Schedules (timetables), as the 21st century people know, simply did not exist in the 17th and 18th centuries. We are upset if a plane arrives an hour late. Our ancestors weren’t upset if an April ship didn’t show up until June. They began to worry in July and were often happy when it showed up in August. When a long-distance ship finally did get to the port, the whole city became busy and excited. Businessmen hurried down to check the goods they had ordered. The ship would probably stay in port for at least three days, often a week, to take on businessmen, give the sailors a rest, find out about the latest news, weather conditions, and so on.
Travel time could only be approximate (近似的). One never knew when the winds would be good. So even though “average(平均的) sailing time” was given, time could change considerably, shortening the voyage (travel by sea) by up to 25% or putting it off by up to 500% or more! The average run from England to Boston was about a month and a half, but there were also voyages of three months. One voyage in 1640 lasted six months!
Travel time is not the same in both directions, due to the winds and currents. This is especially true in the Caribbean, where winds are from the southeast the entire year. Ships sailing west across the Atlantic spend longer than ships sailing east, and the contrary (opposite) winds can prevent a ship from actually making it to the harbor even if it gets close. One ship was held off the North Carolina coast for 17 days before being able to land!
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. No sailor was allowed to have fun when the ship reached land.
B. People in ancient times didn’t care about other people’s safety.
C. The ship would leave for a voyage when all of the preparations were made.
D. A long-distance ship would create a lot of excitement in the place where it landed.
2.According to the passage, travel time can’t be fixed due to _____.
A. the people at the port B. average sailing time
C. the changeable climate D. the businessmen and the sailors
3. The underlined word “currents” in the third paragraph means ______.
A. the movement of water B. the movement of winds
C. direction of the traveling ship D. travel time of ships
4.What is the difference between a modern voyage timetable and the one from the 17th or 18th century?
A. There were no exact timetables for traveling both in ancient and modern times.
B. Travel time was the same in both directions in ancient times while the modern one was not.
C. The modern voyage timetable is more exact than the ancient one.
D. The modern voyage timetable is only approximate while the ancient one was not.
5.Why did the ships sailing west spend longer than ships sailing east in Caribbean?
A. Because of the southeast winds the entire year.
B. Because sailors didn’t know when the winds blew.
C. Because travel time was not affected by wind.
D. Because sometimes the ship was held off by the wind.
Robert Altman’s films were different from the usual methods of Hollywood movie storytelling. In the 1940s, he started his film career directing industrial movies in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Later, he moved to Hollywood, California, to make television shows.
His first major film, MASH, was released in 1970. It tells about a group of American medical workers in an army hospital in Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s. The movie was a great success. It questioned the rules of the military in a way that was sharply funny and clever.
Robert Altman continued to make movies with strong political and social points. His next major movie, Nashville, came out in 1975. This movie provides a complex (not simple) look at changes in the country music industry.
Robert Altman’s movies have a very special style. Often, his actors speak so naturally that it is hard to believe they are performing. Altman liked his actors to be free to make up their own lines. Altman wanted to copy the way people talked and acted in real life. And he was willing to fight with movie studio businessmen to make sure that he had total creative (有创造力的) control over his work.
Even as an old man, Robert Altman continued to make movies. Many of his 33 films were nominated (提名) for Academy Awards, including The Player and Gosford Park. Robert Altman died in November in Los Angeles, California. He was 81 years old.
1.According to the passage, Altman was ______.
A. a writer B. an actor C. a director D. a soldier
2.Robert Altman began to make films ______.
A. in the 1940s B. in the 1950s C. in 1970 D. in 1975
3.What is special about Altman’s films is that ______.
A. they were all industrial films
B. they were true to life
C. they were films with strong political points
D. many of them were nominated for Academy Awards
4.The passage mainly tells us that ______.
A. the Korean War took place in the 1950s
B. Robert Altman made his first major film in 1970
C. Robert Altman’s films have a different style
D. Robert Altman received many Academy Awards
5.The best title for this passage should be ______.
