Turning on the TV, a wonderful scene comes to your eyes—a group of men, tall, strong and handsome, and women, young, beautiful and attractive, too. Together they eat in the finest restaurants, traveling everywhere around the world by luxurious planes and pleasure ships. They are models.
Do you envy them? What sort of life are models leading? Is it a wonderful life for a young lady or a young man?
A few models are well-known actors or actresses who can make a lot of money only by showing themselves off in commercials. But the majority of them are just curious to see what it is like. They’d like to be models just because they are attracted by what they imagine—models earn a lot of money and lead a glorious life. This is true for those who are very successful. However, most models find it difficult to get work. Very few can earn enough to live on, and for all models their expenses are high. Their agents claim about 20% of the earnings, and no model will get very far without a clever agent. Besides, they have to buy good clothing. They also have to pay to travel to interviews and reach the places where the work is to be done.
Interviews for a model job are known as cattle-markets in the modeling world, and not without a good reason. A top model can choose his or her work, demand and receive high fees and has his or her expenses paid. But for most models, the situation is quite different. And agent or employer inspects each model much as a farmer inspects cattle at a market. Intelligence, qualifications and personal characteristics count for little against good looks and tight figures. For all except the very few lucky ones, the life of a model is a continual search for work, trying to sell himself or herself in the face of fierce competition and, sometimes, not particularly moral standards on the part of some employers.
Immigration officials at airport look suspiciously at a girl whose passport shows her occupation as “Model”, and these are men and women of considerable experience of the world. It comes no surprise to find that some models prefer to put “Secretary” or “Businessman” as their jobs in their passports.
Modeling is a changeable world with great rewards for a tiny minority but not for the majority.
1.For models, their good looks and tight figures are ____, compared with their intelligence and qualifications.
A. more important B. less needed C. less essential D. more looked down upon
2.Which of the following can lead you to believe according to the passage?
A. A model’s traveling expenses are usually paid by his employer.
B. To be a model, good looks are the most important qualification.
C. Most models have a fairly easy way of life with high pay.
D. A model can hardly be successful without a good agent.
3.Models often put “Secretary” or “Businessman” instead of “Model” in their passports because ____.
A. they want to avoid being stopped to sign their names by fans
B. a person with the occupation of a model is easily attacked by black societies
C. models are sometimes looked down upon
D. secretaries and businessmen are free of custom duty
4.What may be the author’s attitude towards modeling?
A. It is a worthwhile life for a young lady or a young man.
B. He is in favour of young people to try modeling.
C. Before being crazy about a model job, young people should be aware of the difficulties.
D. It is a field in which everyone has a great chance to succeed.
5.The underlined word “suspiciously” can most probably be replaced by ____.
A. doubtfully B. excitedly C. proudly D. sadly
Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets（慧星） which other scientist had made. The orbit（轨道） of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the same shape of an ellipse.（椭圆）
Now Halley set to work. He figured out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 or 76 years apart.
This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested.
In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet has been named Halley’s Comet, in his honour.
1.Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of .
A. some different comets appearing several times
B. the same comet appearing at different times
C. three different comets appearing three times
D. several comets appearing at the same time
2.Halley made his discovery .
A. by doing experiment
B. by means of his own careful observation
C. by using the work of other scientists
D. by chance
3.Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year .
A. 1704 B. 1705 C. 1706 D. 1707
4.This passage in general is about .
A. Halley and other scientists B. the orbit of a comet
C. Newton and Halley D. Halley and his discovery
Helen Keller
For the first nineteen months of her life, Helen Keller was like other pretty happy babies. Then a sudden illness destroyed her sight and hearing. Because she could not hear what other people were saying, the child could not learn to speak. For the next seven years, she lived in a world of darkness, without sounds or words.
The person who changed Helen’s world was her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who entered her life on March 3, 1887. Miss Sullivan had accepted a job, which seemed impossible. She agreed to teach a blind child who had never leaned to act like a human being, because no one had over been able to guide her in any way. No one could control Helen. She acted like a young animal, rushing widely around, throwing things, and hitting anyone whom she could reach. Who could believe that such a child could be taught?
But Anne Sullivan was a very special kind of teacher. She had been blind during part of her own childhood and had learned to read Braille, a system of writing that uses raised dots which can be felt by the fingers of a blind person. She had learned to see again after seven operations, but she had never forgotten the experience of being blind.
Miss Sullivan understood Helen. She loved her and believed she could teach her.
1.Helen Keller was born .
A. blind and deaf B. natural C. very weak D. very pretty and happy
2.Before Miss Sullivan came, Helen was .
A. very wild B. very sad C. well mannered D. like a school girl
3.Braille is .
A. the language of Belgium B. the language used by deaf people
C. the language for the blind D. a kind of sign language
4.Anne Sullivan was the person who .
A. changed Helen’s life B. operated on Helen
C. made Helen feel happy D. accepted a job as Helen’s playmate
5.Anne became a good teacher because .
A. she was very patient B. she was very kind
C. she knew how to read Braille D. she knew and shared Helen’s suffering
阅读下面短文, 从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I guess I should look upon it as a sweet proof of my tastes ,My 17-year-old son，who had for so long 1my choice of clothing，now 2searches through my closet．Wasn’t it only yesterday that he had turned up his 3at my clothes? When Alyosha was in middle school and 4beginning to look at his 5as a creature from outer space，I had once 6to suggest buying a pair of chinos(斜纹棉布裤)while we were 7.He said nothing but selected a pair of Jeans. He 8it on. “Too 9，”I pronounced. “Just right，”was his reply, 10he admired himself mirror，completely 11with the image．I think that set the tone(基调)for the next four years. When it 12to clothing，the divide seemed 13.I was chinos，he was outsized jeans; I was neatly pressed shirts, he was loose T’s.
14began to change about a year ago．I remember the 15day．I had gone to my 16in search of a favorite T-shirt．I couldn't find it, 17it appeared later in the day when Alyosha returned home from school．“That’my shirt，”I said．“Yeah，I know，”said Alyosha as he 18for the fridge．Since that time，he often—and 19warning—searched for the new and different in my closet．I asked Alyosha why he wore my clothes. “I like some of them，”he smiled．Warmed by his words，I 20my tongue as he slipped into a pair of my trousers．
1.A. thought highly of B. looked down on C．set on D. based on
2.A. interestedly B．hurriedly C. disappointedly D. unwillingly
3.A. head B. eyes C. hand D. nose
4.A. also B. soon C．just D．almost
5.A. classmates B. teachers C．father D．mother
6.A. attempted B．managed C．longed D．persuaded
7.A. reading B．walking C. wandering D. shopping
8.A. put B．tried C. had D. wore
9.A. big B．tight C. cheap D. expensive
10.A. because B．though C. until D．as
11.A. worried B．satisfied C. proud D. nervous
12.A. belonged B．talked C．came D. happened
13.A. opposite B．slight C. unbridgeable D. unthinkable
14.A. Things B. Times C. Manners D. Tastes
15.A. first B．exact C. only D. single
16.A. house B．store C．office D. closet
17.A. and B. unless C. but D. so
18.A headed B. looked C．searched D. walked
19.A. about B．with C．on D. without
20.A. took B．held C．got D. moved
The careless man received a ticket for speeding. He ___ so fast.
A. mustn't have driven B. wouldn't have driven
C. can't have driven D. shouldn't have driven
This is____ a difficult problem ____ all of us can't work it out.
A. such; that B. so; that C. such; as D. so; as
