Passage 1Up，Up，and Away！An adventurer who became the first person to fly across the English Channel on a cluster of balloons has launched a house into the sky just like in the hit movie Up-in reparation for a more ambitious journey and a new record．Fearless Trappe，from North Carolina，stepped into the cartoon themed home before flying above the Leon International Balloon Festival in Mexico more than a week ago．The 38-year-old Trappe was using the event as a warm-up for his planned trans-Atlantic flight scheduled for next summer．He aims to complete the 2，500-mile journey in a seven-foot lifeboat carried by 365 huge helium balloons．The brave man is learning to sail a lifeboat，in case he needs to ditch into the ocean during the danger-filled adventure．He sill fly at between 18，000 feet and 25，000 feet，beating his previous world altitude record of 21，600 feet，and must fly uninterrupted a distance ten times longer than his previous world record of 230 miles in order to succeed．The adventurer Trappe，who holds records for crossing the Alps，flying the most cluster balloons，and the longest distance，has spent his entire career，building up to this ambitious plan．“I didn’t wake up one day and think：‘I’ going to fly across the Atlantic，’”he said．“Every attempt before this was prepared for this fight，I’ve been training for a long time”．1．The adventurer flew across the English Channel to__________．A．test the balloons B．launch a houseC．shoot a hit movie D．prepare for breaking a record2．To finish the journey，he will fly a distance of__________．A．2500 miles B．18，000 feet C．25，000 feet D．230 miles3．About the ambitious journey，which is NOT mentioned in the passage?A．When he will fly B．How high he sill flyC．How far he will fly D．How long it will take him4．How many world records does Jonathan hold?A．Two B．Three C．Four D．Five5．What does he last paragraph imply?A．Trappe can’t sleep worrying about the adventureB．Trappe was born to set world recordsC．Trappe always keeps his ambition in mindD．Trappe never thought of crossing the Atlantic beforePassage 2Every day we go to school and listen to the teacher，and the teacher will ask us some questions．Sometimes，the classmates will ask your opinions of the work of the class．When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics，remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying．You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat with friends---you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent，waiting to hear what you have to say．You must speak so that they can hear you---loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout or appearing to force yourself．Remember，too，that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you．The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease but the situation is somewhat different from that of a ordinaryconversation．You must take special care that you can be heard．1．When you speak to the class，you should speak ______．A．as slowly as possible B．in a low voice C．loudly D．forcefully 2．Usually，when you speak to the class，the class is _______．A．noisy B．quiet C．having a rest D．serious3 The situation in the class is ______ that in your house．A．not very different from B．sometimes the same asC．sometimes not the same as D．not the same as4．If you are having a conversation with an official，the most important thing for you is ______．A．to show your ability B．to be very gentleC．to make sure that you can be heard D．to put the official at ease5．The main idea of this passage is ______．A．that we should talk in different ways in different situationsB．that we must speak loudlyC．that we must keep silent at any timeD．that we must talk with the classPassage 3About 21，000 young people in 17 American states do not attend classes in school buildings．Instead，they receive their elementary and high school education by working at home on computers．The Center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyberschools．” and that is about twice as many as two years ago．The money for students to attend a cyberschool comes from the governments of the stateswhere they live．Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools．They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well．Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed．These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools．They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school．Whatever the judgement of cyberschools，they are getting more and more popular．For example，a new cyberschool called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall．It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen．Children get free equipment for their online education．This includes a computer，a printer，books and technical services．Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary．Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another．But 56 such students who finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time．They were guests of honor at their graduation．1．What do we know from the text about students of a cyberschool？A．They have to take long bus rides to school．B．They study at home rather than in classrooms．C．They receive money from traditional public schools．D．They do well in traditional school programs．2．What is a problem with cyberschools？A．Their equipment costs a lot of money．B．They get little support from the state government．C．It is hard to know students' progress in learning．D．The students find it hard to make friends．3．Cyberschools are getting popular became _______．A．they are less expensive for studentsB．their students can work at their own speedC．their graduates are more successful in societyD．they serve students in a wider age range4．We can infer that the author of the text is _______．A．unprejudiced in his description of cyberschoolsB．excited about the future of cyberschoolsC．doubtful about the quality of cyberschooisD．disappointed at the development of cyberschoolsPassage 4South Africa hosted the fifth BRICS Summit in March 2013，which completed the first cycle of BRICS summits，BRICS is an acronym for the powerful grouping of the world's leading up-and-coming economies，namely Brazil，Russia，India，China and South Africa．The BRICS aims to achieve peace，security，development and cooperation．It also seeks to contribute to the development of humanity and build a more stable and fairer world．