B. books without an ending will go on being produced C. the making of some books has no ending D. making books has nothing to do with an end
2. It is no good hoping to read all these books because _______.
A. there are too many books to read B. reading some of the books is not good to us C. reading these books takes up too much time D. a little learning is a dangerous thing
3. We can read only a few of the books in the world ________.
A. if we do not try reading books in some new way B. because we are often not in the right habit of reading C. even if we try hard to read few of them
D. no matter how hard we may try to read all of them
4. We must be careful in making up our minds about what we’ll read, for ________.
A. bad books are as good as books worth reading B. there are some bad books worth reading
C. there are too many bad books as well as books worth reading D. we should read only the good books not the bad ones 5. We may read good novels but _________.
A. we should read them thoroughly and critically B. we should read the most serious books C. our reading should be most serious D. we should read first of all serious books
Passage 15
You can use our Business Telecard International at any card phone in the United Kingdom. Here is some information about making international phone calls. You can now phone almost any country in the world, although in some cases you can only call big cities. When you cannot
make direct dialing calls, you can ask the international operator to help you.
This is more expensive and takes more time, but it may be helpful. If you want to speak to a particular person, in this case you should ask for a “person-to-person” call. Even more expensive is a receives charge (对方付款) call, where the person who receives the call pays.
If the international line is busy, you can reserve a call to explain the number you want and the
operator will call you back when the line is free.
You can save money by calling outside office hours, for example, early in the morning, late at night and on Sundays. Remember that the time may be different in the country you are calling. International time is based on GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). London is on GMT and Moscow, for example, is 3 hours ahead.
There is one problem: change to DST (Daylight Saving Time) for the summer. In the UK, clocks are put for ward one hour in spring and put back in autumn, and so London is actually one hour ahead of GMT in the summer. 1. What is the most expensive type of call?
A. Direct dialing call. B. Calling through the operator. C. Reverse charge call.
D. Calling outside office hours.
2. What can you do if the international line is busy?
A. Ask the operator to call you later. B. Make a “person-to-person” call . C. Call back outside office hours.
D. Wait and call again when the line is free . 3. When is it cheaper to make an international call?
A. 10 a. m. B. 5 p. m. C. 11 p. m.
D. 8 a. m. 4. How many hours is Moscow ahead of London during the summer?
A. One.
B. Two.
C. Three.
D. Four.
5. If you want to use Business Telecard International, you have to _____.
A. use a card phone
B. phone on Sunday C. make a direct dialing call
D. pay extra
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Passage 16
The BBC was founded in 1922, including radio and television services. It is based at Broadcasting House in London.
The BBC is controlled by some governors chosen by the government, but these people have freedom and the government can’t interfere (干扰). That is, the BBC is supposed not to be the mouthpiece ( 代言人) of the government. It has to be as fair as possible in giving radio and television time to, for example, political parties and religious (宗教) groups .
There is a kind of interesting service in British — rental services. Many people prefer to rent their television sets instead of buying them.
The rent for a black and white set is about 80 pence a week (1980). The rent of a color set is more than twice that of a black and white set. If the sets go wrong, people can have them repaired free of charge or replaced immediately .
Everyone has to buy a yearly license, since there is no advertising on BBC radio or television. It is from the sale of licenses that the BBC gets most of its money. A license for a black and white set costs 8 pounds, and for a color set 18 pounds a year.
There are four specialized radio channels, which broadcast different kinds of programmes. Radio 1 is mainly pop music. Radio 2 deals with light music, sports and other programmes. Radio 3 broadcasts serious music, talks on serious subjects etc. News broadcasts are mainly given by Radio 4.
There are special programmes for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and certain parts of England.
It also broadcasts programmes about Britain — in many different languages as well as in English to all parts of the world .
1. The officials in charge of the BBC ________.
A. must say what the government wants to say
B. should give more time to political parties than to religious groups C. are elected by the citizens from all over the country
D. can decide things without the permission of the government
2. If he wants to watch TV at home, everyone __________.
A. has to buy a television set of his own B. must rent a TV set
C. has to buy a license once a year
D. can change his damaged TV set for a new one without payment 3. How does BBC get most of its money?
A. It gets money from all kinds of advertisements. B. The BBC depends on the rent of TV sets.
C. The BBC gets money mainly by selling licenses and TV sets. D. It gets its money mainly by selling licenses. 4. Which of the following is true?
A. If you rent a television and there is something wrong with it, you should pay to fix it with your own money.
B. It costs more to rent a color TV set than a black and white one. C. You can listen to classical (古典的) music from Radio 1. D. You needn’t buy the license if you pay the rent on time. 5. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The BBC radio services include 4 radio channels.
B. The BBC broadcasts to foreign countries only in English. C. The programmes of the four radio channels are not the same.
