----Oh, why were we so silly?  ----____  it's David’s.

     A.Don’t be silly        B.Forget it     C.It isn’t our fault     D.So what

Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier---the shark(鯊魚).

Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.

Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.

If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad weather.

Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.

She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.

Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.

Miss Smith said: “I’ve always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”

“I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research.”

It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.

At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.

In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal(潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish----none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic(模擬) oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.

She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.

The passage is most probably taken from _____.

A. a short-story collection        B. a popular science magazine

C. a research paper              D. a personal diary

What do we learn from the first four paragraph of the passage?

A. Sharks may be used to predict bad weather.

B. Sharks’ behaviour can be controlled.

C. Michael Fish is not qualified for his job.

D. Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster.

Lauren Smith conducted her research by _______.

   A. removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system

   B. measuring the air pressure of weather fronts

   C. recording sharks’ body temperature

   D. monitoring sharks’ reaction to weather changes

What is the passage mainly about?

   A. A popular way of forecasting weather.

   B. A new research effort in predicting storms.

   C. Biologists’ interest in the secrets of sharks.

   D. Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research.

The United States will introduce a new and comprehensive(綜合的) exam for students who seek to study in American and other English-speaking countries, Xinhua News Agency reported from New York.

The exam, which stands for a great change from the current English level test, was disclosed by Theresa Chang Wei Jen, associate director of the International Service of the US College Board, America’s leading educational organization.

The Advanced Placement International English Language (APIEL) will be offered for the first time throughout the world on May 10, 2002, said Jen.

However, the APIEL is a strange title to most Chinese students, and it is unlikely to soon gain the similarity of other already existing exams, such as the TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language), the GRE(Graduate Record Examination), or the IELTS(International English Language Testing System).

“I have never heard of such a test and I would prefer the IELTS if I need another exam,” said Xu Jingyan, a graduating student from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who wants to study in England and has already taken the TOEFL.

Most of Xu’s classmates have never heard of the APIEL. “The APIEL is designed for international students who wish to get university studies in English-speaking countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia.” said Jen.

The APIEL has been adopted, said Jen, because the TOEFL can no longer accurately reflect the abilities of students of using the English language comprehensively in an academic environment. Xinhua reported that a fairly large number of foreign students who earned high scores in TOEFL exam turned out to be very ordinary educational performers after admission.

Compared with the TOEFL, the APIEL measures a student’s ability to read, write, speak and understand English through testing his or her skills in listening comprehension, speaking with accuracy(精確) and resourcefulness, and writing with clarity and fluency(流暢), Jen said.

The United States will introduce a new exam because _______.

A. more and more students want to get further education in the USA

B. the Chinese people pay special attention to English studies with China’s entry into the WTO

C. the already existing exam systems seem to be far from perfect

D. it will bring the US government quite a lot of money

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the selection？

A. It will take quite a period of time for people to accept the APIEL.

B. The TOEFL is more popular with the Chinese than the IELTS.

C. A student will have to take the APIEL if he or she wants to study in English—speaking countries from 2002.

D. Chinese students will prefer the IELTS rather than the APIEL even in the future.

The underlined word current in the second paragraph means _______.

A. modern            B. present             C. standard           D. formal

Please decide which of the following would be the best title for this news report.

A. The Key to English-speaking Countries

B. The Four Skills in Learning English

C. TOEFL, IELTS and GRE to be Out of Date

D. New Exam Designed for Students

One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one’s mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like “I was wrong about that ,”and it is even harder to say, “I was wrong ,and you were right about that.” I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago .He told me he had been the manager of a cartons (紙箱).Then he talk of an incident and I began to remember the incident he was describing.

I was about eight years old at the time , and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly grocery shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the food department where the incident took place.

There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was a big show of eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were put three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of them to admire the show. Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off the pile of cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the cartons back together, so I went to work.

The manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees checking some of the cartons to if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as if I was the person who was to blame .He scolded me loudly and wanted me to pay for those broken eggs. My face turned red and I tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot the incident, but the manager did not.

How old was the author when he wrote this article?

A  About 8years old                 B  About 18 years old

C About 23 years old                 D  About 15 years old

Who was to blame for knocking off the pile of cartons?

A  The author                        B  The manager

C  A woman                         D  The author’s mother

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A  The woman who knocked off the pile of cartons was seriously scolded by the manager.

B  The author was loudly scolded by the manager.

C  A woman was loudly scolded by the manager.

