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大学英语复习备考题库
练习一
1. This heroic deed _____ him his life.
2. I am _____ of money at the moment. Could you lend me some?
3. Raising the temperature of blood flowing to the brain causes _____ feelings.
4. Although the weather was very bad, the buses still ran on _____.
5. It"s the third time your brother late this week.
6. The general ordered that the prisoners of war be put to _____ immediately.
7. Effective measures should be taken to _____ factories from going bankrupt.
8. I haven"t got anything to do, so I go with you.
9. Who is going to _____ the telephone ?
10. Anne _____ the news to everybody.
11. I don’t mind how hot it is, but I can’t _____ the cold.
12.Be quiet！It’s rude to _____ people when they are speaking.
13. Experts advise that more attention be given to _____ of wild life.
14. The car was repaired but not quite to the owner’s _____.
15. His office is on the third _____ of the building.
16. It was a minor illness, and she soon _____ it.
17. Jack is the _____ holder of the world 5000-meter race world record, but there is no guarantee that he will win the first place in the coming Olympic Games.
18. We must _____ a solid foundation for the development of our heavy industry.
19. They have asked us to _____ in the negotiations.
20. You can never _____ that fellow for help at a critical moment.
21. I heard that he _______ great progress in his research since we last parted.
22. He’d rather die than _______ to his enemy.
23.”May I speak to John?” “Sorry. He ______ to the store.”
24. He decided _______ her a call soon after he got into town.
25. Why do you want a new job ______ you"ve got a good one already?
26. I was watching TV while my son _______ computer games.
27. I ______ him an e-mail as I wanted to know when he ______ to visit us.
28. We started out early in order that we _______ there in time.
29. Was it until 1990s _______ the old man finally got a house of his own?
30._______ English well, you have to use the language as much as possible.
31. It is necessary that the younger generation _______ more about the real world.
32. Sally has failed again. I think she ______ harder.
33._______ by the doctor that the old man give up smoking.
34._______ from them sooner, I would have been able to take time off from work when they were here.
35. I ______ you some money, but I hadn"t any on me then.
练习二
1. They came here informed us _____ their decision.
2. He asked us if we would _____ to share a room.
3. Last night’s strong wind nearly took the roof _____.
4. Breakfast is _____ in the dining room from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
5. If we _____ the plan you suggest, we are more likely to be successful.
6. The manager offered $3,000 _____ to anyone who could solve the problem of water pollution.
7. The man over there is an easy-_____ person.
8. If you can’t fix the machine before 3 p.m., I’ll _____ your job.
9. _____, what he said at the meeting is true except that a few figures he quoted are not very reliable
.
10. The prince _____ in love with the country girl at first sight.
11. I telephoned the station to make _____ of the time of the train.
12. We had a long meeting yesterday. It _____ four hours.
13. I looked at the window for three minutes, and then the light_____.
14. It"s hot today. The temperature to 35℃.
15. turn green in spring.
16. The story was so touching that I could hardly _____ my tears.
17. When the teacher _____ the room, all the pupils stood up.
18. We must take _____ to help the poor.
19. When you take all the circumstances into _____, you may come to the conclusion he has not done badly.
20. Mr. Brown has a strong _____ of duty.
21.When she was little, she ____ a few dialects (方言), but now she____ most of them.
22. How much _________ the meat ________?
23. As citizens of China, we _______ do our best for the 2008 Olympics.
24. Why do you worry so much ______ your health? I think you are all right.
25. About of the workers in that steelworks are young people.
26. Is the Changjiang River river in the world?
27. I bought _______ DVD of that popular movie from _______ big store.
28. wants the book may have it.
29. Marry _______ for her notebook everywhere. Have you seen it?
30. I spoke loudly _______ everyone in the hall hear my words.
31. Our English teacher demanded that we _______ to English broadcast every day.
32. We were angry to hear the news _______ some children were kept as slaves in small coal mines.
33. Don"t you think it any good _______ in public places?
34. Charles insisted that we _______ everything we could to make sure of Lucy"s happiness.
35. _______ a teacher, one must be a pupil first.
练习三
1. I would gladly lend you the money, but I really ______.
2. The ______ from the forest fire could be seen ten miles away.
3. To some _______, Mary still does not understand that workplace completely. But she herself does want to admit that.
4. This mountain has many high ______ and deep valleys.
5. A modern radio telescope was set ______ on the top of that mountain.
6. As it ______, the elderly lady she quarreled with was none other than her future mother-in-law.
7. do you write to your brother?
