TV Shows and Long Bus Trips
?Long bus rides are like televisions shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end---with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste." "Drink Good’n Wet Root Beer." "Fill up with Pacific Gas." Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!"
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed---new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests---even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at no more ways to sit.
1. According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?
A) Buses on the road.
B) Films on television.
C) Advertisements on the board.
D) Gas stations.
2. What is the purpose of this passage?
A) To give the writer’s opinion about long bus trips.
B) To persuade you to take a long bus trip.
C) To explain how bus trips and television shows differ.
D) To describe the billboards along the road.
3. the writer of this passage would probably favor
A) bus drivers who weren’t reckless
B) driving alone.
C) a television set on the bus.
D) no billboards along the road.
4. The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because
A) the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun.
B) they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between.
C) the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses.
D) both traveling and watching TV are not exciting.
5. The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are
A) exciting.
B) comfortable.
C) tiring.
D) boring
KEY: CADBA
PASSAGE 2
New Foods and the New World
?In the last 500 years, nothing about people---not their clothes, ideas, or languages---has changed as much as what they eat. The original chocolate drink was made form the seeds of the cocoa tree by South American Indians. The Spanish introduced it to the rest of the world during the 1500’s. And although it was very expensive, it quickly became fashionable. In London shops where chocolate drinks were served became important meeting places. Some still exist today.
The potato is also from the New World. Around 1600, the Spanish brought it from Peru to Europe, where it soon was widely grown. Ireland became so dependent on it that thousands of Irish people starved when the crop failed during the "Potato Famine" of 1845-6, and thousands more were forced to emigrate to America.
There are many other foods that have traveled from south America to the Old World. But some others went in the opposite direction. Brazil is now the world’s largest grower of coffee, and coffee is an important crop in Colombia and other South American countries. But it is native to Ethiopia. It was first made into a drink by Arabs during the 1400’s.
According to an Arabic legend, coffee was discovered when a goatherd named Kaldi noticed that his goats were attracted to the red berries on a coffee bush. He tried one and experienced the "wide-awake" feeling that one-third of the world’s population now starts the day with.
1. According to the passage, which of the following has changed the most in the last 500 years?
A) Food.
B) Chocolate.
C) Potato.
D) Coffee
2. "Some" in "Some still exist today" means
A) some cocoa trees.
B) some chocolate drinks.
C) some shops.
D) some South American Indians.
3. Thousands of Irish people starved during the "Potato Famine" because
A) they were so dependent on the potato that they refused to eat anything else.
B) they were forced to emigrate to America.
C) the weather conditions in Ireland were not suitable for growing the potato.
D) the potato harvest was bad.
4. Coffee originally came from
A) Brazil.
B) Colombia.
C) Ethiopia.
D) Arabia.
5. The Arabic legend is used to prove that
A) coffee was first discovered by Kaldi.
B) coffee was first discovered by Kaldi’s goats.
C) coffee was first discovered in south American countries.
D) coffee drinks were first made by Arabs.
KEY: ACDCD
PASSAGE 3
A Football Club
During the 1970 season, the club played 42 matches: of these, 34 were League and Cup games, and the remainder were friendly matches. In the League, the Club finished in third place, two points behind the champions. Out of 28 League games, 16 were won, 8 were drawn and 4 were lost, whilst the Club managed to reach the semi-final of the Challenge Cup for the first time in its history. Of the eight friendly matches, four were won, two were drawn, and two were lost, but these defeats were at the hands of visiting teams whose standards were generally much higher than those of players of this area.
At the same time, the standard of play shown by our own team was markedly superior to that seen in previous years, and this success is largely due to the intensive training programme which has been supervised by the team captain. In this connection, the provision of adequate training facilities must remain a priority, and the erection of an indoor gymnasium or hall in which the players can practise on wet evenings is essential. It would do much to supplement the outdoor training being carried on, and would help the Club in the recruitment of younger players.
There are now 28 players registered with the Club, and many more have asked to join but have been discouraged by the fact that the Club fields only one team. With the improvement in the financial position, concerning which the Treasurer will report in a minute. I suggest that the Committee consider entering a team in the Second Division of the League.
1. How many Cup matches did the Challenge Club play?
A) 34
B) 6
C) 8
D) 42
2. What reason does the speaker give for the Club’s improved playing record?
A) The provision of adequate training facilities.
B) The erection of an indoor gymnasium.
C) The intensive training under the team captain.
D) The low standards of the visiting teams.
3. In the second paragraph," this connection" refers to
A) an indoor gymnasium.
B) An indoor hall.
C) The team captain.
D) The intensive training programs.
4. The committee may enter a team in the Second Division of the League because of
A) its improved financial position.
B) Its better training facilities.
C) Its improved playing record.
D) Its ambition to become famous.
5. The tone of this report is
A) objective.
B) Unfriendly.
