Reading Comprehension 
从下列每篇短文的问题后所给的四个选择项中选出一个最佳答案。
     A group of college students were telling frightening stories. Eventually, a girl from a small town in Michigan broke in. “I know a more frightening story than any of those!” she announced. “And the most frightening thing is, this one is true. It happened to a girl my sister knew.”
     She began her story. “One stormy evening, the girl went to baby-sit at a house way out in the country. She was feeling a little nervous when the phone rang. When she answered, a man said, ‘Have you checked the child?’ and laughed strangely. She was scared to death when a few minutes later the guy called again and said the same thing. She checked the child and called the operator to get the calls traced. Soon the operator called back to say, ‘Get out of the house! He's in the house with you!’ So she got hold of the child and ran out into the rain. Later, the police found this escaped prisoner in the parents' upstairs bedroom.”

     “But wait a minute!” called out the girl's roommate from Iowa. “That didn't happen in Michigan. It happened near my hometown long ago when my mother was in school. The guy had escaped from a madhouse.”, “Well, it sounds an awful lot like something that happened a few years ago to a friend of my brother's in Colorado,” said another student. “Only the guy actually caught the babysitter.”
     What's going on here? How could the same event have happened to three different babysitters in three different parts of the country at three different times? It is what we call urban legend（都市传奇）, which is the modern version of American folk tales. Urban legends are modern and sound real to us. They are humorous, unexpected, and often frightening, though they probably never happened.

阅读下面短文，请从短文后所给各题的4个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出一个最佳选项。

     When you see a clever advertisement in a newspaper, would you say to yourself, "Ah, that's good. I'd like to have one of those advertised items"? Or would you say, "Another pack of lies"?
     Advertisements can be extremely useful if they are honest. If, let's say, a customer plans to buy a new car, the first thing to do is to look at as many car advertisements as possible. That will help him to choose the model, colour and price that suit him. An advertisement is a quick and simple way to put customers in touch with sellers; it saves them a lot of time and trouble. If customers find what the advertisements say is true and accurate, they will be satisfied and will probably buy from the same firm again and will also advise their friends to do the same.
     Dishonest advertisers hope to sell their goods quickly and to make large profits. They know that no customers will buy poor-quality goods from them again. But there are also semi-dishonest advertisers who know perfectly well that nobody will take the trouble to verify（验证）what they say in the advertisements. For example, the advertiser may tell you a certain brand of soap contains a particular chemical substance; however, the substance is, in fact, neither beneficial nor harmful to the human skin. Nobody can say such advertisements are telling lies, but they are misleading.

阅读下面短文，请从短文后所给各题的4个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出一个最佳选项。 

     My generation —— the generation that came of age in the 1950s and 1960s —— may be the last one to know the feeling of being surrounded by millions of words that were the products of years of work by authors famous and obscure. For now we are seeing a subtle but unmistakable turning away from such things. The houses of America, I fear, may soon include no room for libraries. The hardcover book —— that symbol of the permanence of thought, the handing down of wisdom from one age to the next —— may be a new addition to our list of endangered species.
　　I have a friend who runs a bookstore in a Midwestern college town. He has found that he can not sell hardcover books; paperback books are his stock in trade, and even those are a disappointment to him. “You know how we used to see people carrying around book bags？” he tells me. “Well, now I look out of the window of my shop, and all I see are students carrying boxes from the record stores. The students aren‘t reading any more. They’re listening to albums(唱片集).”
　　And indeed he may be right. Stories of problems young people have with reading are not new, but the trend seems to be worsening. Recently the president of a university in New York said that 10 percent of the freshmen (大学一年级学生) at this university could read no better than the average eighth grader. There is an even more worrying aspect to it: of those college freshmen whose reading skills were equivalent to the sixth-to-eighth-grade level, the president reported that many had ranked in the top half of their high-school classes.

阅读下面短文，请从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出一个最佳选项。 

     Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly. The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance. In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money.
     At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance.
     The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.
     Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
     Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it.
     Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future.