The industry leaders from the business communities of the five countries agreed that the BRICS countries will actively support industrialization on the African continent in order to contribute significantly to its development and to expand trade links between Africa andBRICS．The global economic situation，though improving，continues to remain uncertain with the Euro-crisis a major concern．The task ahead is to build on these developments and BRICS countries remain committed to the cause of promoting sustainable growth．Greater economic cooperation among BRICS countries can be significantly important，which will prove beneficial for global economic growth．According to Dr．Rob Davies，South African Minister of Trade and Industry，the African continent is recognized as the second fastest growing continent after Asia．There are four drivers of the economic growth in African continent．These are the boom in mineral products in the African continent，the development of the service industries，the benefit of not having the financial crisis，and infrastructure(基础设施）development．Davies also adds that other BRICS countries have advantage of large populations providing big home markets for their products．The South African population is small compared to other BRICS countries，but if you add up numbers on continent then you have a critical mass that can support the new industrial wave in Africa：That is why the South African needs to create large trading blocks across large parts of African continent．1．“BRICS” refers to______．A．the most active economy group in today’s worldB． the most powerful economies in western worldC． leading countries with fast development of humanityD． the most stable and secure countries in the world2．From the text we know that industrialization in Africa will______．A．give financial supports to all African countriesB create trade opportunities for both Africa and BRICSC make significant development in the powerful groupsD．expand sustainable economic cooperation in different continents3．The author believes greater cooperation among BRICS will______，A．promote global economic growth B．bring more challengesC．narrow the gap of development D．solve Europe’s economic crisis4．Which of the following is the driver of the economic growth in Africa？______．A． The development of business industryB． Protective exploration in mineral productsC． The recovery of the infrastructureD． The benefits of having no financial crisisPassage 5What makes a person a scientist？Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others？The answer is “no”．It isn't the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools which makes him a scientist．You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter．You will probably agree，too，that knowing how to investigate，how to discover information，is important to everyone．The scientist，however，goes one step further；he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer he gets to many questions is into a large set of ideas about how the world works．The scientist's knowledge must be exact．There's no room for half right or right just half the time．He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit．What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times．If the conditions are different，any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the changes in the conditions．This is one reason why investigations are important in science．Albert Einstein，who developed the Theory of Relativity，arrived at this theory through mathematics．The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigation．Einstein's ideas were proved to be correct．A scientist uses many tools for measurements．Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations．1．What makes a scientist according to the passage？A．The tools he uses．B．His ways of learning．C．The way he uses his tools．D．The various tools he uses．2．“…knowing how to investigate，how to discover information，is important to everyone．”The writer says this to show_______．A．the importance of informationB．the difference between scientists and ordinary peopleC．the importance of thinkingD．the difference between carpenters and ordinary people3．A sound scientific theory should be one that_______．A．works under one set of conditions at one time and also works under the same conditions at other timesB．leaves no room for improvementC．doesn't allow any change even under different conditionsD．can be used for many purposes4．What is the main idea of the passage？A．Scientists are different from ordinary people．B．The Theory of Relativity．C．Exactness is the core of science．D．Exactness and way of using tools are the keys to making of a scientist．Passage 6A lot of us lose life’s tough battles by starting a frontal attack—when a touch of humor might well enable us to win．Consider the case of a young friend of mine，who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum about being late on the job．Although there was a good reason for Sam’s a being late—serious illness at home—he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn’t work any longer．His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech．Yes，the boss was．Sam entered the office at 9：35．The place was as quiet as a locker room；everyone was hard at work．Sam’s supervisor came up to him．Suddenly，Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand．“How do you do！” he said．“I’m Sam Maynard．I’m applying for a job，which，I understand，became available just 35 minutes ago．Does the early bird get the worm？”The room exploded in laughter．The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office．Sam Maynard had saved his job—with the only tool that could win，a laugh．Humor is a most effective，yet frequently neglected，means of handling the difficult situations in our lives．It can be used for patching up differences，apologizing，saying “no”，criticizing，getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face．For some jobs，it’s the only tool that can succeed．It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel．For example，many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum．1．Why was Sam late for his job？A．Because he was ill．B．Because he got up late．C．Because he was caught in a traffic jam．D．He was busy applying for a new job．2．The main idea of this passage is ________．A．Sam Maynard saved his job with humorB．humor is important in our livesC．early bird gets the wormD．humor can solve racial discriminations3．The phrase “clamped off” in Paragraph 3 means ________．A．tried to hold back B．tried to set C．charged D．gave out 4．Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage？