All her life,my mother wanted busy children.It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy.

You could turn your back for a moment in my mother’s house,leave a half-written letter on the dining room table,a magazine open on the chair,and turn around to find that my mother had “put it back where it belonged,”as she explained.

My wife,one of her first visits to my mother’s house,placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink.When she returned,she found the packet had been removed.Confused(疑惑的),she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits,only to return to find that her drink had disappeared.Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks,so as not to make water rings on the end tables.Now she knows better.

These disappearances had a confusing effect on our family.We were all inclined to(有……的倾向) forgetfulness,and it was common for one of us,upon returning from the bathroom,to find that every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly.“Do you remember what I was doing?”was a question frequently asked,but rarely answered.

Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of clean windows,and my brother does the cleaning in his house,perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet.I try not to think about it too much,but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.

We have all become busy persons.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?

A.She enjoyed removing others’ drinks.

B.She became more and more forgetful.

C.She preferred to do everything by herself.

D.She wanted to keep her house in good order.

2.My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother’s house because _______.

A.she had already finished them

B.my mother had taken them away

C.she forgot where she had left them

D.someone in my family was holding them

3.The underlined part in the fifth paragraph suggests that my sister _______.

A.is happy to clean windows

B.loves to clean used windows

C.is fond of clean used windows

D.likes clean windows as my mother did

4.This passage mainly tells us that _______.

A.my mother often made us confused

B.my family members had a poor memory

C.my mother helped us to form a good habit

D.my wife was surprised when she visited my mother

Most rain forests lie close to the equator(赤道),where the climate is often mild and there are long hours of sunshine.The warmth of the land heats the air above,causing it to rise and tiny drops of water to fall as rain.The rainfall can reach at least 98 inches a year.This wet,warm world with plenty of sunlight is perfect for plants to grow,so the trees grow fast with green leaves all the year round.The trees themselves also have an effect on the climate.They gather water from the soil and pass it out into the air through their leaves.The wet air then forms clouds,which hang over the treetops like smoke.These clouds protect the forest from the daytime heat and night-time cold of nearby deserts,keeping temperatures fit for plant growth.

Rain forests slightly farther away from the equator remain just as warm,but they have a dry season of three months or more when little rain falls.Tree leaves fall during this dry season and new leaves grow when the wet season or monsoon(雨季) begins.Thus these areas are known as the “monsoon forest”.

Another type of rain forest grows on tropical mountains.It is often called the “cloud forest” because clouds often hang over the trees like fog.

The rain forest is the ideal place for the growth of many different trees.Most of them depend on animals to eat their fruits and spread their seeds.When the fruits are eaten,the seeds inside them go undamaged through animals’ stomachs and are passed out in their droppings.The seeds lying on the forest floor then grow into new trees.

1.The climate of the rain forests near the equator is _______.

A.mild,wet and windy                        B.hot,rainy and foggy

C.hot,wet and cloudy                        D.warm,wet and sunny

2.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A.tree leaves are green all the time in the monsoon forest

B.there is a dry season in the cloud forest on tropical mountains

C.clouds help the plants in the rain forest near the deserts to grow

D.the formation of climate in the rain forest has little to do with the trees

3.According to the passage,_______ play the most important role in the spreading of seeds.

A.animals           B.droppings         C.fruits                D.winds

4.This passage is most likely to be found in _______.

A.a travel guide                            B.a story book

C.a technical report                            D.a geography book

Danielle Steel,America’s sweetheart,is one of the hardest working women in the book business.Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time,she can work on up to five.Her research alone before writing takes at least three years.Once she has fully studied her subjects,ready to dive into a book,she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.

Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education.After graduation,she worked in the public relations and advertising industries.Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for.Her achievements are unbelievable:390 million copies of books in print,nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels,and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them deal with the real-life problems of death,new babies and new schools.Her 1998 book about the death of her son shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out.Twenty-eight of her books have been made into films.She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for one of her books being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.

Not content with a big house,a loving family,and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge,Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource(资源) and has kept in touch with them by e-mail.While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公) of her own invention,her life is undoubtedly much quieter.But,if she does have anything in common with them,it is her strength of will and her inimitable(独特的) style.There is only one Danielle Steel.

1.Danielle Steel is different from other writers in that _______.

A.she can write several books at the same time

B.she often does some reasearch before writing a book

C.she is one of the most popular American women writers

D.she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break

2.Children who have read “Max and Martha” picture books may know _______.

A.how to deal with affairs at school

B.what to do if Max and Martha die

C.what to do when new babies are born into their families

D.how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes

3.One of Danielle Steel’s achievements is that _______.

