If you can read a clock, you can know the time of the day. But no one knows what time itself is. One way to think about time is to imagine a world without time. But there could be no movement, because time and movement cannot be separated.

In early human history, the only changes that seemed to repeat themselves evenly were the movements of objects in the sky. The most easily seen result of these movements was the difference between light and darkness. The sun rises in the eastern sky, producing light. It moves across the sky and sinks in the west, causing darkness. The appearance and disappearance of the sun was even and unfailing. The periods of light and darkness it created were the first accepted periods of time. We have named each period of light and darkness one day. People saw the sun rise higher in the sky during the summer than in winter. They counted the days that passed from the sun’s highest position until it returned to that position. They counted 365 days. We now know that is the time Earth takes to move once around the sun. we call this period of time a year.

They also developed a way to use the changing faces of the moon to tell time. The moon was “full” when its face was bright and round. The early humans counted the number of times the sun appeared between full moons. They learned that this number always remained the same---about 29 suns. We now know this period of time as one month.

Early humans hunted animals and gathered wild plants. They moved in groups or tribes form place to place in search of good. Then, people learned to plant seeds and grow crops. As hunters, people did not need a way to measure time. As farmers, however, they had to plant crops in time to harvest them before winter. They had to know when the seasons would change. So, they developed calendars.

No one knows when the first calendar was developed. But it seems possible that it was based on moons, or lunar months.

71. The underlined word “unfailing” (in para.2) is closest in meaning to “_______”.

A. reliable        B. everlasting         C. limited        D. changing

72. Which of the following is NOT the method early people used to tell time?

A. Sun position B. Sun lightness      C. Moon shape  D. Planting crops

73. Why did people invent the first calendar to measure time?

A. Because early humans hunted animals and gathered wild plants.

B. Because early farmers had to grow and harvest crops in time.

C. Because early people had to plant crops and grow crops.

D. Because early humans moved in groups or tribes from place to place.

74. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Why early people developed calendars is not clear

B. When the calendar was developed remains unknown.

C. What early people based the first calendar on is mysterious.

D. How early people counted a day is still unknown.

75. It can be concluded from the text that ______.

A. time and movement are loosely related even at present days

B. the light and darkness differences of the sun were the only movements in sky

C. the period of twenty-nine suns is called one month

D. early humans first accepted periods of time created by the moon.

If you can read a clock, you can know the time of the day. But no one knows what time itself is. One way to think about time is to imagine a world without time. But there could be no movement, because time and movement cannot be separated.

In early human history, the only changes that seemed to repeat themselves evenly were the movements of objects in the sky. The most easily seen result of these movements was the difference between light and darkness. The sun rises in the eastern sky, producing light. It moves across the sky and sinks in the west, causing darkness. The appearance and disappearance of the sun was even and unfailing. The periods of light and darkness it created were the first accepted periods of time. We have named each period of light and darkness one day. People saw the sun rise higher in the sky during the summer than in winter. They counted the days that passed from the sun’s highest position until it returned to that position. They counted 365 days. We now know that is the time Earth takes to move once around the sun. We call this period of time a year.

They also developed a way to use the changing faces of the moon to tell time. The moon was “full” when its face was bright and round. The early humans counted the number of times the sun appeared between full moons. They learned that this number always remained the same---about 29 suns. We now know this period of time as one month.

Early humans hunted animals and gathered wild plants. They moved in groups or tribes form place to place in search of good. Then, people learned to plant seeds and grow crops. As hunters, people did not need a way to measure time. As farmers, however, they had to plant crops in time to harvest them before winter. They had to know when the seasons would change. So, they developed calendars.

No one knows when the first calendar was developed. But it seems possible that it was based on moons, or lunar months.