A. Robert Altman - Director of Special Style Movie
B. Some Famous Films from Hollywood
C. How Robert Altman Directed His Films
D. Actors in the Films of Robert Altman
Why do men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men's hearts go into rapid decline when they reach middle age.
The largest study of the effects of ageing on the heart has found that women's longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age.
"We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20--25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age,”said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
"Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat. Between the age of 20 and 70，one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men,”said Goldspink. "This is part of the ageing process."
What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells. A
healthy 70-year-old woman's heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one's.
"This gender difference might just explain why women live longer than men,”said Goldspink.
They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80，focusing on healthy persons to remove the confusing influence of disease.
The team has yet to find why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart, said Goldspink.
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular exercise. Goldspink stressed that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age.
1. The underlined word“longevity" in the second paragraph probably refers to ______.
A. health B. long life C. ageing D. effect
2.The text mainly talks about ______.
A. men's heart cells B. women's ageing process、
C. the gender difference D. hearts and long life
3.According to the text, the UK scientists have known that
A. women have more cells than men when they are born
B. women can replace the cells that enable the heart to beat
C. the female heart loses few of the cells with age
D. women never lose their pumping power with age
4.If you want to live longer, you should
A. enable your heart to beat much faster
B. find out the reason for ageing
C. exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy
D. prevent your cells from being lost
5.We can know from the passage that
A. the reason why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart has been found out
B. scientists are on the way to finding out why the male heart loses more of the cells
C. the team has done something to prevent the male from suffering the greater loss
D. women over 70 could lose more heart cells than those at the age of 20
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
On August 26,1999,New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm.The rain caused the streets to 51 and the subway system almost came to a stop.
Unfortunately,this happened during the morning rush hour.Many people who were going to work were 52 to go home.Some battled to 53 a taxi or to get on a bus.Still others faced the 54 bravely,walking miles to get to work.
I 55 to be one of people on the way to work that morning.I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most 56 had stopped.After making my way 57 crowds of people,I finally found a subway line that was 58 .Unfortunately,there were so many people waiting to 59 the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the 60 .So I took the train going in the opposite direction,and then switched back to the downtown train.Finally,after what seemed like forever,the train 61 my stop.Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain.When I finally got to my office,I was 62 through,exhausted and 63 .
My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off.When it was 5∶00 pm,I was ready to go home.I was about to turn off my computer 64 I received an email from Garth,my Director:
I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and 65 reported to work.It is always reassuring (令人欣慰),at times like these,when employees so clearly show their 66 to their jobs.Thank you.
Garth’s email was short,but I learned more from that 67 message than I ever did from a textbook.The email taught me that a few words of 68 can make a big difference.The rainstorm and the traffic 69 had made me tired and upset.But Garth’s words immediately 70 me and put a smile back on my face.
1.A.break B.flood C.sink D.crash
2.A.forced B.refused C.adjusted D.gathered
3.A.order B.pay C.call D.search
4.A.climate B.scenery C.storm D.burden
5.A.used B.promised C.deserved D.happened
6.A.practice B.routine C.process D.service
7.A.to B.through C.over D.for
8.A.operating B.cycling C.turning D.rushing
9.A.check B.carry C.find D.board
10.A.street B.ground C.floor D.platform
11.A.paused B.crossed C.reached D.parked
12.A.wet B.weak C.sick D.hurt
13.A.ashamed B.discouraged C.surprised D.puzzled
14.A.while B.when C.where D.after
15.A.hardly B.casually C.absolutely D.eventually
16.A.devotion B.donation C.connection D.reaction
17.A.accurate B.urgent C.brief D.humorous
18.A.promise B.appreciation C.advice D.guidance
19.A.troubles B.signals C.rules D.signs
20.A.corrected B.supported C.amazed D.refreshed
According to a new regulation for school, the desks and chairs must be to the height of any child.
A. adapted B. adopted C. admired D. adjusted
She a golden ring when she searched her old box for a letter.
A. came about B. came to C. came across D. came up with
