2008中考英语阅读专项训练(浙江省温州市乐清市)

Section I 缤纷自然篇
Passage 1
We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons: most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowded.
When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration (迁移) is probably the migration of fish, which is called “salmon”. This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends its life. When it is old, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mouse. They leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.
Recently (近来), scientists have studied the migration of a kind of lobster (龙虾). Every year,
when the season of the bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk
across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go.
So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other
times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.
1.Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to _______.
A.give birth B. enjoy warmer weather
C. find food more easily D. find beautiful places
2.The fish called “salmon” spends a long time in ______.
A. salt water B. rivers C. fresh water D. its birthplace
3.The mice in northern Europe move when _______.
A. they give birth B. the place gets too crowded
C. the weather is bad D. they haven’t enough food
4.The lobsters move ________.
A. to the fresh water B. at a certain time C. to the undersea D. to find more food
5.What is the main idea of the passage
A.Animals move to find food more easily.
B.The migration of the fish called “salmon” is the most famous migration.
C.Living things move from one place to another because they like to travel.
D. Sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another, but sometimes we don’t.
Passage 2
If you look at the sky one night and see something moving and shining that you have never seen before, it might be a comet (彗星).
A comet sometimes looks like a star. Like a planet, a comet has no light of its own. It shines from the sunlight it reflects (反射). Like the earth, a comet goes round the sun, but on a much longer path (轨道) than the earth travels.
If a comet isn’t a star, what is it then
Some scientists think that a large part of a comet is water frozen into pieces of ice and mixed with iron and rock dust and perhaps a few big pieces of rock. When sunshine melts (融化) the ice in the comet, great clouds of gas go trailing after it. These clouds, together with the dust, form a long tail.
Many people perhaps have seen a comet. However no one knows how many comets there are. There may be millions of comets, but only a few come close enough for us to see.
An Englishman named Edmund Halley, who lived from 1656 to 1742, found out a lot about the paths that comets take through the sky. Some comets move out of our sight and never come back. Others keep coming back at regular times. A big comet that keeps coming back was named after Halley because he was the one who worked out when it would come back again. Maybe you have ever seen Halley’s Comets because the last time it came close to the sun and the earth was in the year 1986. Then people all over the world were outside at night to look at it. You will probably be able to see Halley’s Comets when it comes near the earth again.
1.A comet is like ________.
A. sun B. moon C. sunlight D. the earth
2.A large part of a comet is ______.
A.water and rock B. water frozen into pieces of ice and mixed with iron
C. ice, iron and rock dust D. only a few big pieces of rock
3.Maybe many people _______.
A. haven’t seen any comets B. have seen all comets
C. have seen a comet at daytime D. have seen a comet
4.Some comets keep coming back ________.
A. at any time B. at noon C. at regular times D. at daytime
5.Halley’s Comets came back _____.
A. in 1990 B. in 1980 C. in 1986 D. in 1989
Passage 3
Do you know something about tree rings (年轮) Do you know they can tell us what the weather was like, sometimes even hundreds of years ago
A tree will grow well in a climate (气候)with lots of sunshine and rainfall. And little sunshine or rainfall will limit (限制)the growth of climate by studying the tree rings. For example, to find out the weather of ten years ago, count the rings of a tree from the outside to the inside. If the tenth ring is far from the eleventh ring, then we’re sure that it was sunny and rainy most of that year. If it is near to the eleventh ring, then the climate that year was bad.
Tree rings are important not only for studying the history of weather but also for studying the history of man. Many centuries ago there lived a lot of people at a place in New Mexico. But now you can find only sand there—no trees and no people. What happened
A scientist studied the rings of dead trees there. He found that the people had to leave because they had cut down all the trees to make fires and buildings. As all the trees had gone, the people there had to move.
1._____ in good climate.
A. Tree rings grow far from each other B. Tree rings become thinner
C. Trees don’t need sunshine or rainfall D. People can cut down most of the trees
2.The scientists are interested in studying tree rings because tree rings can tell ______.
A.whether a tree was strong or not B. whether people took good care of the trees or not
C. whether the climate was good or not D. how old the trees were
3.If you want to find out the weather of twenty years ago, you should study _______.
A. the twentieth ring B. the tenth ring
C. the nineteenth ring D. the twenty-first ring
4.Why did people usually live in places with lots of trees
A.Trees could tell the change of the weather
B.Trees brought lots of sunshine and rain
C.Trees could make weather not too hot or too cold
D.Trees could be used for burning and for building house
5.The people had to leave the place in New Mexico because _______.
A.had weather stopped the growth of trees
B.they no longer had water and the land became sand
C.they didn’t have enough trees for burning
D.there was too much rain there
Passage 4
All our food comes from the soil (土壤). Some of us eat meat, but animals live on plants. If these were no plants, we should have no animals and meat. So the soil is necessary for life.
The top of ground is usually covered with grass or other plants. Plants grow in soil, which has a dark color. This dark soil is humus, dead leaves, dead plants and animal waste make it, but this takes a long time. When the humus has been made, plants can grow well in it.
All soil needs food. If we don’t give it any, the plants will be weak. Animals waste is the best food for the soil, but chemical fertilizers (化肥) are also very useful. The same crop should not be grown in the same place every year; it is better to have a different crop. A change of crop and the use of a good fertilizer will keep the land in good condition.
When the soil is dry, the wind blows it away. Sometimes heavy rain carries the humus down to a river. People should grow more and more trees and grass to stop wind from carrying the humus away. It takes hundreds of years to make humus, and so we must save every bit of it. Without soil, where can we grow food
1.From the text, we know people live on _______.
A. animal B. plant C. meat D. soil
2.The word “humus” means _____ in Chinese.
A.微生物 B.土壤 C.腐殖土 D.粘土
3.We should _______ to keep the soil.
A. give more fertilizers B. kill more animals
C. make more humus D. grow more trees and grass
4.We should save every bit of humus, because ______.
A.it takes a long time to make humus
B.the more humus in the soil, the better plants grow
C.the chemical fertilizers are expensive
D.A and B
5.The best title of this text should be ______.
A.Soil is necessary to people
B.The same crop can’t be grown in the same place every year
C.Soil’s food is chemical fertilizers
D.Humus is hard to make
Passage 5
In the sea there are many islands. In its warm waters there are some little ones. We call them “coral Islands”.
A coral island is very nice to look at. It looks like a ring of land (一圈陆地) with trees, grass, and flowers on it. One part of the ring is open to the water. There is a little round lake inside the island.
If you look into this lake, you will see beautiful coral. You say think they are flowers. If you look at a piece of coral, you will see many little holes in it. In each of these holes a very small sea animal has lived. These sea animals make the coral.
They began to build under the water. Year after year, the coral grew higher and higher. At last it grew out of the water.
Then the sea brought it small trees and something else. After some years, these things changed into earth. Sometimes the wind brought seeds (种子) to this earth. Sometimes birds flew over it and brought seeds to the island.
The little seeds grew. In a few years there were plants all over the island. In a few more years there were trees growing there.
So you see, these islands were built little by little. The workers were very small. Do they not teach us a lesson Can you think what the lesson is
1.In the sea ________.
A. there are coral islands in all places B. there are some coral islands
C. the water is always warm D. we can see many flowers
2.A coral island looks like __________.
A. a round cake B. trees, grass and flowers
C. a ring of land D. a round lake
3.There are _______ in the holes in corals.
