高中英语阅读理解

The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us. ”That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “we’ re kind of pleased you decided to join　us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don' t
just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures（文化）．
Some of these differences may be only on the surface—dress, food and hours of work—while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate（气候），while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality（准时）．If you invite people to a party at 7 o’ clock
your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the
American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “late” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.
The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought______．

A．the American bank didn’ t think much of him

B．the American bank might hire another person

C．it’ s difficult to get used to American culture

D．it’ s easy to misunderstand Americans

The word “highlights” in Paragraph 2 probably means_____.

A．encourages	B．helps to narrow
C．increases	D．draws attention to

According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?

A．Ask the native people for help.

B．Understand and accept them.

C．Do things in our own way.

D．Do in-depth research.

When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are______.

A．Italians

B．Germans

C．Greeks

D．the British

When T was a child I never said, "When T grow up, I want to be a CEO," but here T am．When I look back on my career, I realize the road to becoming a CEO isn't a straight, clearly clarified path．In fact, no two paths are the same．But whether you want to be a boss one day or not, there's a lot to learn from how leaders rise to the top of successful companies．
As this series of stories shows, the paths to becoming a CEO may vary, but the people in that position share the qualities of commitment, work ethic （守则） and a strong desire for building something new．And every CEO take risks along the way—putting your life savings on the line to start a software company or leaving a big business to be one of the first employees at a startup．
I grew up in Minnesota, and learned how to be an entrepreneur （企业家） from my father, who has run a small business for almost 30 years．I went to Georgetown University and tried a lot of business activities in college with varying degrees of success．And I always had a dream job pattern: to walk to work, work for myself and build something for consumers．
I'm only 29, so it's been a quick ride to CEO．Out of college, I worked for AOL as a product manager, then moved to Revolution Health and ran the consumer product team．In mid-2007 I left Revolution Health and started LivingSocial with several other colleagues, where I became a CEO．
Career advice; Don't figure out where you want to work, or even what industry you'd like to work at．Figure out what makes you do so．What gives you a really big rush? Answer why you like things, not what you like doing．．．and then apply it to your work life．Also, just because you're graduating, don't stop learning．Read more books than you did in college．If you do, and they're not, you're really well-positioned to succeed in whatever you do．
What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．The author hasn't achieved his childhood ambition．

B．The author thinks there is some easy way to become a CEO．

C．The author had an ambition of becoming a CEO in his childhood．

D．The author believes success stories of CEOs can be beneficial to everybody．

According to the author, successful CEOs should _____．

A．try not to take risks

B．stay in the same business

C．have a strong sense of creativity

D．save every possible penny

What can we know about the author from the passage?

A．His father had far-reaching influence on him．

B．He used to run the consumer product team for AOL．

C．His business activities at college ended up in more failure than success．

D．He started LivingSocial when he was still a student of Georgetown University．

Which of the following proverbs may the author agree with according to the last paragraph?

A．Well begun is half done．

B．One is never too old to learn．

C．Time and tide wait for no man．

D．Everything conies to him who waits．

The report came to the British on May 21, 1941. The German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful warship in the world, was moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. Her task: to destroy the ships carrying supplies from the United States to war-torn England.
The British had feared such a task. No warship they had could match the Bismarck in speed or in firepower. The Bismarck had eight 15-inch guns and 81 smaller guns. She could move at 30 nautical miles(海里) an hour, she was believed to be unsinkable.
However, the British had to sink her. They sent out a task force headed by their best battleship Hood to hunt down the Bismarck. On May 24, the Hood found the Bismarck. It was a meeting that the German commander Luetjens did not want to see. His orders were to destroy the British ships that were carrying supplies, but to stay away from a fight with British warships.
The battle didn’t last long. The Bismarck’s first torpedo(鱼雷)hit the Hood, which went down taking all but three of her 1,419 men with her. But in the fight, the Bismarck was slightly damaged （损坏）. Her commander decided to run for repairs to France, which had at that time been taken by the Germans. The British force followed her. However, because of the Bismarck’s speed and the heavy fog, they lost sight of her.
For two days, every British ship in the Atlantic tried to find the Bismarck, but with no success. Finally, she was sighted by a plane from Ireland. Trying to slow the Bismarck down so that their ships could catch up with her, the British fired at her from the air. The Bismarck was hit. On the morning of May 27, the last battle was fought. Four British ships fired on the Bismarck. And she was finally sunk.
The Bismarck sailed into the Atlantic Ocean ______.

