Farming was once the chief way of life in nearly every country. People cannot live without food, and nearly all their food comes from crops and animals raised on farms. Not many people farm for a living any more, but farming remains the most important work in the world.
Before the nineteenth century, the typical American family lived on a small farm. They raised pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and planted corn, fruits, garden vegetables, and wheat. Everyone worked long and hard, but the results were often poor. Families barely harvested enough food for themselves. This situation began to change during the last half of the 1800's and it changed remarkably(明显地) in the next century.
Scientific methods and labor-saving machinery(机械）have made farming increasingly productive. The development of improved plant varieties and fertilizers（肥料）has helped double and even triple the production of some major crops. More scientific animal care and animal raising have helped increase the amount of meat and products that animals produce. At the same time, the use of tractors and other modern farm equipment has sharply reduced the need for farm labor.
As farming has become less important as a way of life in the United States, it has become more important as a source which offers materials to industry. Today's successful farmers are experts not just in agriculture but also in accounting, marketing, and finance. Farms that are not run in a similar way have great difficulty surviving.
1.We are told in the first paragraph about ____.
A. the history of farming B. the importance of farming
C. the development of farming D. the changes of farming
2. Which of the following describes American farming before the 19th century?
A. Farmers didn’t work hard on their farms.
B. Farmers used tractors to help them.
C. Farming was the main way of living for most peopleD. Farmers could supply materials to industry.
3. The passage mainly talks about_____.
A. the advantages of American farming B. the changes in American farming
C. the situation of American farms D. how rapidly farming has developed
Traveling without a map in different countries, I find out about different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have name signs; in Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
People in Los Angeles, the US, have no idea of distance on the map: they measure distance by time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You don’t understand completely, “Yes, but how many miles away is it, please?” To this question you won’t get an answer, because most probably they don’t know it themselves.
People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language. Instead, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People there believe that “I don’t” is impolite. They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan!
However, one thing will help you everywhere in the world. It’s body language.
1.Which one of the followings is probably an example of Japanese directions?
A. “Go south two miles. Turn west and then go another mile.”
B. “Turn right at the hospital and go past a school. The library is right in front of you.”
C. “The post office is about five minutes from here”
D. “The post office is at Street Kamira.”
2. People in Los Angeles don’t give directions in miles because _________.
A. they use landmarks in their directions instead of distance
B. they prefer to lead you the way
C. they often have no idea of distance measured by miles
D. they prefer to use body language
3. Greeks give directions by __________.
A. using street names B. using landmarks
C. leading people the way D. giving people a wrong direction
4.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. There are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world.
B. People in Yucatan give wrong directions on purpose.
C. People in some places give directions using landmarks.
D. People in some places give directions in time.
5.What does the writer want to tell us?
A. It's difficult to travel without a map.
B. It's important to use body language when you are travelling.
C. In different countries, there are different styles of directions.
D. You can't trust everyone when you are travelling.
完形填空（共20小题；每小题2分，共40分）
There was a woman in Detroit, who has two sons．She was worried 36 them, especially the younger one, Ben, 37 he was not doing well in school． Boys in his class 38 fun of him because he seemed so 39 ．
The mother 40 that she herself, would have to get her sons to do better in school．She 41 them to go to the Detroit Public Library to read a 42 a week and do a report about it for her．
One day, in Ben’s 43 , the teacher held up a rock and asked if anyone knew it. Ben 44 up his hand and the teacher let him 45 ．“Why did Ben raise his hand?” they wondered． He 46 said anything; what could he possibly want to say?
Well, Ben not only 47 the rock; he said a lot about it． He named other rocks in its group and even knew 48 the teacher had found it． The teacher and the students were 49 ． Ben had learned all this from doing one of his book 50 ．
Ben later went on to the 51 of his class．When he finished high school, he went to Yale University 52 at last became one of the best doctors in the United States．
After Ben had grown up, he 53 something about his mother that he did not know as a 54 ．She, herself, had never learned how to 55 ．
1.A．about B．on C．with D．over
2.A．because B．so C．but D．though
3.A．played B．got C．took D．made
4.A．clever B．hard C．slow D．quick
5.A．asked B．decided C．forgot D．heard
6.A．made B. let C. told D．considered
7.A．notice B．message C．book D．question
8.A．class B．room C．office D．lab
9.A．looked B．gave C．took D．put
10.A．think B．leave C．stand D．speak
11.A．always B．even C．quickly D．never
12.A．found B．played C．knew D．threw
13.A．whether B．when C．where D．why
14.A．afraid B．surprised C．worried D．unhappy
15.A．pictures B．exercises C．shops D．reports
16.A．top B．end C．back D．side
17.A．so B．and C．or D．however
18.A．learnt B．remembered C．understood D．guessed
19.A．doctor B．child C．student D．teacher
20.A．read B．work C．teach D．show
Does what I said _______ to you?
A. make sure B. make sense C. make meaning D. make good
We shouldn’t judge a student only________ how good his or her marks are in the exam.
A. in face of B. in need of C. in terms of D. in the area of
Shanghai, China’s biggest and the most dynamic city, which______ in the Yangtze River Delta, is playing a leading role in the country’s economy.
A. is situated B. situated C. has situated D. is situating
