Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren; correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.
It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her suffering in her later years. At eighty- five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.
Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.
After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.
“Whrr,” she said weakly. “Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whrr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly. Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could gather said, “ Not ...was. Say were!” We suddenly realized that Mom was correcting Brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”
Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads.
1.What do the underlined words “went steadily downhill” mean in the 2nd paragraph?
A. went lower and lower B. went worse and worse
C. went down the hill D. went downstairs
2.When Mom said, “Whrr”, what did she really want to do?
A. She wanted to tell her sons her will.
B. She wanted to have something to eat before she died.
C. She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.
D. She wanted to give her sons something before she died.
3.Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage?
A. Mom was a good teacher and never gave up her teaching.
B. Mom was always making her teaching fun.
C. Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.
D. Mom stopped teaching when she was at home.
4.What does the writer think of his mother?
A. He loved her but was tired of his mother’s teaching.
B. His mother should have forgotten her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.
C. His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.
D. His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle — named the Transition — has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. The Transition, which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air. It flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and burns 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.
Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit（定金） to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don’t expect it to show up in too many driveways. It’s expected to cost as much as $279,000. And it won’t help if you’re stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway.
Inventors have been trying to make flying cars since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry expert. But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already permitted the company to use special materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The Transition is now going through crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards.
Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (联邦航空管理局) decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft, which are lower than those for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a requirement pilots would find relatively easy to meet.
1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. The advantages of flying cars.
B. The basic data of the Transition.
C. The possible market for flying cars.
D. The designers of the Transition.
2.Why is the Transition unlikely to show up on too many roads?
A. It causes traffic jams. B. It is difficult to operate. C. It is very expensive. D. It burns too much fuel.
3.What is the government’s attitude to the development of the flying car?
A. The government supports it. B. The government is against it.
C. The government sets higher standards to discourage it D. The government thinks it is on the way out.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Flying Car at Auto Show B. The Transition’s First Flight
C. Pilots’ Dream Coming True D. Flying Car Closer to Reality
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
STA Travel, the world’s largest students and youth travel agency, beats any price! Every day we’re working with our partners around the globe to get you (students, teachers and anyone under 26) the cheapest and most comfortable flights and top-rated accommodations. This part of www.statravel.com provides great tips for green travel — how to pack, how to leave your house or apartment, and how to plan for your trips. You’ll also find a great selection of green travel adventure trips to all corners of the world.
Green travel means responsible (负责任的) travel! Leave as little influence as possible on the places you visit and protect the environment both at home and during your trip. Think “Green” when you pack and when you travel. You’ll help prevent long-term effects on the communities you leave and visit! Here’s some advice on how to do that.
Before you leave
◆ Turn your water heater to its lowest setting.
◆ Turn off your water from the outside.
While you travel
◆ Pack suitable clothes in your luggage, none of which is to harm the environment.
◆ Try products made from recycled materials.
◆ Don’t buy souvenirs produced from endangered species.
◆ Carry a reusable bottle for water and refill it as you go.
◆ Use the bathroom in the airport, NOT on the plane. The fuel used for a single flush (冲洗) could run a car for six miles.
1.Green travellers care most about .
A. flight B. accommodations C. nature D. prices
2.What are the readers advised to do before they go on a trip?
A. Learn about adventure travel. B. Pack as few things as possible. C. Examine the water quality. D. Examine the water supply.
3.Where can we most probably read the text?
A. On a travel website. B. In a travel magazine.
C. On an environmental website. D. In an environmental magazine.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
China is a country of many resources. Among its resources are many great rivers, which provide useful transport routes. Water transport is an efficient way to carry heavy loads, such as grain. In ancient times, a waterway was needed between China’s rich farmlands and the capital city. This need inspired engineers to build a canal. According to writings by the ancient thinker Confucius, work on a canal linking the Yangze River with the city of Huai-in began about 486 B.C. For many centuries afterward, Chinese emperors worked on extending this ancient canal.
This canal is now known as China’s Grand Canal. One thousand years after the original canal was begun, it was in extreme need of repair. This was in the year 607, during the Sui Dynasty. By 610 the emperor had had the canal extended. The Grand Canal formed a northeast-southwest link between the Yellow River in the north and the Huai River in the south. The canal remained the main waterway in this part of China for the next five hundred years.
In the thirteenth century, the Mongols had conquered China. The Yuan Dynasty established Beijing as the capital. The city’s growing population needed food, so a new canal was built to extend shipping. Building this part of the Grand Canal required enormous effort and cost. Neither the first attempt nor the second one was successful, so the builders chose another route. Finally this link in the Grand Canal was finished.
By the time of the Ming Dynasty, the Grand Canal had six sections. These were busy with goods until the nineteenth century. Then a series of severe floods struck China. Parts of the Grand Canal were badly damaged. By 1868 it had been largely abandoned as a means of northern route.
