1 . Robert Ballard was born in 1942. From an early age, he loved the sea. Baliard grew up in Southern California. He spent his free time at the beach near his home. He enjoyed fishing and swimming. He even learned to dive.
When Ballard wasn't at the ocean, he loved reading about it. At age 10, he read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a book which describes the undersea adventures of Captain Nemo. Ballard decided he wanted to be like Captain Nemo when he grew up. His parents helped him follow his dream.
Ballard was a hardworking student. He spent many years learning all he could about the ocean. By the age of 28, he was an expert. In 1970, he took a job as a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. There he studied underwater mountains of the Atlantic Ocean. He came up with ways to predict volcanoes under the oceans. Working with other scientists, Ballard also found previously unknown sea animals. These animals lived far below the ocean's surface, where scientists had believed no animals could live.
By the 1980s, Ballard's interests changed. He developed unmanned vehicles to explore the ocean bottom. His first find, the wellknown ship Titanic, made Ballard famous. He was not happy with just one big find, however. He looked for—and found—other wellknown ships. One was the German battleship Bismarck. Another was the U. S.S. Yorktown, an aircraft carrier that sank during World War Ⅱ.
Today Robert Ballard is still an underwater explorer. He also heads an organization that encourages students to learn about science. Ballard hopes that some of the students will follow in his footsteps. After all, the world's huge oceans are mostly unknown. Who knows what remains to be discovered under the sea?
1. When Ballard worked at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, he ________.| A．explored the undersea world by ship |
| B．thought of ideas to predict underwater volcanoes |
| C．found some unknown sea animals alone |
| D．set up an organization to teach students science |
a. He found the German battleship Bismarck.
b. He read a book about Captain Nemo.
c. He found the famous ship Titanic.
d. He became an expert in science.
| A．b—c—d—a | B．d—b—c—a |
| C．d—c—a—b | D．b—d—c—a |
| A．Ballard was greatly influenced by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. |
| B．Ballard didn't like fishing and swimming in his childhood. |
| C．Ballard's parents felt disappointed at his undersea adventures. |
| D．Human beings have explored more than half of the sea. |
2 . We all know that eating junk food can make us fat. However, a new study suggests that it can do more than that—it can also make us lazy.
In the study, researchers at the University of California, divided 32 female rats into two groups. The first group was fed a diet of healthy food such as corn and fish, while the second was given a diet of highly processed food rich in sugar, namely “junk food”.
Within three months, the rats in the second group were already much fatter than those on the healthy diet. And when researchers trained the rats to do simple tasks, they found even more differences between the two groups rather than weight.
During the task—pushing a lever (杠杆) to receive a reward of sugar water—the rats on the junk food diet were found to be less willing to move, and they took longer breaks between each push than the lean (瘦的) rats did.
“It is as if the rat is thinking ‘This is too much work’,” Aaron Blaisdell, leader of the study.
But what about the possibility that the fat rats were less passionate about getting sugar water because they were already eating lots of sugar in their daily diet? That’s why researchers repeated the tests by rewarding fat rats with plain water when they were extremely thirsty. However, the results came out just the same.
The experiment didn’t end there. After six months, the rats’ diets were switched, and the overweight rats were given a healthy diet for nine days. However, this change didn’t help reduce their weight or improve their ability to perform tasks, which means the effects of their junk food diet continued. “There’s no quick fix.” said Blaisdell.
For a long time, we’ve believed that people become fat because they are lazy. But this study has proven the opposite to be true as well, which indicates that laziness and obesity (肥胖) are a “vicious cycle (恶性循环)”.
So, if you constantly feel tired, lacking any urge to get up from your chair, it could be that you’ve been studying too hard. But you should also pay attention to your diet.
1. What is the correct order of the research?a. Researchers changed the rats’ diet.
b. Researchers divided 32 female rats into two groups.
c. Within three months, rats on junk food were much fatter that rats on healthy food.
d. Researchers rewarded fat rats with plain water when they were extremely thirsty.
| A．bcda. | B．badc. |
| C．bacd. | D．bcad. |
| A．Most females are probably finding it hard to say no to junk food. |
| B．Sugar in water as well as in junk food serves the same vicious role in making us fat. |
| C．Your diet means most to you if you feel tired and don’t want to move from your chair. |
| D．There is no short cut for losing weight and overcoming laziness after eating too much junk food. |
| A．relaxed | B．concerned |
| C．optimistic | D．passive |
| A．People | B．Entertainment Weekly. |
| C．Science and Life. | D．Economists. |
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist（专栏作家）. In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial（财务的）dealings. While in prison, William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking(1899), appeared in McClure’s Magazine. After serving three years of the five years’ sentence，he changed his name to O. Henry, hoping to forget his bitter past.
O. Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World, and also published the stories in other magazines. His first collection, Cabbages and Kings, appeared in 1904. Many other works quickly followed, such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room. O. Henry’s best- known work is The Ransom of Red Chief. His stories always have surprising endings. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O. Henry’s last years were shadowed by drinking, ill health, and financial problems. In 1907, he experienced a failed marriage. In 1910, O. Henry died after an illness.
1. What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．A brief introduction to O. Henry. |
| B．O. Henry’s career and marriage. |
| C．How O. Henry became a well-known writer. |
| D．O. Henry’s best- known works. |
| A．didn’t like to study during his childhood |
| B．had little parental love as a child |
| C．was very interested in medicine and farming |
| D．took up only one job after he moved to Houston |
| A．he got involved in some problems connected with money |
| B．he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist |
| C．his weekly The Rolling Stone failed |
| D．he couldn’t earn enough money to support his daughter |
① He moved to New York City.
② He joined The Houston Post.
③ Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking came out.
④ The Furnished Room came out.
⑤ Cabbages and Kings appeared.
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．②①③⑤④ |
| C．③②①④⑤ | D．②③①⑤④ |
Our story begins not in the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic, but rather thousands of miles away in Egypt. It is here, perhaps, that we can find the start of the mystery of the Titanic, in the year 1910, in the great city of Cairo.
One day, a famous professor of Egyptian history called Douglas Murray was staying in Cairo, when he was contacted by an American adventurer.
The American had something unusual to offer Murray, something that was certain to thrill him: a beautiful ancient Egyptian mummy case, containing the mummy of an Egyptian queen. It was over 3000 years old, but in beautiful condition — gold, with bright paintings on it. Murray was delighted with both the object and the asking price. He gave the man a cheque immediately.
The cheque was never cashed. That evening the American adventurer died. For his part, Murray arranged to have the treasure sent back to Britain. However, it was not long before he learnt more about the beautiful mummy case: On the walls of the tomb in which it had been discovered, there were messages which warned of terrible consequences to anyone who broke into the tomb. Murray was disbelieving of these warnings until a few days later, when a gun he was holding exploded in his hand, shattering his arm. The arm had to be cut off.
After the accident, Murray decided to return to his homeland. On the return journey, two of his companions died mysteriously, and two servants who had handled the mummy also passed away. The now-terrified Murray decided he would get rid of the cursed case as soon as he arrived in London. A lady he knew named Janet Jones said she would like it, so he gave it to her. Shortly afterwards, Jones’ mother died, and she herself caught a strange disease. She tried returning the mummy, but naturally Murray refused it. In the end, it was presented to the British Museum.
Even in the museum, the mummy apparently continued to cause strange events. A museum photographer died shortly after taking pictures of the new exhibit; and a manager also died for no apparent reason. In the end, the British Museum decided to get rid of the mummy too. They sold it to a collector in New York.
At the start of April 1912, arrangements for the transfer were complete, and the mummy began the journey to its new home. But the New Yorker never received the mummy or its case. For when the Titanic sank, one of the objects in its strong room was the mummy case. Or so they say.
1. In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “cursed” is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．forgotten | B．uncommon | C．unlucky | D．expensive |
a. The case was given to the British Museum.
b. Janet Jones caught a mysterious illness.
c. Murray’s arm was cut off.
d. The mummy case was sold to an American.
e. A man who took a picture of the case died.
f. Warnings were written on the tomb’s walls.
| A．f, c, b, a, e, d | B．c, f, b, a, e, d |
| C．d, f, b, c, a, e | D．f, a, c, b, e, d |
| A．At the British Museum. | B．In New York. |
| C．In Egypt. | D．Under the sea. |
| A．To introduce an important historical event to readers. |
| B．To entertain readers with a story of mystery. |
| C．To warn readers about the dangers of mummies’ curses. |
| D．To inform readers about the true cause of the Titanic’s sinking. |
5 . Mr. and Mrs. March lived together with their four daughters. Amy was very shy. Beth loved being at home. Meg looked very pretty. Jo was tall and thin and she was a tomboy(假小子). Their home was always busy and full of noise and people. Next to them lived old Mr. Laurence and his grandson, Laurie. They lived in a very large and comfortable house. But it was a house without life.