D  It was the author who put the cartons back together.

The tone of the article expresses the author’s______

A  admiration for the manager’s willingness to admit mistakes

B  anger to the manager for his wrong

C  dissatisfaction with the woman who knocked off the pile cartons

D  regret for the mistake he made in the store

Back in my country, when I was a child, I used to go to “market day” with my mother. One day each week, farmers used to ___1___ their fruit and vegetables into the city. They ___2___ one street to all cars, and the farmers set up tables for their ___3___. This outdoor market was a great place to ___4___. Everything was fresher than produce in grocery stores because the farmers brought it in ___5___ after the harvest. My mother and I always got there early in the morning to get the ___6___ produce.

The outdoor market was a wonderful adventure for a small child, ___7___ was like a festival — full of colors and ___8___. There are red tomatoes, yellow lemons, green lettuce, peppers, grapes, onions. The farmers did their own ___9___. They all shouted loudly for ___10___ to buy their produce. “Come and buy my beautiful oranges! They’re juicy and delicious and full of vitamins to ___11___ your children healthy and strong!”

Everyone used to ___12___ with the farmers over the ___13___ of their produce. It was like a wonderful drama in a theatre; the buyers and sellers were the “___14___” in this drama. My mother was an ___15___ at this. First, she picked the freshest, most attractive tomatoes, for example. Then she asked the price. The seller told her.

“What?” she said. She looked very surprised. “ So ___16___?”

The seller looked terribly ___17___. “My dear lady!” he replied. “I’m a poor, ___18___ farmer. These are the cheapest tomatoes on the market!”

They always argued for several minutes before agreeing ___19___ a price. My mother took her tomatoes and left. Both buyer and seller were ___20___. The drama was over.

1. A. carry      B. take　      C. bring D. fetch

2. A. opened　       B. closed　　      C. started　　 D. stopped

3. A. produce　     B. goods　　  C. food　　   D. product

4. A. buy B. sell　　   C. bargain　　     D. shop

5. A. hurriedly       B. immediately      C. directly      D. straightly

6. A. best　　 B. finest　　  C. freshest      D. cheapest

7. A. who　    B. that　　　      C. which　　 D. what

8. A. voices    B. noises　　       C. sounds　　       D. accent

9. A. shopping       B. business　  C. shouting　 D. advertising

10. A. customers    B. producers　     C. themselves  D. sellers

11. A. keep            B. let　　     C. expect D. make

12. A. argue    B. talk　　　      C. discuss　　       D. speak

13. A. order    B. price　　　      C. quality　　       D. form

14. A. viewers B. listeners　  C. actors  D. directors

15. A. actress　      B. inventor　  C. advancer　 D. expert

16. A. wonderful    B. exciting      C. cheap　　　     D. expensive

17. A. injured　     B. hurt　　  C. damaged　 D. wounded

18. A. excellent      B. fair　　　 C. honest　　 D. easy

19. A. with     B. to　　　    C. in　　　　       D. on

20. A. disappointed　    B. encouraged C. satisfied　　　 D. tired 

I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (責(zé)任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.

Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?

A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

C. Because he often sang while cooking.

D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.

Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?

A. Wamer Brothers.                    B. His manager.    

C. His father.                              D. A businesswoman.

What made the writer proud of himself?

A. His ability to live independently.

B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

C. His courage in the face of rejections.

D. His hard work in his early days.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23—The House of Representatives, which prides itself on being “the People’s House” has been turning into a rich man’s club.

The representatives newly elected in 1984 were almost four times as wealthy as the first term lawmakers elected only six years before, according to a new study on the members’ financial reports.

Behind this remarkable swing, the study says, are two main factors: a court decision that outlawed limits on what candidates could give to their own campaigns, and the enormous growth in the cost of pursuing a seat in congress. As a result, it is increasingly difficult for candidates of modest means, particularly women to amount successful challenge to entrenched office holders.

One solution, the authors contend, is a system of public financing for campaigns, but congress seems in no mood to change the political rules any time soon.

“The lower chamber is going upper class,” said Mark Green, the president of The Democracy Project, a public policy institute based in New York. “But this evolution from a House of Representatives to a House of Lords denies the diversity of our democracy. It establishes a de facto property qualification for office that increasingly says: low and middle income need not apply.

The Democracy Project produced the study in cooperation with the United States Public Interest Research Group, a similar institute situated in Washington. But their research was not entirely theoretical. In 1980 Mr Green was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 15th District, in Manhattan. The winner was Bill Green, one of the wealthiest members of Congres

What can we know from the passage?