A．to sink the Hood	B．to gain control of France
C．to cut off American supplies to Britain	D．to stop British warships reaching Germany

Many people believed that the Bismarck could not be defeated because she ______.

A．was fast and powerful	B．had more men on board
C．was under Luetjens' command	D．had bigger guns than other ships

We learn from the text that on 24 May______.

A．the British won the battle against the Bismarck

B．the Bismarck won the battle against the British

C．the British gunfire damaged the Bismarch seriously

D．the Bismarck succeeded in keeping away from the British

Which of the following is the immediate cause of the sinking of the Bismarck?

A．The British air strikes.	B．The damage done by the Hood.
C．Gunfire from the British warships.	D．Luetjen's decision to run for France

Today’s teens have a knowledge of the Internet that often surpasses that of their parents. Because so many teens are Internet savvy, it is important that they also have an understanding of the dangers that exist online and how to deal with them. Watch teens share their own "Real-Life Stories" about issues affecting them on the Internet such as cyberbullying (网络欺凌), online enticement, and giving out too much personal information.

The ad is intended for ___________.

A．kids loving to play games online

B．only victims of Internet use

C．kids and their parents who want to learn about the safety online

D．pre-school students who know little about Internet

If you visit the website, you can ________.

A．share your friends "Real-life Stories about issues affecting them on the Internet

B．have an understanding of the dangers that exist online and how to deal with them

C．say and do terrible things to each other online

D．ask for help when you have difficulty with your study

If you visit www.cybertipline.com, you can __________.

A．contact your local law enforcement

B．search our knowledge base for answers to all of your questions about the online world

C．report any incident of Internet use

D．help your siblings learn how to avoid the dangers that exist on the Internet.

Which of the following stories you can share on the Real-Life Stories?

A．Teen murdered by man she met in chat room.

B．Problem of losing weight.

C．Left home alone.

D．Hurt by second hand smoke in the Internet cafe.

Many trees in the Brackham area were brought down in the terrible storms that March. The town itself lost two great lime trees from the former market square. The disappearance of such striking features had changed the appearance of the town centre entirely, to the annoyance of its more conservative inhabitants(居民).
Among the annoyed, under more normal circumstances, would have been Chief Inspector Douglas Pelham, head of the local police force. But at the height of that week's storm, when the wind brought down even the mature walnut tree in his garden, Pelham had in fact been in no fit state to notice. A large and healthy man, he had for the first time in his life been seriously ill with an attack of bronchitis.
When he first complained of an aching head and tightness in his chest, his wife, Molly, had tried to persuade him to go to the doctor. Convinced that the police force could not do without him, he had, as usual, ignored her and attempted to carry on working. Predictably, though he wouldn't have listened to anyone who tried to tell him so, this had the effect of fogging his memory and shortening his temper.
It was only when his colleague, Sergeant Lloyd, took the initiative and drove him to the doctor's door that he finally gave in. By that time, he didn't have the strength left to argue with her. In no time at all, she was taking him along to the chemist's to get his medicine and then home to his unsurprised wife who sent him straight to bed.
When Molly told him, on the Thursday morning, that the walnut tree had been brought down during the night, Pelham hadn’t been able to take it in. On Thursday evening, he had asked weakly about damage to the house, groaned(含糊不清地说) thankfully when he heard there was none, and pulled the sheets over his head.
It wasn't until Saturday, when the medicine took effect, his temperature dropped and he got up, that he realised with a shock that the loss of the walnut tree had made a permanent difference to the appearance of the living-room. The Pelhams' large house stood in a sizeable garden. It had not come cheap, but even so Pelham had no regrets about buying it. The leafy garden had created an impression of privacy. Now, though, the storm had changed his outlook.
Previously, the view from the living-room had featured the handsome walnut tree. This had not darkened the room because there was also a window on the opposite wall, but it had provided interesting patterns of light and shade that hid the true state of the worn furniture that the family had brought with them from their previous house.
With the tree gone, the room seemed cruelly bright, its worn furnishings exposed in all their shabbiness. And the view from the window didn’t bear looking at. The tall house next door, previously hidden by the tree, was now there, dominating the outlook with its unattractive purple bricks and external pipes. It seemed to have a great many upstairs windows, all of them watching the Pelhams' every movement.
“Doesn’t it look terrible?” Pelham whispered to his wife.
But Molly, standing in the doorway, sounded more pleased than dismayed. “That's what I’ve been telling you ever since we came here. We have to buy a new sofa, whatever it costs.”
Why were some people in Brackham annoyed after the storm?

