WANT TO HIRE A LONDON BUS? 
London United Busways has been carrying Londoners by horse-tram, electric tramway and omnibus since 1894. Today, working for Transport for London, we have over 650 red London buses.
Getting married?
Why not hire a world famous Routemaster and make your wedding truly special? Our classic bus has been re-sprayed to its original condition and fitted out to look like it did in its heyday(全盛时期). Provided with a polite, fully trained driver and conductor and PA system, we can carry up to 70 of your guests.
Have a special occasion?
Whether it’s a company event, birthday or a sporting experience, we have a bus for every occasion. Our Double Decker buses will hold up to 72 of your guests and Single Deckers up to 30. All of our buses come with a fully trained driver.
Need a Stadium Service?
We carry fans to and from Richmond Station to Twickenham Stadium for matches and concerts throughout the year. We also operate services to the new Wembley Stadium. Download the pdf document for details of our Stadium Services.
HIRE A VEHICLE
Please note, passengers are not allowed to stand on any Private Hire vehicle.
For a customised quotation: Please click Online Private Hire Quotation
Tel: 020 8400 5502 Fax: 020 8400 5101
Email: hireabus@lonutd.co.uk All the following are the advantages of a Routemaster EXCEPT ____.
| A．being newly produced | B．a fully trained driver |
| C．a PA system | D．carrying up to 70 guests |
If you are having a birthday party with 71 guests, what kind of vehicle will you hire?
A．A Routem aster. |
B．A Double Decker bus. |
| C．A Single Decker bus. | D．A horse-tram. |
We can learn from the passage that ____.
| A．the buses can only be hired through the Internet |
| B．London United Busways has a history of more than 200 years |
| C．all the passengers on the Private Hire vehicles should be seated |
| D．London United Busways provides matches and concerts throughout the year |
Where is the text most likely to be found?
| A．In a local newspaper. | B．In a traffic handbook |
| C．In a magazine. | D．On a website. |
Watercolor is the o
ldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colors found in the earth with water.
Fresco (壁画), one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolor. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster （灰泥）. Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo’s heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.
The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go downhill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches（草图）or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for outdoors and also small private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a remarkably strong attraction for them.
The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolor, producing such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.The purpose of the passage is to introduce ________.
| A．the gradual weakness of fresco painting |
| B．oil’s power or influence over watercolor |
| C．the discovery of watercolor in England |
| D．the start and development of watercolor |
In the 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought ________.
| A．watercolor was softer, and thus better. |
B．Oil pai nting lasted longer, and was better. |
| C．Watercolor wasn’t fit for finished works |
| D．Watercolor was too hard to use in any works. |
According to the passage, watercolor painting was put back in England because ______.
| A．it was easy to use outdoors | B．it was a strong medium（媒介） |
| C．it was extremely bright in color. | D．it was suited for popular tastes |
What would the next paragraph most probably talk about?
| A．The works of famous US watercolor artists. |
| B．Modern American oil painters. |
| C．The weaknesses of oil as popular paints |
| D．Techniques of producing watercolor |
A story from the Bible tells of old Babylon, where the men decided to build a tower that would touch the sky．But God was unhappy, and he made them speak different languages．They couldn’t understand each other, so their dream never came true．
Yet the dream remains alive: if all men speak the same language, they can do anything．L．L．Zamenhof from Poland was among the men who pursue this dream．He developed Esperanto（世界语）between 1877 and 1885．
As the most successful man-made world language, it is spoken by over two million people around the world．Last month, the World Esperanto Congress（大会）, dealing with language rights, ended in Sweden．The 2004 conference will be held in Beijing．Most Esperanto speakers are in Central and Eastern Europe and in East Asia, particularly Chinese mainland．
Esperanto has two advantages．First, it’s easy．Each letter has exactly one sound and there are just 16 basic grammar rules．The second advantage is that it belongs to no one country．But Esperanto has only reached a small number of people compared with natural languages widely used around the world-such as English or Chinese．While these languages are deeply connected with their nations and cultures, Esperanto doesn’t have this background．
Will Esperanto really become a global language? It remains a question．The writer tells us a story at the beginning to ．
| A．explain why men have been making the effort to create a language shared by all |
| B．explain why men now speak different languages |
| C．show the relationship between man and God |
| D．prove that language is very important |
What does the underlined word “pursue” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．“Realize”． | B．“Work for”． | C．“Be against”． | D．“Follow”． |
What is the basic difference between Esperanto and English?
