Passage 6

　　1. Michael has been working hard and needs a holiday to relax in winter. He would go to a place where he can enjoy sports and dancing, and he especially likes swimming. In that case, Michael would most probably____.

　　A. go to the splendid hotel in Israel and spend two weeks there

　　B. go to visit five Italian cities starting from London

　　C. enjoy spending two weeks on the Caribbean island

　　D. enjoy himself by driving cars and riding bicycles along the seaside.

　　2. The most suitable holiday for Peter and Maria, who are university students, would be____ , as it’s cheap and sounds very interesting.

　　A. the summer holiday in Mallorca

　　B. the tours guided by Professor Martin Davis

　　C. the kibbutz holiday in Israel

　　D. the tours arranged near to town of Castries

　　3. An elderly couple Harry and Kate are very interested in cultures and histories of other countries but Kate hates flying. They would like____ , where they can spend 21 days visiting ancient cities.

　　A. a holiday by carriage in Italy B. a holiday working on a kibbutz in Israel

　　C. a holiday hotel on a lovely beach on the Caribbean island

　　D. a holiday apartment in the fishing port in Mallorca

　　4. Jack , and Mary, both teachers, and their two teenage sons, have to take their holiday during the school summer holidays. The best holiday for them would be one _____, which is quiet even in the busy summer season and where are plenty for boys.

　　A. on a co-operative farm in Israel

　　B. on a lovely beach on the Caribbean island

　　C. traveling by carriage around Italy

　　D. in a holiday apartment in the fishing port in Mallorca

　　5. The word “accommodations” in the third ad. most probably means ____.

　　A. holiday lodgings, or roams for visitors B. plane tickets

　　C. all the necessities that a visitor needs during his journey

　　D. the permits for travel in the country

　　答案与分析

　　本文是广告阅读。本文介绍了我们在度假中可以呆的几个地方，它们各具优势。

　　1. 细节题。C 从第4幅广告的Tennis, golf, sailing and water spore. Trips and tours around the island arranged. Near to town of Castries with lively entertainment — dancing to bands.得此答案。

　　2. 细节题。C 从第3幅广告的all provided free--you pay only for the special low-cost return flight 得此答案。

　　3. 细节题。A 从第2幅广告Luxury carriage tours of Italy以及See the arts and culture historic Italy得此答案。

　　4. D 细节题。从第1幅广告的quiet even in summer season可以得此答案。

　　5. A 词义理解题。联系后面的food and trips，我们知道accommodations是关于住。

　　Passage 7

　　One of the greatest advances in modern technology has been the invention of computers. They are already widely used in industry and in universities and the time may come when they will be used in all branches of learning. They can solve the most difficult mathematical problems or put thousands of unrelated facts in order. These machines can be put to varied uses. For example, they can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic accidents, or they can count the number of times the word “and” has been used in the Bible (圣经). Because they work well and at high speeds, they save research workers’ years of hand work. This whole process by which machines can be used to work for us has been called automation (自动化). In the future, automation may enable human beings to enjoy far more spare than they do today. The coming of automation is sure to have important social effect.

　　Some time ago an expert on automation, Sir Leon Bagrit, pointed out that it was a mistake to believe that these machines could “think ”. There is no possibility that human beings will be “controlled by machines”. Though computers are capable (能) of learning from their mistakes and improving on their performance, they need detailed instructions from human beings in order to be able to operate. they can never, as they were, lead independent lives, or “rule the world” by making decisions of their own.

　　Sir Leon said that in the future, computers would be developed, which would be small enough to carry in the pocket. Ordinary people would then be able to use them to get valuable information. Computers could be plugged (进入) into a national network and be used like radios. For example ,people going on holiday could be informed (告知) about weather conditions; car drivers could be given other routes when there are traffic. It will also be possible to make very small translating machines. This will enable people who do not share a common language to talk to each other without any difficulty or to read foreign publications. It is impossible to tell the importance of a machine of this sort ,for many international misunderstandings are caused simply through our failure to understand each other. Computers will also be used in hospitals. By providing a machine with a patient’s case a doctor will be able to tell the nature of his illness.