A. flowers B. little corals C. grass D. sea animals
4.How did seeds of trees, grass and flowers come to the coral islands ________
A.The wind and birds brought them to the coral islands
B.Only the wind brought them there
C.People brought them there
D.Fishes brought them there
5.From the story we learn that ___________.
A.small workers can’t do big things
B.only big workers can do big things
C.small workers can do big things if they work hard work and work a long time
D.all small things can do big things
Passage 6
When some plates of the earth move suddenly, an earthquake happens. Many earthquakes begin under the sea. Earthquakes may happen anywhere on the earth. They often happen near the mountains.
During an earthquake, the shakings make rocks rise suddenly and even crack (断裂) open. Houses fall, people are killed or hurt, and sometimes the whole villages or cities are destroyed.
Can we do something to keep ourselves safe from earthquakes Scientists have studied earthquakes and make maps that show the “earthquake belts”. In areas (地区) in these belts, it’s possible for earthquakes to happen. In these areas we should build strong houses to fight against earthquakes.
In the future, scientists will be able to tell when and where an earthquake will be before they happen. They can also tell people what to do and how to do it.
1.A large number of earthquakes often happens ________.
A. in the area B. on land C. at night D. next to mountains
2.The reason for an earthquake is _______.
A.the result of rock plate sudden movement
B.that there are so many plates on the earth
C.that the sea is too deep
D.rocks’ cracking open
3.A map showing the earthquake belts will tell people ______.
A.what kind of houses to build
B.what kind of houses can stay up in an earthquake
C.where earthquake may happen
D.how to keep themselves safe during an earthquake
4.In the future we’ll be no longer so afraid of earthquakes ______.
A.with the help of scientists’ exact prediction (预报)
B.because of a map showing the “earthquake belts”
C.because we can guess the date and place of earthquakes
D.as scientists know what to do and how to do it
5.Choose the best title fro the passage.
A.An Earthquake B. A Scientist and an Earthquake
C. How to Fight Against Earthquake D. Earthquakes Today and Tomorrow
Passage 7
It seems to us that the earth stands quite still (静止的). But it is really moving all the time. It turns around a make-believe line through its center. We call this make-believe line the earth’s axis (地轴). The two ends of the earth’s axis are called its poles (极). The earth travels twenty-four hours around its axis once.
We look at the sun and say it “travels” across the sky, but the sun doesn’t really do so. The turning of the earth makes us feel as if the sun were moving across the sky. We can’t see that the earth is moving because everything else on the earth is turning with us. As the earth turns around every twenty-four hours, first one half faces the sun and then the other half. When our half of the earth is facing the sun, we say it is “day”. When our half is away from the sun, we say it is “night”. It is the turning of the earth that tells us when to go to bed and when to get up.
1.The meaning of “a make-believe line” is “a line that ______”.
A. is called pole B. we can’t see
C. anyone can see D. we can make and believe
2.It takes the earth ______ to turn around its axis once.
A. a week B. a month C. 12 hours D. 24 hours
3.Usually we say, “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.” In fact, the sun _______.
A. does not move B. is moving all the time
C. moves sometimes D. is too heavy to move
4.We can’t see the earth moving because _________.
A. the earth stands still B. everything on the earth is moving with us
C. the earth is smaller than the sun D. the earth goes only at night
5.When our part of the earth turns away from the sun we have “______”, and when our part faces the sun we have “_____”.
A.day; night B. day; day C. night; day D. night; night
Passage 8
We know the mosquito very well. Mosquitoes fly everywhere. They can be found almost all over the world, and there are more than 2,500 kinds of them.
No one likes the mosquito. But the mosquito may decide that she loves you. She Yes, she. It’s true that male mosquito doesn’t bite (咬)and only the female mosquito bites because she needs blood to lay eggs. She is always looking for things or people she wants to bite. If she likes what she finds, she bites. But if she doesn’t like your blood, she will turn to someone else for more delicious blood. Next time a mosquito bites you, just remember you are chosen. You’re different from the others!
If the mosquito likes you, she lands on your body without letting you know. She bites you so quickly and quietly that you may not feel anything different. After she bites, you will have an itch (痒) on your body because she puts something from her mouth together with your blood. By the time the itching begins, and she has flown away.
And then what happens Well, after her delicious dinner, the mosquito feels tired. She just wants to find a place to have a good rest. There, on a leaf or a wall, she begins to lay eggs, hundreds of eggs.
1.“Mosquito” means _______ in Chinese.
A.苍蝇 B.蜻蜓 C. 跳蚤 D.蚊子
2.We know mosquitoes very well because ___________.
A. they can be found easily B. they fly here and there
C. there are many kinds of them D. they can fly
3.If the mosquito doesn’t bite you, it will ________.
A. get angry with you B. be afraid of you
C. make a lot of noise D. choose another one
4.The mosquito bites you _________.
A. when you’re asleep B. because you have choose it
C. too quickly to let you know D. but doesn’t like you
5.Which of the following sentences is wrong
A. The itching begins after the mosquito bites you . B. You feel terrible when the mosquito bites you.
C. Mosquitoes use blood to lay eggs. D. All the mosquitoes don’t like to bite people for blood.
Passage 9
We’ve talked about snails (蜗牛) and their slow move. But much of the time snails don’t move at all. They are in their shells (壳) —sleeping.
Hot sun will dry out a snail’s body. So at the least sign of hot sun, a snail draws its body into his shell. A snail will die in a heavy rain. So when it rains, a snail does the same thing, too. A snail can sleep for as long as it needs to. It spends all the winter months in its shell, asleep.
In the spring the snail wakes up. Its body, about three inches long, comes out from the shell. When hungry, the snail looks for food. Its eyes, at the end of the top feelers (触角), are very weak. But its sense (感觉) of smell is very strong. It helps the snail to find food and the new greens.
A snail’s mouth is no bigger than the point of a pin (大头针). Yet it has 256,000 teeth! The teeth are very small, and you can’t see them. If you put a snail in a hard paper box, it will eat its way out! And if a snail wears out its teeth, it will grow new ones.
1.A snail _________.
A.moves more slowly at night　B.has thousands of feet
C.doesn’t move at all D.sleeps much of the time
2.In the sentence “A snail draws its body into its shell”, the word “draw” means _____.
A. to make with a pencil B. to push　C. to pull D. to move away
3.From the story, we know _________.
A. a snail’s shell is very thin B. a snail can’t see well
C. a snail’s nose is quite short D. a snail’s body changes in different seasons
4.A snail goes to sleep when _____.
A. it feels hungry B. it is put into a paper box
C. spring is coming D. it rains heavily
5.Which of the following is wrong
A.In winter the snail doesn’t eat or move.　B.A snail doesn’t like living under the sun.
C.The snail’s teeth can’t be worn out.　D.The snail’s nose helps to find food.
Passage 10
Jupiter’s Moons and How They Travel
The many moons of Jupiter travel around the planet in different directions (方向).
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. Over the years, scientists have found that Jupiter has its own small solar system. Earth has one moon. Jupiter has at least sixteen and probably more.
Since there are so many moons, scientists began to number them. The numerals(numbers)tell the sequence, or order, in which the moons were found. They were slower to name the moons. All of Jupiter’s moons now have a name as well as a number.
The first five moons to be discovered are known as the “inner moons”. But they are not the closest to the planet. The closest is only 127,600 kilometers away from Jupiter. All the inner moons circle the planet in counter-clockwise direction, that is, opposite of the hands of a clock.
Jupiter’s middle group of moons are at least 11,100,000 kilometers from the planet. They also move in a counter-clockwise motion (moving). The four farthest moons are at least 20,700,000 kilometers away. These are called “outer moons”. They circle in a clockwise motion.