A. The House of Representatives is poor men’s club.

B. The House of Representatives was made up of people with low and middle income.

C. The House of Representatives was rich men’s club.

D. The House of Representatives is made up of people with low and middle income.

What does “this remarkable swing” in the second paragraph refer to?

A. The House of Representatives prides itself on being “the people’s House”.

B. The new study based on the members’ financial reports.

C. A court decision that outlawed limits on what candidates could give to their own campaigns.

D. The representatives elected now are much wealthier than those elected a few years ago.

Which of the following is NOT true according to the study?

A. Any honest man can become a representative of the House.

B. Women are more difficult than men to be an entrenched office holder.

C. Limits on what a candidate could give to his campaign are outlawed.

D. One must spend much money getting a seat in the Congress.

What is the United States Public Interest Research Group like?

A. The House of Representatives.

B. A public policy institute based in New York.

C. A public policy institute based in Washington.

D. The House of lords.

What the leader referred to in the report was really something _______.

A. worthy to be considered               B. worth to be considered

     C. worthy of considering                   D. worth being considered

China's government has issued a severe weather warning after the heaviest snowfalls in decades. The country is experiencing transport delays and power cuts as millions of people prepare to make long journeys home for the Chinese New Year. This report from Quentin Summerville: China hasn't experienced weather this bad in decades. And as the country prepares for Chinese New Year, the disruption couldn't come at a worse time. Over 100,000 people are stranded(擱淺) in Guangzhou railway station in the south. It may climb to as many as 600,000 as more people arrive to make their journeys home for the Spring Festival. Travellers have been evacuated to nearby sports stadiums and exhibition centres.

Across China around nineteen airports have shut because of the weather. Around half the provinces in the country have had to start rationing power(定量供電), according to the state media. The government has suspended（暫停） coal exports in favour of home consumption. At least a dozen people died over the weekend because of heavy rains and the snowfall.

The Spring Festival is China's most important holiday when people journey home to be with their families. For millions of the country's migrant workers it's their only holiday. Some two billion journeys were made during the festival last year, making it the largest migration of people on the planet. And even without the severe weather, conditions on overcrowded trains and buses are terrible. The holiday stretches China's transport system to its very limits

Choose the best title for this passage.

A. Heavy snow hits China             

B. Chinese New Year in snow 

C. China’s terrible translation system.   

D. An accident

Which is not true according to the passage?

  A. The heavy snow is the worst disaster in decades in China. 

  B. No other cities in the world have more travellers in festivals than in China.

  C. The government doesn’t care for people’s life in disaster areas.

  D. The country’s migrant workers have more than one holidays to celebrate, according to the passage

In a time of low academic (學(xué)術(shù)的) achievement by children in the United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers. however, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find. In most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis is put on academic instruction. In one investigation, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various aspects of early childhood education. Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents (答問卷者) listed "to give children a good start academically" as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. In contrast, over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices. To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese schools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as persistence, concentration, and the ability to function as a member of a group. The majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home by their parents.

In the recent comparison of Japanese and American pre??school education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. 62 percent of the more individually oriented (強(qiáng)調(diào)個性發(fā)展的) Americans listed group experience as one of their top three choices. An em??phasis on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood education continues into elementary school education.

Like in America, there is diversity (多樣性) in Japanese early childhood education. Some Japanese kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential (潛力) development. In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities that have elementary and secondary schools.

Some Japanese parents believe that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children’s chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated schools and universities. Several more progressive programs have introduced free play as a way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens.

We learn from the first paragraph that many Americans believe ________.

A. Japanese parents pay more attention to preschool education than American parents

B. Japan’s economic success is a result of its scientific achievements

C. Japanese preschool education emphasizes academic in??struction

D. Japan’s higher education is better than theirs

Most American respondents believe that preschools should also attach

importance to ________.

A. problem solving                B. group experience

C. parental guidance                   D. individually oriented development

In Japan’s preschool education, the focus is on ________.

A. preparing children academically       B. developing children’s artistic interests

C. tapping children’s potential              D. shaping children’s character

Why do some Japanese parents send their children to university-based kindergartens?

A. They can do better in their future studies.

B. They can gain more group experience there.

C. They can be individually oriented when they grow up.

D. They can have better chances of getting a first-rate edu??cation.