8. The bus had to ______ because the traffic light had turned red.
9. A meeting of the society will be ______ at six o"clock on Tuesday evening.
10. The professor last week will give us a report this Saturday afternoon.
11. He felt ______ of what he had done in school.
12. Let"s talk all this over again we make a final decision.
13. ______ does Mr. Robinson go to New York on business?
14. I wish I you yesterday.
15. is not very easy.
16. Whether he comes or not matter too much.
17. My name is Robert, most of my friends call me Bob for short.
18._______ what has been said, it is unlikely that population growth rate will slow down, either in developed or in developing countries.
19. We must take ______ to help the poor.
20. She leaned ______ the wall while she was speaking to her friend.
21._______ Mount Tai is nice. But ______ Yellow Mountain is more beautiful.
22. The bridge _______ after that severe flood.
23. himself an ideal job.
24. Over two _______ died during the heat wave that summer.
25. In ______ recent years, Niagara Falls have come to be appreciated more for their natural beauty as _______ wonder of nature.
26. The old couple live _______, but they don’t feel _______.
27. Where will you when you arrive there?
28. The cruel slave owner made the slaves _______ long hours without food and rest.
29. The police _______ looking carefully in the woods to find the missing child.
30. It is reported that the new model of the car _______ produced soon.
31. Look, the moon is appearing _______ the clouds!
32. In the dark street, there wasn’t a single person _______ she could turn for help.
33. She as well as you _______ very lucky to get the ticket to see the play.
34. She always tells the truth. The manager in her.
35. We are to learn that he lost the game.
练习四
1. We took ______ of the fine weather and spent the dawn on the beach.
2. If you five to eight, you get thirteen.
3. The task has been completed; we to leave tomorrow morning.
4. Because the company was doing more business, it was necessary to ______ the factory.
5. How long does it ______ to travel from Leeds to London?
6. Things are going from bad to ______.
7. The glass fell and was broken into ______.
8. My only purpose was to get shelter ______ the snow, to get myself covered and warm.
9. Owing to the storm, the flight was ______ for one and a half hours.
10.I want to learn more about the American political system, but I don’t know where to get the ___
11. The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also ______ a large number of social customs.
12. He would win the race if he ______ his brother’s example and trained harder.
13. ______ there is no opposition, we shall hold the symposium here.
14. He said the government would do its best to ______ the problem of unemployment.
15. Water, when boiled, always ______ steam.
16. How can we finish the work in the ______ of any other helpers?
17. Two of the boys while playing football.
18. The ______ of the sugar is of course to sweeten the medicine.
19. We should try our best to make possible.
20. “Would you like some wine?”“Yes. Just .”
21. You had a good time yesterday, ?
22. it is done on purpose is beyond doubt.
23. I’d love to join you _______ I have to drive my son to his football game.
24. It is not easy _______ a language but he can speak a few of the foreign languages.
25. Because the man"s gift was too expensive, the girl to accept it.
26. We must not to know when we do not know.
27. He asked me to do the work. I am afraid, , that I am not able to do it.
28. I knew his wife was very with him about his drinking.
29. It is necessary that she _______ spoken English now and then.
30.” _______ you like to join us for a chat?” “ I _______ love to but I’m very busy now.”
31. I shall speak in simple words that there may be no .
32. What is the reason for _______ on time?
33. I need one more stamp before my collection ________.
34. After his mother bought him an ice cream, the little boy became a little .
35. In fact the man did not understand the three questions were asked in French.
Reading Comprehension
1
When Mrs. Joseph Groeger died recently in Vienna, Austria, people asked the question, “Why did she live to be 107?” Answers were provided by a survey conducted among 148 Viennese men and women who had reached the age of 100. Somewhat surprising was the fact that the majority had lived most of their lives in cities. In spite of the city’s image as an unhealthy place, city living often provides benefits that country living can lack. One factor seems to be important to the longevity of those interviewed.
This factor is exercise. In the cities it is often faster to walk short distances than to wait for a bus. Even taking public transportation often requires some walking. Smaller apartment houses have no elevators, and so people must climb stairs. City people can usually walk to local supermarkets. Since parking spaces are hard to find, there is often no alternative to walking.
