One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
1. That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.
| A．to see one of his friends |
| B．because he wanted to do something there for his writing |
| C．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there |
| D．to see one of his relatives |
| A．they did something wrong to Mark Twain |
| B．their hotel was too small |
| C．the room was not very clean |
| D．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room |
| A．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room |
| B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number |
| C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents |
| D．Mark Twain made a joke |
| A．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night |
| B．the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night |
| C．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night |
| D．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer |
Outside among the trees, watch the wildlife—both the human and animal varieties. Call(212) 360-3465 or (212) 360-2726 for daily events and tours.
Central Park stretches from 59th to 110th Sts., and from 5th Ave. to Central Park West.
Empire State Building
This is among the most striking buildings in the city, the nation, even the world. The observation deck (瞭望台) on the 86th floor is open to the general public, offering a wonderful view of the city. On the second floor you'll find the New York Skyride, a simulate helicopter ride over Manhattan.
5th Ave. at 34th St., Midtown: (212) 736-3100
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum
Five blocks west of Time Square, this museum has hundreds of air, deep-sea and space exhibits. Walk the flight deck of the 900-foot-long aircraft carrier Intrepid, see dozens of old and modern aircraft and ride the Intrepid Navy Flight Simulator.
Pier 86, W. 46th St. and 12th Ave.: (212)245-0072
Madison Square Garden
If it's big, it probably happens at the Garden. Check out sporting events, concerts and much more. Tours are available.
7th Ave., btwn. 31st and 33rd Sts., Midtown: (212)465-6741
1. The New York Skyride is for .
| A．sightseeing | B．flight training |
| C．model plane sports | D．city transportation |
| A．Central Park | B．Empire State Building |
| C．Intrepid Sea-Air-Space museum | D．Madison Square Garden |
| A．To provide information of living in New York. |
| B．To provide directions of city traffic in New York. |
| C．To give visitors a guide to New York. |
| D．To give a brief introduction to the history of New York. |
3 . Venice, one of the cities in Italy,was founded in A.D.811 by the people of Malamocco, fleeing (逃跑)from the Franks. It was said that they were guided by pigeons carrying little crosses, and settled where now Venice lies.
Venice is built on 117 islands. It has 150 canals and 400 bridges. The narrow streets, with their historic names, are covered with stones,but have no footpaths. They are dotted with flower shop signs and lanterns. Shops and palaces stand by side. The brick bridges are high enough to allow boats to pass freely under them.
The center of public life is St. Mark’s Square where tourists and citizens sit in the famous Florian and Quadri cafes to listen to music, enjoying themselves. The Quadri is more popular but the Florian, founded in 1720, is the best-known cafe because it has received such great persons as Byron (an English poet) and Goethe (a German poet).
Unfortunately the special position of Venice is threatening(威胁)it’s own existence. The terrain(地势)on which it is built began to sink while the level of the surrounding waters is constantly rising. Howe’ver, many measures have already been taken to prevent the city from sinking.
1. In the second paragraph, the author ______.| A．showed up where Venice is | B．told us who built the city of Venice |
| C．described what Venice is like | D．talked about why Venice is surrounded by waters |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．it appeared in Byron and Goethe’s poems |
| B．it is more close to St. Mark’s Square than the Quadri |
| C．it was founded in 1720,much older than the Quadri |
| D．Byron and Goethe were once it’s customers |
| A．many people have fled because Venice’s existence is being threatened |
| B．the level of the surrounding water is constantly rising because the city of Venice began to sink |
| C．the government has already taken many measures to save the city from going down |
| D．many steps have already been taken to prevent the terrain from rising |
4 . Most of the 20th century has been a development on the Industrial Revolution taken to an extreme: people now own more products than ever before; there are enough unclear weapons to destroy the earth several times over; there is hardly any forest left and pollution has got to the point where we buy water. Within a few years I predict you will be able to buy air. (There once was a time when you didn't need to buy food or shelter either.)
Important developments in the last century are the breaking down of the class structures left over from the Industrial Revolution stage, bringing with it the empowerment of the “common man”： the working day is set by law to only 8 hours a day; everyone has the vote; the media has less obvious government control; people have landed on the moon, sent spacecrafts to Mars and so on. Families have also shrunk drastically (强烈地); the nuclear family came about, and especially in the last half of the 20th century, oneparent families are becoming more common. This shrinking in the size of the family shows the increased independence of people — once upon a time people had to live in large groups to survive.
As humans have “become the gods”， they have realized their individuality and independence and taken their control of the world to an extreme. In many countries the land is almost completely used in the production of food and as living space and they live in small cities which are entirely human constructed, made from materials which are also entirely human constructed (concrete bricks) with hardly any remains of nature. Weeds are poisoned because they are messy; even parks have trees grown in tidy lines; grass is mowed to keep it short and so on. I think the massive drug “problem” troubling people is a result of too much of this influence, humans needing to escape the stark world they have created by entering fantasy worlds.
Over the last 100 years, the 20th century consciousness has spread throughout the world; most of Asia has been thoroughly “Westernized”， and most of the Third World is being overrun by Western ways of doing things and living.
1. What's the author most concerned about?| A．The influence of pollution. |
| B．Strong effects of development. |
| C．Changed positions of humans as gods. |
| D．The process of the Industrial Revolution. |
| A．Objective. | B．Tolerant. |
| C．Vague. | D．Negative. |
| A．Unfair. | B．Illegal. |
| C．Dull. | D．Violent. |
| A．Men's individuality is over controlled. |
| B．People have damaged nature too much. |
| C．Men's independence is partially limited. |
| D．People show concern for nuclear families. |