One day, Jo saw Laurie standing at an upstairs window in his house and looking down at their garden. Jo's sisters were playing in the snow there. They were throwing snowballs and having a lot of fun. But Laurie's face was very sad
“Poor boy!” Jo thought. “He's all alone. He needs some friends.” She couldn't stop thinking about him. She wanted to go and see him, but how could she go to the house without an invitation?
Then one snowy afternoon, she saw Laurie's grandpa go out. This gave her an idea. She took a broom(扫帚) from the kitchen.
“What are you going to do, Jo?” asked her sister Meg.
“To clear the garden path.” Answered Jo.
When Laurie saw Jo from the window, a big smile changed his pale, sad face.
Jo laughed and shouted, “How are you? Are you ill?”
Laurie opened the window and said, “I'm better now, thank you. I had a bad cold and had to stay inside for a week”.
“I'm sorry,” said Jo. “Are you bored?”
“Yes, very.” he replied.
“Don't your friends come to visit you?”
“No. But I don't want to see anybody. Boys are noisy and they give me a headache.”
“Girls are quiet.”
“I don't know any girls.”
“You know us.”
“That's true! Can you come and visit me?” cried Laurie.
“I'm not quiet, but I'd like to come,” replied Jo. “I must ask Mother first.” She ran back into her house.
A few minutes later, she returned and rang the bell on the door of Laurie's house. A servant took her upstairs.
“Here I am!” she said brightly. “Mother sends her love and my sisters gave me this blancmange(牛奶冻) for you.”
“That looks delicious,” Laurie said. He was very happy to see Jo.
Jo looked around. There were lots of books on the shelves.
“A nice room!” she said. “I can read to you if you like.”
“No, let's talk,” replied Laurie.
“All right,” said Jo, “I can talk for hours. My sisters say I never know when to stop.”
“You have three sisters-Amy, Beth and Meg.” Laurie continued
“How do you know this?” Jo was surprised.
“You call each other's names when you are in the garden. Sometimes I can see you all around the table with your mother. She has a very kind face. I like looking at her. I haven't got a mother.”
Jo felt sad when she heard this
“Why don't you come and visit us?” she said, “It isn't good for you to stay in this house all the time.”
“Thank you. I'd like to come very much.” Said Laurie.
“We know all our neighbours except you.” Jo said, “I'm glad we're friends now.”
She told him about all the interesting things in her life. She said, “Besides(除了……之外) plays, I also love books.” Laurie loved books too, and offered to show her the library in the house. The library was a wonderful room. Jo loved it.
“Wow!” she said, “All those books!”
Laurie said, “A person needs more than books.”
(Adapted from Little Women)
1. From the first paragraph, we know____________.| A．Jo's family had five members | B．Jo and Laurie were neighbors |
| C．Laurie and his grandpa were busy | D．the four sisters had the same hobby |
| A．she wanted to visit his large house | B．Laurie invited her to play with snowballs |
| C．she felt he was lonely and needed friends | D．Laurie was seriously ill and needed her care |
a. Jo saw Laurie standing at an upstairs window in his house.
b. Jo and Laurie were having a talk happily at Laurie's home.
c. Jo went to Laurie's home after telling her mother.
d. Jo couldn't stop thinking about Laurie.
| A．a-b-c-d | B．b-a-c-d |
| C．b-d-a-c | D．a-d-c-b |
| A．Kind and friendly | B．Generous but rude |
| C．Quiet and smart | D．Funny but carless |
| A．People need to stay in their own houses. |
| B．People should learn much more from the books. |
| C．People need love and friendship besides books. |
| D．People should relax themselves besides reading |
| A．Mean and strict | B．Quiet but cold |
| C．Quick and learned | D．Warm and kind |
So how does it work? First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key. The key will unlock one of the bikes, which are kept at docking stations in and around central London. You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go, for the length of time you use the bike.
Transport for London, which runs the scheme, is hoping to have 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year. The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion (拥挤) in London and is expected to create up to 40 ,000 extra cycle trips a day into the city centre. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been 6ifilled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses".
However, there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday. On the first day some people found they couldn't dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered. Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few "teething problems" and have said they wouldn't charge for the first day as a "gesture of goodwill". Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles.