On the other hand, those who live in the country and suburbs do not have to walk every day. In fact, the opposite is often true. To go to school, work, or almost anywhere else, they must ride in cars.
1. The Vienna survey may help to explain .
2. The purpose of the second paragraph is to list some .
3. To reach the third floor of a building, it would probably be most healthful .
4. People who live in the country probably do more driving than walking because .
5. A conclusion that can be drawn from this passage is that .
2
If we were asked exactly what we were doing a year ago, we should probably have to say that we could not remember. But if we had kept a book and had written in it an account of what we did each day, we should be able to give an answer to the question.
It is the same in history. Many things have been forgotten because we do not have any written account of them. Sometimes men did keep a record of the most important happenings in their country, but often it was destroyed by fire or in a war. Sometimes there was never any written record at all because the people of that time and place did not know how to write. For example, we know a good deal about the people who lived in China 4,000 years ago, because they could write and leave written records for those who lived after them. But we know almost nothing about the people who lived even 200 years ago in central Africa, because they had not learned to write.
Sometimes, of course, even if the people cannot write, they may know something of the past. They have heard about it from older people, and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings, and these have been sung and acted and told for many generations. For most people are proud to tell what their fathers did in the past. This we may call ‘remembered history’. Some of it has now been written down. It is not so exact or so valuable to us as written history is, because words are much more easily changed when used again and again in speech than when copied in writing. But where there are no written records, such spoken stories are often very helpful.
1. Which of the following ideas is Not suggested in the passage?
2. We know very little about the central Africa 200 years ago because
3. “Remembered history” refers to .
B. stories of important happenings passed down from mouth to mouth
C. songs and danced about the most important events
4. “Remembered history” is regarded as valuable only when .
5. The passage suggests that we could have learned much more about our past than we do now if the ancient people had .
3
For any Englishman, there can never be any discussion as to who is the world’s greatest dramatist. Only one name can possibly suggest itself to him: that of William Shakespeare. Every Englishman has some knowledge, however slight, of the work of our greatest writer. All of us use words, phrases and quotations from Shakespeare’s writings that have become part of the common property of the English-speaking people. Most of the time we are probably unaware of the source of the words we used, rather like the old lady who was taken to see a performance of Hamlet and complained that it was full of well- known proverbs and quotations.
Shakespeare, more perhaps than any other writer, makes full use of the great resources of the English language. Most of us use about five thousand words in our normal use of English; Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand.
There is probably no better way for a foreigner to appreciate the richness and variety of the English language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare used it. Such a study is well worth the effort (it is not, of course, recommended to beginners) even though some aspects of English usage, and the meaning of many words, have changed since Shakespeare’s day.
1. English people .
2. Every Englishman knows .
3. Which of the following is true?
4. What does the word “proverb ” mean?
5. Why is it worthwhile to study the various ways in which Shakespeare used English?
4
To the Editor: I have been reading your newspaper, the Hometown Gazette, for the past two years, ever since I moved to Smithville. We moved here from New York City, so I am accustomed to reading excellent newspapers such as The New York Times. In fact, we still have the Times delivered on Sundays. The entire family enjoys reading the recipes in the magazine, as well as the Styles section. The Times is great, but the Gazette is another story. I"ve never read an article that doesn"t contain at least three or four spelling or grammatical errors. For instance, in last week"s issue, you misspelled the word "secretary," used a singular verb with a plural noun, and used "it"s" as a possessive. And that was just in the leading story! In case you never went to elementary school, "it"s" means "it is." It"s not a possessive adjective! It"s a pity that this tiny little hick town has only one newspaper, because I"d like to have an alternative to the rag you publish. I find it hard to believe your news stories. If you can"t spell correctly, how can you get your facts right? I"ve been meaning to get this off my chest for some time. Please cancel my subscription. And buy yourself a dictionary. Sincerely, Jane Z. Jones
1. Which phrase from the passage shows the writer"s bias（偏见）? 2. The author"s tone in this passage can best be described as________.
3. Which statement from the passage is a fact? 4. Which statement is an example of an invalid argument?
5. Which of the following statements in the passage is unrelated to the writer"s argument? 5
Thomas Alva Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might still be a dark place. However, the electric light was not his only invention. He also invented the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and over 1,200 other things. About every two weeks he created something new.