A．Many lose life’s battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor．B．It wasn’t the first time that Sam came late for his work．C．Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8：30．D．Humor is the most effective way of solving problems．Passage 7BEIJING，March 9—The central government will require an additional three years of use for official vehicles for ministers and governors to reduce the costs of purchasing new cars，media have reported．The new rule has been applied among all Party and government departments nationwide，theBeijing News reported on Tuesday．The new rule has not yet been made public，said Li，a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee．Under the old rules，the cars used by minister-level officials could be replaced as often as every five years，Li said．These officials will also keep the same cars when they assume new posts，he added．The new rule also reiterated that officials ranking below minister-or-governor-levels should not be allocated cars．The cars possessed by their departments should be used on demand．“It violates the rules for lower-ranking—even county-level-officials to be allocated cars，” Li said．Purchases of vehicles for official use have been heavily investigated，as they account for a large expenditure of public funds every year．A survey on the Web news www．ifeng．com found 64 percent of respondents believed the new rule will be difficult to carry out because it is related to offi cials’ interests．“Local government departments had halted approvals for requests for such vehicles and had started to work on new quotas under the new rules，” Li said．“The future reform of official vehicle use will introduce market mechanisms and monetization．”Premier Wen Jiabao said in the annual government work report on Saturday that expenditures on such vehicles will not increase in 2011 compared with a year ago．Beijing’s standing deputy mayor Ji Lin last week said the municipal government will relea se the number of vehicles for official use in the capital as early as at the end of this month．Earlier this month，the Minister of Finance had published a rule regulating the budgets for such vehicles．1．What is the purpose of the new rule allocating vehicles among officials？A．To promote a low-carbon lifestyle．B．To cut down the present huge expenditures of purchasing cars．C．To make good use of budgets for official cars．D．To solve the problem of severe traffic jam．2．How often could the cars used by minister-level officials be replaced according to the new rule？A．Every 3 years．B．Every 5 years．C．Every 8 years．D．Every 10 years．3．What about the officials ranking below minister-or-governor levels in terms of official vehicles？A．They can still possess special cars．B．They can use their own private cars．C．They can use cars whenever officially necessary．D．They can be allocated second-hand cars．4．What is the public’s attitude toward the new rule’s fulfillment？A．Uncertain．B．Optimistic．C．Indifferent．D．Passive5．From the passage，we can infer that_________．A．the government is determined to carry out the new ruleB．the new rule has not yet been made publicC．the new rule will benefit official’s interestD．the new rule is applied to minister-level officialsPassage 8Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States，yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies．As she once said to herself：" I would never sit back in a rocking chair，waiting for someone to help me．" No one could have hada more productive old age．She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State，one of five boys and five girls．At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until，at twenty-seven，she married Thomas Moses，the hired hand of one of her employers．They farmed most of their lives，first in Virginia and then in New York State，at Eagle Bridge．She had ten children，of whom five survived；her husband died in 1927．Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery pictures as a hobby，but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time．Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted．Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art，and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York．Between the 1930's and her death，she produced some 2，000 pictures：detailed and lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long，with a wonderful sense of color and form．"I think really hard till I think of something really pretty，and then I paint it" she said．1．According to the passage，Grandma Moses began to paint because she wanted to________．A．make herself beautiful B．keep activeC．earn more money D．become famous2．Grandma Moses spent most of her life________．A．nursing B．painting C．embroidering D．farming3．The underline d word “portrayals ”means________．A．descriptions B．expressions C．explanations D．impressions4．From Grandma Moses' description of herself in the first paragraph，it can be inferred that shewas________．A．independent B．pretty C．rich D．nervous5．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage？A．Grandma Moses：Her Life and Pictures．B．The Children of Grandma Moses．C．Grandma Moses：Her Best Exhibition．D．Grandma Moses and Other Older Artists．Passage 9Scientists say they now have proof to support the old­fashioned advice that it’s best to sleep on a problem．They say sleep strengthens the memory and helps the brain organize the masses of information we receive each day．The lead researcher Bob Stickgold at Harvard Medical School said，“Sleep helps us draw rules from our experiences．It’s like knowing the difference between dogs and cats even if it’s hard to explain．”The US research team studied how well students remembered connections between words and symbols，reports New Scientist．They compared how the students performed if they had had a sleep between seeing the words and having the test，and if they had not slept．They found that people were better able to remember lists of related words after a night’s sleep than after the same time spent awake during the day．They also found it easier to remember themes that the words had in common．But they forgot around one in four more themes if they had been awake．Prof．John Groeger，University of Surrey’s Sleep Research Centre，said，“People have been trying for years to find out what the purpose of sleep is，as we know that only certain parts of ithave a restorative value．”“We form and store huge numbers of experiences in the head every day，and sleep seems to be the way the brain deals with them all．”