　　Machines could be used to keep a check on a patient’s health record and bring it up to date. Doctors will therefore have a great many facts which will help them in their work. Bookkeepers, too, could tear themselves out of dull work, for the task of compiling (编索引) and checking lists of figures could be done entirely by machines. Computers are the most efficient servants man has ever had and there is no limit to the way they can be used to improve our lives.

　　1. In explaining the function (功能) of computers, Sir Leon Bagrit was anxious to tell people that computers____.

　　A. can’t be depended on to work on their own

　　B. will cause fewer deaths when they are used in hospitals

　　C. can’t be used to do our thinking for us

　　D .will never learn to control themselves or to control us

　　2. The coming of automation will have an important social effect of____.

　　A. removing the need to use radios as a source of information

　　B. providing the poor with information they could not afford

　　C. changing the pattern of our daily lives by creating more spare time

　　D. giving people greater chances to improve themselves

　　3. In the future people who go on holiday abroad will be able to____.

　　A. plan their routes without maps and enjoy good weather

　　B. share a common language with any one they meet

　　C. talk to foreigners in their own language to avoid misunderstandings

　　D. read foreign newspapers even if they don’t know foreign languages

　　4. Why will computers be useful to doctors?

　　A. Because they will get them out of dull work.

　　B. Because they will provide them information which will help them in their work.

　　C. Because much of the work they have to do will be done entirely by machines.

　　D. Because they are up-to date.

　　答案与分析

　　本文是说明文。全文在讲述了计算机带给人们巨大的便利的同时，作者也提出了过去人们对计算机的能力的不切合实际的推断。

　　1. D细节推断题。从第二段There is ho possibility that human beings will be “controlled by machines” 推断Computers will never learn to control us; 从They can never, as they were, lead independent lives, or “rule the world” by making decisions of their own推理computers will never learn to control themselves, 因此D为最佳答案。

　　2. C细节题。从第一段最后两句In the future, automation may enable human beings to enjoy far more spare time than they do today. The coming of automation is sure to have important social effect得此答案。

　　3. D细节题。从第三段This will enable people who do not share a common language to talk to each other without any difficulty or to read foreign publications得此答案。B有一定干扰性，然而common language不合适。

　　4. B 细节题。从第三段最后一句By providing a machine with a patient’s case a doctor will be able to tell the name of his illness得此答案。

　　Passage 8

　　A higher reading rate, with no loss of comprehension, will help you in other subjects as well as in English, and the general principles apply to any language. Naturally, you will not read every book at the same speed .You would expect to read a newspaper, for example, much more rapidly than a physics or economics textbook─but you can raise your average reading speed over the whole range of materials you wish to cover so that the percentage (百分比) gained will be the same whatever kind of reading you are concerned with.

　　The reading passages which follow are all of an average level of difficulty for your stage of instruction. They are all about five hundred words long. They are about topics of general interest which do not require a great deal of specialized knowledge. Thus they fall between the kind of reading you might find in your textbooks and the much less demanding kind you will find in a newspaper or light novel. If you read this kind of English, with understanding at four hundred words per minute, you might skim (浏览) through a newspaper at perhaps 650- 700 ,while with a difficult textbook you might drop to two hundred or two hundred and fifty.

　　Perhaps you would like to know what reading speeds are common among native English-speaking university students and how those speeds can be improved. Tests in Minnesota, U .S.A., for example, have shown that students without special training can read English of average difficulty, for example, Tolstoy’s War and Peace in translation, at speeds of between 240 and 250 words per minute with about seventy percent comprehension. Students in Minnesota claim that after twelve half-hour lessons, once a week, the reading speed can be increased, with no loss of comprehension, to around five hundred words per minute.

　　1. Where do you think the passage is taken from?

　　A. A school newspaper run by students.

　　B. The introduction to a book on fast reading.

　　C. The introduction to an English-textbook.

　　D. A local newspaper for young people.

　　2. According to the passage, how fast can you expect to read after you have attended twelve half-hour lessons in the University of Minnesota ?

