高中英语故事类阅读试题

Mr. Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water. Mr. Johnson took the only escape route—through the boot(行李箱).
Mr. Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch(沟渠) at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. “Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”
Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.
Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”
It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up.”
His hands and arms cut and bruised(擦伤), Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs. Lucy Bates. Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night. The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch.
What is the best title for this newspaper article?

A．The Story of Mr. Johnson, A Sweet Salesman

B．Car Boot Can Serve As The Best Escape Route

C．Driver Escapes Through Car Boot

D．The Driver Survived A Terrible Car Accident

Which of the following objects is the most important to Mr. Johnson?

A．The hammer.	B．The coin.
C．The screw.	D．The horn.

Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down.

B．Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam.

C．Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road.

D．Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat.

“Finally it gave” (Paragraph 5) means that _______. 

A．Luckily the door was torn away in the end

B．At last the wrench went broken

C．The lock came open after all his efforts

D．The chance was lost at the last minute

It may be inferred from the passage that _______. 

A．the ditch was along a quiet country road

B．the accident happened on a clear warm day

C．the police helped Mr. Johnson get out of the ditch

D．Mr. Johnson had a tender wife and was well attended

James Cleveland Owens was the son of a farmer and the grandson of black slaves. His family moved to Cleveland when he was 9. There, a school teacher asked the youth his name.
“J. C.” , he replied.  
She thought he had said “Jesse”, and he had a new name.
Owens ran his first race at age 13. After high school, he went to Ohio State University. He had to work part time so as to pay for his education. As a second-year student, in the Big Ten games in 1935, he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a year later.
A week before the Big Ten meet, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. His back hurt so much that he could not exercise all week, and he had to be helped in and out of the car that drove him to the meet. He refused to listen to the suggestions that he give up and said he would try, event by event. He did try, and the results are in the record book.
The stage was set for Owens’ victory at the Olympic Games in Berlin the next year, and his success would come to be regarded as not only athletic (体育的) but also political. Hitler did not congratulate any of the African-American winners.
“It was all right with me,” he said years later. “I didn’t go to Berlin to shake hands with him, anyway.”
Having returned from Berlin, he received no telephone call from the president of his own country, either. In fact, he was not honored by the United States until 1976, four years before his death.
Owens’ Olympic victories made little difference to him. He earned his living by looking after a school playground, and accepted money to race against cars, trucks, motorcycles, and dogs.
“Sure, it bothered (烦扰) me,” he said later. “But at least it was an honest living had to eat.”
In time, however, his gold medals (奖牌) changed his life. “They have kept me alive over the years,” he once said. “Time has stood still for me. That golden moment dies hard.”
Owens got his other name “Jesse” when _______.
A. he went to Ohio State University
B. his teacher made fun of him
C. his teacher took “J. C.” for “Jesse”
D. he won gold medals in the Big Ten meet
In the Big Ten meet, Owens _______.

A．hurt himself in the back	B．succeeded in setting many records
C．tried every sports event but failed	D．had to give up some events

We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the U.S. at that time because _______.

A．he was not of the right race	B．he was the son of a poor farmer
C．he didn’t shake hands with Hitler	D．he didn’t talk to the US president on the phone

When Owens says “They have kept me alive over the years”, he means that the medals ________.

A．have been changed for money to help him live on

B．have made him famous in the U.S.

C．have encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life

D．have kept him busy with all kinds of jobs

Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Jesse Owens, a Great American Athlete