阅读选择：阅读下面短文，请从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出一个最佳选项。 

     When traveling the world, you will certainly run into customs that differ from ones in your country. This is what makes traveling fun, and indeed why many people travel in the first place. Probably one of the differences that people take notice of first is body language and gestures.
     Body language is just as varied around the world. Often, something that we take for granted as meaning one thing can mean something completely different elsewhere. For example, in Thailand, as the foot is the lowest part of the body it is held in the lowest esteem. To point a foot at someone is extremely insulting. Likewise, as the head is the highest part of the body, it is never touched directly by others. A pat on the head in Western society might mean a job well done, but in Thailand it is an insult of the worst kind.
     As mentioned before, greetings in Asia consist of a bow. In Japan, your hands are at your side; elsewhere they may be in prayer position. The inferior person will bow longer and lower. In Mediterranean countries on the other hand, a kiss on each cheek is customary. In Latin America, one might greet someone of either sex with a hug and a kiss. In Muslim nations, sexes generally do not mix at all unless they are family. Some simple gestures that are common here in the States such as the "thumbs-up” sign, are rude to those in Middle Eastern countries, Nigeria, Australia and Afghanistan. A two-finger "V" sign with the palm out can mean Victory, but either means the number two or "push it" depending on where you are.
     Some gestures have widely different meanings in almost everywhere it is used. For example, in Japan crooking a finger in a "come here" gesture is insulting. In Yugoslavia, Vietnam and Malaysia it is used to call animals, and therefore insulting to people. Even something such as a smile, which seems an instinctive reaction to happiness, can mean sadness or anger. When traveling, it is important to take the time to learn about your hosts customs so that you do not seem ignorant or offensive.

阅读选择：阅读下面短文，请从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出一个最佳选项。

     Many language learners fail to realize that when they listen to their native language, they do not actually hear every word. They also fail to understand that they integrate their knowledge about language with their experience and knowledge of such things as topic and culture, and do not need to hear to hear every word. This means that learners often have unrealistic expectations and try to understand each word of a listening text.
     As some experts point out, “such total comprehension…is a misconception of how normal comprehension works in the native language.” Learners’ anxiety may get worse when a classroom procedure does not provide adequate context for the text or prepare the topic by activating their prior knowledge；in other words, a procedure which asks students to “Listen to the text and then answer the questions.” This tests listening ability rather than aiming to teach it. Adults returning to English language learning whose earlier experiences have been of this nature may have developed negative perceptions of their ability as listeners and a major task for the teacher will be to build confidence.
     This means recognizing anxiety and a major tasking care to provide positive classroom experiences. For example, the teacher needs to make sure that the pace and length of a listening activity is not too taxing as the concentration required in trying to comprehend unfamiliar sounds can be tiring.

Reading Comprehension 
从下列每篇短文的问题后所给的四个选择项中选出一个最佳答案。
     It is said that the United States is a nation with a mass of geography but a shortage of history, and there is some truth in it. Quite unlike the Old World, Americans' experience with their wild country was abrupt and often violent. It took less than four hundred years to deal with more than three million square miles of land. Americans occupied the greater part of the country within the last century and a half. In fact, even today much of the U.S. still remains half populated and half tamed.
     The early settlers lacked detailed geographic knowledge, but they were full of hope for the future. Unlike the blacks who were shipped to the continent as slaves, most people came of their own free will, hoping for a better life. Quite naturally they tended to think well of the new land, even when they knew little about it. More often than not, their expectations were met—and met handsomely. It is often said that American history is a tale based on geographic riches.
     Historically speaking, the U.S. was indeed geographically fortunate. Two great oceans kept it away from threats coming from Europe and Asia, sparing the country the need to maintain large military forces. Its vast territory also offered abundant environmental wealth, which allowed the nation to become self-sufficient in agriculture and minerals. In addition, magnificent system of natural waterways linked this territory together, making travel less expensive and more convenient than in other parts of the world.