A．No market could be held.	B．The police had done little to help.
C．The town looked different.	D．Fallen trees had not been removed.

In the third paragraph, what do we learn about Chief Inspector Pelham’s general attitude to his work?

A．He finds it extremely annoying.	B．Не is sure that he plays an important role.
C．Не considers the systems are not clear enough.
D．He does not trust the decisions made by his superiors.

What aspect of the Pelhams’ furniture does “shabbiness” in paragraph 8 describe?

A．its condition.

B．its colour.

C．its position.

D．its design.

As a result of the storm, the Pelhams’ living-room _____.

A．was pleasantly lighter	B．felt less private
C．had a better view	D．was in need of repair

Why did Molly sound pleased by her husband’s comment?

A．It proved that he was well again.	B．She agreed about the tree.
C．She thought he meant the sofa.	D．It was what she expected him to say.

Going to school means learning new skills and facts in different subjects. Teachers teach and students learn, and many scientists are interested in finding ways to improve both teaching and learning processes.
Sian Beilock and Susan Leving, two psychologists at the University of Chicago, are trying to learn about learning. In a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, Beilock and Levine found a surprising relationship between what female teachers think and what female students learn: If a female teacher is uncomfortable with her own math skills, then her female students are more likely to believe that boys are better than girls at math. “If these girls keep getting math-anxious female teachers in later grades, it may create a snowball effect on their math achievement,” Levine told Science News. The study suggests that if these girls grow up believing that boys are better at math than girls are, then these girls may not do as well as they would have if they were more confident.
Just as students find certain subjects to be difficult, teachers can find certain subjects to be difficult to learn—and teach. The subject of math can be particularly difficult for everyone.
The new study involved 65 girls, 52 boys and 17 first-and second-grade teachers in elementary schools in the Midwest. The students took math achievement tests at the beginning and end of the school year, and the researchers compared the scores.
The researchers also gave the students tests to tell whether the students believed a math superstar had to be a boy. Then the researchers turned to the teachers: To find out which teachers were anxious about math, the researchers asked the teachers how they felt at times when they came across math, such as when reading a sales receipt. A teacher who got nervous looking at the numbers on a sales receipt, for example, was probably anxious about math.
Boys, on average, were unaffected by a teacher’s anxiety. On average, girls with math-anxious teachers scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests than other girls in the study did. Plus, on the test showing whether someone thought a math superstar had to be a boy, 20 girls showed feeling that boys would be better at math—and all of these girls had been taught by female teachers with math anxiety.
According to surveys done before this one, college students who want to become elementary school teachers have the highest levels of anxiety about math. Plus, nine of every 10 elementary teachers are women, Levine said.
Sian Beilock and Susan Levine carried out the new research in order to ___________.

A．know the effects of teaching on learning	B．study students’ ways of learning math
C．prove women teachers are unfit to teach math	D．find better teaching methods for teachers

The underlined part in paragraph 2 most probably means that girls may ___________.

A．end up learning math anxiety from their teachers	B．study the ways their female teachers behave
C．have an influence on their math-anxious female teachers
D．gain unexpected achievement in such subjects as math

In the study, what were the teachers required to do?

A．Prepare two math achievement tests for the students	B．Tell their feelings about math problems
C．Answer whether a math superstar had to be a boy	D．Compare the students’ scores after the math tests

What is the finding of the new study?

A．No male students were affected by their teachers’ anxiety

B．Almost all the girls got lower scores in the tests than the boys

C．About 30% of the girls thought boys are better at math than girls

D．Girls with math-anxious teachers all failed in the math tests

Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．117 students and teachers took part in the new study

B．The researchers felt surprised at the findings of their study

C．Beilock and Levine are interested in teaching math

D．Men teachers are better at teaching math than women teachers

Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty. In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States. The Gallup(民意调查) Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008. At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
What can be the best title of the text?

A．Happiness Varies with Ages

B．Experience More, Worry Less

C．The Older, the Wiser

D．Being Young, Being Happy

We can learn from the research that _________.

A．only when people get older will they feel happier

B．stress levels among the youngest are the highest

C．older people tend to be grateful

D．older people usually have no worries

According to the research, when people get older, _________.

A．they miss the old days

B．they are physically weak

C．they have better self-control

D．they are more emotional

What would the author probably talk about next?

A．What influences happiness.

B．How to live better.

C．How to keep happier.

D．Why women are less happier.