Thomas A. Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 11, 1847. His family moved to Port Huron, Michigan, when he was seven years old. Surprisingly, he attended school for only two months. His mother, a former teacher, taught him a few things, but Thomas was mostly self-educated. His natural curiosity led him to start experimenting at a young age with electrical and mechanical things at home.
When he was 12 years old, he got his first job. He became a newsboy on a train that ran between Port Huron and Detroit. He set up a laboratory in a baggage car of the train so that he could continue his experiments in his spare time. Unfortunately, his first work experience did not end well. Thomas was fired when he accidentally set fire to the floor of the baggage car.
Thomas then worked for five years as a telegraph operator, but he continued to spend much of his time on the job conducting experiments. He got his first patent in 1868 for a vote recorder run by electricity. However, the vote recorder was not a success. In 1870, he sold another invention, a stock-ticker, for $40,000. A stock-ticker is a machine that automatically prints stock prices on a tape. He was then able to build his first shop in Newark, New Jersey.
Thomas Edison was totally deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, but thought of his deafness as a blessing in many ways. It kept conversations short, so that he could have more time for work. He called himself a "two-shift man" because he worked 16 out of every 24 hours. Sometimes he worked so intensely that his wife had to remind him to sleep and eat.
Thomas Edison died at the age of 84 on October 18, 1931, at his estate in West Orange, New Jersey. He left numerous inventions that improved the quality of life all over the world.
1. Thomas Edison did things in this order:
2. Edison considered his deafness________.
3. Of all the inventions, __________ was probably the most important for civilization.
4. The main idea of this passage is that _______.
5. Thomas Edison died in ______.
6
Christine Evert Lloyd is an American tennis champion and one of the top women players in the world. She is noted for her strong backhand and her intense concentration during a match.
Christine Marie Evert was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She learned to play tennis from her father. Because she learned to play on the slow clay tennis courts which are common in southern Florida, Evert is at her best on slow courts.
In 1971, at the age of sixteen, Evert became the youngest player to reach the semifinals of the United States Open Tennis Championship. This was her first time to participate in the U. S. Open. In 1972, she turned professional and was able to accept money and other prizes for winning matches.
In 1974, she won the women"s singles title in two major tournaments. These titles were at Wimbledon, the British Championship, and the French Open, which is played on clay. Later she won the U. S. and Australian Opens, the two other major tennis Championships.
Evert set an impressive record of wins on clay courts. From August 1973 to May 1979, a period of almost six years, Evert beat 125 opponents. Her unbelievable record will be remembered for a very long time in the sports world.
In 1979, Evert married English tennis player John Lloyd.
1. Wimbledon is the site of____.
2. A tennis competition between two people is called a tennis ____.
3. At her first U. S. Open, Evert was a ____.
4. How many major tennis championships are there mentioned in the passage?
5. The underlined word slow probably means ______.
7
Language is a way to communicate with each other. We started to learn language when we were born. However, people are used to speaking their native language, so immigrants are having many problems between the first generation and the second generation because they don"t have the same native language. Also, the second generation is losing their identity. Especially in America, there are many immigrants that came from different countries to succeed in the States. Because they suffer in lots of areas such as getting a job and trying to speak English, they want their children to speak English, not only at school, but also at home in order to be more successful. Because of this situation, their children are losing their ethnic identity and, even more, they are ignoring their parents whose English is not very good.
For example, my aunt, who has been living in Chicago for fifteen years, has three children and they were all born in the States. The eighteen year old daughter speaks English as a native language and she speaks Korean very well too. She has no problems talking with her parents, but she still doesn"t understand Korean jokes, and there are sometimes misunderstandings. The second daughter is fourteen years old, and she doesn"t want to speak Korean. My aunt often gets upset with her because she is very Americanized and they cannot understand each other. Even when my aunt punishes her, this daughter does not understand what my aunt is talking about. I felt sympathy for my aunt whenever my fourteen year old cousin said, "Mom, what is your problem?" The third child is a twelve year old son. He speaks English to his parents and my aunt speaks Korean to him as she does to the second daughter. He also has a problem communicating with his parents. My aunt is trying to teach him to speak both languages very well, but it is very hard for him because he speaks English all day and does not understand why he should learn to speak Korean.
1.What do you think this article will be about?