Reading Comprehension 
从下列每篇短文的问题后所给的四个选择项中选出一个最佳答案。
     The English settlement in America followed two different paths represented by settlements at Jamestown in Virginia and Plymouth in Massachusetts.
     The first permanent English colonists in America settled at Jamestown in 1607. The Virginia Company of London, which organized the settlement, certainly expected profit. The Queen, permitting the settlement, hoped for greater empire, power, and profit. The individuals who sailed to Virginia wanted glory and gold. Thus, the major reason for the settlement of Virginia was to make money. In the beginning , the Virginia Company found that people would not go to America despite glowing descriptions. In 1618, when the Virginia Company began giving fifty acres of land to each individual who came to America, the future of American colonization was finally secured. Later colonies all had to compete with Virginia's freehold system of grants of land. In this sense, land-which meant wealth and status-attracted colonist.
     In contrast, the first permanent European settlement in New England was founded at Plymouth by the Pilgrims for religious purposes. These settlers, later known as the Pilgrim Fathers, came from Nottinghamshire. They were cruelly treated by the Church of England and in 1606 fled to Holland, where, in Leiden, they found the religious freedom they were looking for. Although they remained there for some eleven years, they realized that their children were growing up to be Dutch rather than English . In the end, they decided, with the backing of London merchants, to leave for the English colonies in North America. After a sixty-five-day journey, the Pilgrims arrived at Provincetown on November 21, 1620. They soon discovered Plymouth Harbor on the western side of Cape Cod Bay, and made their historic landing on December 21. Other groups of settlers followed the example of the Pilgrims: the Catholic settlement of Maryland in 1633, Roger Williams's Rhode Island refuge in 1636, and William Penn's settlement of a Quaker colony in Pennsylvania in 1681.

阅读下面短文，请从短文后所给各题的4个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出一个最佳选项。

     Sleep has long been a concern of educators. Some schools even send notes to parents reminding them to make sure that their children get enough sleep before examinations. Such concerns and school practices are supported by findings of a recent research, which is conducted by a psychologist named Gahan Fallone at Brown Medical School. According to the research, staying up an hour or two past bedtime makes it far harder for kids to learn.
     Fallone set out to test whether teachers could find out problems with attention and learning when students stayed up late. In his three-week experiment, he studied 74 students aged between 6 and 12. In the first week, the students went to bed, woke up at their usual time and got 9 to 9.5 hours of sleep each night. In the second week, they were given no fewer than 10 hours in bed. In the third week, they were kept up later than usual and got less sleep: 8 hours for first-and second-year students and 6.5 hours for the older children.
     Although they were not told how long the children slept every night during the three-week experiment, the teachers reported that the students had more problems with their learning during the third week. With the help of the teachers' report, Fallone concluded that when students had less than 8 hours of sleep, they were more forgetful; they even had trouble learning new lessons and concentrating. Accordingly, Fallone recommended 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night for children and 8.5 hours for teenagers. 

Reading Comprehension 
从下列每篇短文的问题后所给的四个选择项中选出一个最佳答案。
     Only a few months after our marriage, my husband paid me the greatest respect in his power. "You know, dear," he remarked fondly, "you're a wonderful girl. You think like a man." "But I don't! What a terrible thing to say!" I answered back.
     My reply surprised both of us. We laughed then and we laugh still when we think of it. But it was still the expression of a truth I had not until then really considered. I was, and I am, a member of the nation of women. And in spite of our new freedoms, of all our recent skills and strengths and talents, we do not wish to belong to a different tribe. We do not want to think like men or feel and act like men—only like women and human beings. I have no idea who first invented the story of sexual equality. But, I am sure, it is a story willfully invented by certain scientists or fiction writers. And it has done more to destroy our happiness than any other false theory of our age.
     It has been nearly forty years since women were given their freedoms, but the world is no better for their free participation in it. It seems that marriages out of love last no longer than those arranged by parents. Violence, crime and cruelty exist as they always have. And if we have brought no improvement to our society, if we are losing honor and respect we had in the past, we have no right to our rights.

Reading Comprehension 
从下列每篇短文的问题后所给的四个选择项中选出一个最佳答案。
     At the end of the nineteenth century, a rising interest in Native American customs and an increasing desire to understand Native American cultures prompted researchers to begin recording life stories of Native Americans. They had a distinct reason for wanting to hear the stories: they were after data on language and culture that would add to their own field observations, and they believed that the personal stories, even if a single individual, could increase their understanding of the cultures that they had been observing from without. In addition, many researchers at the turn of the century believed that Native American manners and customs were rapidly disappearing, and that it was important to preserve for people in the future as much information as could be adequately recorded before the cultures disappeared forever.
     There were, however, arguments against this method as a way of acquiring accurate information. Franz Boas, for example, described autobiographies as being of limited value, useful chiefly for the study of how memory distorts (歪曲) truth. Paul Radin, another scholar, argued that investigators rarely spent enough time with the tribes they were observing, and inevitably derived results too much influenced by their own emotions to be reliable.
     Even more importantly, as these left stories transformed from the traditional oral form to the written form, much was lost. Editors often decided what elements were significant to the field research on a given tribe. In addition, Native Americans themselves recognized that the essence of their lives could not be communicated in English and that events they thought significant were often considered unimportant by their interviewers. Indeed, as mentioning the names of dead relatives broke with Native American tradition, the very act of telling their stories could force Native American narrators to distort their cultures.