How many more moons do you think will be discovered？
1.What does “solar system” in this article mean？______
A. 银河系 B. 宇宙空间 C. 流星雨 D. 太阳系
2.Things that travel in the same direction as the hands of a clock are said to be traveling in a______.
A. clockwise direction B. counter-clockwise direction
C. same direction D. different direction
3.Jupiter’s _____group of moons travel in a clockwise direction.
A. planets B. inner C. middle D. outer
4.The numbers given to Jupiter’s moons tell ______.
A. the order in which they were discovered B. the order in which they travel
C. the order of their distance from Jupiter D. the order of names
5.According to the passage，which of the following statements is true？
A. None of Jupiter’s moons have names.　B. Most of Jupiter's moons circle clockwise.
C. Jupiter's inner moons were discovered first.　D. Jupiter is the nearest planet to the earth.
6.How far away are the middle group of moons from Jupiter？
A. It’s not mentioned. B. 11,100,000 kilometers away.
C. 127,600 kilometers away. D. 20,700,000 kilometers away.
Passage 11
WHY IS THE SUN IMPORTANT？
The sun is a huge, hot, bright star. It is important because without it there would be no life on Earth. The sun gives us light and heat.
All living things need light and heat from the sun to live. Plants need light and heat to grow. They use the light from the sun to make food. We cannot make our own food, but plants can. All the food we eat comes from plants in a food chain(链)which starts with the sun. For example, Animals need sunlight, too. Just like us, their food comes from a food chain which begins with the sun and the plants.
sun→ leaf→ caterpillar(毛虫)→bird
sun→ seaweed(海藻)→small fish→ whale(鲸)
Sunlight means we can see during the day. If there was no sun, it would be dark all the time. Even when the sky is cloudy, the sunlight is very strong and it shines through the clouds.
1.Which words tell us what the sun is like？
A. Huge. B. Hot. C. Bright. D. All above.
2.What are the two main things the sun gives us？
A. Light and heat. B. Heat and eggs.　C. Corn and light. D. Wheat and bread.
3.Why can we still see during the day when the sky is cloudy？
A. Because we can see all day and all night.
B. Because the sun can't give us light all day long.
C. Because the sunlight can shine through the clouds.
D. Because we can't see at night.
4.All the food we eat comes from ______. And it starts with the _____.
A. plants; earth B. a food chain; sun
C. food; sun D. plants; star
5.In what way do you think the sun cannot be harmful(有害的)？
A. The sun can do harm to your eyes and skin.
B. It can make rivers too dry.
C. Without it there would be no life on Earth.
D. Hot sun on dry land can cause fires.
Passage 12
Most animals only have animals of a different kind for food. But sometimes two kinds of animals come together in a partnership (伙伴关系) which is good for them. You may have noticed some birds on the backs of sheep. This is not because they want a ride, but because they find easy food in the parasites (寄生虫) on sheep. The sheep let the birds do so because they can stop the parasites from troubling them. So though they can do with it by themselves, they can do better together with each other.
Sometimes an animal has a plant partner. The relationship develops until the two partners cannot do without each other. This is so in corals of the sea. Inside their bodies they have very small plants, which act as “cleaners”, taking the useless things from the coral and giving oxygen in return. That is what the animal needs to live. If the plants are killed, or are even kept from receiving light so that they cannot live as usual, the corals will die.
1.Some birds like to sit on a sheep because ________.
A. they can eat its parasites B. they enjoy traveling with the sheep
C. they can’t live without its parasites D. they want to find the warm place
2.The underlined word “they” in the first paragraph means _________.
A. birds and parasites B. birds and sheep
C. parasites and sheep D. birds, parasites and sheep
3.We learn from the passage that corals need plants for _______.
A. friends B. light C. food D. oxygen
4.The Chinese for the word “oxygen” is _________.
A. 氧气 B. 空气 C. 废气 D.二氧化碳
5.What is the second paragraph mainly about
A. Some animals and plants cannot live without each other.
B. Some animals and plants cannot develop their friendship easily.
C. Some plants eat each other.
D. Some animals live better together.

实战演练答案详解 缤纷自然篇
Passage 1
【答案与解析】这篇短文讲述了某些生物的迁移这一自然现象，并分析了迁移的原因。科学家们最近又研究了龙虾海底成群结队迁移的现象。它们选择在每年天气不好的季节里进行迁移，其中的原因及迁移的目的，科学家尚未弄清楚。
1.C.起初一看，四个选项好像都在文中叙述过，但仔细分析题干中的“most animals”这一关键词语，便可排除其它选项。在第一段最后一句中可找到答案的出处。
2.A。有关“salmon”的情况在第二自然段中作了叙述。这种鱼出生在淡水中，后不到咸水地区居住，在那里度过一生中绝大部分时光。到老了以后又回到它出生之时的淡水之中。仔细分析题干中的“spend a long life”和短文中的关键句“There it spends its life.”便可断定答案为A。
3.B。“they leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded.”一句是答案的出处。
4.B。该题答案的出处是文章的第三自然段。文中说，龙虾是在海底成群结队游动的时间是每年天气不好的季节，目的及它们到哪里去谁也不知道，余项与文章叙述不符。
5.D。文中第二自然段叙述了“salmon”和北欧的一种老鼠迁移方向和原因；第三自然段叙述了龙虾的游动情况，但原因不知道。最后一段开头一句正是对本文主题的概括。
Passage 2
【答案与解析】本文向我们介绍了有关彗星方面的知识。与地球一样，彗星也是绕太阳旋转的，它本身不发光，靠反射太阳的光而发亮。短文中还介绍了彗星的成因，它拖着的长尾巴是如何形成的以及著名的哈雷彗星名字的由来。
1.D。“Like the earth, a comet goes round the sun, but…”是判断本题的根据。
2.C。根据“…is water frozen into pieces of ice and mixed with iron and rock dust and perhaps a few big pieces of rock.”这句话即能得出答案。
3.D。由第五段的首句“Many people perhaps have seen a comet.”可知。
4.C。“Some comets move out of our sight and never come back. Others keep coming back at regular times.”一句是答案的出处。
5.C。哈雷彗星每七十六年才能看到一次。再结合“…the last time it came close to the sun and the earth was in the year 1986.”这句话的意思，即可得到答案。
Passage 3
【答案与解析】这篇短文介绍的是有关植物年轮方面的小知识。由于树木的生长要受到阳光、降水等方面的影响，从一棵树上的年轮分布情况上，可以推断出树木所生长地方以前的气候状况。年轮不仅对科学家研究地球上的气候环境有非常重要的参考价值，而且更为有趣的是，它还能帮助科学家们研究人类的历史呢。
1.A。“If the tenth ring is far from the eleventh ring, then we’re sure that it was sunny and rainy most of that year.”一句即是答案所在。