D. The BBC special programmes are not only for foreign countries but also for different areas in its own country.
Passage 17
Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a Frenchman. At his time sports were not taught in French schools. De Coubertin believed that sports should go hand in hand with studies. He had an idea. His idea was to begin the Olympics all over again.
Sports teachers of other countries liked De Coubertin’s ideas. So in 1896, the modern
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Olympics Games were held in Athens, Greece. Since then the Olympic have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars.
The modern games have many foot races and field sports programmes. The longest race in the games is called marathon.
Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch ( 火炬) through many nations towards the stadium where the games will be held. These sports men are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner. When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin.
The Olympic flame (火焰) burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace. 1. Before 1896 French schools didn’t teach_______.
A. maths
B. history
C. sports
D. physics
2. De Coubertin ________.
A. was the first man to start the Olympic Games B. helped start the modern Olympic Games C. believed that sports were less important than studies D. failed to begin the modern Olympic Games
3. According to this passage, the third modern Olympic Games should have been held in.
A. 1915
B. 1924 C. 1896
D. 1904
4. “Marathon” in this passage is __________.
A. a foot race
B. a jumping contest (比赛) C. field sports
D. a boxing (拳击) match
5. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The Olympic Games don’t begin until the basin of oil catches fire. B. The torch is carried from runner to runner through many countries. C. Runners who carry the torch can be men or women.
D. After the start of the Olympics, the Olympic flame is put out.
Passage 18
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on February 9 it would award its highest honors to Arthur Ashe, the tennis star and hu m an rights fighter who died on February 6 of AIDS . He was 49. The award, called the Olympic Order, is awarded to sportsmen and others for service to the Olympics and its principles (原则).
Ashe never participated in the Olympics, but IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch said: “I think he was really a thorough Olympian .” Ashe is the first black man to win Wimbledon and the only black to win the Australian and US open titles.
Last April 8, he announced he had AIDS, which he got from a blood transfusion during a heart operation in 1983. Ashe often worked for racial equality in and out of sports. He said the happiest moment of his life was not winning Wimbledon, but when Nelson Mandela — South Africa’s antiapartheid ( 反种族隔离的) leader was freed from jail in 1990.
A quote (引言) from Ashe: “I have good days and bad days. My ratio of good days to bad days is about six to one.”
1. The underlined word “award” in the first paragraph means “_______”.
A. send a telegraph
B. give a prize
C. congratulate somebody
D. be in memory of somebody
2. Arthur Ashe __________.
A. won Olympic gold medals in tennis B. took part in several Olympic Games
C. was a famous sports man in the Olympic Games which was held in South Africa D. had not been in any Olympic games
3. Arthur Ashe said that he had AIDS. AIDS is _________.
A. a new kind of sports
B. a piece of tiresome work C. a new kind of illness
D. a kind of sickness caused by sports
4. __________made Ashe happier than anything else.
A. Nelson Mandela’s freedom B. Winning the Australian US open titles
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C. Juan Antonio Sam aranch’s congratulation D. His good days in his life 5. Which is correct?
A. There were as many good days in his life as bad days. B. His good days were equal to his bad days.
C. He had more good days in all his life than bad days. D. He had six good days in all his life.
Passage 19
Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered Wales to celebrate the tradition (传统)of storytelling.
“It might seem strange that people still want to listen to instead of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again,” said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival (节) in Wales. “Some of the tales, like those of the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively. Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales. “It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here.” Ambrose said. 1. Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling ________.
A. will be more popular than TV B. will be popular again C. started in Wales
D. are in the hands of some old people
2. From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn_______.
A. about their life as early as thousands of years ago B. why they tell the stories in a throat singing way C. how cold it has been where the Inuit live D. how difficult it is to understand the Inuit
3. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Storytelling once stopped in Wales. B. Storytelling has a long history in Wales. C. Storytelling is always well received in Wales. D. Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales. 4. The underlined phrase “in good hands” means “______”.
A. controlled by rich people B. grasped by good storytellers C. taken good care of
D. protected by kind people
5. What’s “Beyond the Board” in Para 2?
A. People will go across the board. B. People can go abroad.
C. It’s an international storytelling festival in Wales. D. It’s nothing. Passage 20
Greek soldiers sent messages by turning their shields (盾) toward the sun. The flashes reflected light could be seen several miles away. The enemy did not know what the flashes meant, but other Greek soldiers could understand the messages.
Roman soldiers in some places built long rows of signal towers. When they had a message to send, the soldiers shouted it from tower to tower. If there were enough to wers and enough soldiers with loud voices, important news could be sent quickly over distance.
In Africa, people learned to send messages by beating on a series of large drums (鼓). Each drum was kept within hearing distance of the next one. The drum beats were sent out in a special way that all the drummers understood. Though the messages were simple, they could be sent at
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