概括段落大意和补全句子：阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的二项测试任务：(1)从第1~5题后所给的六个选项中为第①~⑤段每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)从第6~10题后所给的六个选项中选择五个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。

⑤ A big problem in England is the rising cost of houses. In 1989 first-time buyers paid an average of around £40, 000, but in 2001 this had more than doubled to £85, 000 and in 2006 to £151,565. The cost of housing in England has increased much faster than people's wages, making it impossible for first-time buyers to get on the housing ladder unless they are in especially well-paid jobs.

概括段落大意和补全句子

阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的 2 项测试任务：(1)从第 1～5 题后所给的 6 个选项中为第①～⑤段每段选择 1 个正确的小标题；(2)从第 6～10 题后所给的 6 个选项中选择 5 个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。

阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的2项测试任务：(1)从第1~ 5题后所给的6个选项中为每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)从第6~10题后所给的6个选项中选择5个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。

概括段落大意和补全句子：阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的二项测试任务：(1) 从第1~5题后所给的六个选项中为第①~⑤段每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)从第6~10题后所给的六个选项中选择五个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。

Dormitory Life 

 ① Living in a dormitory at college can be a great experience. However, if you take no steps to make this experience positive, dormitory life can become a misery. When you choose to live in a college dormitory, you will have a better chance to live a colorful and meaningful life. Meanwhile, you will have to give up many things as well. 

 ② When you live in a dormitory, you can meet many people with different interests. And you can enjoy the various services there. Both are very important to make you successful at college. But you may have to give up much of your personal space. You will share a room with someone else. This means you need to make peace with the things and people around you. 

 ③ You will have to learn some important life skills. For example, you will learn how to get along with people. You will also learn to ignore things that you can't change. But in the future, you will find these skills very helpful when you are working in the real world. 

 ④ When you live in a dormitory, you can enjoy a wide range of campus services, which are not available to those who live off campus. If you have any school related problems, you have no difficulty finding someone to help, because the school hires people to help the students living there. 

 ⑤ Besides, living on campus means you don't have to travel to and from school in rush hours. And you are more involved in campus life. For example, you can have a better chance to take part in the club activities and make your own contributions. If you want to live a rich campus life, living in a dormitory is your best choice.

概括段落大意和补全句子：阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的二项测试任务：(1) 从第1~5题后所给的六个选项中为第①~⑤段每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)从第6~10题后所给的六个选项中选择五个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。 

概括段落大意和补全句子：阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的二项测试任务：(1) 从第1~5题后所给的六个选项中为第①~⑤段每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)从第6~10题后所给的六个选项中选择五个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。

⑤ Sometimes, however, people do not realize they have suffered from the summer blues. They stay locked inside their houses for hours. If you know people like this, then call them up. Take them out for dinner. Catch a movie with them. Do not let your friends come down with a strong case of the summer blues. 

