The wheel was one of man’s first inventions and yet it has also proved one of the most useful. So wide and varied are the uses of the wheels, in machines and vehicles of all kinds, that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without them. It is surprising to hear it said, therefore, that the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced by the end of the century by an invention so new as to be still unnamed.
The invention is a machine the floats above any surface on a cushion of air. The cushion is formed when air is blown into this saucer, the machine rises to a height that may vary from a few inches to a few feet.
Industry is already using one form of the inversion to deal with heavy loads. It can lift them. with ease and since there are no wheels, and therefore no friction , they can be put into motion with the touch of a finger.
The new invention, however , is having a great effect on transport, Not only does it make expensive road systems unnecessary, but it enables vehicles to travel well over land or water. This unique to reach most destinations has given rise to the prediction that wheeled vehicles may be uncommon at the end the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning.
1. The first paragraph tells us that______.
A. the wheel was man’s earliest invention.
B. the wheel’s usefulness has yet to be proved.
C. wide wheels have a variety of important uses.
D. a new invention may make wheels less important.
2. The phrase “with the touch of a finger” in the third paragraph means______.
A. without difficulty B. by electricity .
C. without friction D. by hand.
3. The passage tells us that the new invention __________.
A. is more important for industry than for transport.
B. will one day be used instead of aeroplanes.
C. makes it possible to travel without using roads.
D. will replace wheeled vehicles using roads.
4. According to the passage, the new invention _______.
A. will soon get a name B. can go almost anywhere
C. is lighter than air D. was uncommon a century ago
SECTION C (15 points)
Directions: Complete the following passage by using ONE word that best fits the context.
Or use the proper form to fill in the form.
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl ___46__ Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion（输血） ___47__ her 5-year-old brother, __48_ had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to fight the ___49_(ill).
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for a moment ___50__ taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it __51_ it can save Liz.”
___52_ the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, ___53(see) the color returning to her cheeks. Then ___54__ face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?”
Being young, the boy had___55_(understand) the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood.
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with word or phrases that best fits the context.(15points)
Have you ever felt that you were just studying to pass a test? Today many 36 and companies around the world use standardized tests such as TOEFL to 37 students’ abilities. Thousands of people every year take these kinds of tests in order to enter or graduate from a school, or get a better job.
In many educational systems throughout the world, students take regular multiple-choice (多项选择的) achievement tests. They have to 38 these tests in order to move to a higher level, or graduate from an educational institution. Many supporters of this type of traditional evaluation believe that students learn best, and 39 their knowledge, by memorizing facts, and information.
Many 40 of this way of learning also believe that teaching students to pass a test means teaching them to do lots of exercises.
Educational reformers, however, believe that standardized tests are 41 and can only measure some of a student’s ability. They suggest that many students, though intelligent, are not 42 good at taking tests, or at memorization. This makes it harder for them to achieve passing grades, get into good schools, or get the right jobs. In addition factors such as how a person feels on the day of a test can also 43 his or her score. Using only a multiple-choice style of test to evaluate students’ abilities cannot always tell us 44 they have learned, or how they may do in the future.
To use standardized tests or not to --- the debate 45 . Meanwhile, many students’ futures are still decided based on their test results.
36. A. schools B. factories C. teachers D. bosses
37. A. develop B. learn C. know D. measure
38.A. understand B. fail C. pass D. have
39.A. explain B. increase C. remember D. recite
40.A. experts B. parents C. students D. supporters
41.A. limited B. excellent C. terrible D. perfect
42.A. never B. always C. sometimes D. even
43.A. add B. lower C. affect D. keep
44.A. why B. that C. how D. what
45.A. begins B. ends C. continues D. stops
—I didn’t mean ______ my mother.
—But talking to her like that meant ______ her.
|
A．hurting; hurting |
B．to hurt; hurting |
|
C．hurting; to hurt |
D．to hurt; to hurt |
. My suggestion is that Tom ______________ there on time.
|
A．is |
B．be |
C．will be |
D．has been |
. ____________ the rising birth rate and immigration, the declining death rate also resulted in the population growth.
|
A．In addition to |
B．In terms of |
C．In consequence of |
D．In spite of |