| A．More people speak English than Esperanto． |
| B．Esperanto words are easier to spell． |
| C．Esperanto has fewer grammar rules． |
| D．Esperanto is not supported by any country or culture． |
What does the story mainly talk about?
| A．Advantages and disadvantages of Esperanto． |
| B．Men’s dream of sharing the same language． |
| C．The most successful planned language-Esperanto． |
| D．Comparison of Esperanto and other languages like English and Chinese． |
When I asked my daughter which item she would keep; the phone, the car, the cooker, the computer, the TV, or her boyfriend, she said “the phone”．Personally, I could do without the phone entirely, which makes me unusual, because the telephone is changing our lives more than any other piece of technology．
Point 1 The telephone creates the need to communicate, in the same way that more roads create more traffic．My daughter comes home from school at 4:00 pm and then spends an hour on the phone talking to the very people she has been at school with all day．If the phone did not exist, would she have anything to talk about?
Point 2 The mobile phone means that we are never alone．“The mobile saved my life,” says Cr
ystal Johnstone．She had an accident in her Volvo on the A45 between Otley and Skipton．Trapped inside, she managed to make the call that brought the ambulance（救护车）to her rescue．
Point 3 The mobile removes our secret．It allows marketing manager of Haba Deutsch, Carl Nicolaisen, to ring his sales staff all round the world at any time of day to ask where they are, where they are going, and how their last meeting went．
Point 4 The telepho
ne separates us．Antonella Bramante in Rome says, “We worked in separate offices but I could see him through the window．It was easy to get his number．We were so near—but we didn’t meet for the first two weeks!”
Point 5 The telephone allows us to reach out beyond our own lives．Today we can talk to several complete strangers simultaneously（同时地）on chat lines（at least my daughter does．I wouldn’t know what to talk about）．We can talk across the world．We can even talk to astronauts（if you know any）while they’re space-walking．And, with the phone line hooked up to the computer, we can access the Internet, the biggest library on Earth．How do you understand ‘Point 1 —The telephone creates the need to communicate,…’？
| A．People don’t communicate without telephone． |
| B．People communicate because of the creating of the telephone． |
| C．People communicate more since telephone has been created． |
| D．People communicate more because of more traffic． |
Which points do you think support the idea that phones improve people’s life?
a．Point 1． b．Point2． c．Point3． d．Point 4． e．Point 5．
| A．c, d | B．a, e | C．a, c | D．b, e |
It is possible to talk to several complete strangers simultaneously through ．
| A．the TV screen |
| B．a fax machine |
| C．the phone line hooked up to the computer |
| D．a microphone |
The best heading for the passage is ．
| A．Phone Power | B．Kinds of Phone |
| C．How to Use Phones | D．Advantage of Phones |
According to a report by the China News Weekly, Chinese white collars are becoming fully occupied in the office．They pursue many of their activities in the office building, eating, doing exercise, resting, playing games or even dating．
In large cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, where economy is developing at a fast speed, office workers face an increasing work pressure day by day and many of them have begun to make office their home．
As the young generation in society, most of them are aged between 25 and 45．In the eyes of outsiders, they enjoy a comfortable life: they lead the fashion trend in the city and earn a high salary; they enjoy a flexible working schedule and a very good working environment; having a good education background, they don’t have to worry that one day they will lose their jobs．
However, only the white collars themselves know what others see as a good life is in fact a boring life．They often work for extra hours, suffer from loss of creative ability and have little time to make friends．When they go off from work late at night, sometimes they might think of asking for a leave the next day and having a holiday somewhere．However, when a new day begins, they find everything back to normal and themselves pushed by new tasks．
In fact, even if they don’t work for extra hours in the office, they have no place to go．Many of the young people are fresh from college, or have come to work in large cities from their hometowns．As newcomers, they haven’t established（建立）a social network．They have few friends to go dating．Meanwhile, many of them face a great pressure for earning money to buy a house or a car．If they cannot afford to buy these, they still have to work to pay for high apartment rents and communication fares．The underlined sentence（in paragraph 1）probably means _____．
| A．Chinese white collars are not allowed to get out of the office． |
| B．The office is crowded with Chinese white collars． |
| C．Chinese white collars make the office filled with odds and ends． |
| D．Chinese white collars spend most of their time in the office． |
The following are all reasons why white collars want to have a rest Except that_____．
| A．they have to continue to stay at office after work |
| B．they feel more and more difficult to think up a good idea |
| C．they have no interest in anything |
| D．they have little time to make friends |
The main idea of the third paragraph is that _____．
| A．white collars are admired by other people |
| B．white collars needn’t worry about losing jobs |
| C．white collars can earn high salary and work freely |
| D．white collars are in the lead in the way of behaving |
From the passage, we can infer that _____．
| A．white collars are all workaholics who regard the office as home |
| B．white collars suffer from material and mental pressure in life |
| C．white collars are the models of young people in society |
| D．people have a good understanding of what white collars’ life is |
WANT TO HIRE A LONDON BUS?
