Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of
comets(彗星) which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult
mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problem.
     However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought
he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told
Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse  (橢圓形).
     Then Halley set to work. He figured out (解決, 計(jì)算出) the orbjts of some of the comets that had been
observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607,
and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart.
     This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley
thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He
decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back
again.
     It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction (預(yù)言) of what would happen
in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before
Halley's prediction could be tested.
     In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since
then that comet had been called Halley's comet, in his honour.

1. Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of _____.

A. some different comets appearing several times
B. the same comet appearing at different times
C. three different comets appearing three times
D. several comets appearing at the same time

2. Halley made his discovery _____.

A. by doing experiments
B. by means of his own careful observation
C. by using the work of other scientists
D. by chance

3. Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year _____.

A. 1704
B. 1705
C. 1706
D. 1707

4. This passage in general is about _____.

A. Halley and other scientists
B. the orbit of a comet
C. Newton and Halley
D. Halley and his discovery

5. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Edmund Halley was an American scientist.
B. Halley made his discovery by doing experiments.
C. Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician.
D. The orbit of a comet had the shape of a triangle.

     Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a
family of seven children, she often felt like she had"seven fathers," because her six brothers, as well as
her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated (躲避) into books. Despite
her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
     In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and
worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because her thought
it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for
a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University
of Iowa. At the university's Writers' Workshop, however, she felt lonely----a Mexican American from a
poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros
find her "Creative voice."
     "It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice.
I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn't think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance
in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That's when I decided I would write about something my
classmates couldn't write about."
     Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book
tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the
neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in
classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books
of poetry, a children's book, and a short-story collection.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?

A. She had seven brothers.
B. She felt herself a nobody.
C. She was too shy to go to school.
D. She did not have any good teachers.

2. The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to _____.

A. work for a school magazine
B. run away from her family
C. make a lot of friends
D. develop her writing style

3. According to Cisneros, what played the decisive role in her success?

A. Her early years in college.
B. Her training in the Workshop.
C. Her feeling of being different.
D. Her childhood experience.

4. What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?

A. It is quite popular among students.
B. It is the only book ever written by Cisneros.
C. It wasn't success as it was written in Spanish.
D. It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.

     The Chinese-born American architect Ieoh Ming Pei is one of the most creative architects of our times.
He has incorporated both eastern and western ideas into his designs.
     Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Guangzhou, China on April 26, 1917. His father was a famous banker. In 1935,
at the age of 17, he came to the United States to study architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 1942, he entered the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
     In 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy selected Pei to design the Kennedy library. After that he became well-known
all of the world. People named it one of the Ten Best Buildings in the United States. In 1968, Pei started work
on the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C.. Over one million people visited the
building during its first 50 days in existence.
     Following the East Wing project Pei's fame has continued to grow widely. In 1983, French President
commissioned (委任) Pei to help make the Louvre more modern. Ten years later, the completion of Pei's glass
pyramid at the Louvre created a new historic landmark for Paris. Pei described it as, "the greatest challenge
and greatest accomplishment of my career." At Fragrant Hill, a 300-room hotel in the Chinese capital, Pei has
attempted to bring to his native China his often-quoted "third way of making buildings." Avoiding both a
complete copying of traditional Chinese motifs (特色) as well as the modernism of the West, Pei has managed,
at Fragrant Hill, to make one of his most eloquent (有說(shuō)服力的) statements.
     Pei has designed nearly 50 projects in the United States and abroad. About half of these projects have won
major awards. Pei has been awarded the highest honors from nations over the world. In 1990, Pei was
awarded the Medal of Freedom by President George Bush for his contributions to world peace and service to
the US government.

1. Which is the right order of the events of Ieoh Ming Pei?
    a. Pei started work on the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, in Washington DC.
    b. Ieoh Ming Pei entered the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
    c. The completion of Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre created a new historic landmark for Paris.
    d. Ieoh Ming Pei was selected to design the Kennedy library.
    e. Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Guangzhou.
    f. Pei was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President George Bush.
    g. Ieoh Ming Pei came to Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
    h. French President commissioned Pei to help make the Louvre more modern.