　　A. You can double your reading speed.

　　B. You can increase your reading speed by four times.

　　C. You can increase your reading speed by three times.

　　D. No real increase in reading speed can be achieved.

　　3. The average speed of untrained native speakers in the University of Minnesota is_____.

　　A. about sixty words per minute

　　B. about two hundred and forty-five words per minute

　　C. about five hundred words per minute

　　D. about three hundred words per minute

　　4. According to the passage, the purpose of effective reading with higher speed is most likely to help you _____.

　　A. not only in your language study but also in other subjects

　　B. improve your understanding of an economics textbook

　　C. choose the suitable materials to read

　　D. only in your reading of a physics textbook

　　答案与分析

　　本文是说明文。全文在讲述合理的快速阅读的重要性后，讲述了对于不同类型的文章，如何合理的快速阅读。

　　1. B推理判断题。全文在首句提出了A higher reading rate,..., 接下来文章提出阅读速度的重要性及方法，因此本文选自一本关于快速阅读的书的说明。

　　2. A 细节理解题。从最后一段Tests in Minnesota...,at speeds of between 240 and 250 words per minutes, 以及Students in Minnesota claim that after twelve half-hour lessons, once a week.. . to around five hundred words per minute我们可以推算出经过在the University of Minnesota学习，你的阅读速度可以提高一倍。

　　3. B细节题。从最后一段Tests in Minnesota, U.S .A. , for example,… at speeds of between 240 and 250 words per minute with about seventy percent comprehension得此答案。

　　4. A细节题。从第一段首句得此答案。

　　Passage 9

　　In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business, But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his yard. That was the first photograph.

　　The next important date in the history of photography was 1837.That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. In his pictures, you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.

　　Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s process. Travelers brought back daguerreotypes from all around the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.

　　In about 1840,the process was improved. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple .The photographers had to carry lots of films and processing equipment. But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States. After 1840s daguerreotype artists were popular in most cities. Mathew Brady was a well-known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The pictures were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality.

　　Brady was also the first person to take pictures of a war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and ruined cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible.

　　In the 1880s,new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy films ready-made in rolls. So they did not have to make the film themselves. Also, they did not have to process the film immediately. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later, meaning that they did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive.

　　With the small camera , anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favorite places. They called these pictures “snapshot”.

　　Photographs became very popular in newspapers in the 1890s. Soon magazines and books also used documentary photographs. These pictures showed true events and people. They were much more real than drawing.

　　Photography also turned into a form of art by the end of the 19th century. Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings ,like other art forms.

　　1. The passage is mainly about_____

　　A. the invention of cameras B. a kind of new art---photography

　　C. the development of photography

　　D. the important dates in the history of photography

　　2. The invention of small cameras made it possible for____

　　A .anyone to be a photographer B. people to use daguerreotypes

　　C. the rich to afford to take pictures

　　D. people to buy films ready-made in rolls

　　3. Photography can also be an art form because artists can____

　　A. take anything they like B. keep a record of real life

　　C. take photos of the famous D. show ideas and feelings in pictures

　　4. According to the passage ,which of the followings shows the correct order?

　　a. Photographs became popular in newspapers.

　　b. Photographers carried processing equipment while taking pictures.

　　c. The invention of small handheld cameras made photography easier.

　　d. Daguerre invented a kind of photograph called daguerreotype.

　　e. Brady took pictures of famous people.

　　A. e, a, d, b, c B. d, b, e, c, a C. b, e, c, a, d D. d, c, e, a, b

　　答案与分析

　　本文是记叙文。全文讲述了照相机漫长的发展历史。

　　1. C本题为主旨大意题。本文自1826年第一台相机讲起，一直讲到19世纪末的相机，全文讲述了相机的发展历程。因此可以说本文讲述了相机的发展历史。

　　2. A细节题。倒数第三段第一句为本答案。B有一定干扰性， 我们不要忘了这样一个事实，并非所有的照片都叫daguerreotype,只有1837年Daguerre 拍出的照片才叫这个名字。

　　3. D细节题。从最后一段Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings ,like other art forms. 得此答案。

　　4. B事件排序题。我们知道，1826年法国人Niepce发明了世界上的第一台照相机，因此d应排在第一位，这样便排除了A,C。从文章第三段我们得知，在1840年， 相机得到了极大的改进，然而，The photographers had to carry lots of films and processing equipment，而只有1880s以后，人们才发明了手提相机， 因此d应在c的前面。

　　Passage 10

　　Michael Faraday (1791--1867) was a great scientist who discovered many important things about electricity. He invented the dynamo (发电机) ,from which we still obtain electricity.