London United Bus ways has been carrying Londoners by horse-tram, electric tramway and omnibus since 1894．Today, working for Transport for London, we have over 650 red London buses．
Getting married?
Why not hire a world famous Route master and make your wedding
truly special? Our classic bus has been re-sprayed to its original condition
and fitted out to look like it did in its heyday（全盛时期）．Provided
with a polite, fully trained driver and conductor and PA system, we
can carry up to 70 of your guests．
Have a special occasion?
Whether it’s a company event, birthday or a sporting experience, we have a bus for every occasion．Our Double Decker buses will hold up to 72 of your guests and Single Decker up to 30．All of our buses come with a fully trained driver．
Need a Stadium Service?
We carry fans to and from Richmond Station to Twickenham Stadium for matches and concerts throughout the year．We also operate services to the new Wembley Stadium．Download the pdf document for details of our Stadium Services．
HIRE A VEHICLE
Please note, passengers are not allowed to stand on any Private Hire vehicle．
For a customized quotation: Please click Online Private Hire Quotation
Tel: 020 8400 5502 Fax: 020 8400 5101
Email: hireabus@lonutd．co．ukAll the following are the advantages of a Route master EXCEPT ____．
| A．being newly produced | B．a fully trained driver |
| C．a PA system | D．carrying up to 70 guests |
If you are having a birthday party with 71 guests, what kind of vehicle will you hire?
| A．A Route master． | B．A Double Decker bus． |
| C．A Single Decker bus． | D．A horse-tram． |
We can learn from the passage that ____．
| A．the buses can only be hired through the Internet |
| B．London United Bus ways has a history of more than 200 years |
| C．all the passengers on the Private Hire vehicles should be seated |
| D．London United Bus ways provides matches and concerts throughout the year |
Where is the text most likely to be found?
| A．In a local newspaper． | B．In a traffic handbook |
C．In a magazine． |
D．On a website． |
Language learning begins with listening.Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking,and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will“obey”spoken instructions some time before they can speak,though the word“obey”is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child.Before they can speak,many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.
Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties.It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight,pain,friendliness,and so on.But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate,they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language.It is agreed,too,that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment,and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store.This selfimitation(模仿) leads on to deliberate(有意的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people.The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.
It is a problem we need to get out teeth into.The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world.Thus the use at seven months of“mama”as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father,his dog,or anything else he likes.Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself,I doubt,however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.Before children start speaking .
| A．they need equal amount of listening |
| B．they need different amounts of listening |
| C．they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obeying spoken instructions |
| D．they can’t understand and obey the adult’s oral instructions |
Children who start speaking late .
| A．may have problems with their listening |
| B．probably do not hear enough language spoken around them |
| C．usually pay close attention to what they hear |
| D．often take a long time in learning to listen properly |
The problem of deciding at what point a baby’s imitations can be considered as speech .
| A．is important because words have different meanings for different people |
| B．is not especially important because the changeover takes place gradually |
| C．is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age |
| D．is one that should be completely ignored(忽略) because children’s use of words is often meaningless |
The speaker wants to tell us that .
| A．parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds |
| B．children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak |
| C．even after they have learnt to speak,children still enjoy imitating |
| D．children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly |
The first day of school we were interested to get to know a new classmate.I looked around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.I found a little old lady with a warm smile.