The Grand Canal was mostly restored in the twentieth century. It was widened and deepened, and a new section was constructed. Today the canal, which is about 1,200 miles in length, has new locks(运河的水闸). It is busy with ships and barges(驳船) carrying goods to and from cities along its banks.
1.The Grand Canal was first built in ancient times to provide .
A. water for agriculture.
B. water transport between farmlands and the capital.
C. efficient transportation for the emperor’s army.
D. a convenient way for the emperor’s recreation.
2.From the passage, one can conclude that ancient engineers who began the Grand Canal _.
A. worked with limited knowledge and skills.
B. were given a great deal of money for their achievement.
C. found a brilliant and lasting solution to their transportation problem.
D. were inspired by the ancient thinker Confucius.
3.The first large-scale(大规模的) repair of the original canal occurred in about .
A. 486 B.C. B. 607 A.D. C. the Yuan Dynasty D. the Ming Dynasty
4.Considering its history, one can predict that in the future the Grand Canal will probably .
A. be extended to further north China.
B. change from a shipping route to a recreation area.
C. need to be repaired and rebuilt.
D. be abandoned in favor of air transport and highways.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
People can unlock the shared bikes, _________are equipped with GPS and can be left anywhere in public, by simply _________their smart phones.
A. which; use B. which; using
C. of which; use D. of which; using
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
— The film is really touching, isn’t it?
— I saw most of the audience crying at the end.
A. It can’t be worse. B. Absolutely right.
C. Forget it. D. I couldn’t understand.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
With traffic becoming heavier and heavier, you in a traffic jam anywhere in the world.
A. will stuck B. can get stuck C. need get stuck D. may stuck
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
The accident happened at 17:30 local time when a three-vehicle collision occurred in northern region of Radinghem, five people died.
A. in which B. of which
C. in the accident D. and in which
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
— My ink has . Can you spare me some, please?
— Of course. Here you are.
A. used up B. got rid of C. given up D. run out
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Jane can’t attend the meeting at 3 o’clock this afternoon because she ______ a class at that time.
A. will teach B. would teach
C. has taught D. will be teaching
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In my opinion, there’s no greater happiness than of succeeding in one’s career.
A. one B. it
C. that D. those
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Everyone, whether rich or poor, is born so we are before the law.
A. equal; equal B. equal; equally C. equally; equally D. equally; equal
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Confucius is said in various government jobs in his early 20s, such as a bookkeeper and a caretaker of sheep and horses.
A. to work B. having worked C. working D. to have worked
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
The speaker, for her wonderful speeches, will deliver a lecture in our school next week.
A. to know B. being known C. known D. knowing
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
I spend as much time as I can both in and out of class English well.
A. practice; to speak B. to practice; speaking
C. practiced; speaking D. practicing; to speak
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
The reason she gave for being late was her car broke down on the way.
A. why; because B. for which; that C. that; that D. for which;because
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The underground is now a popular means of transport in Tianjin, with 5 lines still under construction.
A. /; / B. the; / C. the; the D. /; the
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
If metal is heated and then cooled very quickly, ,put in cold water, it will become very hard but will break easily.
A. if so B. to give an example
C. in other words D. in conclusion
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
A high-tech camera will be attached to your head and record everything you go through your trip.
A. to where B. wherever C. in which D. since
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Mr. Johnson, please give me a chance, I promise I’ll give you a wonderful surprise.
A. then B. or C. and D. when
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
They did come to listen to my lecture, but how much did they ? I don’t know for sure.
A. take away B. take out C. take back D. take in
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Please keep an eye on my belongings, including the book on AI. I will be back .
A. at no time B. in no time C. in a time D. at one time
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
No one can be sure in a million years.
A. what the city of future will look like B. what will the city of future look like
C. the city of future will look like what D. what look will the city of future like
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
— Has he passed the exam?
— He’s one of the top students in our class.
A. Definitely! B. No one knows for sure.
C. No way! D. Keep cool.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
How much will the man pay for the tickets?
A. £7.5. B. £15. C. £30.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Which is the right gate for the man’s flight?
A. Gate 16. B. Gate 25. C. Gate 22.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
How does the man feel about going to school by bike?
A. Delighted. B. Tired. C. Concerned.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
When can the woman get the computers?
A. On Tuesday. B. On Wednesday. C. On Thursday.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
What does the woman think of the shirt for the party?
A. The size is not large enough. B. The material is not good.
C. The color is not suitable.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What can we learn about Mr. Brown?
A. He is in his office. B. He is at a meeting. C. He is out for a meal.
2.What will the man probably do next?
A. Come again. B. Call later. C. Leave a message.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What kind of room does the man want to take?
A. A single room. B. A double room. C. A room for three.
2.What does the man need to put in the form?
A. Check and student card numbers. B. Student card number and address. C. Address and telephone number.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the relationship between the speakers?
A. Fellow clerks. B. Boss and secretary. C. Customer and salesperson.
2.What does Tom like most about his job?