A. e-g-d-b-a-h-c-f
B. e-g-b-d-a-h-c-f
C. e-g-b-d-h-a-c-f
D. e-g-b-d-a-h-f-c

2. The underlined word "incorporate" can be replaced by _____.

A. divide
B. combine
C. separate
D. part

3. It was _____ that Ieoh Ming Pei became world-famous.

A. after the completion of Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre
B. after he designed East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, in Washington DC
C. after he designed the Kennedy library
D. after he designed the Fragrant Hill

4. _____ is an excellent building that shows both the traditional Chinese motifs and the modernism of the West.

A. Fragrant Hill
B. Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre
C. The East Wing of the National Gallery of Art
D. Kennedy library

5. We can infer that about _____ of Ieoh Ming Pei's projects have won major awards.

A. 50
B. 15
C. 25
D. 35

     Thomas Alva Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might stiIJ be a dark place. However,the electric light was not liis only invention. He also invented the photoUaph,the motion picture camera,and over 1 200 other things. Ahout every two weeks he created something new.
    Thomas A. Edison was bom 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 mecharucal 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(自動(dòng)地) 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           .

A. he became a telegraph operator,a newsboy,and then got his first patent
B.  he became a newsboy, got his first patent, and then became a telegraph operator
C. he got a patent,became a telegraph operator,and then became a newsboy
D. he became a newsboy,a telegraph operator,and then got a patent

2. Of all the inventions,          was probably the most important for civilization.

A. the vote recorder     
B. the stock ticker
C. the light bulb        
D. the motion picture camera

3. The main idea of this passage is that ___      .

A. Edison was always interested in science and inventions ,and he inventea many important things
B. Thomas Edison could not keep a job
C. Thomas Edison worked day and night on his experiments
D. deaf people make good inventors without the distraction of spoken conversation

     Robert Todd Duncan was born in 1903 in the southern city of Danville,Kentucky.His
mother was his first music teacher.As a young man,he continued his music study in Indianapolis,
Indiana.
     In 1930,he completed more musical education at Columbia University in New York City.
Then he moved to Washington.For fifteen years,he taught music at Howard University in
Washington.At that time,not many black musicians wereknown for writing or performing
classical music.Teachingat Howard gave Duncan the chance to share his knowledgeof
classical European music with a mainly black student population.He taught special ways
to present the music.These special ways became known as the Duncan Technique.
     Besides teaching,Duncan sang in several operas with performers who were all black.
But it seemed that he always would be known mainly as a concert artist.However,his life
took a different turn in the middle 1930s.At that time,the famous American music writer
George Gershwin was looking for someone to play a leading part in his new work Porgy
and Bess.The music critic (評(píng)論家) of the New York Times newspaper suggested Todd
Duncan.Duncan had almost decided not to try for the part as he knew it would not be
easy to get it.But he changed his mind.He sang a piece from an Italian opera for Gershwin.
He had sung only a few minutes when Gershwin offered him the part.He became famous
because of the part in Porgy and Bess.
     Todd Duncan gained fame as an opera singer and concert artist.But his greatest love
in music was teaching.When he stopped teaching at Howard,he continued giving singing
lessons in his Washington home until the week before his death.

1．What is this passage mainly about?

A．What Robert Todd Duncan loved most.
B．How Robert Todd Duncan became famous.
C．Robert Todd Duncan and his works of music.
D．A brief introduction to Robert Todd Duncan.

2．According to Paragraph 2,while teaching at Howard University,Duncan________.

A．found special ways to present music
B．opened doors for other black classical singers
C．had the chance to know many famous black musicians
D．became known for writing and performing classical music

3．What happened to Duncan in the middle 1930s?

A．He gave up teaching at Howard University.
B．He was introduced by the New York Times in detail.
C．He was asked to be in charge of the opera Porgy and Bess.
D．He was given a big opportunity to become an opera singer.