She said,“Hi ! I’m Rose.I’m 87 years old.Can I give you a hug?”I laughed and I heartily responded,“Of course!”
“Why are you in college at such a young,innocent(天真无邪的)age?”I asked.
She jokingly replied,“I’m here to meet a rich husband,get married,have children, and then travel around.”
“Not seriously,”I asked.I was curious why she took on this challenge at this age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!”she told me.We became instant friends.
Over the year,Rose became a campus icon(偶像) and she easily made friends wherever she went.She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention from the other students.
At the end of the semester,we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.Here are the secrets to staying young.You have to laugh and find humor every day.You’ve got to have a dream.When you lose your dreams,you die.Unfortunately we have many people like this walking around?”she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.Anybody can grow older.That doesn’t take any talent or ability,”she added.“But growing up requires finding the opportunity in change.Have no regrets.The elederly usually don’t regret what they did,but rather things they did not do.”
One week after graduation that year,Rose died peacefully in her sleep.She taught us by example that__________________.Why was Rose in college at 87? Because .
| A．she wanted to meet a rich husband |
| B．she wanted to get married and have children |
| C．she wanted to travel around |
| D．she dreamed of having a college education |
According to the passage,Rose loved to do the following EXCEPT .
| A．dress up |
| B．enjoy the attention from the other students |
| C．play football |
| D．make friends |
According to what Rose said,we can know that to stay young you must not .
| A．laugh | B．be humorous |
| C．have a dream | D．lose your dream |
According to the last paragraph but one we know .
| A．growing older is quite different from growing up |
| B．growing older needs talent |
| C．growing up doesn’t require ability |
| D．the elderly usually have no regrets |
Which of the following can be used to fill in the blank at the end of the passage?
| A．where there is a will, there’s a way |
| B．never too late to learn |
| C．Study hard and you will be young |
| D．never too late to be all you can possibly be |
| Dear Expert: I was asked to retrieve my 14-year-old daughter from a five-day camping trip.She was suffering from such severe separation anxiety,her teacher thought she should go home.She hadn’t eaten anything and had refused to participate in any activities.The thing is my daughter is extremely bright and has many friends;she organized a few friends into a band,and it belongs to several school clubs.She’s just always had an extreme fear of being away from home.I don’t want her to miss out on other trips. Yours truly, Jonathan |
| Dear Jonathan: Sometimes kids can push through homesickness,but in other instances they become hurt mentally and develop greater anxiety around outings,which can worsen and prolong(延长) the problem.Separation anxiety can be the result of many complex interactions some genetic(遗传的) and some learned. People with high anxiety tend to be fearful and worried, ever when the sense of threat is minimum（最低程度）.Lots of talented,creative and successful people are exceedingly anxious. I believe your daughter is bright,active and popular,but simply can’t do well outside her home base.My suggestion is to take things in small steps,so your daughter can experience success,and always have a fallback(退却) plan if she needs it.For instance,she can plan an overnight with a friend,but assure her it’s no big deal to pick her up at midnight if she changes her mind. What’s important is to recognize the fear,and make plans to deal with whatever may cause distress.In other words,don’t try to talk your daughter out of her fears,equip her to master them.This way she’ll eventually gain the confidence to go on further trips. Expert |
What does the underlined word“retrieve”mean?
| A．Go with someone. | B．Take someone back. |
| C．Separate from someone. | D．Miss someone. |
Which of the following statements is TURE?
| A．Separation anxiety is the result of different reasons. |
| B．Separation anxiety is genetic. |
| C．Only creative people suffer from separation anxiety. |
| D．Separation anxiety is of the same level. |
When can’t the 14-year-old daughter function well?
| A．When organizing a band at school. |
| B．When she is not far away from her home. |
| C．When she is in a club. |
| D．When she is camping far away from home. |
Many American schools have a student exchange program with foreign countries. Along with this program,there is usually another one called the“American Host Family”program.As its name suggests,the program gets American families involved in foreign students’ lives in America and offers homes for them.