41. The underlined word “unfailing” (in para.2) is closest in meaning to “_______”.

A. reliable             B. everlasting         C. limited        D. changing

42. Which of the following is NOT the method early people used to tell time?

A. Sun position     B. Sun lightness     C. Moon shape       D. Planting crops

43. Why did people invent the first calendar to measure time?

A. Because early humans hunted animals and gathered wild plants.

B. Because early farmers had to grow and harvest crops in time.

C. Because early people had to search for food in groups.

D. Because early humans moved in groups or tribes from place to place.

44. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Why early people developed calendars is not clear

B. When the first calendar was developed remains unknown.

C. What early people based the first calendar on is certain.

D. How early people counted a day is still unknown.

45. It can be concluded from the text that ______.

A. time and movement are loosely related even at present days

B. the light and darkness differences of the sun were the only movements in sky

C. the period of twenty-nine suns is called one month

D. early humans first accepted periods of time created by the moon.

Lynn was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. At the age of l6, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. In l922, with limited education and skills, the future didn’t look bright for Lynn. Her father demanded that Lynn find a job as soon as possible, but she didn’t have the confidence to ask for a job.
One day, Lynn gathered her courage and knocked on her very first door. She was met by Margaret Costello, the office manager. In her broken English, Lynn told her she was interested in the secretarial position. Margaret decided to give her a chance.
Margaret sat her down at a typewriter and said, “Lynn, let’s see how good you really are.” She directed Lynn to type a single letter, and then left. Lynn looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:40 a.m. Everyone would be leaving for lunch at noon. She thought she should at least attempt the letter.
On her first try, she got through one line but made four mistakes. She pulled the paper out and threw it away. The clock now read 11:45. “At noon,” she said to herself, “I’ll move out with the crowd, and they will never see me again.”
On her second attempt, things didn’t get any better. Again she started over and finally completed the letter, full of mistakes, though. She looked at the clock: 11:55—five minutes to freedom.
Just then, Margaret walked in. She came directly over to Lynn, and put one hand on the desk and the other on the girl’s shoulder. She read the letter and paused. Then she said, “Lynn, you’re doing good work!”
Lynn was surprised. She looked at the letter, then up at Margaret. With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her confidence began to grow. She thought, “Well, if she thinks it’s good, then it must be good. I think I’ll stay!”
Lynn did stay at Carhartt Overall Company…for 51 years, through two world wars and 11 presidents—all because someone had the insight to give a shy and uncertain young girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door.
【小題1】Why did Lynn leave school at an early age?

Lynn was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. At the age of l6, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. In l922, with limited education and skills, the future didn’t look bright for Lynn. Her father demanded that Lynn find a job as soon as possible, but she didn’t have the confidence to ask for a job.

One day, Lynn gathered her courage and knocked on her very first door. She was met by Margaret Costello, the office manager. In her broken English, Lynn told her she was interested in the secretarial position. Margaret decided to give her a chance.

Margaret sat her down at a typewriter and said, “Lynn, let’s see how good you really are.” She directed Lynn to type a single letter, and then left. Lynn looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:40 a.m. Everyone would be leaving for lunch at noon. She thought she should at least attempt the letter.

On her first try, she got through one line but made four mistakes. She pulled the paper out and threw it away. The clock now read 11:45. “At noon,” she said to herself, “I’ll move out with the crowd, and they will never see me again.”

On her second attempt, things didn’t get any better. Again she started over and finally completed the letter, full of mistakes, though. She looked at the clock: 11:55—five minutes to freedom.

Just then, Margaret walked in. She came directly over to Lynn, and put one hand on the desk and the other on the girl’s shoulder. She read the letter and paused. Then she said, “Lynn, you’re doing good work!”

Lynn was surprised. She looked at the letter, then up at Margaret. With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her confidence began to grow. She thought, “Well, if she thinks it’s good, then it must be good. I think I’ll stay!”

Lynn did stay at Carhartt Overall Company…for 51 years, through two world wars and 11 presidents—all because someone had the insight to give a shy and uncertain young girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door.

1.Why did Lynn leave school at an early age?

