allegedly brought to Britain, then somehow lost. It is notoriously hard to get hold of, as finding it requires an almost superhuman degree of moral purity. At last it was the true gentleman Sir Galahad who eventually found it and set off to return it to its rightful place in the Holy Land.

Arthur's death is a matter of some debate. According to legend, one of Arthur's less intelligent moves was his decision to marry the Lady Guinevere, who fell in love with Sir Lancelot, and their adultery led to war among the knights of the Round Table, culminating in the Battle of Camlan and Arthur's mortal woound. After the Battle of Catalan the wounded king was taken to the mysterious isle of Avalon ruled by his sister Morgan Le Faye. She, being skilled in the arts of witchcraft and healing, was apparently meant to cure him. But evidently Arthur thought he had little chance, because he gave his sword, Excalibur, to Sir Bedivere to return to the Lady of the Lake, an enigmatic character from whom Arthur had originally received the blade. Bedivere hurled the sword over the water, where a spooky hand appeared from the lake to catch it, waved it around for a while and then carried it down to the murky depths where, who knows, perhaps it still lies. As for Arthur, we can only conclude that his sister wasn't such a good doctor.

The passage is mainly about ______ .

A．a brief history of King Arthur

B．the story of the Round Table Knights

C．a legendary life of King Arthur

D．the death of King Arthur

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第8题

Are you looking for a good book to read？ Do you need information about universities

in the United States？ Do you want to know the correct price of a used car？ Would you like to read newspapers and magazines from all over different countries？ Do you need a quiet place to study？ Did you answer yes to any of these questions？ Then you should visit the information placeyour local library.

A library is more than just a place where books are stored. A library is a source of information. The information may come from books (fiction , nonfiction, or reference book), from periodicals (newspapers, magazines, and journals), from audio-visual materials (records, cassettes, microfilms, video tapes, etc.), or even from a computer terminal.

Students go to libraries to study and write research papers. The periodicals room of a university library is where foreign students often find newspapers and magazines from their countries . In the reference room, they can find catalogs(目录) from many universities in the U.S. and other countries. If you are buying a used car, the reference librarian can show you the Blue Book which lists the prices of new and used cars. People who need information in a hurry can telephone the reference librarian at many libraries.

There are as many different library services as there are types of people who use them. Children’s libraries provide materials for young readers. They sometimes have storytellers who read stories to groups of children , and a few have computers for the children to play with. Music lovers can listen to recordings of their favorite musicians in music libraries . Some libraries have painting and sculpture exhibits, and most libraries offer special services for blind people, such as books in Braille, ―talking‖ books , and Kurzweil Reading Machines.

Libraries provide entertainment as well as information. Novels and short stories from a library’s fiction collection are a good source of enjoyable reading practice. Public libraries often sponsor lectures on topics of interest to member of the community, and a few even offer concerts and films. No matter what your interests are, you will find that a library can be a great place to enjoy yourself while you learn.

1.What is another name for a library？()

A.A bookstore.

B.The periodicals room.

C.A reference librarian.

D.The information place

2.In the reference room of the library you can find().

A. the fiction collection

B. newspapers and magazines

C. university catalogs

D. materials for young readers

3.Which of the following is NOT an example of a library service？()

A. Used cars.

B. Art exhibits.

C. Children’s storytellers.

D. Kurzweil Reading Machines

4."A library can be a great place to enjoy yourself while you learn." This means you can()in a library.

A. talk and laugh as much as you want

B. find entertainment and information

C. play with computers

D. enjoy yourself by doing everything you can

5.What is the main idea of the whole text？ Choose the BEST answer.()

A. There are many kinds of libraries.

B. There are many books stored in a library.

C. Libraries provide entertainment.

D. Libraries offer many different services.

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第9题

听力原文：W: I think there should be greater restrictions placed on the press and the stori

es they print. I can't open a newspaper or magazine without reading stories full of false information about myself or people I know. It's get ting...

M: Sorry, but I can't believe that you're actually complaining about free publicity. I mean I remember, Shelley, before you were famous, you were begging us to write features about you...anything...

W: If you would just let me finish of course the press have been important. I'm an actress and I understand the power of the press. But the thing is, I rarely seem to read anything true about myself these days... The point I'm trying to make here is that famous people have families with feelings.

M: Oh, sorry. You're really hurt by that particular article last week.

W: To increase circulation and make more money, certain newspapers continue to print those stories when it's obvious that they're not true.

M: But I think we have to consider the relationship between fame, the public and the press. The public are fascinated by fame and scandal, and they love to read about their favorite stars.

W: I'm sick of gutter-press making up stories. It's irresponsible and it messes up people's life.

M: The problem is, it's not always clear what's true and what isn't. I mean, if a newspaper prints something scandalous or embarrassing about a famous person, they're bound to deny it, but that doesn't mean it's not true.

W: Are you trying to say...

M: No smoke without fire, if you ask me.