2. Which of these statements is NOT true according to the first paragraph of the article?
3. Which of the following is NOT true about the 18 year old daughter?
4. Which is NOT a reason that the 14 year old sister has problems with her mother?
5. To whom does the mother speak Korean?
8
Dear Assemblywoman（女议员） Weiner: I think the state assembly should pass a law prohibiting people from letting their cats run free. As a member of the assembly, you can introduce any bill you wish. There are three important reasons why you should propose this one: 1. When cats run free, they lurk（潜伏） under bird feeders and kill defenseless songbirds. Every time I put up a bird feeder, I find at least one dead bird in my yard. I"m sure all those birds were killed by cats. And cats don"t even eat the birds they kill. Songbirds belong in our parks and gardens, but cats don"t. Dogs never kill poor little birds. 2. Cats are always using my garden as a litter box. This is not only disgusting but also highly unsanitary. Children can"t play in the garden when cats have been there. Dogs are usually kept on leashes, so they can"t soil private property. Cats spread diseases when they use a garden as a litter box, so I think this should be stopped. 3. Finally, letting cats run free is not even good for the cats. Sure, most cats want to go outside. Their owners like to give them everything they want, just like spoiled children. But cats that stay indoors live much longer than cats that run free. Cats are always getting hit by cars when they"re allowed to run free. I"m sure that if you think about all the things I"ve said, you will work to pass a law prohibiting cats from running free. This will improve our environment, make our parks and gardens cleaner, and even help the cats themselves by making them live longer. Thank you for your attention to my request. And did I mention that I really love dogs? I don"t know why anyone would want a cat in the first place. Sincerely, Eve Harringford 1.The writer"s purpose in writing this letter is to ______.
2. Which sentence in paragraph 1 of the list is an invalid argument? 3. Which statement from the passage is a fact? 4. The author"s tone in this letter can best be described as _______.5. The underlined word “litter box “ probably means _____. 9
Books which give instructions on how to do things are very popular in the United States today. Thousands of books like this begin with titles that start with the words "how to". Many of "how to" books give advice on careers. They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed in it. If you fail, however, you can buy a book called How to Turn Failure into Success. If you would like to become very rich, you can buy the book How to Make a Million. If you never make any money at all, you need a book called How to Live on Nothing.
One of the most popular types of books is one that helps you with personal problems. If you are unhappy with your life, you can read How to love Every Minute of Your Life. If you are tired of books on happiness, you may prefer a book called How to Make Yourself Sad. Many of these books help people use their free time better. Some people want books which will give them useful information about sports, hobbies and travel. Other people use their free time to make repairs and improvements on their homes. They like books which give step-by-step instructions on how to repair things like electrical wiring, or how to redecorate or enlarge a house.
Why have "how to" books become so popular? Probably because life has become so popular or probably because life has become so complex. Today people have far more free time to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve. "How to" books help people deal with modern life.
1. When one wants to change his job from one type to another, he probably needs to read_______.
2. When one is unhappy with his life, he probably needs to read ______.
3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in this passage?
4. Why have "how to" books become so popular?
5. This passage makes you think that ______.
10
The water level of oceans rises and falls alternately twice a day. This movement of water is called tide. Tides are caused by the pull of the sun and the moon on the earth"s surface; since the moon is closer, it affects the tides more than the sun. When the moon is directly overhead, it actually pulls on the water that is below it. This causes the water level to rise because the water is pulled away from the earth. As the moon disappears over the horizon, the pull lessens and the water level settles back towards the ocean bottom.
When the water reaches its highest level, we have high tide. And when the water comes to its lowest level, we have low tide. From its lowest point, the water rises gradually for about six hours until it reaches high tide. Then it begins to fall continuously for about six hours until it reaches low tide. Then the cycle begins again.
1. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?
2. The pull of the moon on the earth"s surface is stronger than that of the sun because ______
3. Water level reaches its low point when _______.
4. High tide occurs _______.
5. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
11
February 14th is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is a day for romance and love. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, including Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
You see a lot of romantic symbols on Valentine’s Day. For example, many couples give each other roses. To give someone flowers at any time of year is romantic, and as roses are a symbol of romance, roses on Valentine’s Day are especially popular.