2.C。文章第一段“Do you know they can tell us what the weather was like…”和第三段的首句“Tree rings are important not only for studying the history of weather…”都有所暗示。
3.A。答案就在 “…to find out the weather of ten years ago, count the rings of a tree from the outside to the inside. If the tenth ring is far from the eleventh ring…”一句中。
4.D。短文最后一段说，人们建房做饭都离不开树木。人所居住的周围环境中如果没有了树木，那么人也就迁移了。所以答案为D。
5.B。根据最后两段所叙述的内容，再联系植物对人类的重要作用，则不难得出答案。
Passage 4
【答案与解析】土壤是人类赖以生存的自然条件之一。没有了土壤或者是土壤受到了较为严重的破坏，就会直接危及到人类的生存。本文在阐述土壤的成因、特性和重要性之后，呼吁大家都要保护土壤。
1.D。综合考虑第一段的意思，唯有D才是最恰当的选项。
2.C。根据“This dark soil is humus, dead leaves, dead plants and animal waste make it, but this takes a long time.”一句所述，可推知这是一种由落叶、枯萎的植物以及动物的粪便在长时间的腐烂后所产生的一种东西。由此不难得出答案为C。
3.D。答案就在“People should grow more and more trees and grass to stop wind from carrying the humus away.”这一句话之中。
4.D。由“When the humus has been made, plants can grow well in it.”和“It takes hundreds of years to make humus,”这两句话所表达的意思，可知答案只能是D。
5.A。本文就是说明土壤对人类的重要性的。事实上，文章结尾的那句话已经点明主旨。
Passage 5
【答案与解析】在大海的温水区域，我们常常可以发现一些珊瑚岛。本文向我们描述了珊瑚岛形成的自然过程。文章最后，作者有感而发，以问句结束全文，发人深思，耐人寻味。
1.B。文章第一段就是讲的“在海中较暖和的水域，常有一些珊瑚岛”这一事实。A显然是不对的。
2.C。根据“A coral island is very nice to look at. It looks like a ring of land with trees, grass, and flowers on it.”这句话不难得出答案。
3.D。答案即在“In each of these holes a very small sea animal has lived. These sea animals make the coral.”一句中。
4.A。倒数第三段中的“Sometimes birds flew over it and brought seeds to the island.”这句话对此有明确的说明。
5.C。由这一小小的自然现象，作者联想到工作在平凡岗位上的工人们，寓意非常深刻。作者的思想感情由最后一段作者的议论可以体会到。
Passage 6
【答案与解析】地震是地球上对人类生存构成威胁的最严重的自然灾害之一。科学家们经过研究，发现了地震活动最频繁的地方。生活在地震带地方的人们可以采取适当的措施减少其危害。也许，将来科学家们能在地震之前预测出发生的地点和时间。
1.D。第一节最后的一句话是本题答案的出处。答案题时，尤其要注意该句中的often一词。
2.B。短文的“When some plates of the earth move suddenly, an earthquake happens”这一句明确告诉我们：地球板块突然移动时，就导致地震的发生。选项A 不是地震的成因，而是地震产生的结果。这从“…the shakings make rocks rise suddenly and even crack open”一句中可以看出。
3.C。地震带(earthquake belts)是可能发生地震的地方。这由第三段的中间几句所描述的内容可知。
4.A。将来科学家能预测出地震发生的时间和地点。有了这种精确的预报，人们当然不会再对地震那么恐惧了。
5.A。短文主要围绕地震的成因、危害以及对未来科学家们从事地震研究的展望，向我们介绍了地震方面的知识。故选项A为最佳答案。
Passage 7
【答案与解析】这是一篇介绍地球的自转、公转以及昼夜的交替等自然现象的成因的短文。借助地理学知识，是不难理解的。
1.B。根据句子的意思及地理课上学到的知识，可知地球绕其中心旋转的那条线叫做地轴。这是一条假想的、看不见的东西。故答案是B。
2.D。根据“The earth travels twenty-four hours around its axis once.”这个句子可直接选出正确答案。事实上，确切地说，地球自转一周所用的时间是23时48分46秒。
3.A。答案就在“… but the sun doesn’t really do so. The turning of the earth makes us feel as if the sun were moving across the sky.”这两句话中。选项D迷惑性较大，但是这利用由地理知识来排除。
4.B。这是表层理解题，很明显答案在“…because everything else on the earth is turning with us”一句中。
5.C。只要理解了“When our half of the earth is facing the sun, we say it is ‘day’. When our half is away from the sun, we say it is ‘night’.”这句话中face的意思，即它在此处用作动词(意思是“对着；面向”)，答案即可迎刃而解。
Passage 8
【答案与解析】这篇短文告诉我们：雌蚊子吸过人的血之后，就会找一个地方去休息一下，然后在叶子或墙上产下许多的卵。蚊子吮吸人的血液令人讨厌，但它对人血还很挑剔呢。有的人，让它叮咬，它还不干呢。如果下一次蚊子叮了你，那说明你与众不同，倍受蚊子青睐。
1.D。“吸血”和“会飞”是mosquitoes的两个主要特征。根据这两个特点，联系生活常识，即可选定答案。另外，读罢全文之后，也能将其余选项予以排除。
2.B。“We know the mosquito very well. Mosquitoes fly everywhere.”一句是答案的出处。
3.D。答案就在“But if she doesn’t like your blood, she will turn to someone else for more delicious blood.”这句话之中。
4.C。答案的依据是“…she lands on your body without letting you know. She bites you so quickly and quietly that you may not feel anything different.”一句。
5. B。其余三项在文中都有明确的说明。根据上面那个小题的内容，B项明显是错误的。
Passage 9
【答案与解析】这篇短文向我们介绍了蜗牛的生活习性。无论是烈日当空，还是大雨滂沱，蜗牛都会像整个冬季一样，呆在壳里睡觉。春天来临的时候，蜗牛就拖着三英寸长的身体从壳里钻出来，靠它那灵敏的触角觅食。别看它的嘴比大头针尖大不了多少，却长着25万多颗牙齿呢！
1.D。根据开头的“But much of the time snails don’t move at all. They are in their shells ----sleeping.”这句话，显然只有D是正确答案。
2.C。本题属熟词新义。由“Hot sun will dry out a snail’s body. So at the least sign of hot sun, a snail draws its body into his shell.”一句的意思，尤其是要仔细考虑关键词“into”对猜测词义的辅助作用，可知蜗牛一旦碰到炙热的太阳，就会把身体蜷缩进壳里。
3.B。答案即是“Its eyes, at the end of the top feelers are very weak.”这句话。
4.D。关键要理解好“So when it rains, a snail does the same thing, too.”这句话中的“the same thing”的意思。事实上，由“In the spring the snail wakes up. … comes out from the shell.”和“…in a hard paper box, it will eat its way out!”是很容易排除B、C和A的。
5.C。根据短文最后一句话“And if a snail wears out its teeth, it will grow new ones.”，可以判断C项是明显的错误。
Passage 10
【答案与解析】这是一篇关于宇宙知识的科普短文。在太阳系中，木星是最大的一颗行星。围绕其旋转的卫星有很多。科学家们首先发现的是离它较近的五颗名叫“内部月亮”的卫星，它们是以逆时针方向绕其旋转的。木星的不计其数的中间月亮团也是以逆时针方向绕其旋转的。但它的最近的四个“外部月亮”却是以顺时针方向绕其旋转的。
1. 选D。文中介绍Jupiter(木星)是最大的行星，地球只有一个月亮，而木星至少有16个，甚至更多。由此可见，solar system即为太阳系，木星同地球一样都是太阳系中的行星。
2. 选A。“clockwise direction”指“顺时针方向”。文中对“counter-clockwise direction”的解释是“opposite of the hands of a clock”，即“逆时针方向”。
3. 选D。最远的四个月亮称为“outer moons”，它们以顺时针方向转。
4. 选A。由文中“The numerals(numbers)tell the sequence, or order, in which the moons were found.”这句话可知。
5. 选C。统观全文，可知选项A、B不符合文意，根据常识判断，选项D也不正确。再由环绕木星旋转的月亮团以依次发现的时间为序，由此推理可得出“the inner moons were discovered first”。
6. 选B。在文中可找到“Jupiter's middle group of moons are at least 11,100,000 kilometers from the planet.”。根据这一句话的意思，便可得知此题答案为B。
Passage 11
【答案与解析】本题以实例说明了太阳对地球上各种生物的重大作用。文中介绍说：太阳是一个巨大的火球，它发出的光和热对于地球上的生物有着非常重要的意义。万物生长靠太阳。动物与人类的食物都来自起始于太阳的食物链。
1.D。答案就在短文首句的“ The sun is a huge, hot, bright star.”之中，其中包含的三个形容词正是本题的答案。
2.A.短文首段末句和第二段的首句“The sun gives us light and heat. All living things need light and heat from the sun to live.”是解答该题目的重要依据。
3.C.本小题属于表层理解题。答案显然在“If there was no sun，it would be dark all the time. Even when the sky is cloudy, the sunlight is very strong and it shines through the clouds.”一句中。
4.B.本小题同样属于表层理解题。“All the food we eat comes from plants in a food chain(链)which starts with the sun.”这句话是问题的出处。此句是定语从句，要仔细阅读才能正确理解。
5.C.根据“It is important because without it there would be no life on Earth.”和“If there was no sun, it would be dark all the time.”这两句话，可很容易将其余三个选项排除。
Passage 12
【答案与解析】自然界中里的事情总是那么的奇妙。很多动物都以不同种类的动物作为自己的食物，有时两种动物还具有伙伴关系呢。有些动物也以植物作为伙伴。比如：海洋生物珊瑚的体内有一种很小的植物。这些植物消耗珊瑚身体内无用的东西，并释放出氧气。而这些氧气又是珊瑚生存所必需的。
1.A.本题属于表层理解题。答案即在“This is not because they want a ride, but because they find easy food in the parasites (寄生虫) on sheep.”一句之中。