B．Golden Moment—a Life-time Struggle

C．Making a Living as a Sportsman

D．How to Be a Successful Athlete

My name is Liana Wexler. I’m 12 years old, and I am the founder of “Kids for Kerry”. “Kids for Kerry” is a grassroots organization of kids that support John Kerry, want to help their futures, and get active in politics.  
When my parents went to see Teresa Heinz Kerry speak, they told me that she was amazing! And they thought John Kerry would make a great President. I decided to find out more about John Kerry. I talk about what I learned by using my ABCs. “A” is America. John Kerry is a hero to America, and he will help our futures. He is a great and positive role model. “B” is Better education. John Kerry wants to make class sizes smaller, so that children get the best part out of learning. He wants to help teachers because being a teacher is educating children, and letting them out into the world to do the good things. “C” is Compassion（怜悯;同情） towards children. John Kerry wants to make sure that health care is not a privilege, but it is something that we can all afford. This summer, I was supposed to go to my favorite camp But instead, I decided to go to John Kerry’s office every day. Kids can really help! 
On KidsforKerry.org, we have an interactive presidential quiz. There are 270 questions for the electoral votes John Kerry will win. Plus, 25 questions to make up for Florida from the last election. Out next goal is to have a petition (请求) for “National No Name—Calling Day”, a day that the candidates don’t say anything negative about one another. When our Vice President had a disagreement with a Democratic Senator, he used a REALLY BAD word. If I said that—if I said that word, I would be put in a “time-out (暂停休息)”. I think he should be put in a time-out.
What would be the best title for this passage?

A．John Kerry	B．A letter to John Kerry
C．Kids for Kerry	D．John Kerry: Our to-be President

According to the passage we know that____.

A．only children in America want John Kerry to be their next President

B．John Kerry cares much for education but takes little compassion on teachers

C．Liana wishes John Kerry to be the President of America

D．Liana thinks John Kerry should be put in a time-out

Liana Wexler considers John Kerry to be____.

A．a good	B．a hero to America
C．a confident man	D．a persuasive speaker

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．“Kids for Kerry” is a grassroots organization of kids that support whoever wins the presidential election.

B．Liana Wexler is the founder of “Kids for Kerry”

C．“Kids for Kerry” has an interactive presidential quiz on-line.

D．Education and health care are two things-with which American citizens concern themselves most.

David Beckham was born in 1975,in London, at a place called Leytonstone. When he was a young boy, his greatest passion was football, he played it whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he would go and watch a game with his friends. When David Beckham was 12 years old, he won the Bobby Chariton Soccer Skills award. This was an important step forward for this young boy, and it led him to go for a visit to a football training camp in Spain. As a boy he played for the schools of Essex and also for his county team.
In 1991, he became a trainee with Manchester United. This meant that he could practice football as much as he wanted to and play for the highly successful Manchester United Youth Cup team and Under-21 team. In April, 1995, he played his first football leagues game against Leeds United. During 1995 and 1996, David became a regular member of the team and Manchester United won it both football seasons, with David scoring many goals.
His goals made him a household name. In the first game of the 1996-1997 season, he scored an surprising goal from beyond the halfway line; seeing the goalkeeper the goal, it was a wonderful goal and Beckham sent the ball over the goalkeeper’s head and into the goal. It was a wonderful goal and Beckham became famous overnight. He continued to score astonishing goals, especially from free-kicks. The speed of one of his shots was timed at 157 kph. He also had the ability to make the ball go from left to right, or right to left, whenever he chose,. Goalkeepers were never sure where the ball was going, and it regularly ended up in the goal.
Which word can take the place of the underlined word “passion” in paragraph1?

A．Skill

B．Prize.

C．Success.

D．Interest.

Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to Beckham/
a. Beckham played his first football league game.
b. Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award
c. Beckham played for Manchester United Youth Cup team
d. Beckham went to Spain to join a football training camp
e. Beckham played for the schools of Essex.

A．e, b, a, d, c	B．e, d, a, c, b
C．b, d, e, c, a	D．b, e, d, a, c

The passage is mainly talking about____.