4．We can infer that Robert Todd Duncan didn't at first want to try for the part mainly
because________.

A．he was too busy to do it
B．he was not interested in it
C．he was not confident enough
D．he didn't want to become famous

5．Based on the passage,what did Robert Todd Duncan love most?

A．Singing in concerts.
B．Writing music.
C．Singing opera.
D．Teaching music

                                               A few famous left－handed persons
     Bill Gates
     Claiming the nation’s richest man among their number is a source of considerable pride for America’s
society of southpaws (左撇子)．In fact，the Microsoft titan (巨人) and philanthropist (慈善家) is one of a surprising number of U．S.business areas to be left－h(huán)anded，including Henry Ford，John D．
Rockefeller and former IBM head Lou Gerstner.But the club seems to be a guys－only fraternity(聯(lián)誼會(huì))．Research suggests that while left－h(huán)anded men tend to earn more than their right－h(huán)anded
colleagues,   there is no similar advantage for women.A study by the National Bureau of Economic
Research floated the   idea that left－h(huán)anded men favor “divergent” (發(fā)散性) thinking，a form of
creativity in which the brain moves “from conventional knowledge into unexplored association”．Maybe
that’s what it takes to develop a net worth estimated at least $570 billion.
    Oprah Winfrey
    The talk－show queen doesn’t need much more to set her apart from the rest.She has herestimated $2.7 billion fortune and a magic ability to sell books just by glancing at them，but she also has the
distinction of being a member of the left－h(huán)anded club.Men are more likely to be left－h(huán)anded than
women which makes Oprah more impressive.She’s “in good company”：other showbiz ladies of the southpaw persuasion include Whoopi Goldberg，Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie(her husband Brad Pitt is also a lefty)．
     Napoleon Bonaparte
     Legend has it that Napoleon objected to the time－h(huán)onored military practice of marching on the left
side of the road with weapons at the ready in the right hand: it put lefties (左撇子) like him at a strategic
disadvantage.Once in power，the story goes，the French emperor，whose queen，Josephine，was
also a southpaw，ordered his armies to change sides.Civilians in countries he conquered had to do the
same.Hence，it’s said that the rules of the road were born，which also explains why the British (who，
along with the Prussians，defeated Napoleon at Waterloo) still drive on the left.
     Marie Curie
     Not only was atomic scientist Marie Curie left－h(huán)anded，but she was the matriarch (女家長(zhǎng)) of a
whole family of accomplished，southpaw scientists.Curie，who discovered the principles of radioactivity
    and won two Nobel Prizes，was married to fellow lefty Pierre Curie，who was playing an important
part in helping Marie’s atomic research and shared one of her Nobel awards.Historians believed their
daughter，Irene，was also left－h(huán)anded.Irene went on to win a Nobel Prize of her own with her
husband，who，you guessed it，was also left－h(huán)anded.Lefty scientists are hardly unusual.In addition to
the Curie clan，Einstein，Newton and Alan Turing-founder of modern computer science were all left－
handed as well.

1．Through this passage，the author mainly wants to tell us that________.

A．Bill Gates’s contribution to society is greater than Marie Curie
B．Napoleon Bonaparte made the rules of the road in England
C．Oprah Winfrey had nothing but $7 billion fortune at that time
D．4 persons were not only successful but all left－h(huán)anded

2．According to the first paragraph，what maybe develop a net worth estimated at least $570 billion?

A．Club of southpaw
B．Woman advantage
C．Divergent thinking
D．Conventional knowledge.?

3．What can we learn from the second paragraph

A．Oprah Winfrey has a special ability to sell books only by glancing at them.
B．Oprah Winfrey is completely different from other left－h(huán)anded women.
C．Oprah’s appearance makes her doubly impressive in the left－h(huán)anded club.
D．Oprah Winfrey and her husband are both southpaws.