Reading Comprehension 
从下列每篇短文的问题后所给的四个选择项中选出一个最佳答案。
     Studies of names given to boys and girls have uncovered interesting differences between them. To start with, first names of women tend to be longer than those of men. Men are much more likely to have first names with only one syllable(音节)(Bob, Jim, Fred, Frank and John) and much less likely to have three or more syllables (Christopher and Nicholas). In contrast, women are less likely to be given names of only one syllable (Ann, Joan and May) and more likely to have names with three or more syllables (Katherine, Elizabeth, Amanda and Victoria). This difference between names of men and women can also be found in pet names or shortened forms of names used among family members and friends. Robert, for example, is shortened as Bob, which is definitely a name for men, whereas Bobbie in most cases refers to a woman named Roberta, though you may come across in rare cases men called Bobbie, too.
     For both men and women the stress usually falls on the first syllable of the first name. There are, however, some differences between the two. One study of first names found that only 5% of first names of men carried strong stress on a syllable other than the first (Jerome) compared with 25% in the case of women (Patricia, Elizabeth, Amanda, Rebecca and Michelle). None of the top ten most popular names of men over the last 75 years in England had the stress elsewhere than on the first syllable. What's more, names of women are more likely than those of men to end in spoken vowel sound, as in Linda, Tracy, Patricia, Deborah, Mary and Barbara. If the last sound is not a vowel, it is then very likely to be consonant, especially nasal(鼻音)as in Jean, Kathleen, Sharon and Ann. In contrast, names given to boys are much more likely to end in plosive sound(爆破音), as in Bob, David, Dick and Jack.
     Why there are these differences between the names chosen for boys and girls is a source of imagination. Are the characteristics of boys' names meant to convey an impression of forceful masculinity(男子气概) through being short and sharp? And are those for girls intended to convey gentler qualities?

概括段落大意和补全句子：阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的二项测试任务：(1)从第1~5题后所给的六个选项中为第①~⑤段每段选择一个正确的小标题；(2)从第6~10题后所给的六个选项中选择五个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。

 ② Gossip is a form of negative inputs that can disturb the existing atmosphere. Both personal life and professional work-front are hubs of gossip and it is human nature to listen attentively and then offer opinions. If you are looking for ways to be polite then you need to stay away from gossip. Telling tales or even just listening to them makes you a party to it. 

 ③ Do not appoint yourself as judge and jury because you are unaware of the circumstances that other people are going through. It is quite easy to make snap judgements without acquiring all the facts and information. 

 ④ Humour is a very powerful weapon and must be used fittingly. It can cause serious harm if applied at the wrong time and during inappropriate situations. If you are looking for ways to be polite then recognise your boundaries. Remember that there is a place and time for humour. Try not to cause offence by your humour as the things you find humorous might not seem like it to others. 

 ⑤ A person who is polite will put others at ease in a gentle and calm manner. They do not believe in ruffling any feathers and will diffuse tense situations with a firm and appropriate hand. They will go out of their way to alleviate any discomfort or uncomfortable moment. If you are looking for ways to be polite then let the other person speak about himself.

阅读下面短文，请完成短文后的2项测试任务：(1)从第1~ 5题后所给的6个选项中为每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)从第6~10题后所给的6个选项中选择5个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。

①Intelligence was believed to be fixed entity, some faculty of the mind that we all possess and which determines in some way the extent of our achievements. Its value therefore, was as a predictor of children's future learning. If they differed markedly in their ability to learn complex tasks, then it was clearly necessary to educate them differently and the need for different types of school and even different ability groups within school was obvious. Intelligence tests could be used for streaming children according to ability at an early age; and at 11 these tests were superior to measures of attainment for selecting children for different types of secondary education.
②Today, we are beginning to think differently. In the last few years, research has thrown doubt on the view that innate intelligence can ever be measured and on the very nature of intelligence itself. There is considerable evidence now which shows the great influence of environment both on achievement and intelligence. Children with poor home backgrounds not only do less well in their school work and intelligence tests but their performance tends to deteriorate gradually compared with that of their more fortunate classmates.
③There are evidences that support the view that we have to distinguish between genetic intelligence and observed intelligence. Any deficiency in the appropriate genes will restrict development no matter how stimulating the environment. We cannot observe and measure innate intelligence, whereas we can observe and measure the effects of the interaction of whatever is inherited with whatever stimulation has been received from the environment. Researches have been investigating what happens in this interaction.
④Two major findings have emerged from these researches. Firstly, the greater part of the development of observed intelligence occurs in the earliest years of life. It is estimated that 50 percent of measurable intelligence at age 17 is already predictable by the age of 4. Secondly, the most important factors in the environment are language and psychological aspects of the parent-child relationship. Much of the difference in measured intelligence between " privileged" and " disadvantaged" children may be due to the latter's lack of appropriate verbal stimulation and the poverty of their perceptual experiences.
⑤These research findings have led to a revision in our understanding of the nature of intelligence. Instead of it being some largely inherited fixed power of the mind, we now see it as a set of developed skills with which a person copes with any environment. These skills have to be learned and, indeed, one of them is learning how to learn.