A．when Beckham became famous all over Britain

B．how Beckham became a successful football player

C．why Beckham could win in football league games

D．what abilities Beckham had to score so many goals

Isn’t it cool to surf in summer? You catch a wave and enjoy the ride with skill and gift. Surfing is not only our favorite pastime, though. A group of penguins(企鹅) enjoy the sport as much as we do. And they display their excitement and skills in the new animated(动画) film Surf's Up , which came out on June 6, in the US.
Teenage penguin Cody Maverick lives in Antarctica and loves the sport. He desires to learn from Cody's idol is Big Z, a great penguin surfing king.
He is different from other penguins, who work in processing factories. His brother and mother are not supportive of him. He really wants to get away. Cody believes that winning will bring him the admiration and respect he desires. He's given the chance to escape when Mikey Abromowitz, a talent scout (星探), comes to Antarctica to look for gifted penguins for a surfing competition on an island named Pen Gu.
Cody's really excited, but, during his show, there are no waves and he chokes. But he knows he can't give up. He runs after Mikey's whale. And he begs until Mikey agrees to take him to Pen Gu.
There Cody meets Lani, the island's beautiful lifeguard, as well as his main rival (对手), the surfing champion Evans. The cocky Evans shows no respect for Big Z, which makes Cody angry. In order to defend his forever idol, he challenges Evans to a surfing match, only to suffer a terrible defeat.
Lani takes Cody to the island doctor. As they spend time together, Cody realizes that this doctor is really Big Z himself and begged Big Z to teach him.After Big Z learns the cause of his injury, he begins to train Cody and help him make a good surfer. He improves his skills and begins a close surfing match with Evans….
The best title for the passage would be________.
A. Big Z, a legendary penguin surfing king.
B. Penguins Cody's Trip to Antarctica
C. How To Be a Good Surfer
D A New Animated Film— Surf's Up
Which of the following is WRONG about Teenage penguin Cody Maverick?

A．He is fond of surfing and lives in Antarctica

B．He gets along well with his brother and brother.

C．He is defeated by Evans in a surfing match.

D．He thinks winning will win the respect of others.

Who does penguin Cody Maverick respect most?

A．Mikey Abromowitz

B．Evans

C．Lani

D．Big Z

The underlined word “chokes” in the fifth paragraph means_______.

A．fails

B．stops breathing

C．feels out of breath

D．holds his breath

It can be inferred from the passage it is probably _______that makes Big Z accept him and help him improve his skills.

A．his honesty and stubbornness	B．his determination and cleverness
C．his determination and devotion	D．his self-importance and courage

“Keep an eye on Esther. I’ll be back in a second,” Joy Warren said to her three-year-old son Stephen, who was sitting in the back of the Buick. She didn’t like leaving the children alone in the car, but the baby was sleeping soundly. And it would only be a moment.
She had hardly walked 40 yards when she saw the car moving. It headed straight towards the river. Unable to swim, Joy shouted, “My babies are in that car!”
Daniel Whitehead, a 17-year-old student, was walking by the river when the Buick crashed into the water just yards ahead .Without thinking, Daniel jumped in. Though a competitive swimmer, he was shocked by the icy chill.  
Two minutes earlier, Skip Womack had pulled to a halt as the Buick ran in front of him. Now seeing it hit the water and hearing Joy’s cries, Skip got out of his truck and jumped into the water. He had only one thought: If I don’t get them out, they’ll drown.
Daniel reached the car and grabbed a door handle. But the water was only four inches beneath the window, and the door wouldn’t open. With one powerful punch, Daniel and Skip broke a window. Daniel reached inside and lifted Stephen out. He placed him on his back and set out for shore. At the same time, Skip squeezed himself through the window .He managed to free Esther from beneath her seat belt. After he got out of the car with the baby, he held her over the water and swam toward the shore. All this took place just seconds before the Buick disappeared beneath the water.
Later, driving home, Skip thought of his wife and children—how close he’d come to leaving them behind. He thought of the miracle he’d lived through, and how two children were still alive because he and Daniel happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Why did Joy leave her children in the car?

A．He did not like shopping with a child in hand.

B．She didn’t like waking up her baby.

C．Stephen was big enough to take care of his sister.

D．It was icy cold outside.

Daniel and Skip, who saved the lives of the two kids, _____.

A．had been good friends

B．were two close friends of Joy Warren’s

C．were Joy Warren’s neighbors

D．were strangers before the accident

How did Daniel get Stephen out of danger?

A．He squeezed into the car and carried him out.

B．He pulled him out through the broken window.

C．He freed him from his seatbelt before he got him out.

D．He held him over the water and swam back to shore.

What happened to Joy Warren’s Buick?

A．It had four inches of water in it.

B．One of its windows could not be opened.

C．It was pulled out of water and set on the shore.

D．It sank to the bottom of the river.

How did Skip feel in his way home?

A．He felt lucky to be still alive after having saved the lives of two kids.

B．He missed his wife and children, whom he left behind in the morning.

C．He felt very thankful to Daniel, without whom he would not have made it.