Foreign students generally welcome such an opportunity to have a“family”here,but there are also those who prefer to stay“homeless”.
Many American families volunteer to host foreign students.However,if there is a shortage of host families,schools also get in touch with local people and introduced foreign students to them.
The“American Host Family”program changes in lengths of time.It can go from a few days to a few years,depending on each individual school.After the first year is over,it is up to foreign students and their“families”to decide if they want to stay together as a“family”.American families can host as many foreign students as they like.They can either have several students or just one at a time.Many families start with new students each year while still keeping in touch with the old ones.Schools usually leave it to foreign students and their host families to decide their activities after both sides meet.
My school, however, holds activities every year. On major holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas,foreign students are usually invited to their thomes for dinner.Even schools that do not have host family programs often arrange students to get together with American families on these special holiday occasions.
It is typical that a host family invites its foreign daughter or son over,and they cook the student’s home food together,Undoubtedly,Chinese students are usually considered good cooks,whether or not they are really qualified for such praise at home.Although many Chinese students rarely cooked at home,they often have a hard time making their American friends believe that they cannot cook.It often happens when a Chinese student promises to cook a Chinese meal for his host family,he usually sees a little crowd expecting him:friends or relatives are also invited over for the“special”Chinese food!The best title of the passage might be .
| A．Studying in the U.S. |
| B．The“Host Family Program”in the U.S. |
| C．The“Student Exchange Program”in the U.S. |
| D．Activities in American Schools |
What’s the purpose of the“American Host Family program”?
| A．To bring foreign students closer to American life. |
| B．To provide homes for foreign students. |
| C．To make greater progress in the study of foreign students. |
| D．To supply“sons”or “daughters”for American families. |
What can we know about the program from the fourth and fifth paragraphs?
| A．Its time,the number of students and families. |
| B．Its activities,the number of schools and students. |
| C．Its lengths of time,the number of students and activities. |
| D．The number of students,the lengths of time and important holidays. |
We can know from the last paragraph that .
| A．foreign students must prepare their home food for their host family |
| B．not all Chinese students are good cooks in the eyes of Americans |
| C．it is good manners to invite relatives or friends to taste foreign food |
| D．Americans are very interested in foreign food |
Today is my first day at Merchiston Castle School,and I was really nervous about it, because I have never visited the school before and didn’t take any summer course. Despite my anxiety,I soon relaxed once I arrived; the staff were so nice that I felt my spoken English was better than it actually was! As soon as I walked into the dayroom of my boarding house,I was absolutely(完全地) amazed by the friendly atmosphere; everyone was so friendly that a boy as shy as I had no difficulty in setting in,and I made many new friends on my very first day,although I was struggling to remember all the names.
Also I realized there were other international students in the house from all over the world,such as South Korea,Japan and Russia.Although their English was not so fluent,it didn’t take long for us to understand each other at all.In some ways,it was even better to practice Enlgish by speaking to the international students,because we were both learning.
As a boarder,the quality of food is something I consider very important,and Merchiston has not let me down.The school kitchens are run by a professional catering company,and the quality of food is excellent,also they take the issue of a healthy diet really seriously.I remember once I was asked to take more salad for my meal by a member of the kitchen staff for I did not have enough vegetables.This brings to another point of being a boarder:you need to learn how to look after yourself and be responsible for yourself.One of the huge advantages of being a boarder is that we can have breakfast in the school,which means we don’t have to pull ourselves out of the bed as early as the daypupils!Why was the writer nervous when he was at Merchiston Castle School on the first day?
| A．Because he had no friends and relatives there. |
| B．Because he didn’t know the school well. |
| C．Because he was not good at English. |
| D．Because he was shy. |
On the first day, .
