O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O. Henry was believed to have stolen it.
Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader's surprise.
1.In which order did O. Henry do the following things?
a. Lived in New York. b. Worked in a bank. c. Travelled to Texas.
d. Was put in prison. e. Had a newspaper Job. f. Learned to write stories.
A. e. c. f. b. d. a B. c. e. b. d. f. a
C. e. b. d. c. a. f. D. c. b. e. d. a f.
2.People enjoyed reading O. Henry's stories because_______.
A. they had surprise endings
B. they were easy to understand
C. they showed his love for the poor
D. they were about New York City
3.O. Henry went to prison because ___ .
A. people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper
B. he broke the law by not using his own name
C. he wanted to write stories about prisoners
D. people thought he had taken money that was not his
4.What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?
A. He was well-educated.
B. He was not serious about his work.
C. He was devoted to the poor.
D. He was very good at learning.
5.Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories?
A. His life inside the prison.
B. The newspaper articles he wrote.
C. The city and people of New York.
D. His exciting early life as a boy.
It doesn’t matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about AI Herpin. AI Herpin, it was said, never slept, Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
AI Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised . Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping , In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Herpin died at the age of 94.
1.The main idea of this passage is that _______.
A. a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep
B. large numbers of people do not need sleep
C. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive
D. people can live longer by trying not to sleep
2.The doctors came to visit Herpin , expecting to ______.
A. cure him of his sleeplessness
B. find that his sleeplessness was not really true
C. find a way to free people from the need of sleeping
D. find out why some old people didn’t need any sleep
3.After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that AL Herpin ________.
A. was too old to need any sleep
B. often slept in a chair
C. needed no sleep at all
D. needed some kind of sleep
4.One reason that might explain Herpin’s sleeplessness was ________.
A. that he hadn’t got a bed
B. that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit
C. his mother’s injury before he was born
D. his magnificent physical condition
5.AI Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ______.
A. a common one B. one that could be cured
C. very healthy D. a rare one
A man in a very splendid restaurant started to take off his jacket. Seeing this, the head waiter dashed to his table and said, “I’m afraid I must ask you to keep your jacket on, sir, for it is not good manners to do it in such a smart restaurant.”
“Now listen”, said the man, “I’ll let you know that the Queen of England gave me permission to remove my jacket here.”
“The Queen of England?” said the waiter in great surprise.
“Sure,” replied the man, “When I was in England last month, a friend of mine who had a very important position in high society took me to see the Queen. It was rather hot, so I started taking my coat off. The Queen looked over and said, “You may do that in the United States, but you may not do it here.” So I got the Queen’s permission, right?”
1.It is certain that the story happened _______.
A. in America B. in the Queen’s party
C. in England D. in an ordinary restaurant
2.When the head waiter asked the man not to take off his jacket, the man .
A. took his advice immediately B. obeyed him without any hesitation
C. apologized for his bad manners D. refused to listen to him
3.What the Queen really meant was that _______.
A. people in the U. S. were less polite
B. he shouldn’t take off his coat in such a formal occasion in England
C. she permitted him to take off his jacket in America
D. the English and the Americans enjoyed different ways of life
Health and climate scientists have mapped how climate change affects different parts of the world in different ways. The scientists point to the fact that changes in the past thirty years may, have been affecting human health. Possible effects include more deaths from extreme heat or cold, more storms and more crop failures in dry periods.
The health and climate scientists recently estimated that climate changes caused by human activity lead to more than one hundred and fifty thousand deaths each year. Cases of sickness are estimated at five million. And the W.H.O. says the numbers could rise quickly by the year of 2003.
Jonathan Patz of an environmental institute led the study. Professor Patz points out that climate scientists connected global warming with the heat that killed thousands in Europe in August, 2003. But he says poor countries least responsible for the warming are most in danger from the health effects of higher temperatures.
Professor Patz says areas in greatest danger include southern and eastern Africa and coastlines along the Pacific and Indian oceans. Also, large cities experience what scientists call a “heat island” effect that can make conditions worse.
Representatives from about two hundred countries hold a meeting in Canada, to discuss climate change. The ten-day meeting ends on December 9th. It is the first such United Nations meeting since the Kyoto Protocol (京都议定书) took effect earlier this year. The agreement aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) and other heat-trapping (吸热的) gases sent off into the air.
1.Who is Jonathan Patz?
A. A scientist responsible for the climate change.
B. A scientist in charge of the study of the climate change.
C. A professor interested in the climate change.
D. A professor who is a representative from an African country.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Climate changes affect different parts of the world in the same way.
B. The ten-day meeting is the first United Nations meeting on climate change.
C. The Kyoto Protocol aims to make smaller the amount of heat-trapping gases into the air.
D. Poor countries are responsible for the global warming.
3.Possible effects from the climate changes include the following EXCEPT ______.
A. air pollution B. storms
C. more deaths from overheat D. crop failures
4.According to the health and climate scientists, climate changes have been caused by ______.
A. dry weather B. cold weather
C. human activities D. storms
5.We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. climate changes are having a bad effect on human’s health
B. Professor Patz leads the study of climate changes
C. a “heat island” effect large cities experience makes the matter worse
D. rich countries are most responsible for climate changes
CCTV News
Good evening! Today Mr Johnson, a member of the International Olympic Committee visited a high school in Beijing. In his speech, he talked about the history and significance of the Olympic Games. He described the ancient Olympic Games and gave examples of some of the sports 1.still continue today. Athletes at the 2.games could only be men who spoke Greek. But today, men and women from around the world can 3.. The modern games, first 4.in 1896, were designed to make 5.possible for countries and people to live peacefully together.
Mr Johnson also talked about some famous athletes who have made Olympic history. He stated that Olympians had 6.joy to people across the world with their attempts to push the limits of human achievement. One example is Michael Jordan who won his second Olympic gold 7.after a long break. Mr Johnson also mentioned Deng Yaping, 8.won many gold medals as an Olympian before retiring. Mr Johnson ended his speech by wishing the Olympic movement a successful future to match its glorious past. The audience really enjoyed his speech.
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A,B,C and D. Fill in each blank with word or phrases that best fits the context.
Dear Mr Cai,
Thank you for your proposal about virtual reality. I’m very interested in RealCine. However, before using it in my next film, there are some points I 1like to mention.
I think viewers will be impressed by a film that 2them to be a character in the film. The example of climbing Mount Qomolangma 3me with a deep impression. I think it is wonderful that the low temperature may be felt by the viewer, but I am not sure 4the sense of achievement will be experienced via virtual reality. It seems to me that it all depends on the viewer who is watching the film. I like the 5that virtual reality can provide teenagers 6a way to experience the world, for example, by experiencing the 7of football player. I think my grandfather will be 8by the idea that even old people can be sent on adventures. It’s fantastic. But I don’t know how much money will be needed to 9such a film. I’m worried that RealCine may be too expensive for 10people to afford. We are not ready to 11the risk of investing in RealCine yet. However, I have 12about your proposal to other people in my company, and the idea is being considered by them. I will let you know our final decision soon.
Yours sincerely,
ChengYige
1.A. could B. would C. might D. must
2.B. makes B. lets C. hopes D. allows
3.A. left B. sent C. made D. did
4.A. when B. why C. how D. where
5.A. viewer B. idea C. character D. impression
6.A. for B. in C. by D. with
7.A. sense B. game C. role D. film
8.A. frightened B. worried C. terrified D. thrilled
9.A. see B. watch C. develop D. introduce
10.A. ordinary B. old C. rich D. wealthy
11.A. make B. take C. get D. catch
12.A. recommended B. talked C. mentioned D. said