A. Chances to go abroad. B. The pay is good. C. Nice people to work with.
3.What do we know about the woman?
A. She likes traveling.
B. She is new to the company.
C. She works in public relations.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.When will the visitors come?
A. In March. B. In April. C. In May.
2.How many visitors are coming?
A. 8. B. 10. C. 12.
3.What will the visitors do on the second day?
A. Go to party. B. Go sightseeing. C. Visit schools.
4.Where will the visitors go on the final day?
A. To London. B. To the coast. C. To Scotland.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the first word the baby tried to say?
A. Truck. B. OK. C. Plane.
2.How old was the baby when he learned to say that word correctly?
A. About 18 months. B. About 21 months. C. About 24 months.
3.What did the father do when the baby screamed that word at the airport?
A. He corrected the baby.
B. He tried to stop the baby.
C. He did himself somewhere.
4.Why did the mother pretend not to know the baby?
A. She was concerned about the father. B. She was frightened by the noise.
C. She felt embarrassed about the noisy baby.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I run a hotel in London. My knowledge on volcano is from my son’s science textbook, which says “volcanic ash is formed during explosive volcanic eruptions when dissolved gases escape __ into the atmosphere”. During the days with the terrible ash cloud which spread Europe from Iceland in May, 2010, I was __ to a London radio station called LBC. People called in ___ their stories of trouble. Some had missed __ for holidays, and some couldn’t get home following the volcanic eruption.
The story that most __ me was a call from Peter, who had just gotten __ the previous weekend to Maz. They had planned to __ their honeymoon to the Dominican Republic but could not __ the ash cloud. When James O’Brien, the radio presenter, asked if he was unhappy, Peter said: “Not at all. I’ve married the __ girl in the world whom I love, so…no…
I’m not __ at all.” Both the presenter and I were so impressed by the beautiful __ .
A little later, after receiving many cancellations(取消预订), an idea __ to me and I called LBC. I spoke to the producer of the show and asked if she could keep __ with Peter to offer him and his wife a room for the weekend at my hotel __ . She later __ to say Peter and Maz were delighted and would love to take up the __ . The producer asked if I would like to __ offer it to them on the radio show, but I said no as I didn’t want it __ to the public.
So, two days later, Peter and Maz arrived at the hotel and __ . I was so pleased to have made a bad situation better for a young couple. Nobody could ever imagine how __ I was of myself.
1.A. violently B. slightly C. slowly D. urgently
2.A. relating B. listening C. connecting D. going
3.A. telling B. promising C. inventing D. persuading
4.A. buses B. taxis C. trains D. flights
5.A. amused B. struck C. satisfied D. disappointed
6.A. married B. away C. home D. abroad
7.A. get around B. pick up C. leave for D. turn to
8.A. instead of B. except for C. in terms of D. because of
9.A. greatest B. loveliest C. poorest D. healthiest
10.A. upset B. regretted C. frightened D. embarrassed
11.A. question B. solution C. answer D. attitude
12.A. struck B. happened C. occurred D. appeared
13.A. in need B. in danger C. in trouble D. in touch
14.A. for free B. for sale C. for charge D. for recreation
15.A. made effort B. called back C. held back D. found out
16.A. offer B. money C. reward D. space
17.A. regularly B. shortly C. frequently D. formally
18.A. provided B. known C. separated D. limited
19.A. checked in B. got around C. moved in D. settled down
20.A. glad B. happy C. content D. proud
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
What kind of house will you buy in the future? Would you like to live in a house where your plants can call your phone to tell you that they need to be watered? Or a house that helps you cut your energy bill by turning off the lights when you leave a room? It may sound like science fiction, but it already exists! Come and visit the Smart Home at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. It will show how you can live a green lifestyle by making use of advanced technology throughout the home that makes your life easier and simpler.
The Smart Home uses green technology to record the energy it uses, including electricity, water and gas. The house’s energy dashboard (仪表盘) lets you know your energy use through your television and computer. The house greets you with the new information when you walk in the door. It is able to record when you enter and leave rooms, and can switch the lights, television and music off .
The Smart Home is made entirely of recyclable and renewable materials. The furniture is made from used light bulbs, plastic bottles and other renewable materials, but you can’t tell from just looking at them. The kitchen countertops (工作台面) are made of recycled glass.
The entire house is designed to control the use of energy. The roof of the Smart Home has a sustainable vegetable garden, which does little harm to nature. Even the personal computer is green: it uses less power than a 60-watt light bulb. The house can raise and lower the window shades by itself.
1.What is the text mainly about? (no more than 8 words)
________________________________________
2.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)
________________________________________
3.What is the Smart Home made of? (no more than 10 words)
________________________________________
4.What does the unlined word “sustainable” mean in the last paragraph? (no more than 3 words)
________________________________________
5.What do you think of the Smart Home? Explain your reason. (no more than 25 words.)
________________________________________
难度: 简单查看答案及解析