Today, roller skating (滑旱冰) is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments. In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make he roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise. But nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.
1. The story tells us that people began to enjoy roller-skating ______.
A. before the year 1750 B. before the invitation
C. because of Joseph Merlin D. because it was dangerous
2.People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.
A. he slept and dreamed a lot B. he was full of different ideas
C. he was a talented violinist D. he always made people’s dreams come true
3. ___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.
A. Merlin’s work B. Merlin’s violin
C. A huge mirror D. An important party
4. What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?
A. He couldn’t stop his roller-skating.
B. He couldn’t attract a lot of attention.
C. Everyone was surprised at him.
D. He couldn’t play the violin while rolling.
5. The text is mainly about_________.
A. a strange man
B. an unusual party
C. how roller skating began
D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”, my brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, and then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破) one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl.” She looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she’d let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we’d be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is that she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.
1. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?
A. Look at them sadly. B. Keep them company.
C. Play games with them. D. Touch them gently.
2. We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie ____.
A. would eat anything when hungry B. felt sorry for her mistake
C. loved playing hide-and-seek D. disliked the author’s dad
3.Why does the author say that Brownie was more than just a family pet?
A. She was treated as a member of the family.
B. She played games with anyone she liked.
C. She was loved by everybody she met.
D. She went everywhere with the family.
4. Some people got frightened by Brownie when she ____.
A. smiled B. barked
C. rushed to them D. tried to be funny
5. Which of the following best describes Brownie?
A. Shy. B. Polite. C. Brave. D. Caring.
语法填空（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空。
Bosses of ___31___ publishing firm are trying to work out why no one noticed that one of their ___32___ (employ) had been sitting dead at his desk for five days before anyone asked if he was feeling okay. George Turklebaum ___33___ had been employed as a proofreader at a New York firm for 30 years, had a heart attack in the open-plan office, ___34___ he shared with 23 other workers.
He ___35___ (quiet) passed away on Monday, but nobody noticed ___36___ Saturday morning when an office cleaner asked why he was working during the weekend. His boss, Elliot Wachiaski, said, “George was always the first guy in each morning and the last ___37____ (leave) at night, so no one found ___38____ unusual that he was in the same position all that time and ___39____ (keep) much to himself.”
A postmortem examination (尸检) revealed that he had been dead ___40____ five days after suffering from coronary disease (冠状动脉疾病). George was proofreading manuscripts (手稿) of medical textbooks when he died.
完形填空 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。
Computers have done us a lot since they turned up. In the future they will play a more important part in many _____16_____, such as education, transport, personal lives, scientific research and so on. Nowadays computers are being _____17_____ in agriculture and industry and can help the farmers to _____18_____ the conditions of the plants.
More and more computers will come into our daily life with the _____19_____ of science and technology. If you want to change money or pay your electricity bills, you won’t have to go to the _____20_____. A computer and a telephone will help you. It can also help you to do the housework and it can even _____21_____ human voices and carry out the instructions. It is _____22_____ that the majority of the labour force will work at home. People will be able to use the videophone for conferences. This can help us to save a lot of energy and _____23_____. It is said that trains in Japan will have no _____24_____, because they’ll be well _____25_____ by computers, which can also tell the best _____26_____ between trains.
Computer programmes for _____27_____ whole texts are already well developed. You can _____28_____ the name of a certain subject and a _____29_____ list of book titles will _____30_____ on your screen. You may choose whichever you want.
1.
A. families B. fields C. factories D. places
2.
A. used B. put C. shown D. given
3.
A. form B. grow C. control D. manage
4.
A. increase B. progress C. production D. development
5.
A. office B. bank C. shop D. post office
6.
A. understand B. carry C. hear D. recognize
7.
A. important B. necessary C. possible D. complete
8.
A. material B. time C. place D. money
9.
A. conductors B. drivers C. instructors D. indicators
10.
A. operated B. done C. made D. run
11.
A. position B. direction C. distance D. way
12.
A. storing B. writing C. remaining D. recording
13.
A. give B. put C. type D. write
14.
A. first-rate B. world-famous C. nationwide D. worldwide
15.
A. show B. appear C. offer D. come
— Excuse me, could you tell me where I could make a call?
— Sorry, I’m a stranger here.
— ________.
A. Thanks a lot B. That’s a pity
C. Thanks anyway D. I’m sorry to hear it
—The window is dirty.
—I know. It ______ for weeks.
A. hasn’t cleaned B. didn’t clean
C. wasn’t cleaned D. hasn’t been cleaned