A. To learn English well.                

B. To earn money for her family.

C. To get self-confidence.                   

D. To become a typist.

2.When Lynn applied for the job, she               .

A. could speak good English             

B. didn’t know much about typing

C. knew Margaret very well              

D. never wrote any letter

3.How many attempts did Lynn make to type the letter?

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

4.Who does the underlined word “someone” in the last paragraph refer to?

   A. Lynn’s father.                    B. Lynn herself.       C. A president.     D. Margaret.

5.What can we learn from Lynn's story?

A. Encouragement makes a difference.                     

B. Honesty is the best policy.

C. Virtue(美德) leads to success.       

D. Time waits for no man.

Lynn was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. At the age of l6, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. In l922, with limited education and skills, the future didn’t look bright for Lynn. Her father demanded that Lynn find a job as soon as possible, but she didn’t have the confidence to ask for a job.
One day, Lynn gathered her courage and knocked on her very first door. She was met by Margaret Costello, the office manager. In her broken English, Lynn told her she was interested in the secretarial position. Margaret decided to give her a chance.
Margaret sat her down at a typewriter and said, “Lynn, let’s see how good you really are.” She directed Lynn to type a single letter, and then left. Lynn looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:40 a.m. Everyone would be leaving for lunch at noon. She thought she should at least attempt the letter.
On her first try, she got through one line but made four mistakes. She pulled the paper out and threw it away. The clock now read 11:45. “At noon,” she said to herself, “I’ll move out with the crowd, and they will never see me again.”
On her second attempt, things didn’t get any better. Again she started over and finally completed the letter, full of mistakes, though. She looked at the clock: 11:55—five minutes to freedom.
Just then, Margaret walked in. She came directly over to Lynn, and put one hand on the desk and the other on the girl’s shoulder. She read the letter and paused. Then she said, “Lynn, you’re doing good work!”
Lynn was surprised. She looked at the letter, then up at Margaret. With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her confidence began to grow. She thought, “Well, if she thinks it’s good, then it must be good. I think I’ll stay!”
Lynn did stay at Carhartt Overall Company…for 51 years, through two world wars and 11 presidents—all because someone had the insight to give a shy and uncertain young girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door.

1. 1.

   Why did Lynn leave school at an early age?

   1. A.
      To learn English well.
   2. B.
      To earn money for her family.
   3. C.
      To get self-confidence.
   4. D.
      To become a typist.
2. 2.

   When Lynn applied for the job, she              .

   1. A.
      could speak good English
   2. B.
      didn’t know much about typing
   3. C.
      knew Margaret very well
   4. D.
      never wrote any letter
3. 3.

   How many attempts did Lynn make to type the letter?

   1. A.
      One.
   2. B.
      Two.
   3. C.
      Three.
   4. D.
      Four.
4. 4.

   Who does the underlined word “someone” in the last paragraph refer to?

   1. A.
      Lynn’s father.
   2. B.
      Lynn herself.
   3. C.
      A president.
   4. D.
      Margaret.
5. 5.

   What can we learn from Lynn's story?

   1. A.
      Encouragement makes a difference.
   2. B.
      Honesty is the best policy.
   3. C.
      Virtue(美德) leads to success.
   4. D.
      Time waits for no man.

Lill was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. At the age of 16, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. In 1922, with limited education and skills, the future didn’t look bright for Lill. Her father demanded that Lill find a job as soon as possible, but she didn’t have the confidence to ask for a job. 

One day, Lill gathered her courage and knocked on her very first door. She was met by Margaret Costello, the office manager. In her broken English, Lill told her she was interested in the secretarial position. Margaret decided to give her a chance. 

Margaret sat her down at a typewriter and said, “Lill, let’s see how good you really are.” She directed Lill to type a single letter, and then left. Lill looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:40 a.m.  Everyone would be leaving for lunch at noon. She thought she should at least attempt the letter. 

