One third of the houses ______ destroyed when a terrible earthquake struck the city last night.

A. was                  B.were                       C. has                D. have been

Domestic (馴養(yǎng)的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame (馴服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.

Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.

As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of horses would show more of these chosen characteristics.

Modern-day horse breeds（種類） come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds— typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (礦井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.

The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.

Before domestication horses were ______.

A. caught for sports                           B. hunted for food

C. made to pull ploughs                      D. used to carry people

The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ______.

A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse

B. horses used to have gentle personalities

C. some horses have better shapes than others

D. horses were of less variety before domestication

Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ______.

A. carrying heavy loads                      B. changing farming methods

C. serving as a means of transport        D. advancing agriculture in different areas

The passage is mainly about _______.

A. why humans domesticated horses    

B. how humans and horses needed each other

C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes

D. how human societies and horses influenced each other

_________ he was, he still went on with his work.

   A. Tired although         B. Tiring as             C. Tired though        D. While tired  

Bill Javis took over our village’s news-agency at a time of life when most of us only wanted to relax. He just thought he would like something but not too much to do, and the news-a??gency was ready-made. The business produced little enough for him, but Bill was a man who only wanted the simplicity and order and regularity of the job. He had been a long-serving sailor, and all his life had done everything by the clock.

Every day he opened his shop at 6:00 a. m. to catch the early trade; the papers arrived on his doorstep before that. Many of Bill’s customers were city workers, and the shop was convenient for the station. Business was tailing off by 10 o’clock, so at eleven sharp Bill closed for lunch. It was hard luck on anybody who wanted a paper or magazine in the after??noon, for most likely Bill would be down on the river bank, fishing, and his nearest competitor was five kilometers away. Sometimes in the afternoon, the evening paper landed on the doorway, and at 4 o’clock Bill reopened his shop. The evening rush lasted till seven, and it was worthwhile.

He lived in a flat above the shop, alone. Except in the very bad weather, you always knew where to find him in the af??ternoon, as I have said. Once, on a sunny afternoon, I walked home along the river bank from a shopping trip to the village. By my watch it was three minutes past four, so I was aston??ished to see Bill sitting there on his little chair with a line in the water. He had no luck, I could see, but he was making no effort to move.

“What’s wrong, Bill?” I called out from the path.

For answer, he put a hand in his jacket and took out a big, golden object. For a moment I had no idea what it could be, and then it suddenly went off with a noise like a fire en??gine. Stopping the bell, Bill held the thing up and called back, “Ten to four, you see, and this is dead right.”

I had never known anyone carrying a brass alarm clock round with him before.

Bill Javis became a news-agent when _______.

A. he needed the money      

B. he was quite an old man

C. he decided to take up fishing  

D. he gave up clock-repairing

Bill opened the shop so early in the day because _______.

A. he liked to do as much as possible before he went to work

B. the shop had to be open when the morning papers came

C. he was never sure of time

D. it was then that he did a lot of business

From the information given in the passage, who or what do you think was wrong?

A. The bell was－it must have gone off at the wrong time.

B. Bill was－h(huán)e had dropped off to sleep.

C. The writer’s watch was－it was fast.

D. Bill’s clock was－it was old.

______ this job doesn’t pay very much, but ______ I can’t get another one.

A. In the first place; in the second place      B. On one hand; on another hand

C. On the one hand; on the other hand  D. For one thing; for another

It was in 1969 ___ the American astronauts first succeeded in landing on the moon.

A. that          B. when          C. which           D. in which

Make a tentative guess _____ Peking Man _____ have done and used thousands of years ago.

       A．that; may       B．that; must    C．what; may     D．what; should

_____ advice I give him, he always behaves in his own way. I simply can’t do anything with him.

A. How     B. Whatever    C. However      D. No matter

    As we all know，it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence (獨立宣言)．He wrote it in two weeks，and after a few changes，it was accepted by the Congress．As a result，he became famous in America's history．

Born in Virginia，Thomas Jefferson，a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later，was much interested in politics.

 Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia in 1779，and he was sent to France as the Representative of the American Government in 1784．Sixteen years later，at the age of 57，he was elected president after Washington and Adams．

Far from a handsome man，he was is tall with long arms and big hands．Jefferson，who was an amusing talker in conversation，but a poor speaker，was generally good-natured．

Jefferson was regarded as a defender(捍衛(wèi)者)of freedom Of America．As a president，he protected the right of speech．Interestingly enough，in his eight years as president，：Jefferson never said “No” to a bill(議案)!which the Congress had passed．He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia．

    Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth，1826，the fiftieth anniversary of America’s independence．  

We are most likely to read this passage in            ．

    A．a(chǎn) daily newspaper               B．a(chǎn) popular advertisement

    C．a(chǎn) hi story book                    D．a(chǎn)n important notice

Which of the following statements about Jefferson’s personality is true?

     A．He was a shy and slow learner when he was at school．

      B．He was not an easy person to get along with at all

    C．He was not only very talented but also very handsome．

      D．He was an amusing talker，but not good at speaking in public．

Jefferson’s greatest contribution in America’history is that              ．

    A．he was for the right of free speech

    B．he was sent to France as the Representative

    C.  he wrote the Declaration of Independence

    D．he organized the new University of Virginia

Thomas Jefferson was elected president of the United States in the year of          .

    A. 1779              B．1784            C．1800               D．1826

How much salt did you put in the soup?

—I’m sorry to say, ______. I forgot

A.none          B. no one         C nothing              D. no