2.B.前文中的“The sheep let the birds do so because they can stop the parasites from troubling them.”的意思是说“绵羊让鸟儿落在自己身上，因为鸟儿可以将它们身上的寄生虫吃掉。”；另一句“So though they can do with it by themselves…”的意思是说“尽管它们自己也能对付寄生虫……”。综合上面两句话的意思，再结合“…they can do better together with each other.”这一句话，即得答案。
3.D.显然，根据“…taking the useless things from the coral and giving oxygen in return. That is what the animal needs to live.”这两句话可知，珊瑚需要植物提供的氧气才能生存下去。
4.D.联系生物学常识，氧气是各种生物赖以生存所必需的，所以由此可以推测出该词的意思是“氧气”。
5.A.根据这一自然段的内容，珊瑚和它们体内的植物具有相互依存的关系。因此，答案非A莫属。选项D迷惑性较大。因为这一自然段主要说明了珊瑚与体内植物的关系，它们在一块生存得很好。但选项D意思是“一些动物在一起生存得更好。”只要注意“动物”和“植物”这两个字眼，即可将此项排除。
Section II 趣味幽默篇
Passage 13
Henry was an office worker in a big city. He worked very hard and enjoyed traveling in his holidays.
He usually went to the seaside, but one year he saw an advertisement in a newspaper. “Enjoy country life. Spend a few weeks at West Hill Farm. Good food. Fresh air. Horse riding. Walking. Fishing. Cheap and interesting.”
“This sounds a good idea,” he thought. “I’ll spend a month at West Hill Farm. I think I can enjoy horse riding, walking and fishing. They’ll make a change from sitting by the seaside and swimming.”
He wrote to the farmer. In the letter he said that he would like to spend all of July there. Then on the first of July, he left for West Hill Farm.
But four days later, he returned home.
“What was wrong with West Hill Farm ” his best friend, Ed, asked him. “Didn’t you enjoy country life ”
“Country life was very good,” Henry said. “But there was another problem.”
“Oh. What ”
“Well,” he said, “the first day I was there a sheep died, and we had roast mutton for dinner.”
“What's wrong with that ” Ed asked. “Fresh meat is the best.”
“I know, but on the second day a cow died, and we had roast beef for dinner.”
“Lucky you!”
“You don't understand,” Henry said. “On the third day a pig died and we had roast pork for dinner.”
“A different meat every day,” Ed said loudly, “ and you are complaining!”
“Let me finish,” Henry said. “On the fourth day the farmer died, and I didn't dare (敢)stay for dinner!”
1.How did Henry find out about the farm
A. He saw it in a newspaper advertisement. B. His best friend told him.
C. He wrote to the farmer. D. Maybe he learned it from the radio.
2. Henry came back home several days later because ______________.
A. he didn't like the country life at all B. the farmer wasn’t friendly to him
C. his holiday was over D. he thought he might have to eat the farmer
3. “…and you are complaining!”, the word “complain” means __________.
A.夸奖 B.说三道四 C.抱怨 D.故弄玄虚
4.Which of the following sentences is true
A. Ed could eat a different kind of meat every day.
B. Henry thought he could enjoy a change.
C. Henry couldn't think of anything else to do, so he went to the farm.
D. The farmer died because of the bad meat he ate.
5.Which is the best title for the passage
A. What a beautiful farm! B. Have a good time.　C.A short holiday D. Henry and the farmer.
Passage 14
After returning from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me 12 pounds,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office.” You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me 12 pounds.”
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sun burnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey ”
“Yes,” she answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly. “I’ll be four and a half.”
Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you ”
“Er, well…” the woman looked at the child. “I mean…she hasn’t started school yet, she’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs …let me see… 13.50 pounds. The law is the law, but since the mistake is mine….”
The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.
1. The woman was angry because __________.
A. she couldn’t use the ticket for her round trip
B. she had to return home a day earlier than she had planned
C. she spent more money than she had expected
D. Harry had sold her a ticket to Jersey where there was no sailing
2. Harry was worried __________.
A.the woman was angry with him
B.he had not done his work carefully
C.the Jersey timetable was wrong
D.the little girl didn’t have a return ticket
3. Harry started talking to the little girl ___________.
A.because he was in trouble and did not know what to do
B.because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl
C.because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice
D.when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl
4. When Harry said, “The law is the law, but since the mistake was mine…” he meant that ____.
A.they must follow it without other choice, even though the mistake was his
B.he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didn’t want to
C.the woman had to pay him 1.50 pounds and the railway would pay her for the hotel
D.she should pay 1.50 pounds, but he had made a mistake, she could go without paying
5. The woman left the office without saying anything because _______________.
A.she wanted to go home and get money for the child’s ticket
B.she was so angry that she didn’t want to have anything more to do with the young man
C.she was moved (感动) by Harry’s kindness
D.she knew she would have to pay the railway if she insisted (坚持)
Passage 15
Three travelers, Allan, Carl and Paul were sitting on the chairs in a train station. They were waiting for a train that was very late.
To pass the time, they began talking to each other.
At first, they talked about the weather and their work. Then Paul said, "Tell me—what would you most like to do if your doctor tell you that you have only three months to live "
The other two men thought about this for a while, then Carl spoke.
“Well,” he said, “if I have only three months to live, I’ll take all my money out of the bank and go to foreign countries for holidays with my best friend, Erik. I'd like to travel to the places in the world as many as possible. And I'll stay at the best hotels and then eat the best food. I think I'll have a wonderful time.”
“That's very interesting.” Paul said.