| A．though the writer was anxious,he soon relaxed |
| B．he found the dayroom of his boarding house terrible |
| C．he made many new friends,but he didn’t remember any of their names |
| D．he thought he spoke English better than the staff in the school |
Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．In the boarding house,there are only students from South Korea,Japan and Russia. |
| B．The international students in the boarding house don’t speak Englsih very fluently. |
| C．The food in Merchiston doesn’t make the writer disappiointed. |
| D．The professional catering company thinks the issue of a healthy diet is very important. |
The underlined word“boarder”in the first paragraph means“ ”.
| A．a student who is from abroad | B．a student who lives at school |
| C．a student who is good at English | D．a student who used to be shy |
Many scientists are now exploring the idea of going to live on Mars. Some other scientists from the MASA AMES Center(美国宇航局) have already started the creation of a “Mars town” and many others are in fact already experimenting with it. Of course, these experiments are done on Earth itself but this “Mars town” has an environment practically like that of Mars.
The astronauts working in these towns wear their space suit and also do everything they would really have to carry out if they ever go to Mars in the future.
But Mars would be like Earth, a temporary（临时的） place for humans. When the Sun starts swallowing up(吞掉) the planets, Mars will disappear only hours after Earth. So Mars only seems to be the ideal place to spread the human beings. It is also a good location to send humans if ever there is a disaster on Earth. By saying disaster, I mean asteroids(小行星) hitting and things like that.
If we humans do not want to disappear when Earth or Mars gets swallowed up, we will have to go and live beyond the solar system. But are there any planets outside our solar system prepared to support life? Astronomers’ answer is:
“If Earth can support life, why can’t other planets do the same too? Astronomers have already discovered a Jupiter(木星)- like planet orbiting a Sun-like star, so why not an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star?
To achieve this goal though, many other problems have to be taken into consideration. How do we transform(改造) a dusty planet like Mars into one more or less like our Earth? How should we go on? There is still a long way to go. The “Mars town” mentioned in the passage is ___________
| A．a research base on Mars. |
| B．an experimental lab built on Earth. |
| C．a strange place on Mars . |
| D．a town existing in scientists’ imagination |
We can know from the passage that astronomers probably think ____________
| A．it is impossible to transport humans to other planets. |
| B．there may be an Earth-like planet outside the solar system |
| C．humans will move to the new-found Jupiter-like planet |
| D．there’s no need for humans to move beyond the solar system. |
Why would Mars only be a temporary(临时) place for humans?
| A．The conditions there would be too hard for the human beings |
| B．There would be more disasters like asteroids hitting. |
| C．It would disappear when Earth disappeared. |
| D．It would be too hot to live on. |
The underlined word “orbiting” in the fifth paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”
| A．moving around | B．getting close to |
| C．passing by quickly | D．going through |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Mars Town | B．Living on Mars |
| C．The Future of Earth | D．Where to live in the Future |
If there is one thing I am sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives- the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因) engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do --- as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted(传送) electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I am pretty sure that it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read- sports and international news, etc.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media(煤体). They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it is never really pleasant to read something just on a screen. What is the best title for the text?
| A．The Best Way to Get News | B．The Changes of Media |
| C．Make Your Own Newspaper | D．The Future of Newspapers |
In the writer’s opinion, in the future, ___________.
| A．more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news |
| B．newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer. |
| C．newspapers will cover more scientific research |
| D．more and more people will watch TV. |
What will probably be on in the newspaper made by yourself?
| A．Sports and international news. | B．A menu of important news |
| C．The most important news. | D．What you are interested in |
From the text, we can infer that _____________.
| A．newspapers will win the competition among the different media |
| B．newspapers will stay with us together with other media |
| C．television will take the place of newspapers. |
| D．some media will die out |
The underlined phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means ___________.
| A．depend on | B．compete with | C．fight with | D．kill of |
London has more than nine million visitors every year. They come and visit some of the most famous places in England: Big Ben, the Tower of London and the River Thames.
You can see some of the most interesting places in London by getting on the tour buses. Or you can take a ride on the London Eye. This large wheel slowly takes you 135m above the River Thames.
The River Thames is London’s main waterway. It has shaped the capital’s landscape, history and geography. So one of the best ways of knowing more about the city is to take a trip along the river.
The clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, has become one of the main symbols of London. The sound of the bell, which you can hear at the beginning of many television and radio programmes, has become well-known throughout the nation.
