1 . When I told my father that I was moving to Des Moines, Iowa, he told me about the only time he had been there. It was in the 1930s, when he was an editor of the literary magazine of Southern Methodist University（SMU）in Dallas, Texas. He also worked as a professor at SMU, and there was a girl student in his class who suffered from a serious back disease. She couldn’t afford the operation because her family was poor.
Her mother ran a boardinghouse in Galveston, a seaside town near Houston, Texas. She was cleaning out the attic（阁楼）one day when she came across an old dusty manuscript（手稿）. On its top page were the words, “By O. Henry”. It was a nice story, and she sent it to her daughter at SMU, who showed it to my father. My father had never read the story before, but it sounded like O. Henry, and he knew that O. Henry had once lived in Houston. So it was possible that the famous author had gone to the beach and stayed in the Galveston boardinghouse, and had written the story there and left the manuscript behind by accident. My father visited an O. Henry expert at Columbia University in New York, who authenticated the story as O. Henry’s.
My father then set out to sell it. Eventfully, he found himself in Des Moines, meeting with Gardner Cowles, a top editor at the Des Moines Register. Cowles loves the story and bought it on the spot. My father took the money to the girl. It was just enough for her to have the operation she so desperately needed.
My father never told me what the O. Henry story was about. But I doubt that it could have been better than his own story.
1. Who found the O. Henry’s manuscript?

A．The girl’s mother.	B．The author’s father.
C．The girl.	D．The author.

2. Which of the following might explain the fact that the manuscript was found in the   attic?

A．O. Henry once worked in Houston.

B．O. Henry once stayed in Galveston.

C．O. Henry once moved to Des Moines.

D．O. Henry once taught at SMU.

3. The underlined word “authenticated” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A．named	B．treated
C．proved	D．described

4. According to the text, why did the author’s father go to Des Moines?

A．To sell the O. Henry story.

B．To meet the author himself.

C．To talk with the O. Henry expert.

D．To give money to the girl.

2 . Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately：the air you breathe.

Previous studies have linked high exposure (暴露) to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problems，but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke (中风) within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants (污染物) were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)considers to be of “moderate” (良好) quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.

The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.

1. The text mainly discusses the relationship between ________.

A．heart problems and air quality

B．heart problems and exercising

C．heart problems and smoking

D．heart problems and fatty food

2. The underlined word “modest” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.

A．relatively high	B．extremely low
C．relatively low	D．extremely high

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．Eating fatty food has immediate effects on your heart.

B．The EPA conducted many studies on air quality.

C．Moderate air quality is more harmful than smoking.

D．Stricter regulations on pollutants should be made.

4. The author's purpose of writing the text is most likely to ________.

A．inform	B．persuade
C．describe	D．entertain

3 . They say there are three ways to experience the Grand Canyon; on foot, on mules(骡子) or by air. We chose the first. Up early, my husband and I and our three children couldn't wait to get started. We decided to walk along a lovely path named Bright Angel Trail.

As we set out, I was shocked at how narrow the path was. And I couldn't help noticing that the other tourists weren't like us. They had heavy backpacks, water bottles, and hats. But as usual we were dressed. As the sun rose higher, Arizona's famous heat seemed to roast us. There was no shade and our legs were aching. We decided to go back, with the girl on my back and the boys far behind. By the time we finally got back, our legs were like jelly.

The next day, after we'd had a long rest and a good breakfast, we were ready for another view of the Canyon—by air. After our last walk, this would be the easiest thing in the world.

We called to each other excitedly as the plane took off and circled around the Canyon. But the smiles on our faces disappeared as the pilot tossed(翻转) the plane around, pretending he was going to hit the ground. I shouted, "STOP, TAKE US BACK!" When we finally arrived back on land, once again our legs were like jelly. We hardly spoke as we drove back.

As I said, there are three ways to view the Grand Canyon. We never tried the mules, but personally I'd suggest a fourth: buy yourself a good magazine like National Geographic. That way, you can see the Canyon, without fear or tiredness.

1. Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?

A．They made a careful preparation before the trip.

B．The children were more joyful than their parents.

C．Bright Angel Trail was not as lovely as they expected.

D．The summer heat prevented them from enjoying the view.

2. The underlined expression "Our legs were like jelly" probably means ______.

A．we were weak	B．we were unhappy
C．we were dissatisfied	D．we were disappointed

3. Which of the following best describes their Canyon trip by air?

A．It proved to be frightening.	B．It was more comfortable.
C．It turned out to be exciting.	D．It made each of them tired.