D．He wondered how he and Daniel could be in the right place at the right time.

1996 Production of the United States
Director: Charles Russell
Major Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger (As John Kruger)
Vanessa Williams (As Lee Cullen)
James Caan (As Robert Deguerin)
After Last Action Hero, Junior and True Lies have been warmly received by the whole world, the best known film actor Arnold Schwarzenegger once again stars as an unbeatable and witty tough man. Together with the pop star Vanessa Williams, he has made it among the 1996’s best movies as well as The Rock and Mission : Impossible. John Kruger, an agent for the Federal Witness Protection Program, is to protect Lee Cullen, an employee of the Cyrez Corporation. Cyrez is supposed to be developing technology for US defense, but they are secretly selling it to the Russian Mafia. Cullen has two computer disks as proof and she is willing to testify (作证). However the disks she gives to the Feds have disappeared and she herself is in danger. Kruger hides her in New York’s Chinatown. Robert Deguerin, Kruger’s director, turns out to be a spy for the Cyrez Corporation. He tries to cheat Kruger into taking them to Cullen. Kruger gets on the plane with Deguerin but gives him the wrong address. A gun battle is started and Kruger parachutes (跳伞) out of the plane. Kruger is reported to be a spy! He is forced to escape and finds Johnny and asks for his help. The three of them break into the Cyrez Corporation to read the disk. Deguerin and the others are waiting, but are outsmarted. In a shipyard of Baltimore, Deguerin and Kruger battle it out. The shipment is stopped and Kruger clears his name.
The film is directed by _____.

A．Michael Bay

B．Brian De Palma

C．Charles Russell

D．Robert Deguerin

According to the introduction, Arnold Schwarzenegger once took an important part in the film _________.

A．The Rock

B．True Lies

C．Mission: Impossible

D．All the above

The Cyrez Corporation is unlawful because ______.

A．it is developing technology for US defence.

B．It is secretly selling some disks to the Russian Mafia.

C．It is selling technology for US defence to others.

D．It is to protect witness for the Feds.

Kruger, Johnny and Cullen break into the Cyrez Corporation in order to ______.

A．steal the lost disk

B．find out where Deguerin is

C．stop the shipment

D．find some necessary information from the disk

What does the underlined word “outsmart” mean?

A．fool

B．kill

C．catch

D．find

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents' home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station(加油站)about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend's. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery(电池)was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership - a shop selling cars - was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.
"Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.
"Thank you" - two powerful words. They're easy to say and mean so much.
The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City_________.

A．to visit a friend

B．to see his parents

C．to pay at the cash register

D．to have more gas for his car

The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “______”.

A．turned off

B．moved off

C．put up

D．set up

What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

A．He had it pulled back to the gas station.

B．The couple sent him a business card.

C．The couple offered to help him.

D．He called his friend for help.

The battery of the author’s car was dead because_______.

A．something went wrong with the lights

B．the meeting lasted a whole day

C．he forgot to turn off the lights

D．he drove too long a distance

By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show______.

A．how to write a thank-you letter

B．how to deal with car problems

C．the kind-heartedness of older people

D．the importance of expressing thanks

American agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug has received the Congressional Gold Medal.
Norman Borlaug is often called "the man who saved a billion lives" and "the father of the Green Revolution."
His work helped fight starvation in India and Pakistan in the nineteen sixties. He won the nineteen seventy Nobel Peace Prize.
He, ninety-three years old ,still works as an adviser at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico.
In accepting the medal, he urged Congress and the administration to increase development assistance for agriculture. He said the world needs better and more technology to deal with hunger. In his words: "Hunger and poverty and misery are very fertile soils into which to plant all kinds of 'isms,' including terrorism."  
In the 1940s, Norman Borlaug and a team developed highly productive and disease-resistant wheat for farmers in Mexico. About twenty years later, millions of people in India and Pakistan were in danger from grain shortages.
The improved wheat from Mexico also grew well in South Asia, combined with changes in growing methods. Norman Borlaug persuaded farmers to use more fertilizers and pesticide chemicals and to water their crops with irrigation systems. Also many a crop can be planted in the same field. The results were big production gains that many believe saved as many as a billion lives.
President Bush noted that hunger still affects much of the developing world. He said the most fitting honor for Norman Borlaug is to lead a second Green Revolution that feeds the world. Yet his support for new agricultural technologies has been criticized at times over the years.
Some researchers worry about the effects of industrial methods of modern farming.
Population researcher Paul Ehrlich, for example, wrote a nineteen sixty-eight book called
"The Population Bomb." He predicted that population growth would cause widespread harm to the planet.
But now, some people are saying there should be greater attention and respect for Norman Borlaug. A major theme of his work is that people can deal with difficulties and that technology can improve their lives.
Norman Borlaug is called “the Father of the Green Revolution” mainly lies in that_______.