The author is intended to _________.

A．advise how to reduce stress

B．introduce a scientific finding

C．describe how to do research

D．talk about human emotions

The secret of carrier pigeons' unbelievable ability to find their way home has been discovered by scientists: the feathered navigators follow the roads just like we do.
Scientists now believe the phrase "as the crow (乌鸦) flies" no longer means the shortest most direct route between two points. They say it is likely that crows and other day birds also choose AA-suggested routes, even though it makes their journeys longer.
Scientists at Oxford University spent 10 years studying homing pigeons using global positioning satellite (GPS) and got a surprising result. The birds often don't use the sun to decide their directions.
Instead they fly along motorways, turn at crossing and even go around roundabouts (绕道) , adding miles to their journeys.
"It really has knocked our research team sideways to find that after a decade-long international study, pigeons appear to ignore their inbuilt directional instincts (本能) and follow the road system," said Prof Tim Guilford, reader in animal behavior at Oxford University's Department of Zoology.
Guilford said pigeons use their own navigational system (导航系统) when doing long distance trips or when a bird does a journey for the first time.
"But once homing pigeons have flown a journey more than once, they can fly home on a habitual route, much as we do when we are driving or walking home from work," said Guilford.
"In short, it looks like it is mentally easier for a bird to fly down a road. They are just making their journey as simple as possible."
What would be the best title of the passage?

A．How Pigeons Find Their Ways Home?	B．Why Pigeons Can Fly long Distance?
C．Birds Follow Roads as We Do.	D．Why Crows Fly the Shortest D stance?

What does the words "the feathered navigators" refer to?

A．The crows.

B．The pigeons.

C．Day birds.

D．Animals that can fly.

Scientists used to think that homing pigeons often find their directions ____.

A．by global positioning satellite	B．by the sun
C．by the road system	D．by following other birds

Why do homing pigeons tend to follow the road system daring the r journey?

A．Because they don't have their inbuilt directional instincts now.

B．Because their own navigational system doesn't work.

C．Because it is too hard to use their own navigational system.

D．Because it is easier to make journey simple by following road system.

Don’t you think it interesting that there were strange coincidences(巧合) in the deaths of President Kennedy and President Lincoln? For example, John Kennedy was elected president in 1960 while Abraham Lincoln in 1860, between which was a hundred years. Both men were killed from behind, on black Friday , and with their wives on the spot. The two men were born exactly one hundred years away, as were their murderers, Lee Oawald and John Booth. Perhaps the strangest coincidence is that President Kennedy’s secretary , whose name was Lincoln, advised the president not to go to Dallas, where the president was shot. President Lincoln’s secretary, named Kennedy, advised the president not to go to the Ford Theatre, where the president met his death.
When President Lincoln and President Kennedy were killed, their wives were_______.

A．at the cinema

B．at home

C．behind them

D．with them

“Black Friday” means that ________.

A．the American used to be in black on the two Fridays.

B．the two Fridays saw sad happenings

C．it was dark when the two men were killed

D．it was cloudy when the two men were killed

Which of the following statements is true?

A．Lincoln’s death had something to do with Kennedy’s

B．There were one hundred years between the two presidents’ deaths

C．There were one hundred years from Lincoln’s taking office to Kennedy’s

D．The two secretaries were born on the same day

One night when my wife was preparing dinner, our little son took a piece of paper to her which read:  
For washing the car...........................................$5.00 
For making my own bed this week...................$1.00 
Going to the provision shop..............................$0.50 
Playing with little sister ...................................$0.25 
Taking out the rubbish......................................$1.00 
Getting a good report card................................$5.00 
And for sweeping the common corridor...........$2.00 
Total .......................................................... ......$14.75 
His mother looked at him standing there expecting payment. I could see a thousand memories flashed through her mind. So she picked up the pen and turning the paper over, this is what she wrote: 
For 9 months I carried you, growing inside me.....................................No Charge
For the nights I sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you..............No Charge
For the toys, food and clothes and wiping your nose............................No Charge
When you add it all up, the full cost of my love...................................No Charge
Well, when he finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes. He looked at his mother and said, “Mummy, I love you.” Then he took the pen and in great big letters wrote on the “bill”“All paid.”.
What’s the best title for this passage?

A．Part-time Job	B．Mother’s Love, No Charge
C．Payment for House Work.	D．Greedy Mother

The writer wrote the passage in order to ______.