Another symbol of romance that is seen frequently on Valentine’s Day is Cupid（丘比特）. In Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. Cupid was often shown as a smaller, more playful version of his mother. His golden arrows were magical and even slight contact with one of the arrow tips could make a person fall madly in love.
One understanding of romantic love --- called courtly love --- dates back to medieval times, and sending cards on Valentine’s Day dates back equally far. In 1415, a prisoner in the Tower of London sent a poem to his wife. This is considered to be one of the earliest recorded valentines. For over four hundred years, people made their own valentines by writing poems like this.
In the Victorian era, in the mid-1800s, companies started producing valentines for people to buy. Now many people buy, rather than make, their valentines. Almost one billion valentines are sent every year. According to the Greeting Card Association, 85% of the valentines are bought by women.
Of course, people don’t just buy cards. People buy candles and balloons and many other things, often in the shape of a heart. You can find boxes of candy that are shaped like hearts, or candy that is itself in the shape of a heart!
The presents might be something small and sweet or something big and dramatic. Some people get engaged (promise to marry each other) on Valentine’s Day. Although Valentine’s Day is generally romantic, many people like to use the day to celebrate any kind of love --- including love of friends and family.
Some schools have valentine parties. The students give each other valentines. They eat heart-shaped candy. Some schools have other valentine celebrations, such as dances.
1. Valentine’s Day is a _______ day.
2. Why is Cupid associated with Valentine’s Day?
3. Some symbols of Valentine’s Day are _______.
4. What do many people do on Valentine’s Day?
5. According to the article, where do we get the idea of courtly love?
12
Everybody may have seen the film "Death on the Nile", but nobody can imagine that the writer of the story, Agatha Christie, saved a baby in a most unusual way.
In June, 1997, a baby girl became seriously ill in Deleville. Doctors there were unable to find out the cause of her illness, so she was sent to a famous hospital in London, where there were many excellent doctors. The baby was so seriously ill that a team of doctors hurried to examine her without any delay. The doctors, too, were puzzled by the baby"s illness, and they also became discouraged. Just then a nurse was asked to speak to them.
"I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning," said the nurse. "A few days ago, I read a story " A Pale Horse" written by Agatha Christie. Someone uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are written in the book. They are exactly the same as the baby"s.”
"You"re very good at observing things," said a doctor, "and you may be right. We"ll carry out some tests and find out whether the cause is thallium poisoning or not."
The tests proved that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium. Once they knew the cause, the doctors were able to give her correct treatment. The baby soon got well and was sent back to Deleville. A week later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide used in Deleville.
1. The baby was sent to a hospital in London because ______.
2. The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby"s illness was _____ _.
3. From this passage it seems that the baby"s illness had something to do with___
4. As far as we can tell from the story, Agatha Christie ______
5. Thallium might be _______.
13
An elephant can carry a load of 1200 pounds. They eat 300 pounds of food a day. An elephant baby can weigh 200 pounds at birth. Elephants can live up to 70 years. Elephants can be trained to carry logs with their trunks, and have been used in the forestry industry in Asia for many years. Elephants also use their trunks for drinking water, bathing, and eating and communicating.
Recently it was discovered that elephants can communicate over a distance of several miles using infrasonic sounds inaudible to humans.
Elephants use their ears as a cooling system. Blood flows through veins in the ears and as the elephant flaps his ears, the blood cools and flows through his body to cool off other parts.
Elephant feet are large and round. They distribute the large animal"s weight effectively. In the past, elephants were killed and their feet were made into umbrella stands and small tables for tourists. Now elephants are protected by special laws.
There are two kinds of elephants: the African elephant and the Indian elephant. African elephants can be identified by the larger ears. The African elephant grows up to 10 feet tall and weighs as much as 12,000 pounds. The Indian elephant grows up to 9 feet tall, and weighs up to 8000 pounds. It"s easier to identify because of its smaller ears. Most circus elephants are Indian elephants. Another name for the Indian elephant is the Asian elephant.
Unfortunately, there is a growing conflict between elephants and humans as more of the elephants" habitat is developed. Elephants can destroy the crops of an entire village in a single night, and this also causes conflict. At the moment, there are about 600,000 elephants remaining in Africa.
The greatest threat to elephants is the ivory trade. Most commercial ivory comes from elephant"s tusks. From 1979 to 1989 was a bad time for African elephants. About 70,000 wild elephants were killed for ivory each year. In 1989 an international treaty limited the trade in ivory, decreasing the number of elephants killed, but elephants are still being killed for ivory. Please don"t ever buy anything made from ivory! Don"t even buy anything that looks like ivory!