4．Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife are both left－h(huán)anded.
B．Marie Curie and her husband are both left－h(huán)anded.
C．Irene，Marie Curie’s daughter，and her husband are left－h(huán)anded.
D．Brad Pitt’s wife，Julia Roberts，is also left－h(huán)anded.

5．The best general idea of the last paragraph is that________.

A．not all scientists are left－h(huán)anded
B．lefty scientists are hardly common
C．lefty scientists come from the west
D．scientists are all left－h(huán)anded

     When you hear the name Abraham Lincoln,there are a few images that come to mind:the tall black hat,
the bow tie and ,of course, the beard.You might be surprised to find out that it was an elevenyearold girl
who urged Lincoln to grow his famous whiskers.
     In the fall of 1860,a beardless Abraham Lincoln was running for President of the United States when he
received a letter from elevenyearold Grace Bedell of Westfield,New York.In her letter,Grace told him that
he should let his whiskers grow because his face was "so thin"．She explained that "ladies like whiskers"
and that if he grew a beard,"they would ask their husbands to vote" for him.
     Lincoln responded with the following letter:
     My dear little Miss,
     Your very agreeable letter of the 15th is received.
     I regret the necessity of saying I have no daughters...
     As to the whiskers,having never worn any,do you not think people would call it a piece of silly affection
(感情) if I were to begin it now?
     Your sincere wellwisher,
     A．Lincoln
     Mr Lincoln was elected the sixteenth President of the United States on November 6,1860.Shortly after
the election,he had a change of heart about growing facial hair.By the time he left Springfield on February
11,1861,to begin his journey to the White House,he had a full beard.Lincoln had his picture taken,and this
image is what we see on the fivedollar bill today.
     On his train ride to Washington D．C.,Lincoln made a stop in Westfield, New York. He greeted the
cheering crowd. Then he asked if  the girl who wrote him a letter  was present. Grace emerged from the
crowd carrying  roses. He kissed her and announced that he had let his whiskers grow because of  her
advice.Grace,who felt at a loss,ran all the way home still holding the flowers,which she had forgotten to
give to Mr Lincoln.

1．Grace suggested that Lincoln should wear whiskers because______.

A．it would make him look thin
B．it would improve his appearance
C．most gentlemen liked whiskers
D．President of the US should wear whiskers

2．What did Lincoln write in reply to Grace's letter?

A．He would be glad to wear whiskers.
B．Grace came up with a silly idea.
C．Wearing whiskers could be troublesome.
D．It was a pity that he hadn't daughters.

3．Which of the following is TRUE of Lincoln?

A．He was the sixth President of the US.
B．He was not satisfied with his image.
C．He kept Grace's advice in mind for a long time.
D．He went to Washington D．C.by bus after being elected President.

4．We can infer from the passage that when Grace saw Lincoln,she was________.

A．nervous  B．calm
C．confident  D．proud

5．Which of the following pictures must be Abraham Lincoln?

  

     One of the greatest stories of rags to riches success is that of Andrew Carnegie, who started life in
poverty but became one of the richest men in the world.
     Carnegie was born in Scotland in 1835, the son of a weaver.In 1848, the family moved to the United
States and at 13 Carnegie began to work in a cotton mill, earning $1.5 per week.About three years later,
he found a better job as a telegraph messenger boy.At work, his superiors (上級(jí)) were impressed by his
abilities and willingness to work hard.In 1853, he gained an office job at the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company.This was his first big break.He continued to impress and rose rapidly through the company,
gaining_more_and_more_responsibility.At the same time, Carnegie loved reading very much and made
use of every opportunity to visit the library.He read widely on all subjects, particularly literature.
     Carnegie now began to save a little money and, with the help of his employer, began to make some
successful investments.He invested in the iron industry and eventually set up in business himself, owning
several iron and steel plants.This was where he made his fortune.By the 1890s, the Carnegie Steel
Company was the biggest and most profitable business in the world.
     Carnegie had always believed that the pursuit (追求) of wealth was never an end in itself.In his view,
successful, wealthy people should redistribute their wealth for the benefit of everyone in society.True to
his word, in 1901, at the age of 66, he retired from business and devoted the rest of his life to charity
work.
     Carnegie's lack of formal education and his poor family background clearly didn't put barriers in the
way of success.His rapid rise from poverty to wealth was due to his willingness to work hard, his
intelligence and good business sense, and his talent for making things happen.He died in 1919 at the age
of 83.