(20)

A．A little known actress and a literary critic.

B．A well-known actress and a newspaper editor.

C．A movie star and one of her fans.

D．A movie star and a TV interviewer.

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第10题

There is a great concern in Europe and North America about declining standards of literacy

in schools. In Britain, the fact that 30 percent of 16 year old have a reading age of 14 or less has helped to prompt massive educational changes. The development of literacy has far-reaching effects on general intellectual development and thus anything which impedes the development of literacy is a serious matter for us all. So the hunt is on for the cause of the decline in literacy. The search so far has forced on socioeconomic factors, or the effectiveness of "traditional" versus "modem" teaching techniques.

The fruitless search for the cause of the increase in illiteracy is a tragic example of the saying "They can't see the wood for the trees". When teachers use picture books, they are simply continuing a long-establisbed tradition that is accepted without question. And for the past two decades, illustrations in reading primers have become increasingly detailed and obtrusive, while language has become impoverished -- sometimes to the point of extinction.

Amazingly, there is virtually no empirical evidence to support the use of illustrations in teaching reading. On the contrary, a great deal of empirical evidence shows that pictures interfere in a damaging way with all aspects of learning to read. Despite this, from North America to the Antipodes, the first books that many school children receive are totally without text.

A teacher's main concern is to help young beginning readers to develop not only the ability to recognize words, but the skills necessary to understand what these words mean. Even if a child is able to read aloud fluently, he or: she may not be able to understand much of it: this is called "barking at text". The teacher's task of improving comprehension is made harder by influences outside the classroom. But the adverse effects of such things as television, video games, or limited language experiences at home, can be offset by experiencing "rich" language at school.

Instead, it is not unusual for a book of 30 or more pages to have only one sentence full of repetitive phrases. The artwork is often marvellous, but the pictures make the language redundant, and the children have no need to imagine anything when they read such books. Looking at a picture actively prevents children younger than nine from creating a mental image, and can make it difficult for older children. In order to learn how to comprehend, they need to practise making their own meaning in response to text. They need to have their innate powers of imagination trained.

As they grow older, many children turn aside from books without pictures, and it is a situation made more serious as our culture becomes more visual. It is hard to wean children off picture books when pictures have played a major part throughout their formative reading experiences, and when there is competition for their attention from so many other sources of entertainment. The least intelligent are most vulnerable, but tests show that even intelligent children are being affected. The response of educators has been to extend use of pictures in books and to simplify the language, even at senior levels. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge recently held joint conferences to discuss the noticeably rapid decline in literacy among their undergraduates.

Pictures are also used to help motivate children to read because they are beautiful and eye-catching. But motivation to read should be provided by listening to stories well read, where children imagine in response to the story. Then, as they start to read, they have this experience to help them understand the language. If we present pictures to save children the trouble of developing these creative skills, then I think we are making a great mistake.

Academic journals ranging from educational research, psychology, language learning, psycholinguistics, and so on cite experime

A．they read too loudly

B．there are too many repetitive words

C．they are discouraged from using their imagination

D．they have difficulty assessing its meaning

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第11题

Sleep is a funny thing. We're taught that we should get seven or eight hours a night, but

a lot of us get by just fine on less, and some of us actually sleep too much. A study out of the University of Buffalo reported that people who routinely sleep more than eight hours a day and are still tired are nearly three times as likely to die of stroke--probably as a result of an underlying disorder that keeps them from sleeping soundly.

Doctors have their own special sleep problems. Residents are famously short of sleep. It is not unusual for. them to work 40 hours in a row without rest. They are not in the least worried about it, confident they can still deliver the highest quality of medical care. But an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association points out that in the morning after 24 hours of sleeplessness, a person' s motor performance is comparable to that of someone who is drunk. Curiously, surgeons who believe that operating under the influence of alcohol is grounds for sacking often don' t think twice about operating without enough sleep.

"I could tell you horror stories," says Jaya Agrawal, president of the American Medical Student Association, which runs a website for residents. Some are terrifying." I was operating after being up for over 36 hours," one writes. "I literally fell asleep standing up and nearly planted my face into the wound."

"Practically every surgical resident I know has fallen asleep at the wheel driving home from work," writes another. "I know of three who have hit parked cars. Another hit a 'Jersey gate' on the New Jersey Expressway, going 105kin/h."

"Your own patients have become the enemy," writes a third, because they are "the one thing that stands between you and a few hours of sleep."

The U.S. controls the hours of pilots and truck drivers. But until such a system is in place for doctors, patients are on their own. If you're worded about the people treating you or a loved one, you should feel free to ask how many hours of sleep they have had and if more rested staffers are available.

Sleep is a funny thing because ______.

A．the longer one sleeps, the less sound sleep he gets

B．the more sleep one gets, the more likely a stroke occurs

C．many people stick to about eight hours of sleep to stay fine

D．many people who sleep six hours a night still feel energetic in the day

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