With these words, he turned to the other man, saying, “And what about you ”
“I'll tell you a secret,” Allan said. “I always want to be a racing driver. So if I have only three months to live, the first thing I'd like to do is to sell my house. With the money I’ll buy the fastest car in the world. Maybe I can enter all the big motor races.”
Then he laughed, "I might even end up (以……而告终) world champion.”
“Now it's your turn,” Allan went on, “If your doctor tell you the bad news, what would you most like to do ”
“Oh,” said Paul with a smile. “I’ll go and see another doctor.”
1.The three men were talking _____________.
A. in the post office B. in the waiting room
C. on the train D. on the chairs
2.The man called ________ answered the question first.
A. Carl B. Allan C. Erik D. Paul
3.The men began to talk about the weather and the work because they __________.
A. didn't know anything new B. wanted to pass the time quickly
C. had nothing to do D. were very interested in each other's work
4."I might even end up world champion." Here the word "champion" means ________in Chinese.
A.名人 B.赛车手 C.大款 D.冠军
5.Which sentence is right according to the passage
A. The train didn't arrive on time.
B. Paul wanted to buy a racing car very much.
C. Allan was the second man to answer the question.
D. Carl didn't like traveling at all.
Passage 16
An English traveler found himself in Norway with only enough money to buy the ticket for his journey back home. As he knew that it would take him only two days to get to England, he decided that he could easily spend the time without food. So he bought a ticket and got on the ship. The man closed his ears to the sound of the lunch bell. When dinnertime came, he didn’t go to dinning room, saying that he was not feeling very well.
The next morning he still didn’t have breakfast and at lunchtime he again stayed in his room. But at dinnertime he was so hungry that he went to the dinning room and ate everything the waiter put in front of him. He got ready for the quarrel.
“Bring me the bill,” he said. “The bill, sir ” said the waiter in surprise. “There isn’t any bill. On our ship meals are included (包括) in the money for the ticket,” said the waiter.
1.The story happened _______.
A. in England B. on a ship from Norway to England
C. in Norway D. on a ship from England to Norway
2.Why didn’t the traveler go to the dinning room first
A.Because he had no money
B.Because he didn’t feel very well
C.Because he didn’t want to eat anything
D.Because he didn’t hear the sound of the bell
3.The traveler went to the dinning room to eat something because _______.
A.his friend had given him some money
B.the waiter had asked him to change his mind
C.he learned that there was no bill on the ship
D.he was too hungry
4.How many meals did the traveler have on the ship
A. Only one B. Two C. Three D. None
5.After the traveler finished eating, ________.
A.he had a quarrel with waiter over the bill
B.he drank a lot
C.he asked the waiter to bring him the change(零钱)
D.he came to know that travelers on the ship had free meals
Passage 17 A farmer had a cow. He took very good care of this cow and one day when it was ill, he was
very worried. He telephoned the vet.
“What’s the problem ” The vet asked him when he arrived.
“My cow's ill,” the farmer said. “I don’t know what's the matter with her. She’s lying down and won’t eat. She's making a strange noise.”
The vet looked over the cow. "She's certainly ill," he said, "and she needs to take some very strong medicine."
He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand and said, "Give her these. The pills should make her better."
“How should I give them to her ” the farmer asked.
The vet gave him a tube (管子)and said, "Put this tube in her mouth, then put the pills in the tube and blow. That'll make it."
The next day the vet came to the farm again. The farmer was sitting outside his house and looked more worried.
“How's your cow ” the vet asked.
“No change,” the farmer said, “and I’m feeling very strange myself.”
“Oh ” the vet said, "Why "
“I did what you said,” the farmer answered. “I put the tube in the cow's mouth and then put two pills down it.”
“And ” the vet asked.
“The cow blew first,” the farmer said.
1.In the story, the vet must be _________.
A. the farmer's friend B. a milk factory
C. a hospital for cows D. a doctor for animals
2.The farmer asked the vet for help when his cow _______
A. couldn't lie down B. didn't eat the pills
C. couldn't make any noise D. was ill
3.What medicine did the vet give the farmer
A. Bottle of pills. B. A long tube.
C. Two pills. D. A small box.
4.The vet taught the farmer how _________.
A. to blow the tube B. to make the cow take the pills
C. to take the medicine D. to put the tube in his mouth
5.Which of the following is true
A. The farmer ate the pills himself.
B. The cow got better after taking the medicine.
C. The vet came to help farmer change the cow the next day.
D. The farmer waited for the vet outside his house the next day.
Passage 18
Several years ago, a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.
The reporter was talking to them about being important.
“How do we know if someone is really important ” the reporter asked the banker.
The banker thought for a few moments and then said, “I think anybody who is invited to the Whiter House to meet the President of the United States is really important.”
The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that ” she asked.
The man shook his head, “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You’d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”
The reporter turned to the third man. “Do you think so ”
“No, I don’t.” he said. “I don’t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”
“Then what would make the visitor important ” the reporter and the other two men asked.
“Oh, I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said, ‘it’s for you.’”
1.This story happened in _______.
A. England B. America C. Japan D. Australia
2.There are _______ in this passage.
A. two men and two women B. three men and one woman
C. three women and one man D. four women
3.The banker thought _______.
A.he was really important because he was a rich banker
B.the visitor to the White House was really important
C.the visitor who met the President of the United States
D. the reporter was really important
4.The owner of the very large company thought _______.
A.she was really important because she owned one of the largest companies
B.the banker was really important
C.the owner of many buildings in the center of New York was really important
D. the visitor would be really important if while he was visiting the President, the President would not answer any telephone call
5.The owner of many buildings thought _______.
A.he was really important because he owned many buildings in the center of New York
B.the owner of the very large company was really important
C.the visitor was really important if he talking to the President and the President received a telephone call for the visitor
D.the person who worked in the White House was really important
Passage 19
Three men traveling on a train began a conversation about the world's greatest wonders.
“In my opinion,” the first man said, “the Egyptian pyramids are the world's greatest wonder. Although they were built thousands of years ago, they are still standing. And remember: the people who built them had only simple tools. They did not have the kind of machinery that builders and engineers have today.”
“I agree that the pyramids in Egypt are wonderful,” the second man said, “but I do not think they are the greatest wonder. I believe computers are more wonderful than the pyramids. They have taken people to the moon and brought them back safely. In seconds，they carry out mathematical calculations that would take a person a hundred years to do.”
He turned to the third man and asked, “What do you think is the greatest wonder in the world？”
The third man thought for a long time，and then he said, “Well，I agree that the pyramids are wonderful, and I agree that computers are wonderful, too. However，in my opinion, the most wonderful thing in the world is this thermos.”
And he took a thermos out of his bag and held it up.
The other two men were very surprised. “A thermos？”they exclaimed. “But that's a simple thing.”
“Oh, no，it's not, ”the third man said. “In the winter you put in a hot drink and it stays hot. In the summer you put in a cold drink and it stays cold. How does the thermos know whether it's winter or summer？”
1.The underlined word “thermos” means in Chinese “ _____ ”.
A.电冰箱 B.洗衣机 C.电风扇 D.保温瓶
2.The three men could not agree on what the world's greatest wonder was because _____.
A. they could not think of anything very wonderful　B. they all had different ideas
C. they could not prove that their opinions were right　D. the journey ended too soon
3.The first man thought the pyramids were the most wonderful things in the world because _____.
A. they were very beautiful　B. they were Egyptian
C. they had been built with very simple tools　D. they could do mathematical calculations
4.The third man thought a thermos was the most wonderful thing in the world because _____.