No visit to London is complete without a look at the Tower of London, in the eastern part of the city. After Big Ben, the Tower may be London’s most visited tourist spot. Directly south is Tower Bridge, which is more than100 years old.
Along all the palaces in London, Buckingham Palace is the most famous. It has been the main London home of the royal family since Queen Victoria moved there in 1873. You can visit some of the rooms in August and September. And most mornings of the year you can watch the soldiers
outside changing the guard.
About one hour by train out of London is the Tower of Windsor. Here you can visit another of the Queen’s homes-Windsor Castle. There was a fire in 1992 and many of the rooms were badly burned. But now they are full of beautiful pictures, tables and chairs again.
Sightseeing in London is great, but it can get very tiring. So, the best way to start the day is to fill up with an English breakfast.
You can buy an English breakfast in nearly every hotel, and at many restaurants and cafes. An English pub is a good place to stop for lunch and a drink. You can get hot or cold food and try one of England’s many ales(浓啤酒). Fish and chips are also a traditional English meal. So look out for fish and chip shops in cities as well as by the sea.
Or you can sit outside one of the many roadside pubs and cafes in London, and simply watch the busy world go by.We can learn from the text that ____________.
| A．Windsor Castle has been rebuilt |
| B．the Big Ben can be heard everywhere in London |
| C．only some of the hotels in England serve breakfast. |
| D．the London Eye can carry you where you like to go |
Which place may be London’s most visited tourist spot?
| A．Buckingham Palace | B．The Tower of London |
| C．Big Ben | D．The River Thames |
If you go to London in December, you will not be able to ___________
| A．visit Windsor Castle |
| B．tour the Buckingham Palace |
| C．tour the city along the River Thames |
| D．watch the soldiers outside the Buckingham Palace changing guards. |
The underlined word “landscape” (paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to _________.
| A．sights | B．interests | C．characteristics | D．culture |
The whole passage mainly introduces the ________________.
A. tourism in London B. tourists in London
B. history in London D. sightseeing in London
Every year in America, high-school students who want to go to college take a national examination called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT in a shortened way. Their score is an important factor in determining which colleges will admit them or whether any will be admitted at all. The Scholastic Aptitude Test measures one’s mathematical ability and use of the English language. Traditionally, the English portion（部分）involved grammatical questions and paragraphs that test reading comprehension.
But the SAT folks have added a single question, to be answered in an essay, hand-written on the spot. That’s an interesting way to test writing ability, put content aside, have you ever seen young people’s handwriting lately? Or anyone’s for that matter, in this age of computer keyboards? Students write numbers and sign their names on bank checks. They scribble class notes in what can generously be described as the written word. And they hand-write, or more often print, a word or two of identification on luggage and lunch bags. Otherwise penmanship (书法) — once taught so morally and easefully by second-grade teachers, has gone the way of the dodo bird which has died out.
Yet today’s kids are asked to write, thoughtfully and legibly (字迹清楚地), for several minutes on this SAT Test. Good luck to the text scorers who must work out difficultly the scrawl of young people who’ve been typing on computers since the age of three! Teachers insist that good handwriting can not only help one’s score on the SAT, but also, later on in life, impress potential employers and earn bigger tax refunds (退税) because the tax inspectors can actually read the computations (计算结果). And don’t forget, we all have to turn to handwriting from time to time, as computers go down when power goes out. The subjects to be tested in the SAT include ______.
| A．math, English, reading and handwriting |
| B．math, grammar, reading and writing |
| C．math, foreign language and writing |
| D．math, English and handwriting |
The author writes this passage to introduce the fact that ______.
| A．writing seems to be very important in the SAT |
| B．those who will go to colleges have to take the SAT |
| C．students should practice handwriting more often |
| D．in the computer age kids know how to write legibly |
What does the underlined word “scribble” probably mean?
| A．Write quickly and roughly. | B．Take notes difficultly. |
| C．Print penmanship carefully. | D．Describe written word generously. |
According to the passage good handwriting can ______.
| A．help students get high scores in tests | B．make a student more popular |
| C．measure students’ ability | D．assist one to get a job |
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