1．The phrase “to sleep on a problem” in Paragraph 1 most likely means “________”．A．to pay full attention to a problemB．to wait until the next day for a decisionC．to sleep to forget a problemD．to have difficulty in sleeping2．In the study by the US research team，students were asked to________．A．put together words of similar meaningsB．remember words and their meaningsC．show their knowledge of wordsD．make up lists of related words3．Which of the following may be easier to remember？A．Themes learned right before the test．B．Rules from personal experiences．C．Words learned before a good sleep．D．Ideas stored together in the brain．4．What may be the importance of the research？A．It shows that sleep may help us manage information．B．It helps find out the common themes of words．C．It tells us that more sleep can improve health．D．It proves the value of old-fashioned advice．Passage 10It’s 5：00 in the morning when the alarm rings in my ears．I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom．I turn on the light and put on my glasses．The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully．Usually I go for a long run，but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD insanity．Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes．My heart races as I face my body to finish each movement．As I near the end of the exercise，I feel extremely tired，but a smile is of my face．It’s a smile because the DVD is over，but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit．Some people enjoy shopping，smoking，food，work，or even chocolate．But I need exercise to get through each day．Some shake heads when they see me run through the town．Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother’s chocolate ca ke．They raise their eyebrows，surprised by my “no thank you，” or by my choice to have a salad．Over the years，I have learned it’s okay to just say “no．” I shouldn’t feel sorry for refusing food that I don’t want to eat．So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5：00 a．m．？What gives me the reason to just say to ice cream？Commitment．A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety，increases self–confidence and energy，extends life and above all improves my body shape．This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right．It’s through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out．1．Why is there a smile on the author’s face i n the morning？A．Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully．B．Because she finishes her favorite exerciseC．Because she enjoys the interesting DVDD．Because she feels a sense of achievement2．Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2？A．She doesn’t like others r politelyB．She likes to make others surprisedC．Others don’t understand what she does．D．Others try to help her by offering her food3．What does the underlined word “commitment” in the last paragraph mean？A．Good health B．Firm beliefC．A strong power D．A regular half4．What can we learn about the author from the text？A．She acts in a strange wayB．She wants to look different from othersC．She aims to develop a good body shapeD．She has difficult getting along with othersPassage 11“Drink your milk．It’s good for you！” You’ve probably heard that many times，and it’s true．Milk contains calcium，which is necessary for keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong．The US government even requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program，saying that students should drink one cup of fat-free or low-fat milk every meal．However，a group of doctors asked the government to take it away from the lunch program．The US ‘Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says，“Milk is high in sugar，fat and animal protein，” all of which have negative effects on health．The PCRM says there are better and healthier ways to get calcium such as eating beans，broccoli，cereals and tofu．Orange juice and soymilk that have calcium added to them also supply the nutrient．“One of the only reasons people prefer milk is because it is going to help build strong bones，” says Dr Neal Barnard，president of the PCRM．But milk may not be the best way to get calcium your body needs．Of course，calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth，but there are other things that affect your bone strength，such as genes，how much vitamin D you take in，and getting an hour’s worth of exercise every day．Some people disagree with t he idea that milk isn’t important．Keri Gans，an American Dietitian，says “I don’t think it’s irresponsible to take this beverage that children enjoy it very much，especially among those who are unable to meet their nutrient needs for the day，and remove it from the lunch line．”The U．S government is now considering the request of the PCRM，but a decision may be a long way off．Meanwhile，Marion Nestle，a professor puts it best：“Milk certainly has nutrients．Other food has the same nutrients．It’s just food．As with other food，too much might be a problem．”1．The U．S．government requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program ．A．as a result of the request of the PCRMB．because milk is the best way to get calciumC．as drinking milk is good for bones and teethD．because milk is known to be fat-free or low-fat2．The PCRM proposed that milk be removed from the lunch program because ．A．American children are taking in too much calcium and suffering itB．drinking milk is not the best way to get the calcium your body needsC．drinking milk has more negative effects than positive ones on healthD．new researches prove that milk is not high in calcium as beans or tofu3．The underlined word “beverage” in the 4th paragraph probably means “”．A．food B．game C．plan D．drink 4．According to the author，．A．milk should be removed from the lunch programB．it is irresponsible to take milk out of the lunch lineC．it is up to the children to decide what to do with the milkD．it will take a long time for the government to makes a final decisionPassage 12Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101．Mr．John Evans had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest Fach，near Swansea．But，when British Rail offered him an all-expenses-paid birthday trip to the capital he just could not refuse．He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit，favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole．“It’s very exciting．There’s no doubt ab out it，” he said．Until yesterday he had never been far from home，except for one trip to Aberdeen．“But I’ve。