A. it lasted longer than the pyramids B. it cost less than a computer
C. he thought it knew whether it was winter or summer
D. the other two men were surprised when he told them about it
5.The third man was not very clever because _____.
A. he could not think of anything to say　B. he did not understand how a thermos works
C. he did not think the pyramids were wonderful D. he did not know anything about computers
Passage 20
An old man was going home late one night with his horse and cart after a day's hard work. When he was not far from his house, the light on the cart went out. He tried but could not mend it.
He was near his home, and so he went along the road without a light. When a policeman saw this, he stopped the old carter.
"Where's your light " asked the policeman. "No one may take a cart along a road at night without a light. You know that. You've broken the law.
"I had a light," said the old man, "but it has just gone out."
"I don't believe that story," said the policeman. He took out a book and got ready to write. "What's your name and where do you live " he asked.
"Please don't take my name," said the old man. "My house is just there. You can see it from here. I had a light nearly the whole way. I haven't come far without a light."
"You came all the way without a light. What's your name "
The carter quickly took the policeman's hand and put it down on the top of the light. The light was still hot, and burnt the policeman's hand. He jumped and he was very angry.
"Now, what do you think " said the carter. "Did I come all the way without a light "
1.In the passage "Cart" is ___________.
A. something like a car B. something like a light
C. something pulled by a horse D. something with a light
2.The old man drove home ___________.
A. on the back of his horse B. late one night
C. very late every night D. with a policeman
3.Where did the policeman stop the old man
A. Near his home. B. At the traffic lights.
C. Under a road light. D. Far from his house.
4.The cart was stopped by the policeman because ________.
A. the old man didn't have a light
B. the policeman didn't believe the old man's words
C. the old man did not want to tell his name
D. the old man's light wasn't on
5..How did the old man make the policeman believe (相信) his words
A. He made the policeman touch the light.
B. He jumped and shouted angrily.
C. He made the policeman angry.
D. He burnt the policeman's hands.
Passage 21
Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stars. She was soon out of breath (气喘吁吁).
“I suppose I had better go to the doctor,” she thought.
She went to the doctor and told him her problem.
“I’m not surprised at all,” he said. “It’s obvious what your problem is.”
He looked her over then gave her some advice.
“If you don’t do what I say, Mrs. Parker,” he said, “you will have a heart attack. It could kill you.”
Ellen Parker was very worried as she left the doctor’s. She knew that she had to take his advice but that it would not be easy and it would take time.
The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher’s shop (肉铺).
“I’d like ten pounds of steak (牛排), please,” she said.
“Certainly, madam,” the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and put it on the scale (天平).
“That’s just under ten pounds,” he said.
“That big enough,” Mrs. Parker said.
The butcher worked out the price.
“At $4.99 a pound that will be $49.50, please. Would you like me to cut it up into smaller pieces for you ”
“Oh, I don’t want to buy the meat,” Mrs. Parker said.
“If you don’t want to buy it,” the butcher replied angrily, “why did you ask me to get it for you ”
“My doctor told me that I am over-weight and I have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.”
1. Why did Ellen Parker visit the doctor
A. She had had a heart attack.　B. She had a problem with her health.
C. She was unhappy about her weight.　D. She could not sleep well.
2. What did the doctor advise her to do
A. To lose weight. B. To eat more meat.
C. To come and see him again. D. To look after her heart.
3. Why did Ellen Parker ask for ten pounds of steak
A. She wanted to buy some for dinner.　B. She wanted to lose weight.
C. Her doctor had told her to eat steak.
D. She wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.
4. What was Ellen Parker's real problem
A. She ate too much steak.　B. She weighed too much.
C. The doctor did not know.　D. She could not walk very quickly.
5. What did the doctor think might happen to Ellen
A. She might put on more weight.　B. She might stop eating too much.
C. She might have a heart attack.　D. She might go to another doctor.
Passage 22
(In court (法庭), the judge asks the boy named Henry some questions.)
Judge: Can you tell us how the accident happened
Henry: Yes, sir. The farmer drove very fast when I met with him. His car knocked me down and hurt my arm.
Judge: (To the farmer) Was that right
Farmer: No, sir. But it rained heavily and I couldn’t drive fast.
Judge: So you don’t think you knocked him down
Farmer: Yes, I did. But I didn’t see him mending his bike in the middle of the road.
Judge: Well. Did you send him to a hospital
Farmer: Yes. But the doctor said there was nothing serious to him.
Judge: (To Henry) Do you agree with him
Henry: Yes, sir. But my left arm often hurts and I can't lift it at all.
Judge: Could you show us how you can lift it now
Henry: Sure. (Slowly the boy lifts his arm below his nose.)
Judge: Poor boy! And how high could you lift it before the accident
Henry: Oh, I could lift it very high like this. (Holding his left arm up over his head)
Judge: But I don't think there's something wrong with your arm.
Henry: I...I...So it is. But my lawyer (律师) tells me to do so.
根据上面的对话，在短文的空白处填写一个适当的词，使短文内容与对话意思相符。
It happened on a (1)_________ day. A boy named Henry was (2)_________ his bike on the road while a farmer's (3)______ knocked him down. The farmer sent him to a hospital and the doctor said nothing (4)________ happened to the boy. But his parents hoped the boy could be paid more (5)_________ for it. They asked for a lawyer's (6)_______ .The lawyer taught the boy (7)______ to say in court. Henry told the judge his arm hurt and that he couldn't (8)________ it up. The judge asked him to show it to him. He could lift it below his nose. The judge asked him how (9)_______ he could lift it before the accident. The boy (10)___________ what the lawyer said and lifted it over his head!