Despite the comments, the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things, saying, "My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a big pedal-powered push forwards. "
1. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the new bike scheme in order to______.
| A．reduce the air pollution of the city |
| B．deal with the city's traffic problems |
| C．increase employment opportunities |
| D．encourage the citizens to take exercises |
a. pay for the key to a bike
b. sign up as a member to get a key
c. cycle in and around central London
d. pay for the bike according to the time you use it
| A．b→a→c→d | B．b→d→c→a |
| C．d→c→b→a | D．d→b→c→a |
| A．the high cost to hire a bike |
| B．docking the bikes properly |
| C．not registering their usage of the bikes |
| D．not charging for the first day of the scheme |
| A．the cycling revolution is not successful |
| B．all the citizens in London support the scheme |
| C．the London Mayor is confident in the scheme |
| D．the scheme will be cancelled because of the problems |
7 . Suppose that we lined up our roughly 14 million United States businesses in order of size, starting with the smallest, along an imaginary road from San Francisco to New York. There will be 4,500 businesses to the mile, or a little less than one per foot. Suppose further that we planted a flag each business. The height of the flag pole represents the yearly volume of sales (销量) , each $ 10, 000 in sales in shown by one foot of pole.
The line of flagpoles is a very interesting sight. From San Francisco to about Reno, it is almost unnoticeable, a row of poles about a foot high. From Reno eastward the poles increase in height until, near Columbus, Ohio - about four - fifths of the way across the nation - flags fly about 10 feet in the air.
But as we approach the eastern terminus (终点) , the poles suddenly begin to mount (升高) . There are about 300, 000 firms in the country with sales over $ 500, 000. These firms take up the last 75 miles of the 3,000 - mile road. There are 200, 000 firms with sales over $ 1 million. They take up the last 50 miles. Then there are 1, 000 firms with sales of $ 50, 000, 000 or more. They take up the last quarter of a mile before the city limits, flags flying at cloud height, 5 , 000 feet up .
At the very gate of New York, on the last 100 feet of the last mile , we find the 100 largest industrial firms . They have sales of at least $ 1.5 billion, so that their flags are already miles high. Along the last 10 feet of road , there are 10 largest companies . Their sales are roughly $ 10 billion and up : their flags fly 190 miles in the air , almost in the stratosphere (平流层) .
1. What is the author’s main purpose in this passage?| A．To tell the reason why the largest firms are in New York. |
| B．To show the geographical distribution (分布) of the United States businesses. |
| C．To provide a general idea of the size of businesses in the United States. |
| D．To tell us how the United States businesses are arranged. |
| A．San Francisco, Reno, New York, Columbus. |
| B．San Francisco, Reno, Columbus, New York. |
| C．New York, Columbus, Reno, San Francisco |
| D．New York, Reno, Columbus, San Francisco |
| A．The last 75 miles. | B．The last 50 miles. |
| C．The last 100 feet of the last mile. | D．The last quarter of a mile |
S =" San" Francisco R =" Reno" C =" Columbus" N =" New" York H =" height" F = feet
A． | B． | C． | D． |
8 . The French submarine is called Le Triomphant, meaning “the winner”. The name of the British submarine is Vanguard, meaning “the leading position in an army”. It’s clear from the submarines’ names that they were made for victory.
However, it was an accident, rather than a victory, that led these two submarines to recently make news headlines across the world.
On February 16, Britain and France admitted that two of their nuclear — armed submarines, HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant, collided while deep in the Atlantic in early February. Both submarines were on secret patrols (巡逻) and carrying nuclear arms when they collided.
Le Triomphant had no idea that it had run into HMS Vanguard until several days later. The French navy at first believed that Le Triomphant had hit an “object, probably a container (集装箱)”.
Investigations have begun to work out how such a collision could have happened. Both submarines are equipped with state-of-the-art (最先进的) technology that is supposed to find other submarines. Yet, neither submarine saw the other until it was too late.
One idea being considered was that their anti-sonar (抗声呐) equipment, which hides submarines, was just too effective in hiding one from the other.
Submarines use sonar to sense what is in the sea near them. Sonar is a submarine’s ear. Many sea animals use sonar as well. Dolphins produce high-pitched (声调高的) clicks. When these clicks hit an object, some of the sound will echo (发出回声) back to the “sender”. By listening to the echo and working out the time it took before the echo came back, the dolphin can work out how far away the object is.
There are two kinds of sonar: active sonar, which sends out signals, and passive sonar, which listens for signals with extremely sensitive microphones.
The two submarines were designed to be very quiet and as hidden as possible because a submarine’s job description (工作职责) is not to be found. Many modern submarines do not use active sonar, only passive sonar. This makes it very difficult for a submarine to “hear” if another submarine is near.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense (国防部) has said the collision did not lead to any radioactive leaks (放射物泄漏). The chance of a full nuclear explosion was almost impossible. However, experts say that if the walls of the submarines had broken, or a fire had been started, there could have been a major disaster.
A senior British Navy source told The Sun newspaper that the possible consequences of such a collision were “unthinkable”.