On her first try, she got through one line but made four mistakes. She pulled the paper out and threw it away. The clock now read 11:45. “At noon,” she said to herself, “I’ll move out with the crowd, and they will never see me again.

 On her second attempt, things didn’t get any better. Again she started over and finally completed the letter, full of mistakes, though. She looked at the clock: 11:55 – five minutes to freedom.

Just then, Margaret walked in. She came directly over to Lill, and put one hand on the desk and the other on the girl’s shoulder. She read the letter and paused. Then she said, “Lill, you’re doing good work!

Lill was surprised. She looked at the letter, then up at Margaret. With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her confidence began to grow. She thought, “Well , if she thinks it’s good, then it must be good, I think I’ll stay!” 

Lill did stay at Carhartt Overall Company for 51 years, through two world wars and 11 presidents-all because someone had the insight to give a shy and uncertain young girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door.

 66．Why did Lill leave school at an early age?      

 A. To learn English well.                 B． To earn money for her family.        C．To get self-confidence.                D． To become a typist.

 67．When Lill applied for the job, she___________          .        

A．could speak good English.               B．didn’t know much about typing        C．knew Margaret very well                 D．never wrote any letter

 68．How many attempts did Lill make to type the letter?       

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

 69．Who does the underlined word “someone” in the last paragraph refer to?     

 A．Lill’s father.     B．Lill herself.     C．A president.     D．Margaret. 

70．What can we learn from Lill’s story?        

A．Encouragement makes a difference.    B．Honesty is the best policy.      

 C．Virtue leads to success.             D．Time waits for no man.

I don’t know if I am missing the greatest pleasure of my life. I am no fan of computer games. Some guys forget themselves and forget day and night when they play games .For example, a colleague has been playing since 1 o’clock this morning and now it is 7 o’clock. He is still commanding his army of little people to attack strange-looking animals. Some games could be fun, 1 admit, and it is therefore understandable that such a game catches players. For example, games like Red Storm or some role-play games, you do something and try to outwit(智勝) your computer. You get some fun out of these games. It is understandable that such a game pushes you into a pitfall(陷阱) of pleasures. But some games look quite stupid and simple. Again for example, my colleague has been interested in Stone Age, a cartoon-like game rooted in prehistoric time. The game is well made, full of strange people and animals and you can play on line with partners. You can have reference books to study so as to shortcut your rivals(對手) and increase your own conquering power.

I believe some kinds of games are really created for adults. But seeing these adults play the simple games with such interest, I just wonder if there is something wrong with me and if I am losing the greatest possible fun of my life. I ask why I don' t bother playing such games and why I seem to have some aversion to such games. I have no answers. Certainly computer games is no my idea of a good time. I would rather listen to some music or read a book. Take music for example. Good music tops my list of pleasures. Nothing could beat music, all in a harmony of sounds and emotions. But how about games? Why am I so strongly biased(偏見) against such games?

1．The underlined word “aversion” in the last paragraph most probably means      .

       A．change                B．liking                   C．comment             D．dislike

2．The games that the writer has a preference for are      .

       A．games where there are strange people, animals and killing and fighting

       B．games which you can play with partners

       C．games where you try to beat your computer with intelligence

       D．games based on history

3．What does the writer think is the best pastime（消遣）？

       A．Music.                B．Reading.              C．Movies.               D．Role-play games.

4．Through the passage, the writer most probably wants to say      .

       A．he can’t understand some of the computer games

       B．computer games need to be bettered to suit adults

       C．computer games are dull and a waste of time

    D．he is missing a great pleasure of life

Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well. I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train. When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor（走廊）. In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions: “Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”
He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other way out.
I could not even into the corridor. There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way. I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
“I must get out!” I cried. Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!
“Stop!” I cried. “I want to get out!” But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.
Fear made me think quickly. In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I pulled it.
Well, a noise started above our heads. That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get out and catch my ship.
【小題1】The purpose of the author writing the first paragraph is to __________.