A．show that children should be paid for their housework

B．show that children should not be paid for their housework

C．show a clever way of teaching children

D．tell children how to spend their spare time

How do you think of the mother in the passage?

A．Clever.

B．Greedy.

C．Cold-hearted.

D．Selfish.

From the last passage we know that ______.

A．the boy got all the money he wanted

B．the mother was unwilling to give the money to the boy

C．the boy realized that it was not right to ask for money for the housework

D．the mother was angry with what the boy said

It is obvious that doctors recognize obesity as a health problem. So why is it so hard for them to talk to their patients about it?
The results of two surveys, one of primary care physicians and the other of patients, found that while most doctors want to help patients lose weight and think it is their responsibility to do so, they often don’t know what to say.
“So while doctors may tell patients they are overweight, the conversation often ends there,” said Christine C. Ferguson, director of the Stop Obesity Alliance. “Patients are not told about the possibility of diabetes (糖尿病),” she said. “And doctors don’t feel they have good information to give. They felt that they didn’t have adequate tools to address this problem.
The lack of dialogue hurts patients, too. The patient survey, of over 1,000 adults, found that most overweight patients don’t even know that they’re too heavy. Only 39 percent of overweight people surveyed had ever been told by a health care provider that they were overweight.
Of those who were told they were obese, 90 percent were also told by their doctors to lose weight, the survey found. In fact most have tried to lose weight and may have been successful in the past—and many are still trying, the survey found. And many understand that losing even a small amount of weight can have a positive impact on their health and reduce their risk of obesityrelated diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
Dr. William Bestermann Jr., medical director of Holston Medical Group, in Kingsport, Tenn. , which ranks the 10th in obesity among metropolitan areas in the United States, said the dialogue had to be an ongoing one and could not be dropped after just one mention of the problem. “If you’re to be successful with helping your patients lose weight, you have to talk to them at actually every visit about their progress, and find something to encourage them and coach them,” he said.
He acknowledged that many doctors tend to be not optimistic.
“Part of this is that there’s this common belief, and doctors are burdened by it, too, that overweight people are weak-willed and just don’t have any willpower and are selfindulgent and all that business,” he said. “If you think that way, you’re not going to spend time having a productive conversation.”
What is the Stop Obesity Alliance most probably in Paragraph 3?

A．An organization of doctors suffering from obesity.

B．An organization of patients suffering from obesity.

C．A research group that conducts special surveys about overweight people.

D．A research group dealing with doctor-patient relationship.

How many of the patients surveyed have been advised by their doctors to lose weight?

A．About 350.	B．About 390.
C．About 900.	D．About 1,000.

What can be inferred about obesity patients in Paragraph 5?

A．They are not as hopeless as doctors think they are.

B．Most of them have tried hard to lose weight, but in vain.

C．Without their doctors’ constant coaching, there is little chance of their succeeding in losing weight.

D．Most of them have just given up their hope of becoming less heavy.

  According to the passage, which factor contributes to the lack of dialogue between doctors and patients?

A．Most doctors never think of warning their patients about their weight problem.

B．Many doctors find it difficult to persuade overweight people to lose weight.

C．Most patients are too weak-willed to do anything about their weight.

D．Many patients tend not to trust their doctors about their weight problem.

Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．Obesity in the U. S.

B．Trouble of overweight Americans.

C．Talk more, help better.

D．Doctors or patients---who to bear more blame?

When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazingperson - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.　
One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called “Information Please" and told her what happened.  She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told "Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, “How do you spell ‘grateful’? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.
A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."    　　
Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn’t planned on this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell ‘grateful’?"  
There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."   I laughed. "So it’s really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."  I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."　　
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally passed away five weeks before.   　　
Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me—“Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”  I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today?　
What does “Information, Please” refer to in the passage?

A．An amazing girl.

B．A special kind of telephone.

C．A communication system.

D．A service that helps telephone users.

What happened to the little boy one day when he was at home alone? 

A．He was amused by the telephone.

B．He hurt his finger with a hammer.

C．He found an amazing telephone.

D．He got a piece of ice from an icebox.

What did “Information, Please” give the little boy whenever he was in trouble? 

A．Information and conversation.

B．Good memories and happiness.

C．Sympathy and information.

D．Friendship and cheers.

When did the author get in touch with “Information, Please” again after he moved to Boston?  

A．When he was in trouble on his way to college.

B．When his plane stopped in Seattle for half an hour.

C．When he went back to Seattle to visit his sister.

D．Three months later after he moved to Boston.