1. How much does a baby elephant weigh at birth?
2. Hunters made umbrella holders out of _______.
3. An Indian Elephant has _____ than the African Elephant.
4. What part of an elephant"s body is used to cool the elephant?
5. What animal is the most dangerous to an elephant?
14
.What a beautiful day!
The sun is shining and everything looks bright. Stand in the sun. Can you feel the heat of the sun? The sun that gives the heat is very far away. It is hard to believe that the sun is about one hundred and fifty million kilometers away. If a plane flew day and night without stopping, it would take nearly 18 years to get to the sun.
The sun doesn"t seem very big to us, but it"s really very huge. One million balls as big as our earth could fit inside the sun. The sun looks small because it is so far away.
Our earth is cool enough to live on because the hot sun is so far away. If the sun were much nearer, our earth would be too hot to live on. If there were no sun, the earth would be so cold that nothing could live on it. Aren"t we lucky to be just about the right distance away from the sun?
The earth circles the sun. It takes one year for the earth to go completely around the sun. And at the same time it is going around the sun, the earth itself is spinning around. The earth spins around once every 24 hours. In the morning the sun seems to rise in the east. As the day goes on, the sun seems to travel across the sky. In the evening the sun seems to set in the west and then it is night. Almost every part of the earth turns from day to night during every 24 hours.
The sun gives us light. It keeps us warm. It makes things grow. Plants, animals and people need the sun. The sun makes our earth beautiful. We could not live without the sun.
1. It"s a beautiful day because _____.
2. The sun is far away so _____.
3. Our earth is cool enough for us to live on because ____.
4. We have days and nights because _____.
5. It takes the earth _____ to go around the sun.
15
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the king"s baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames. That was the beginning.
By eight o"clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul"s and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among them was the new St. Paul"s.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.
1. The fire began in ____.
2. It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ____.
3. Why did the writer mention Samuel Pepys?
4. How was the fire put out according to the text?
5. The best title for the passage is ______.
16
Robert was born in a small town in Britain. His father has a farm and can supply him enough money to finish university where he"s studying law. The young man studies hard and hopes to be a famous lawyer.
Last Monday his term was over. Robert said to his father on the telephone that he was going to travel in a small country during his summer holiday. His father agreed to his plan and posted some money to him. So he started four days ago. His plane landed on the only airport of the country safely. He took a taxi and got to a hotel in the center of the capital. He felt hungry and tired. So he had a dinner and then a good sleep. This morning he was all right and was going to visit some places of interest. He met an English visitor while he was having breakfast and the man told him to be careful of thieves.
Robert thanked the man and left. But he thought he was smart and strong and decided to have a try. He brought out a piece of paper and wrote on it. "A pig has stolen my wallet!" Then he put the note into his empty wallet. After that he put the wallet into a pocket and set off. He did all carefully and hoped to find out who would steal it.
"Everything went well." Robert said to himself after he had returned to the hotel. He brought out his wallet and put his money into it again. He had a look at the note. To his surprise, it was rewritten. It said, "Your uncle has touched your wallet!"
1. Robert went to the small country to _____.
2. The English visitor thought _____.
3. Robert brought his money out of his wallet because ___.
4. Robert put the note in the wallet because _____.
5. As soon as Robert returned to the hotel, he didn"t think___.
Cloze
1
When I was growing up, I was embarrassed (尴尬的) to be seen with my father. He was severely disabled and very___1___, and when we would walk together, his hand on my arm for___2___, people would stare. I would inwardly feel uncomfortable at the unwanted___3___.If he ever noticed or was bothered, he never___4___that he knew.
It was__5___to coordinate (cooperate ) our steps --- his hesitant, mine impatient --- and because of that, we didn’t___6___much as we went along. But as we started out, he always said, "You set the___7___.I will try to follow you."
Our usual walk was to or from the subway, which was__8___he got to work. He went to work despite illness and nasty weather. He almost never missed a day and would___9___it to the office even if others could not. A matter of___10___, he never talked about himself as an object of pity, nor did he show any envy of the more fortunate or___11___. What he looked for___12___others was a "good heart", and if he found one, the___13___was good enough for him.