4. We can infer from the passage that ____.

A．experiencing the Canyon on mules would be the best way

B．one needs to dress less when visiting the Grand Canyon

C．the writer was not serious when she made the suggestion

D．the whole family narrowly escaped from the air accident

4 . Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, gentically mondified (GM, 转基因) foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the word,mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis. But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would, is it the best solution?

Despite what it promises, GM technology actually has not increased the production potential       of any corp. In fact, studies show that the most widely grown GM crop. GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity. For instance, a report than analysed nearly two decades of research on mojor GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production.

Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companies tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides（杀虫剂）. On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops. “The promise was that you could use less chemicals and boost production. But neither is true,” said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition.

At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger: Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics. These indeed deserve our efforts and money. Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report.

As a matter of fact, scientists see better ways to feed the world. Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which “green” farming is supposed to be the first choice.

1. The author develops the second paragraph mainly      .

A．by classification	B．by comparison
C．by example	D．by process

2. What does the underlined word “boost ” in the third paragraph probably mean?

A．Control.

B．Evaluate

C．Obtain.

D．Increase.

3. GM companies promise farmers that they will benefit from ______________.

A．practicing “green” farming	B．use of less chemicals
C．fair distribution of their crops	D．using more crops for fuel

4. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards GM technology?

A．Optimistic

B．Defensive

C．Disapproving

D．Casual

5 . When people want to know about the weather,they usually go to their radios,TVs, newspapers,or to the Internet.However,you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses.Drops in air pressure(压力) produce an effect on small animals in many ways.Mice and deer are good weather indicators.People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that,before a storm,field mice come out of their holes and run around.Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways.For example,some birds become irritable(急躁的) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread.Other birds chirp(叽叽喳喳) and sing just before a storm.It seems they know they won’t get another chance for an hour or two.Birds also seek safe places before a storm.You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building.Pre-storm low pressure makes the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime,rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn.Watch for other weather signs if you see this.If they fly in the wrong direction,they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature,we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.
1. The word “indicators” in Paragraph 1 probably means______.

A．maps	B．services
C．signs	D．stations

2. There will be a storm if birds______.

A．make more noise than usual

B．fly in different directions

C．come down from tall trees

D．share a piece of bread

3. How can birds sense the coming of a storm?

A．By feeling a drop in air temperature.

B．By noticing the change of wind directions.

C．By feeling a drop in air pressure.

D．By noticing the movements of other animals.

4. The best title for the text would be______.

A．Signs of a Storm

B．Drops in Air Pressure

C．Animals’ Sharp Senses

D．Nature’s Weather Signs

6 . When former American President Bill Clinton travelled to South Korea to visit President Kim Young Sam,he repeatedly referred to the Korean president’s wife as Mrs.Kim.By mistake, President Clinton’s advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese. Clinton had not been told that,in Korea,wives keep their family names.President Kim Young Sam’s wife was named Sohn Myong Suk.Therefore,she should be addressed(称谓) as Mrs.Sohn.
President Clinton arrived in Korea directly after leaving Japan and had not changed his culture gears.His failure to follow Korean customs gave the impression that Korea was not as important to him as Japan.
In addition to Koreans,some Asian husbands and wives do not share the same family names.This practice often puzzles(使困惑) English-speaking teachers when talking with a pupil’s parents.They become puzzled about the student’s correct last name.Placing the family name first is common among a number of Asian cultures.
Mexican naming customs are different as well.When a woman marries,she keeps her family name and adds her husband’s name after the word de(of).This affects(影响) how they fill in forms in the United States.When requested to fill in a middle name,they generally write the father’s family name.But Mexicans are addressed by the family name of the mother.This often causes puzzlement.
Here are a few ways to deal with such difficult situations:don’t always think that a married woman uses her husband’s last name.Remember that in many Asian cultures,the order of first and last names is reversed(颠倒).Ask which name a person would prefer to use.If the name is difficult to pronounce,admit it,and ask the person to help you say it correctly.
1. The story of Bill Clinton is used to______.

A．improve US-Korean relations

B．introduce the topic of the text

C．describe his visit to Korea

D．tell us how to address a person

2. The word “gears” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to______.

A．action plans	B．naming customs
C．travel maps	D．thinking patterns

3. When a woman marries in Korea,she______.

A．continues to use her family name

B．uses her husband’s given name

C．shares her husband’s family name

D．adds her husband’s given name to hers

4. To address a married woman properly,you’d better______.

A．use her middle name

B．use her husband’s first name

C．ask her which name she likes

D．change the order of her names