Exactly five years ago, on New Year’s Eve, I was invited to a children’s ball by a man high up in the business world, who had his connections, his circle of acquaintances, and his close friends. So it seemed as though the children’s ball was merely an excuse for the parents to come together and discuss matters of interest to themselves, quite innocently and casually.
I was an outsider, and, as I had no special matters to air, I was able to spend the evening independently of the others. There was another gentleman present who like me had just stumbled upon (偶然发现) this affair of domestic happiness. He was the first to attract my attention. His appearance was not that of a man of noble birth. He was tall, rather thin, very serious, and well dressed. Obviously he had no heart for the family celebration. The instant he went off into a corner by himself the smile disappeared from his face, and his thick dark brows knitted into a frown(皱眉). He knew no one except the host and showed every sign of being bored to death, though bravely keeping the role of thorough enjoyment to the end. Later I learned that he was a provincial, had come to the capital on some important business, had brought a letter of recommendation to our host, and our host had taken him under his protection, not at all with love. It was merely out of politeness that he had invited him to the children’s ball.
They did not play cards with him. They did not offer him cigars. No one entered into conversation with him. Possibly they recognized the bird by its feathers from a distance. Thus, my gentleman, not knowing what to do with his hands, was compelled(迫使) to spend the evening stroking (抚摸) his whiskers(胡须). His whiskers were really fine, but he stroked them so eagerly that one got the feeling that the whiskers had come into the world first and afterwards the man in order to stroke them.
1.According to the author, the real purpose of the children ball was that ______.
A. the parents wanted to make their children happy
B. the parents had a chance to meet and socialize
C. the host hoped to make the guests happy
D. the host wanted to give a welcome to an important guest
2.The gentleman was unhappy because ______.
A. he was one of the poor relatives of the host
B. he was from the countryside
C. he was trying to do some business with the host
D. he was not really welcome in the ball
3.The gentleman touched his whiskers eagerly just because ______.
A. he liked his whiskers very much B. he had the habit of doing so
C. he was embarrassed in the ball D. he felt uneasy wearing whiskers
4.When the author was telling the story, he was ______.
A. humorous B. serious
C. joking D. doubtful
In the future we might live somewhere other than Earth, like Mars. Some people ask how this will be possible. Well, Mars is in fact a lot the same as the earth. The days are almost the same as those on the earth. However, the two planets vary in temperature.
Since there is mostly carbon dioxide on Mars, it would be quite difficult for a human to just land on it. So, special types of homes and space suits have to be designed. The space suits should be almost like the ones astronauts use now, and except that they have to be warmer so that the astronauts can survive the cold temperatures. The space suits must also be able to withstand (承受) high pressure and potentially dangerous radiation that can kill.
The houses should be similar to our homes today with a slight difference. All of the houses and other buildings should be built inside a large dome (圆顶状物) or bubble. The domes should be made out of glass, and would also be able to prevent radiation from affecting the people inside. The domes will be connected to a machine (like plants which turn carbon dioxide into oxygen).
With Mars’ population growing, how would the people on its surface get fresh food and water? Just like humans use domes, they can also use domes to grow plants. However, the domes where the plants are grown must be built to expand. Once we upgrade the domes to a larger size then we can grow more food by cultivating (种植) more plants. To get the food or come in connect with other domes, there will be long narrow tunnels like roads that connect to each dome separating them by several doors so that the pressure in each dome can remain the same.
On Mars, so many other things are available to us. As humans, we can have access to rare and fairly expensive metals that aren’t very easy to get hold of on Earth, and a colony on Mars enhances (提高) our chances of finding these metals. So when someone here on Earth says that going to Mars is impossible, please tell them that they’ll never know it until they try and they may try very soon. After all it’s our future. Why not make it on Mars?
1.It is difficult for humans to live on Mars because of all the following EXCEPT _________.
A. too much radiation B. cold temperature
C. lack of enough oxygen D. lack of houses
2.One of the reasons why we are eager to explore Mars may be that _________.
A. we can find rare and expensive metals there easily
B. we’ll get too bored to live on the earth in the future
C. our technology will become much advanced
D. we want to know more about the unknown world
3.What is the author’s attitude towards living on Mars? _________.
A. Pessimistic B. Uncertain C. Optimistic D. Opposed
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where did the children mostly play?
A. In the lake. B. Only in the house. C. Outside around the neighborhood.
2.What did the speaker like the most as a child?
A. Playing ball games with friends.
B. Working in the garden.
C. Going to the lake.
3.Where did the family go on a trip?
A. To a big lake. B. To New York City. C. To the Pacific Ocean.
4.What did the speaker probably do later?
A. He moved to a big city.
B. He lived in the same house.
C. He moved to a place near the ocean.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the woman mainly talking about?
A. Which classes she needs to take.
B. How to arrange her class schedule.
C. Which course is more important.
2.What will the woman take this semester?
A. Biology 201. B. Physics. C. Chemistry.
3.What does the man suggest the woman do?
A. Give up her job in the lab. B. Work in the lab later. C. Drop the classes on Fridays.
4.Who will the woman probably talk with after this?
A. Her biology teacher. B. Her lab professor. C. Her parents.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What do people sometimes do on Halloween according to the man?
A. Eat turkey all night. B. Play tricks on each other. C. Visit their relatives.
2.What do we know about the woman?
A. She doesn’t like getting scared.
B. She knows the history of Halloween.
C. She has a big surprise for the man.
3.What is the man going to dress up as this year?
A. A ghost. B. A famous person. C. A cartoon character.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.How many people are there in the woman’s family?
A. Three. B. Five. C. Seven.
2.How did the man feel when he first had his own room?
A. Proud. B. Indifferent. C. Disappointed.