1. What can be learnt from the text?

A. Carnegie's employers had a high opinion of him.
B Carnegie made the investments independently after saving enough money.
C. Carnegie believed that we should try to earn as much money as possible in our life.
D. Carnegie could have been more successful if he had been formally educated.

2. What does "gaining more and more responsibility" in the second paragraph most probably mean?

A. Becoming more and more intelligent.
B. Being promoted to higher ranks.
C. Having a better sense of confidence.
D. Reading more and more books.

3. When did Carnegie get his first big success in his life?

A. When he took a job as a telegraph messenger boy.
B. When he worked at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
C. When he made investments in the iron industry.
D. When he founded the Carnegie Steel Company.

4. Which of the following will be the suitable title for the text?

A. Andrew Carnegie:A Wealthy Man
B. Steel & Iron:The Most Profitable Business
C. From Rags to Riches:The Story of Andrew Carnegie
D. Intelligence and Good Business Sense:Two Factors in Becoming Wealthy

     Wilma was born on June 23,1940 in St Bethlehem, Tennesse.By the time she was 6, Wilma Rudolph
was given metal braces (支架) to aid her in walking.She started receiving treatment with help from her
family.A few years later, she walked without any assistance into the church.
     When she was in junior high, she joined the basketball team.She finally made an appeal to compete in
games again and when her wish was finally permitted, she amazed everyone by leading the team to an
undefeated season and the state championships.Though they lost the championship title in the end,
Wilma Rudolph earned the attention of the women's track coach, Ed Template at Tennessee State
University and was invited to join the"Tigerbelles". Her efforts paid off as she turned out to be so good
that the Tigerbelles invited her to join them in the national Olympic team trails.Not only did she make it
into the team, but she won a bronze medal in the 4?100 m relay at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.Four
years later, Rudolph set a world 200 m record (22.9 seconds)at the 1960 US Championships.At the
Rome Olympics in 1960, she competed in the 100 m,200 m and 4?100 m relay, and equaled the world
record of 11.3 seconds in the semifinals (半決賽) of the 100 m. She won the final by three metres in
11.0 seconds, but it was not accepted as a world record.
     Wilma Rudolph's extraordinary achievements in Rome made her a darling of the European press who
gave her the nickname "The Black Gazelle (羚羊)"and "The Black Pearl". She also became the first
woman in American history to win 3 gold medals in the Olympics and was crowned "the Fastest Woman
in the World", Wilma Rudolph's spirit inspired people such as Jackie Joyner Kersee and Florence Griffith
Joyner who became the next woman to win 3 gold medals.

1. What problem did Wilma face according to Paragraph 1?

A. Not being able to speak.  
B. Not being able to walk.
C. Losing her sight.  
D. Losing her hearing.

2. According to the passage, Wilma could join the "Tigerbelles" mainly because of________.

A. her being Ed Template's favourite athlete
B. her strong appeal to Ed Template
C. her winning the championship title
D. her outstanding performances in basketball games

3. We learn that Wilma broke the world record in________.

A. the 4 ?100 m relay at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics
B. the semifinals of the 100 m at the Rome Olympics
C. the 200 m at the 1960 US Championships
D. the final of the 100 m at the Rome Olympics

4. How many people that at least won 3 Olympics gold medals inAmerican history are mentioned in
   the passage?

A. One.  
B. Three.  
C. Four.  
D. Five.

5. According to the last paragraph, Wilma's two nicknames and one title show that she had________.

A. speed, grace and beauty
B. swiftness, grace and misfortune
C. speed, kindness and responsibility
D. kindness, perseverance and beauty