C) Pessimistic.
D) Critical.
KEY:BCDAA
PASSAGE 4
"Lemons" in Used Car Market
?Suppose that you, a college student of somewhat limited means, are in the market for a used pickup truck. The following ad in a local used car publication catches your eyes.
1993 Ford Ranger, bilk, 4WD, a/c
AM/FM/cass., showroom condition.
Call 555-1234 after 5 p.m
This is exactly the kind of vehicle you want, so you call to inquire about the price. The price you are quoted over the phone is $2,000 lower than the price for this model with this equipment listed in a used car guidebook. Instead of being ecstatic, however, you are suspicious.
For many products, when you must pay less than the going rate, you believe you are getting a great deal. This is not necessarily the case for used cars or other durable goods(washing machines and television sets, for example) because with expensive products-or, what is essentially the same thing, products with high replacement costs-you must be particularly careful about getting a "lemon." Or a product of substandard quality.
In addition to asking the price, the age of a car-or any other consumer durable-is a factor when you are trying to determine whether a seller is attempting to unload a lemon. While people have all sorts of reasons for wanting to sell their cars-even relatively new cars-most people hold off until they have put many thousands of miles on a car or until the used car is several years old. You would probably be as suspicious of a car that is "too new" as you would a car that is "too good " a deal. In fact, you are probably willing to pay a high price for a high-quality used car. While this price would certainly be acceptable to the seller, the competitive market might not facilitate such trades.
1. The beginning of this passage assumes that college students
A) are very clever but not very rich.
B) Are very capable but not very diligent.
C) Have limited material resources
D) Are not rich.
2. The passage indicated that, sometimes when you find a product of an unexpectedly low price.
A) You are very happy/
B) You are rather suspicious.
C) You are filled with happiness as well as surprise.
D) You feel uneasy.
3."Lemon" in this passage refers to
A) a kind of fruit.
B) A kind of new car.
C) A kind of expensive and high-quality car.
D) A product of inferior quality.
4.If you want to know if the seller is trying to unload a lemon, you
A) take the age of the car into consideration.
B) Take the price of the lemon into consideration
C) Consider how many miles the car has run.
D) Consider both the price as well as the age of the car.
5.It can be concluded from the passage that in the used car market,
A) used cars are generally cheap.
B) Used cars are generally expensive
C) Used cars are actually brand new
D) Car buyers are willing to pay a high price for a used car.
KEY：DBDDA
PASSAGE 5
The Greatest Show on Earth
?The Olympic Game’s are the greatest festival of sport in the world. Every four years, a hundred or more countries send their best sportsmen to compete for the highest honors in sport. As many as 6,000 people take part in over 20 sports. For the winners, there are gold medals and glory. But there is honor, too, for all who compete, win or lose. That is in spirit of the Olympics-to take part is what matters.
The Olympic Games always start in a bright color and action. The teams of all the nations parade in the opening ceremony and march round the track. The custom is for the Greek team to march in first. For it was in Greece that the Olympics began. The team of the country where the Games are being held- the host country-marches in last.
The runner with the Olympic torch then enters the stadium and lights the flame. A sportsman from the host country takes the Olympic oath on behalf of all the competitors. The judges and officials also take an oath. After the sportsman march out of the stadium, the host country puts on a wonderful display?
The competitions begin the next day. There are usually more than twenty sorts in the Games. The rule is that there must be at least fifteen. The main events are in track and field, but it is a few days before these sports start. Each day the competitors take part in a different sport-riding, shooting, swimming, and cross-country running. Points are gained for each event. Medals are awarded for the individual winners and for national teams.
More and more women are taking part in the games. They first competed in 1900, in tennis and golf, which are no longer held in the Olympics, Women’s swimming events were introduced in 1912. But it was not until 1928 that there were any track and field events for women. Now, they compete in all but half a-dozen of the sports. In horse riding, shooting, and boat racing, they may compete in the same events as the men.
1. why is there honor for the losers as well as for the winners?
A)Because failure is the mother of the success.
B)Because losers need encouragement, too.
A) Because he needed to present it with a council’s diploma.
B) Because he was concerned about its management
C) Because it was the only national park of its kind in Europe.
D) Because it was the only park which had ever received a diploma from the Council.
3. The last sentence in the second paragraph implies that
A) People should make every effort to create mere environment areas
B) People would go on protecting national parks
C) certain areas of countryside should be left intact
D) people would defend the right to develop the areas around national parks
4. In Dr Baum’s opinion, the view that a nature reserve should serve as a tourist attraction is
A) idealistic
B) revolutionary
C) short-sighted
D) traditional
5. Which of the following can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A) We have developed industry at the expense of countryside
B) We have forgotten what our original countryside looked like
C) People living on islands should protect natural resources for their survival
D) We should destroy all the built-up areas.
答案： DACCA
http://www.dameics.com/