A．he developed highly productive wheat to help fight against hunger

B．he made a great contribution to fighting against terrorism and hunger

C．he developed a kind of wheat that is environmentally friendly

D．he sticks to the belief that technology can improve our lives.

The best title for the passage would be________.

A．Norman Borlaug, the Father of the Green Revolution

B．Golden Moments----a Long-life Struggle

C．Hunger------a Serious Problem That Affects the Developing World.

D．Norman Borlaug, the Savior of the Developing Country.

Which of the following is NOT supported by the passage?

A．Despite his age, Norman Borlaug still works for the improvement in agriculture

B．Norman Borlaug thinks that hunger and poverty tend to breed crimes and evil

C．Without Norman Borlaug’s work, hunger problem wouldn’t completely be settled now

D．Paul Ehrlich thinks that population growth would cause widespread harm to the planet.

It can be inferred from the passage that_________.

A．Congress and the administration are to blame for hunger and poverty

B．not all people are in favor of his new agricultural technologies

C．people can defeat terrorists by improving modern farming

D．the Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor given by Congress.

November not only marks the publication of Toni Morrison’s eagerly anticipated(期待) eighth novel, Love, but it is also the tenth anniversary of her Nobel Prize for Literature. Morrison is the first black woman to receive a Nobel, and so honored before her in literature are only two black men:Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian playwright, poet and novelist, in 1986; and Derek Walcott, the Caribbean-born poet, in 1992. But Morrison is also the first and only American-born Nobel prizewinner for literature since 1962, the year novelist John Steinbeck received the award.
Like Song of Solomon, Love is a multigenerational story, revealing the personal and communal Legacy(遗产) of an outstanding black family. As Morrison scholars will tell you, Love is the third volume of a literary master’s trilogy(三部曲)investigating the many complexities of love. This trilogy began with Beloved(1988), which deals with a black mother’s love under slavery and in freedom. Jazzy(1993), the second volume, tells a story of romantic love in 1920s Harlem. This latest novel looks back from the 1970s to the 1940s and 50s.
The emotional center of Love is Bill Cosey, the former owner and host of the shabby Cosey’s Hotel and Resort in Silk, North Carolina, described in the novel as “the best and best-known vacation sport for colored folk on the East Coast.” We get to know Cosey through the memories of five women who survive and love him: his granddaughter, his widow, two former employees, and a homeless young girl.    
The latest novel, Love, had been described in the promotional material from her publisher as “Morrison’s most accessible work since Song of Solomon.” This comparison to her third novel, published in 1977, was an effective selling point.
What would be the best title for the text?

A．Toni Morrison’s latest novels

B．Toni Morrison and her trilogy

C．Toni Morrison and her novel Love

D．Toni Morrison, the Nobel prizewinner

What can we learn about John Steinbeck?

A．He was a black writer.

B．He was born in America.

C．He received the Nobel Prize after Morrison

D．He was the first American novelist to win a Nobel

The similarity between Love and Song of Solomon is that they both _____.

A．belong to the same trilogy together with Beloved

B．concern families of more than one generation

C．deal with life of blacks under slavery

D．investigate life in 1920s Harlem

The novel Love mainly describes ______.

A．the best-known vacation spot for blacks

B．the life of an outstanding black family under slavery

C．the miserable experience of the five women in Harlem

D．the memories of five women about Bill Cosey

Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis Cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless, “he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits(成就).Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.
Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many peiole dismissed his dream as fantasy. “John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ‘You are completely crazy, ’”Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter(遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.
The turning point in Saunders’life came when _____

A．he started to play ball games

B．he got a mountain bike at age 15

C．he ran his first marathon at age 18

D．he started to receive Ridgway’s training

We can learn from the text that Ridgway _______.