“It’s very unlikely there would have been a nuclear explosion. But a radioactive leak was a possibility. That would have been a national disaster.” he said.
1. What has made HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant well known recently?| A．Their names carried very positive meanings. |
| B．They collided in the Atlantic this February. |
| C．They are both equipped with advanced technology. |
| D．They are both nuclear-armed submarines. |
| A．The two submarines were moving at a high speed. |
| B．Their anti-sonar equipment was too effective. |
| C．They were not equipped with active sonar. |
| D．The submarines were designed to be too quiet. |
a. The sound hitting the object.
b. Producing high-pitched sound.
c. The sound echoing back.
d. Working out the time to come back.
e. Receiving the sound.
| A．b—a—c—d—e | B．d—a—e—c—b |
| C．b—c—d—a—e | D．b—a—c—e—d |
| A．Both of the submarines carried nuclear arms when they collided. |
| B．Many modern submarines do not use passive sonar so as to be as hidden as possible. |
| C．The collision may have caused a disaster if a fire had been started. |
| D．There would have been a nuclear explosion if the two submarines had collided harder. |
9 . O. Henry, born in Greensboro, North Carolina, was the pen name of William Sydney Porter. His father, Algernon Sidney Porter, was a physician. When William was three years old, his mother died, and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt. William was a good reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school, and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm. After that, he moved to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk. After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1882, he married.
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. When the weekly failed, he joined The Houston Post as a reporter and columnist (专栏作家)．In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial (财务的) dealings. While in prison, William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking (1899), appeared in McClure’s Magazine. After serving three years of the five years’ sentence, he changed his name to O. Henry, hoping to forget his bitter past.
O. Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World, and also published the stories in other magazines. His first collection, Cabbages and Kings, appeared in 1904. Many other works quickly followed, such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room. O. Henry’s best known work is The Ransom of Red Chief. His stories always have surprising endings. He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O. Henry’s last years were shadowed by drinking, ill health, and financial problems. In 1907, he experienced a failed marriage. In 1910, O. Henry died after an illness.
1. What’s the passage mainly about?| A．A brief introduction to O.Henry. |
| B．O.Henry’s career and marriage. |
| C．How O.Henry became a wellknown writer. |
| D．O.Henry’s best known works. |
| A．didn’t like to study during his childhood |
| B．had little parental love as a child |
| C．was very interested in medicine and farming |
| D．took up only one job after he moved to Houston |
①He moved to New York City.
②He joined The Houston Post.
③Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking came out.
④The Furnished Room came out.
⑤Cabbages and Kings appeared.
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．②①③⑤④ | C．③②①④⑤ | D．②③①⑤④ |
| A．Cabbages and Kings. | B．The Gift of the Magi. |
| C．The Furnished Room. | D．The Ransom of Red Chief. |
| CONTEST RULES ·Entries may be submitted(上交) no earlier than January 1, 2008, and will not be accepted until three winners are identified or December 31, 2008 whichever comes first. ·There is no cost to enter. ·Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. ·Any form and style is acceptable for this competition: fiction, observational essay, humor, etc. poetry is not acceptable. ·Total length of writing must be 500-1500 words, including any necessary notes or citations. ·Writing must be original, never before published, and entirely the work and property of the person who submits it. Ghostwritten is not acceptable. PRIZES Winners will receive ·$50 cash ·Professional editing of their winning entries. ·Publication of their entries in Word-wise. ·Recognition via press releases announcing the winning entries and introducing the authors. HOW TO ENTER ·Save your completed writing as a Word, WordPerfect, Open Document, or plain text file. ·Title the file with your first and last name. For example, Elton Smith would title his Word document thus: elton-smith.doc. ·Email the file as an attachment to contest2008@adminmaven.com. Use the subject line “Work-wise Writing Contest” to avoid being removed to the span bin. ·Entries submitted before the opening date of January1, 2008, will be deleted. Once the contest closes, further entries will be deleted. |
1. Ghostwritten work in “CONTEST RULES” might be ________.
| A．written by someone other than the author |
| B．science fiction difficult to understand |
| C．a long essay in a very strange writing style |
| D．full of citations from other writers |
| A．has to pay a fee |
| B．must submit work by January 1, 2008 |
| C．needs an eye-catching title for his word document |
| D．can submit any form or style of writing but a poem |
| A．The final results will come out on December 31, 2008. |
| B．All entries must be emailed to contest2008@adminmaven.com. |
| C．One can not add a note to a 1,500-word essay for the contest. |
| D．the winning entries will be edited and published. |