Section II 趣味幽默篇 答案与解析
Passage 13
【答案与解析】假日里，亨利喜欢到海边去旅游。有一次，他想去西山农场享受一下田园风光，并计划在那儿度过一个月的时间。可是令人惊奇的是，才去四天之后他就回来了。当朋友问起其中的缘由时，亨利说道：第一天，农场里死了一只羊，晚餐时美美地吃了一顿烤羊肉；第二天农场死了一头牛，又吃了一顿烧牛肉；第三天农场死了一头猪，结果又吃了一顿烤猪肉。可是，到了第四天，农场主死了，我不敢再留下来吃饭了。
1.A。第二段的首句“…but one year he saw an advertisement in a newspaper.”即是答案的出处。
2.C。本题考查根据语境进行分析判断的能力。由上下文，显然可知这是报纸上的一则广告信息。
3.B。本题考查通过上下文对词汇的推测能力。根据亨利的叙述可得出此答案。
4. B。这由“A different meat every day, and you are complaining!”一句可知。
5. C。本来打算要在乡村农场过一个暑假，结果四天之后就回来了。这能不是个短暂的假期吗？用此作标题既切合题意，又具有幽默的味道。
Passage 14
【答案与解析】这篇短文的大致情节是：一位妇女向车站售票员索要12英镑，原因是：由于售票员工作的疏忽，买给这位妇女的票是5月22日的，那天并没有轮船出航。这位妇女和自己的女儿只好在旅馆住了一宿，花去了12英镑。可是当售票员和这位妇女攀谈时，得知她四岁的女儿没有买票，而儿童票价是13.5英镑。结果，这位妇女非但没有得到12英镑的补偿，反而欠车站1.5英镑。
1.C.这是一道辨认事实细节题。粗看D似乎应该是此题的答案，但仔细辨认一下就不难发现短文中确定指出五月二十二日那天没有去Jersey的轮船，可是当读完the women所说的话后，你就会清楚地知道她生气的主要原因是她多花了一宿住旅店的钱。
2.B.仔细阅读短文的二、三段就可以知道是因为Harry没做好工作，5月22日晚上在Jersey无船的。
3.A.短文中的这句“Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child.”是解答该题的依据。
4.D.根据上下文对事情和年轻的售票员思想过程的叙述，可知这句话的意思是：按规定那妇女要付小孩的票钱，但售票员也有错。因此，他希望互相不追究，所以正确答案为D。
5.D.从最后年轻人的那段话，及那位妇女一句话都没说，站起来，牵起小女孩的手就离开了票房这一事实，可以推理出那妇女的思想过程，即如果她要坚持让票房赔她一晚住宿营费的话，那么车站也可以按规定要她补买小女孩的票，这样她就会多付1.5英镑，因此，她也就不再坚持了。
Passage 15
【答案与解析】这篇幽默故事讲的是：三个人在谈论“如果大夫告知你还能活三个月的时间，你最想做什么？”这个问题。其中一个人说他将从银行取出所有的钱和朋友一块去度假，并尽可能多地旅游一些地方。另一个人说他将买掉自己的房子，买一辆好车，做一名赛车手。也许能有机会参加汽车大赛。第三个人说，如果大夫告诉他这个坏消息，他将再去看一个医生。
1.B.根据题意，这三个人在火车站等火车，当然是在候车室。
2.A.答案就在“The other two men thought about this for a while, then Carl spoke.”这句话中。
3.B.短文第二句即是本题的答案。
4.D.由Allan说的话，可推测出D为最佳答案。
5.C.“With these words, he turned to the other man, saying, ‘And what about you ’”这句话以及后边的回答是解答本题的关键之所在。
Passage 16
【答案与解析】本文的故事情节是：一位英国人到挪威旅游。回家的时候发现自己身上的钱只能够买一张票的。想到只需两天就能回到家，他决定这期间就不吃东西了。到开饭的时候，他就一个人呆在船舱里，就这样一直挨到第二天下午。可到了吃晚饭时，他饿得实在受不了了，于是决定挨揍一顿也要去吃。然而，等他吃完饭向服务员要账单时，服务员说这条船上的用餐是免费的，因为用餐费已包括中船票中了。
1.B。文章开头两句是本题的答案之所在。
2.A。根据“…with only enough money to buy the ticket for his journey back home.”和“…decided that he could easily spend the time without food.”可知。
3.D。由题意可知，这位旅客饿得受不了，于是就去了餐厅。
4.A。前文说这位旅客只消两天就能回到英国。第一天没有吃东西，第二天的早、午饭也没吃。待吃了这顿晚饭明天就可以到家了。所以他只吃了一顿饭。
5.D。“There isn’t any bill. On our ship meals are included (包括) in the money for the ticket.”即是本题答案的出处。
Passage 17
【答案与解析】这篇令人忍俊不禁的幽默的主要内容是：一个农夫的牛病倒了。兽医给了他一些药和一根管子，并告诉他怎么样用这根管子给牛喂药。第二天，兽医再次到农场时发现那位农夫坐在家门口，一脸的焦虑不安。原来他的牛病情并没有好转。他说自己按照兽医的嘱咐做了，可当他将管子插入牛的嘴里，并放进两粒药丸，正想吹气时，牛却先吹了一口气。
1.D。根据短文内容，很容易推测出该词的汉语意思是“兽医”。答案当然是D。
2.D。由“She’s lying down and won’t eat. She's making a strange noise.”可以排除A和B。C显然不对。
3.C。“He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand…”一句是答案的出处。
4.B。 由“How should I give them to her ”这句话可知。
5.A.根据短文最后一句话，不难想象，没等农夫吹气，牛先吹了一口气，将药丸吹到了农夫的嘴里。
Passage 18
【答案与解析】短文的梗概是：一名电视台记者向三个很富有的人问了这样一个问题：如何判断一个人是不是重要人物。银行家认为凡被邀请到白宫与美国总统会见的人都是重要人物。拥有世界上最大公司的那个人却不赞同。他说被邀请去白宫的人太多了。但如果正当你与总统谈话时，另一个国家的总统来了电话，美国总统说他太忙了，不能接电话。这才说明你确实是重要人物。然而第三个人却认为这只能衬托美国总统的地位。他说如果正当来访者与美国总统谈话时电话铃响了，美国总统拿起电话听了听，然后对来访者说，“找你的。”这个人是最重要的人物。
1.B。答案即是短文首段的第一句“Several years ago, a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America.”。
2.A。记者和那三个重要人物，共二男二女。关于男女性别可在下文中说话人的话语中可以看出来。
3.C。由“I think anybody who is invited to the Whiter House to meet the President of the United States is really important”这句可知。
4.D。同上题一样，本题也属表层理解题。答案就在“You’d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”中。
5.C。文章最后一段即是本小题答案之所在。
Passage 19
【答案与解析】三个人在谈论世界上伟大的奇观。其中的一个人认为修建于几千年前的金字塔是最让人叹服的世界奇迹。其理由是：当时只有简单的原始工具，并没有我们现代化的设备和技艺精湛的工程师。第二个人则认为电子计算机金字塔更为奇妙。因为在它们的控制下人类已经登上月球并安全返回，并且计算机的运算速度实在惊人。第三个人的观点非常独特，他认为暖水瓶是最让人不可思议的发明。其他两个对他的话感到十分诧异。问其原因时，那人却说：冬天，把热水倒进去，它就能保温；夏天把冷饮倒进去时，它就能保持冰凉。它怎么知道是夏天还是冬天？”
1.D.最后一段：“冬天往里装热饮料，它能保温；夏天往里装冷饮料，它能保冷。”由此可猜测出thermos意为“保温瓶”。本题选D正确。
2.B.通读全文可知，对于“世界上最大的奇迹是什么”这一问题各有各自的观点，故本题选B正确。
3.C.第二段后两句即本题答案出处。本题选C正确。
4.C.本题选C正确，由短文最后一段可得出此答案。
5.B.从最后一段可知，第三个人对于保温瓶保温的原理不懂。故本题选B正确。
Passage 20
【答案与解析】一个老头夜里驾车回家，就要到家时车灯突然熄灭了。警察发现未亮，就说他一路上无灯驾驶，并要记下他的名字。无论老头怎么样解释，警察就是不相信。最后机智的老头迅速地把警察的手按到仍然烫热的车灯上……
1.C。本题属表层理解题。由短文首句中的“with his horse and cart”不难找到答案。
2.B。答案就在短文开头的“An old man was going home late one night with his horse and cart after a day's hard work.”一句中。
3.A。短文第二段首句即是答案的出处。
4.C。该小题的答案可从第三自然段警察的话语中找到，第二段的最后两句也对此题有所暗示。
5.D。本小题有一定的难度，但根据“The carter quickly took the policeman's hand and put it down on the top of the light.”一句可以把迷惑性较大的选项A予以排除，故答案非D莫属。
Passage 21
【答案与解析】这篇幽默故事的大意是：Ellen Parker由于身体虚弱去看医生，医生建议她减肥。Ellen Parker听从了医生的建议，却进了一家卖肉的商店并向店主要了10磅重的一块牛排。当店主要她付钱时，她却说自己并不想卖肉，只是想看看10磅肉到底有多大一块。至此，我们知道Ellen Parker到肉店去的目的并非买肉，而是想要弄明白自己如果减掉10磅肉的话，到底需要减下多大一块。
1. B。这是一道信息归纳题。根据文章首段的“Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stairs. She was soon out of brea