The British policeman has several nicknames, but the most frequently used are"copper"and"bobby". The first name comes from the verb "cop" meaning "to take" or "capture", and thesecond comes from the first name of Sir Robert Peel, a 19th century politician, who was the founder of the police force. An early nickname for the policeman was "peeler", but this name had died out.
　Visitors to England seem，nearly always, to be very impressed by the English police. In fact, it has become a joke that the visitors to Britain, when asked for his views of the country, will always say，at some point or other, "I think your policemen are wonderful."
　Well, the British bobby may not always be wonderful but he is usually a very friendly and helpful character.
　A music-hall song of some years ago was called, "If you want to know the time, ask a policeman." Nowadays, most people own watches but they still seem to find plenty of other questions to ask the policeman. In London, the policemen spend so much of their time directing visitors about the city that one wonders how they ever find time to do anything else!
The British policeman has _______ nicknames mentioned in the passage.

A．five

B．two

C．three

D．ten

One of the nicknames for the policeman, "peeler" _______ .

A．is the name of a politician

B．is most frequently used sometimes

C．is not used any more

D．is still used as much as "bobby"

"If you want to know the time, ask a policeman." That means _______ .

A．the British policeman is friendly and helpful

B．the British policeman has plenty of time to help people

C．people usually think that the policeman always knows the time

D．it is a duty for the policeman to tell people the time

Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The British policeman has some nicknames.

B．The British policeman is wonderful.

C．Only the British policeman knows the time very well.

D．The British policeman is ready to help people.

The Writers' Strike：Making the Best of the Worst
By now you are probably feeling the effects of the TV writers’ strike---the decision of television writers to stop working. With few new TV shows, I present to you a list of shows available on DVD worth your viewing time to keep you going during this painful period.
Arrested Development is one of the funniest and most clever shows ever to have appeared on network TV. With a most perfect cast(全体演员), the show sets out to cover the daily happenings of the Bluth family, a group of selfish staff who manage to still put family first.
For more comedy goodness, I recommend one of the sharpest comedies to have ever broadcast, 30 Rock. Starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, two stars with impressive comic timing, the show gives you a glimpse into the making of a sketch show (幽默短剧),similar to Saturday Nigth Live, from the funny writers to the self-centered cast all the way up to the boss.
If you are looking for something more serious, or perhaps Friday Night lights might be more to your liking. If you are a fan of football, this show is probably for you. If you are a fan of great drama, both soapy and serious, this show is probably for you, If you are a fan of good-looking people, this show is definitely for you .
If those shows were not enough for you, might I recommend a show with a more heart-pounding excitement? The Amazing Race, after twelve seasons, still remains one of the most exciting shows on TV. Teams of two travel the globe with little to no money and experience far-out adventures in an attempt to remain the last team standing.
If you are fond of soapy TV shows, you will probably choose to watch      .

A．Friday Night Lights	B．30 Rock
C．the Amazing Race	D．Saturday Night Live

The author writes the passage to tell us that       .

A．the effects of the TV writers’ strike are great

B．the strike puts TV shows in the worst situation

C．watching DVD is a good choice during the strike

D．we should choose DVD shows according to our tastes

The passage is most probably taken from      .

A．a book review

B．a newspaper

C．a film poster

D．a DVD menu

Lillian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs Hanson different from her classmates is her age-----73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years.
　　When Lillian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn't think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lillian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. Mrs Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again.
　　She finds that it is the hardest part of going back to school at her age to sit in class for long periods of time. Because she is not as quick as she used to be, Mrs Hanson often gets up and walks around classes to keep from getting stiff(不灵活). At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood up to give her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were.
Mrs Hanson couldn’t go to college immediately after she graduated from high school because _____.

A．she hadn't got enough money

B．she was a country girl

C．the banker ordered her not to borrow any money

D．the banker thought she should raise a family of nine children

The computer students welcomed Mrs Hanson warmly because ______.

A．she had got an excellent result in the exam

B．she was good at telling funny stories

C．they wanted to get her help in their studies

D．they were deeply moved by her spirit

Mrs Hanson is the sort of person who ________.

A．cares for study very much	B．likes to borrow money from the bank
C．never misses a chance to talk	D．tries to save any money for her family

In which order did Mrs Hanson do the following things?
　　a. she began her studies at college.         b. She finished high school.
　　c. She got married and gave birth of nine children.
　　d. She had her 73 rd birthday.     e. She went to the bank to borrow money.

A．a c b e d

B．b e c a d

C．b c e d a

D．e d a c b