A.some TV plays were based on her books

B.her picture books attracted a lot of young men

C.one of her books became a best-seller in 1998

D.she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records

4.We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel _______.

A.lives an exciting life                        B.values her readers a lot

C.writes about quiet women                  D.is pleased with her achievements

What will people die of 100 years from now?If you think that is a simple question,you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology(生物技术).With the help of new medicine,the human body will last a very long time.Death will come mainly from accidents,murder and war.Today’s leading killers,such as heart disease,cancer,and aging itself,will become distant memories.

In discussion of technological changes,the Internet gets most of the attention these days.But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times.How long can humans live?Human brains were known to decide the final death.Cells(细胞) are the basic units of all living things,and until recently,scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells,such as those of brain cells,would not last forever.But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine.Sometime between 2050 and 2100,medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so,people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs(器官).The medicine,made up of the basic building materials of life,will build new brain cells,heart cells,and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.

It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence,but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.

1.According to the passage,human death is now mainly caused by _______.

A.diseases and aging                        B.accidents and war

C.accidents and aging                       D.heart disease and war

2.In the author’s opinion,today’s most important advance in technology lies in _______.

A.medicine                              B.the Internet

C.brain cells                               D.human organs

3.Humans may live longer in the future because _______.

A.heart disease will be far away from us

B.human brains can decide the final death

C.the basic materials of cells will last forever

D.human organs can be repaired by new medicine

4.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A.human life will not last more than 120 years in the future

B.humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now

C.much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life

D.we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡将该项涂黑。

Lang Lang is a world-class young pianist who grew up in Shenyang.He went to a piano school in Beijing when he was just eight.“You need   1,”his father said.“But if you don’t work hard,no fortune will come.”

What made him sad was   2his piano teacher in Beijing didn’t like him.“You have no talent(天赋).You will never be a pianist.”   3a nine-year-old boy,Lang Lang was badly   4.He decided that he didn’t want to be a   5any more.For the next two weeks he didn’t touch the piano._   6,his father didn’t push,but waited.

Luckily,the day came when his teacher asked him to    7some holiday songs.He didn’t want to,but as he placed his fingers on the piano keys,he   8that he could show others that he had talent   9.That day he told his father   10he had been waiting to hear—that he wanted to study with a new teacher.   11that point on,everything turned around.

He started   12competitions(比赛).In the 1994 International Young Pianists Competition,when it was   13that Lang Lang had won,he was too   14to hold back his tears.Soon   15was clear that he couldn’t stay in China forever—he had to play on the world’s big   16.In 1997 Lang Lang   17again,this time to Philadelphia,U.S.There he spent two years practising,and by 1999 he had worked hard enough for fortune to take over.After his   18performance at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival,gigs(特邀演出) in Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall started   19in.Lang Lang finally worked to reach the place where fortune spots(发现) him,and lets him   20.

1.A.exercise            B.fortune               C.knowledge         D.wealth

2.A.whether         B.why               C.when              D.that

3.A.Like            B.With              C.To                    D.As

4.A.hurt                B.weakened          C.ruined                D.frightened

5.A.singer          B.pianist               C.conductor         D.player

6.A.Hopefully       B.Patiently         C.Wisely                D.Painfully

7.A.play                B.sing              C.write             D.study

8.A.seemed          B.admitted          C.noticed               D.realized

9.A.in all          B.above all         C.after all             D.at all

10.A.that               B.what              C.which             D.when

11.A.From           B.At                    C.Since             D.After

12.A.receiving          B.accepting         C.winning           D.beating

13.A.told               B.mentioned         C.announced         D.recognized

14.A.excited            B.encouraged            C.shocked           D.satisfied

15.A.this               B.it                    C.that              D.what

16.A.concerts           B.tours             C.competitions      D.stages

17.A.started            B.left              C.moved             D.performed

18.A.successful     B.cheerful          C.respectful            D.meaningful

19.A.pulling            B.breaking          C.falling               D.pouring

20.A.brighten           B.shine             C.admire                D.develop

 —Tony said he could fix my bicycle,but I really doubt it.

—_______.He’s very good at this sort of thing.

A.Don’t worry                              B.I couldn’t agree more

C.Of course                             D.A piece of cake

 You can’t imagine what difficulty we had _______ home in the snowstorm.

A.walked                B.walk              C.to walk               D.walking

 —Has your father returned from Africa yet?

—Yes,but he _______ here for only three days before his company sent him to Australia.

A.was               B.has been          C.will be               D.would be

 We had to wait half an hour _______ we had already booked a table.

A.since             B.although          C.until             D.before

 Don’t be _______ by products promising to make you lose weight quickly.

A.taken off                             B.taken out

C.taken away                                D.taken in