The invention of the electric telegraph gave birth to the communications industry. Although Samuel B. Morse succeeded in making the invention useful in 1837, it was not until 1843 that the first important telegraph line was constructed. By 1860 more than 50,000 miles of lines connected people east of the Rockies. The following year, San Francisco was added to the network.
The national telegraph network strengthened the ties between East and West and contributed to the rapid expansion of the railroads by providing an efficient means to monitor schedules and routes. Furthermore, the extension of the telegraph, combined with the invention of the steam-driven rotary printing press by Richard
M. Hoe in 1846, revolutionized the world of journalism. Where the business of news gathering had been dependent upon the mail and on hand-operated presses, the telegraph expanded the amount of information a newspaper could supply and allowed for more timely reporting. The creating of the Associated Press as a central wire service in 1846 marked the arrival of a new era (纪元) in journalism.
71. The main topic of the passage is .
A. the history of journalism B. the origin of the national telegraph
C. how the telegraph network contributed to the expansion of railroads
D. the contributions and development of the telegraph network
72. The word "gathering" in line 11 refers to .
A. people B. information
C. objects D. substances
73. The author's main purpose in this passage is to .
A. compare the invention of the telegraph with the invention of the steam-driven rotary press
B. propose new ways to develop the communications industry
C. show how the electric telegraph affected the communications industry
D. criticize Samuel B. Morse
74. This passage would most likely be found in a .
A. U.S. history book B. book on trains
C. science textbook D. computer magazine
75. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. Samuel Morse did not make a significant contribution to the communications industry
B. Morse's invention did not immediately achieve its full potential (潜力)
C. the extension of the telegraph was more important than its invention
D. journalists have the Associated Press to thank for the birth of the communications industry
The United States covers a large part of the North American continent. Its neighbors are Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Although the United States is a big country, it is not the largest in the world. In 1964, its population was over 185,000,000.
When this land first became a nation, after winning its independence (独立) from England, it had thirteen states. Each of the states was represented(代表) on the American flag by a star. All these states were in the eastern part of the continent. As the nation grew toward the west, new states were added and new stars appeared on the flag. For a long time, there were 48 stars. In 1959, however, two more stars were added to the flag, representing the new states of Alaska and Hawaii.
Indians were the first people of the land which is now the United States. There are still
many thousands of Indians now living in all parts of the country. Sometimes it is said that the Indians are "the only real Americans". Most Americans come from all over the world. Those who came first in greatest numbers to make their homes on the eastern coast of North America were mostly from England. It is for that reason that the language of the United States is English and that its culture and customs are more like those of England than those of any other country in the world.
68. The United States didn't have______ states until _____.
A. thirteen; 1959 B. fifty; 1959
C. fifty; this land first became a nation D. fifty;1964
69. Why is English the language of America?
A. English is the Indian's native language.
B. Most Americans come from all over the world.
C. Most of the people who first settled in America were from England
D. Canada is America's nearest neighbor.
70. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. The States of America B. The Language of America
C. The United States of America D. The Culture and Customs of America
Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up(旋) his alarm clock(闹钟). He tried to shave(刮脸) quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing (熨), so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter(表). He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn't go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.
In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry's taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry's shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o'clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.
64. Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.
a. The man who read the electricity meter came. b. Harry ironed his shirt.
c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt.
d. There was a knock at the door.
e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.
A. a, b, c, d, e B. b, a, d, c, e
C. b, a, c, d, e D. c, b, d, a, e
65. Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it ?
A. He had only one shirt. B. The only other needed ironing.
C. The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt.
D. He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt.
66. Harry was taken to the police station because_______.
A. his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there
B. there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi
C. a man killed a woman with a knife
D. the murderer(杀人犯) was seen to run away in a taxi
67. His boss told him to go away and find another job because_______.
A. he had been kept by the police B. there was blood on his shirt
C. he was late for work D. he had killed a woman
Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains. If a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention to class.
Opposite to what many people believe, if you don't eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.
60. During the test, those who were tested were given ________.
A. no breakfast at all B. very rich breakfast
C. little food for breakfast D. different breakfast or none
61. The results of the test show that ________.
A. breakfast has great effect on work and studies
B. breakfast has little to do with a person s work
C. a person will work better if he has a simple breakfast
D. those working with brains should have much for breakfast
62. The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don't eat breakfast, you will _________.
A. lose weight B. not lose weight
C. be healthier D. gain a lot of weight
63. According to the passage, if a student does not eat breakfast, ___________.
A. he will fall ill B. he will fail to listen to his teacher
C. he will not make progress in his study D. his mind will work more slowly
A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. "You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior , "said a middle-aged man.
"Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company," said a second passenger. "That's right," another lady said, "I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor. "
Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said , "Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised..."
Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman's lap interrupted, "I know his name. I call him Dad."
56. One passenger suggested writing a letter to the company to ______ .
A. make a demand for more buses B. thank the conductor for his good service
C. criticize the conductor for his rude behavior
D. invite a newspaper reporter to write about the conductor
57. What was the gentleman?
A. A teacher. B. A newspaper reporter.
C. Not known from the story. D. The conductor's friend from his company.
58. The word "him" in the last paragraph refers to _______.
A. the gentleman B. the conductor C. the middle-aged man D. the three-year-old child
59. It is clear from the story that the conductor _______.
A. has changed his attitude towards his work B. has now been kind and polite to all passengers
C. has not changed his rude behavior to passengers
D. has now been kind and polite to women with children
完型填空 (共20小题,20分)
One afternoon I was sitting at my favorite table in a restaurant, waiting for the food I had ordered to arrive. Suddenly I 36 that a man sitting at a table near the window kept glancing(瞥视) in my direction , 37 he knew me . The man had a newspaper 38 in front of him , 39 he was pretending(假装) to read , but I could 40 that he was keeping an eye on me .When the waiter brought my 41 the man was clearly puzzled (困惑) by the 42 way in which the waiter and I 43 each other . He seemed even more puzzled as 44 went on and it became 45 that all the waiters in the restaurant knew me. Finally he got up and went into the 46 . When he came out, he paid his bill and 47 without another glance in my direction .
I called the owner of the restaurant and asked what the man had 48 . “Well,” he said , “that man was a detective (侦探) . He 49 you here because he thought you were the man he 50 .” “What?” I said, showing my 51 . The owner continued, “He came into the kitchen and showed me a photo of the wanted man. I 52 say he looked very much like you! Of course, since we know you, we told him that he had made a 53 .” “Well, it’s really 54 that I came to a 55 where I’m known,” I said. “otherwise(否则), I might have been in trouble .”
36.A.knew B.understood C.noticed D.recognized
37.A.since B.even if C.though D.as if
38.A.flat B.open C.cut D.fixed
39.A.why B.what C. which D.that
40.A.see B.find C.guess D.learn
41.A.menu B.bill C.paper D.food
42.A.direct B.familiar C.strange D.funny
43.A.chatted with B.looked at C.laughed at D.talked about
44.A.the waiter B.time C.I D.the dinner
45.A.true B.hopeful C.clear D.possible
46.A.restaurant B.washroom C.office D.kitchen
47.A.left B.acted C.sat down D.calmed down
48.A.wanted B.tried C.ordered D.wished
49.A.met B.caught C.followed D.discovered
50.A.was to beat B.was dealing with
C.was to meet D.was looking for
51.A.care B.surprise C.worry D.regret
52.A.must B.can C.need D.may
53.A.discovery B.mistake C.decision D.fortune
54.A.a pity B.natural C.a chance D.lucky
55.A.post office B.cinema C.restaurant D.bookshop