A．dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy

B．built up his body together with Saunders

C．hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D．won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

What do we know about Saunders?

A．He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B．He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C．He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

D．He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means_____.

A．Excited

B．Convinced

C．Delighted

D．Fascinated

It can be inferred tat Saunders’ journey to the North Pole ______.

A．was accompanied by his old playmates

B．set a record in the North Pole expedition

C．was supported by other Arctic explorers

D．made him well-known in the 1960s

The 12—year—old CEO（首席执行官）of a Web site design company will be one of 300 business and political leaders accompanying Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on a trade visit to China in March.
Keith Peiris, who founded Cyberteks Design in June 1999 and now has 25 clients （客户）in North America ,insisted in an interview that he is “just like any other kid.”
He and his father will spend nine days on the Team Canada trip to Beijing ,Shanghai and Hong Kong ,where Chretien aims to showcase the best of Canadian business in the most populous country in the world .
A glance at the complex ,elegant animations （动画）on his www.cybertecks.com site shows the extent of Peiris’ talent . “He doesn’t want to be No.2,”his father Deepal said proudly .
His father ,who is now vice president of operations at Cyberteks ,said , “I am teaching my son what I know .We make decisions together .I haven’t done anything my son disagreed with .He makes the final decision .”
The company has seven offices in the United States and five part—time employees who ,like the Peiris family ,work from their London homes .  
Keith Peiris admitted some potential clients change their minds when they learn his age ,but the well—informed not—yet—teenager tries to ignore them .
“Suddenly ,I’ve been called a whiz kid or geek ,which I am not too happy about .A few people have asked if they should call me ‘mister’, but I stay casual , I am still a kid .
That Keith Peiris insisted that he is “just like any other kid” shows he is           .

A．proud

B．modest

C．honest

D．excited

Who makes the final decision on operations at Cyberteks Design?
A．Keith Peiris      B．Deepal Peiris         C．Jean Chretien        D．Both A and B.
According to the information in the passage ,which is the best and fastest way to know more about the Web giant ?

A．We can go to Canada to pay him a visit .

B．We can make an international telephone call to him.

C．We’d better visit his web site—www.cyberteks.com.

D．We can write to his father for the kid’s information.

Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A．Keith Peiris is a Canadian boy .

B．All the employees of the child’s company work at home .

C．The Canadian Prime Minister means to show off Keith’s success during his stay in China .

D．Keith always tries his best to be the best in the field of web site designing .

Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist.She was born on
May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child.
Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris.
Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous French painter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes(笔画) in their work. They recognized Mary 's spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows.
Mary painted what she saw: gardens, and paintings of persons , especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today.
Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately,all her life, she refused to accept students.
Mary left Pennsylvania for Europe at age 20 mainly because_____.

A．she wanted to learn another style of paintings

B．she didn’t learn anything in Pennsylvania

C．her desire for the learning wasn’t satisfied well

D．her father didin’t want her to learn painting again

Which year was the most critical to her career and life?

A．1860

B．1864

C．1877

D．1914

Which of the statements about Mary Cassatt is supported by the passage?

A．Her father had a decisive effect on her painting

B．Her painting featured scenes of everyday living

C．She used various colors and long lines in her works

D．She studied the paintings of the masters in U.S.A

Mary Cassatt stopping painting because of_____.

A．her poor eyesight

B．her old age

C．lack of interest

D．her family

It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A．during the last ten year of life, she painted nothing.