Now that I am older, I believe that his idea is a proper___24___by which to judge people, even though I___15___don’t know exactly what a "good heart" is.___ 16___I know the times I don’t have one myself.
He has been gone many years now, but I think of him often. I wonder if he___17___I was unwilling to be seen with him during our___18___. Now that I am older, I’m sorry that I never told him how sorry I was for my feeling___19___to be with him in public and how unworthy I felt to be his daughter. I think of him when I complain about trifles (something unimportant ), when I am envious of another’s good fortune, and when I don’t possess a "good heart".
At such times I put my hand on his arm to___20___my balance, and say, "You set the pace. I will try to follow you."
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.15. 16. 17. 18. 19.
20.
2
Most people think of shark (鲨鱼) as huge, powerful, frightening predators (掠食动物), ready at any moment _1_ their sharp teeth to attack swimmers. There is a lot of _2_ about sharks.
First, there are about 350 species of sharks, and _3_ of them are large. They range in _4_ from the dwarf shark, which can be only six inches long and can be held in the hand, _5_ the whale shark, which can be more than 5 feet long.
The second _6_ of shark concerns its terrible teeth whose _7_ and type can vary greatly among the _8_ species of shark. A shark can have from one to seven sets of teeth at the same time, and some types of shark _9_ have several hundred teeth in each jaw. It is _10_ that the cruel and predatory species do have extremely _11_ teeth used to tear and cut their victim _12_, many other types of shark, however, have teeth more suitable to _13_ than to cutting.
_14_, not all sharks are predatory animals ready to strike out _15_ humans. In fact, only 12 of the 350 species of shark _16_ to attack humans, and a shark _17_ attacks humans unless is made angry. The types of shark that have the worst _18_ with humans are the tiger shark, the bull shark, and the great white shark. _19_, for most species of shark, even some of the largest types, there are _20_ known instances of attacks on humans.
1． 2． 3． 4． 5． 6．
7.8．9． 10． 11． 12．
13． 14． 15． 16 17．
18． 19． 20．
3
In only two decades Asian-Americans have become the fastest-growing US minority. As their children began _1_ through the nation"s schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was emerging. Their _2_ are reflected in the nation"s best universities, _3_ mathematics, science and engineering departments have _4_ a decidedly Asian character. (This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact _5_ Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U.S. _6_ a solid grounding in mathematics but _7_ or no knowledge of English.) They are _8_ influenced by the 9_ of a good job after college. Asians feel there will be less _10_ treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they _11_ more immediate in _12_ like engineering than with an arts degree.
Most Asian-American students owe their success _13_ the influence of parents who are determined that their children _14_ full advantage of what the American educational system has to _15_. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents _16_, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian-Americans because of fears that they feed a _17_ racial image. Many can still _18_ when Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social isolation. _19_, it was not until 1952 _20_ laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11.12.
13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.19.
20.
4
An interesting theory in economics is demonstrated by the Head Man of a small mountain tribe. It seems that this tribe was good at making straw mats that had great sales possibility in the 1 market. The representative of an American company 2 to visit the tribe and 3 to make a good business deal. He 4 to the Head Man and 5 that his company would like to 6 several thousand mats. Undoubtedly, he said, the business 7 would be profitable to the 8 . After some thought, the Head Man 9 , but announced that the price per 10 would be higher on such a 11 order than it would be if 12 a small order were placed. The representative was 13 than a little shocked 14 the business sense of the Head Man 15 insisted that the price should be 16 because of the large volume，and 17 not higher.
“No,” replied the head of the tribe 18 . “But why not?” asked the American. “Because 19 is so tiresome to make the 20 article over and over,” answered the Head Man.
1、 2、 3、4、 5、 6、 7、
8、 9、10、 11、 12、 13、 14、
15 16、 17、 18、
19、 20、
Writing
(1) 假如你是李华。得知你的一位朋友病了，写封信去安慰他。
(2) 假设你是张辉勇。给你父母写封信，谈谈你在学校学习和生活的情况。
(3) 假设你是李华。得知你的朋友Tom要来中国旅游，写封信表示欢迎并提出有关在中 国旅游的建议。
(4) 假设你是李华，一个英语学习者。写封信给张老师，谈谈你在英语学习中的困难并希望能得到他的帮助和指点。