　　Faraday’s parents were very poor. His father was often ill. He could not afford to send his son, Michael, to school regularly. Sometimes he taught his son reading, writing and arithmetic at home. When Michael was ten years old, he started work as an errand (差使) boy for a kind-hearted bookseller. His employer, Mr Riebau ,had noticed a poor boy in torn clothes reading books on the stall (书摊) in front of his shop. He took pity on the boy and paid him eighty cents a week. Later on, he taught Michael how to bind (装订) books.

　　While he was working, Michael read many of the scientific papers which he had to bind into books. He went to public lectures by Sir Humphrey Davy, who invented a safety lamp for use in coalmines. Michael made notes for everything Davy said. Then he bound them into a book , together with fine illustrations (插图) of all Davy’s experiments. Michael took the book to Sir Humphrey’s house and wrote a letter applying for (申请) a job.

　　Davy agreed to interview Michael and was very surprised when a poorly dressed young man arrived. However, he gave him a job as his personal assistant. After this, Davy and Faraday traveled all over Europe, and Faraday met many leading scientists. He also helped Davy with his experiments.

　　Davy died in 1829, but Faraday continued his own experiments. He taught at London University and worked for the government and private firms. One of his greatest inventions was the dynamo. Faraday discovered that if a wire is moved near a powerful magnet (磁铁) , a current of electricity is produced. The magnet produces an electric current in the wire. Modern vehicles (交通工具) use a type of generator, and many bicycles have a dynamo which is turned by one of the wheels. Power from a bicycle or car engine is used to light lamps at the front and rear (后面). In a car, electricity from the generator can be stored in a battery. Then it can be used to provide light or power (to start the car and for other purpose.).Faraday made many important discoveries and inventions. He was married but he had no children of his own. However, he was a kind man and gave special lectures for young people every Christmas.

　　To keep his theory alive, these lectures are still given every year in London.

　　1. Michael Faraday was a great scientist who discovered many important things about electricity . He _____.

　　A. could probably carry out experiments in a library

　　B. was probably born in the twentieth century

　　C. probably never stayed in a dark room

　　D. was a son from a rich family

　　2. Faraday’s father was very poor and often ill but he taught his son reading, writing and arithmetic. His father _____.

　　A. was well educated B. probably had a hard life

　　C. used to be a good student at school

　　D. was proud of his son

　　3. Davy and Faraday traveled all over Europe, and Faraday met many leading scientists. This showed ____.

　　A. Faraday probably enjoyed working for Davy

　　B. Faraday probably improved his knowledge of science while he was working for Davy

　　C. Sir Humphrey Davy knew many important scientists and this also gave Faraday good chances to know much more about science

　　D. Faraday enjoyed himself much

　　4. If a wire is moved near a powerful magnet, a current of electricity is produced in the ____.

　　A. air B. magnet C. wire D. battery

　　答案与分析

　　本文是人物介绍，全文介绍了大发明家法拉第童年的生活。

　　1. A细节理解题。从Michael Faraday (1791--1867)看B不正确。 短文第二段介绍了法拉第的家庭情况，自此我们可以得出C，D 不正确。 第四段最后一句He (Faraday) also helped Davy with his experiment 及第五段第一句Davy died in 1829, but Faraday continued his own experiments我们可以得出A为正确答案。

　　2. B推理判断题。咋一看似乎A为正确答案，因为他教Faraday阅读、写作、数学。但是我们忽略了一个问题，当时Faraday仅仅是一个孩子， 因此他父亲教他的也只是基础的东西，因此well educated就不合适了。当时Faraday渴于求学，而他父亲只能在家里自己教他读、写、算，因此B为最佳答案。本题为推理题。

　　3. C 推理判断题。从文中我们知道Michael Faraday穿着破旧，默默无闻，因此他能够与这些著名的人物相见完全是Sir Humphrey Davy在里面帮忙，由此我们得此答案。

　　4. C细节题。从第五段The magnet produces an electric current in the wire得此答案。