B．the paintings of Edgar Degas belong to realism

C．her works were controversial though highly recognized

D．her students showed great respect for her

John Steinbeck once said, “All American believe they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste in fishing would be like speaking publicly against mother-love or hating moonlight”.
I can’t say I’m the biggest John Steinbeck fan. Actually, the only thing I can ever remember reading by him was “The Pearl” when I was in middle school, but I couldn’t agree more with the man when it comes to fishing. When I am on a boat in the middle of the lay Lake, fishing off the shores of the Florida Keys for tarpon or catching rainbow trout in the Shoshone River of Wyoming. Fishing is my life.
According to the American Sports Fishing Association, the fishing industry brings in more than $ 116 billion per year from fishermen across the country.
Though a beautiful picture to imagine, fishing is much more than that. Fishing is a way of life from many people and a way to escape everyday stress. Being a fisherman makes me a member of a wonderful group of people extending to all walks of life. Even President Bush can be found fishing on his farm in Texas with his good friend Roland Martin when the jobs gets too stressful.
I can remember fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 years old on his boat at Lake Michel. Although I didn’t understand what I was doing, I did know that my grandfather was happy and that made me happy. Since then I’ve spent the past 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama.
After days of practice, before and after work, I slowly developed an understanding of fishing. My boss, Ric Horst, took me back to the Shoshone, and I managed to bring in a 19-inch cutthroat trout. Fishing with Ric was a life-changing experience for me. He not only showed me how to fish correctly, but also told me how fishing could be a way to escape your problems.
Since then, prime-time season seems to take forever to arrive.
Now, with the ending of February and beginning of March is sight, the excitement of heading out to Lake Tus caloosa or Lake Lurleen before classes and catching something has finally returned.
What John Steinbeck said in the first paragraph implies that ______

A．American are believed to be the offspring of fishermen.

B．it is unthinkable for an American to admit his dislike of fishing.

C．all American are expert at fishing.

D．those who dislike fishing would not love their mother.

The writer came to understand the real meaning of fishing ______.

A．when he was reading “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck

B．when he went fishing with his grandfather at Lake Mitchell

C．after he had spent 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama

D．after he went fishing with his boss, Ric Horst on the Shoshone

According to the author, ______.

A．people can get to know VIPs when fishing

B．people can smooth away all the troubles by fishing

C．fishing is a way of communication

D．fishing is a way of life for most American people

What is the purpose of the writing?

A．To describe the writer’s experience and understanding of fishing.

B．To explain the reason why so many Americans like fishing.

C．To make others understand the industry of fishing.

D．To express his opinions about fishing in different time of the year.

Imagine being the only person in the Forbidden City. You could stay there all day without swarms of people crowding around. You'd be able to look at the ancient treasures without worrying about other visitors pushing you for a better view. Well, in two years time you'll be able to have such an experience, just like the former emperors used to. The only difference is that your Forbidden City fun will be online.
Thanks to new technology, a virtual tour of the Forbidden City will be available online by 2008. The project － jointly driven by the Palace Museum and computer company IBM － aims to help teenagers around the world become more interested in Chinese culture. The project will offer an interactive, three-dimensional view of the palace. The virtual tour will provide images from all over the 780,000-square-metre palace.
"The Palace Museum is a big book; there are always places you haven't read about," said Hu Chui from the museum. There are many rooms closed for protection. But the virtual platform breaks the boundaries of time and space, meaning visitors can see whatever they want. "The interaction and games content in the virtual tour will attract more young people to understand and love our cultural heritage," added Hu.
In the virtual tour, historical figures will actually talk to visitors and answer their questions. The stories behind the buildings and treasures will also be told. "The online environment, presented in both Chinese and English, enables visitors to experience the culture and stories of the museum," said James Yeh, an IBM official.
If you visit the Forbidden City now, which of the following won’t be the case you’ll have?

A．It is crowed with a lot of visitors.	B．Visitors are pushing you for a better view.
C．You are the only person in it.	D．You can see some ancient treasures in it.

Which of the following is not the advantage of the virtual tour of the Forbidden City?

A．Visitors can see whatever they want.

B．Visitor can ask and talk to historical figures.

C．Visitors can get to know the cultural heritage by playing games.

D．Visitors can walk around the Forbidden City with your family.

The “project” underlined in paragraph 2 refers to ______.

A．a virtual tour of the Forbidden City

B．a new “Forbidden City” to be built by the Palace Museum and IBM computer company

C．an Internet cafe to be built in the Palace Museum

D．a big book to be published to introduce Chinese culture

What attracts teenagers most to the virtual tour is _____.

A．the visible pictures in the place

B．the interaction and game playing

C．the online environment presented in English

D．the platform without the boundaries of time and space