The flowers were so lovely that they __________ in no time.

A. sold         B. had been sold       C. were sold        D. would sell

So far this year we ______ a fall in house prices by between 5 and 10 percent.

A. saw       B. see     C. had seen     D. have seen

    A child who has once been pleased with a tale likes, as a rule, to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts. It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.

   A charge made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises(出現(xiàn)) from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.

There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say so peculiar(奇怪的) that I do not know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girl-friend.

No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was.

1. The author considers that a fairy story is more effective when it is _______.

A. repeated without any change                  B. treated as a joke

C. made some changes by the parent            D. set in the present

2. According to the passage, great fear can take place in a child when the story is _______.

A. in a realistic setting                       B. heard for the first time

C. repeated too often                                  D. told in a different way

3. The advantage claimed(提出) for repeating fairy stories to young children is that it _______.

A. makes them less fearful

B. develops their power of memory

C. makes them believe there is nothing to be afraid of

D. encourages them not to have strange beliefs

4. The author’s mention of sticks and telephones is meant to suggest that _______.

A. fairy stories are still being made up

B. there is some misunderstanding about fairy tales

C. people try to modernize old fairy stories

D. there is more concern for children's fears nowadays

5. One of the reasons why some people are not in favor of fairy tales is that _______.

A. they are full of imagination

B. they just make up the stories which are far from the truth

C. they are not interesting

D. they make teachers of history difficult to teach

 Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. 

One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own. 

Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 

Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. 

1. Which of the following statements is NOT true? 

A. People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. 

B. People who work in London prefer to live in the country. 

C. Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London. 

D. Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London. 

2. One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.

A. getting a small flat with a garden     B. having a small flat with a garden

C. renting a small flat without a garden D. buying a small flat without a garden

3. When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 

A. who live in the country

B. who have spent time working in the garden

C. who have a garden of their own

D. who have been digging, planting and watering

4. People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live it outside London. 

A. their life was meaningless              B. their life was invaluable

C. they didn’t deserve a happy life              D. they were not worthy of their happy life

5. The underlined word rest in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A. the rest time                    B. the rest people

C. the rest of the country              D. the rest of the parks and of the sea

Industrial pollution is not only a problem for the countries of Europe and North America but also an extremely serious problem in some developing countries. For these countries, economic growth is a very important aim. They want to introduce industries, and so they put few controls on the industries which cause pollution.

Cubatao, an industrial town of 85 000 people in Brazil, is an example of the connection between industrial development and pollution. In 1954, Cubatao had no industry. Today it has more than twenty large factories, which produce many pollutants(污染物). The people of the town are suffering from the poisonous matter in their environment and the bad effects can be clearly seen. Birth shortcomings are extremely common. Among children and adults, lung problems are sometimes twelve times more common in Cubatao than in other places.

It is true that Brazil, like many other countries, has laws against pollution, but these laws are not enforced strictly enough. It is cheaper for companies to take no notice of the laws and pay the fines(罰款) than to buy the expensive equipment that will reduce the pollution. It is clear, therefore, that economic growth is more important to the government than to the health of the workers. However, the responsibility(責(zé)任) does not completely lie with the Brazilian government. The example of Cubatao shows that international companies are not acting in a responsible way either. A number of the factories in the town are owned by large companies from France, Italy, and the U. S. They are doing things in Brazil that they would not be able to do at home. If they caused the same amount of pollution at home, they would be severely(嚴厲地) punished or even put out of business.

1. Why don’t developing countries have strict pollution controls?

A. The new industries they want to introduce do not cause much pollution.

B. Pollution is not a serious problem for developing countries.

C. They don’t realize the balance of nature will be destroyed by some pollutants.

D. If they put stricter controls on industry, fewer companies would build new plants in developing countries.

2. What is the author’s purpose in taking Cubatao as an example?

A. To show that industry can develop very fast in developing countries.

B. To show that the pollution problem in Brazil is extremely serious. 

C. To show that industrial growth can cause pollution problems for developing countries.

D. To show that pollution is killing many people and destroying the whole economy of Brazil.

3. How is the health of the population of Cubatao?

A. There are more heart diseases among people who live near chemical factories.

B. More people suffer from lung diseases because of poisonous matter.

C. Their health is affected by pollutants the same way as that of other Brazilians.

D. Babies there are found not as bright as those who live in other places.

4. Why do some foreign companies like to set up their plants in Brazil?

A. The investment(投資) environment in Brazil is suitable for them.

B. They will not be severely punished if they cause pollution in Brazil.

C. They can make much money because they do not have to pay Brazilian workers much.

D. They can act in an irresponsible(不負責(zé)任的) way in Brazil because there are no pollution laws there.

    Although man has known asbestos for many hundreds of years, it was not until 160 years ago that it was mined for the first time on the North American continent. H. W. Johns, owner of a New York City Supply Shop for roofers, was responsible for(對…負責(zé)) the opening of that first mine.

    Mr. Johns was given a piece of asbestos which had been found in Italy. He experimented with the material and then showed its surprising powers to his customers. After putting on a pair of asbestos gloves, which looked much like ordinary work gloves, he took red-hot coals from the fireplace and played with them in his hands. How astonished the customers were to discover that he was not burned at all. You can well imagine that he had increasing business in asbestos roofing materials. However, because it was very expensive to transport (carry) them from Italy to the United States, Mr. Johns sent out a young scientist to seek a source nearer home. This young man found great vein(巖脈), in the province of Quebec in Canada.

    Ever since 1881 Quebec has led the world in the production of this unusual mineral, which is made up of magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen. When it is mined, the asbestos is heavy, just as you would expect a mineral to be. When it is separated, a strange thing happens; the rock breaks down into fine, soft, soapy fibres(纖維).

    Scientists do not know why the rock can be separated easily into threads(線), but they have found thousands of uses of this fireproof material, of the so-called “cloth of stone”.

1. Which title best expresses the main idea of this passage?

A. Asbestos mined in Canada        B. Fireproof matter

C. A “wonder” mineral                 D. A new roofing material

2. Johns proved his ability as a salesman by_______.

A. going into roofing business      B. carrying asbestos from Italy

C. sending a trained scientist         D. showing the use of asbestos gloves

3. Which is the most important character of asbestos that the author wants to show us?

A. It is like thread.               B. It feels soapy.

C. It burns easily.                 D. It is unusually heavy.

4. The author’s main purpose in writing this passage was to _______.

A. show the need for more scientists

B. compare asbestos with other minerals

C. increase the sales of asbestos

D. present facts about asbestos

I got caught in the rain and my suit____.

A. has ruined  B. had ruined   C. has been ruined      D. had been ruined

To Design Perfect School Uniforms 設(shè)計完美的校服

Believe it or not, there are good reasons for wearing a school uniform. It makes you   1__  proud of your school. It builds a common spirit of unity (整體) among students and   2   them of the values and history of their school. But for most students, school uniforms are not something to be proud of   3  .

“Why   4   the school uniform just one day a week? Always wearing the same clothes makes me feel boring,” a senior student from a high school complained (抱怨). “I don’t like the big English letters of the name of our school on the back,” said a junior student “They could be   __5  .” The main student complaints about school uniforms are: simple colors, boring designs and bad   6  . And a teacher at a middle school in Guangzhou said that   7   a teacher and a mother, she eagerly   8   the quality of school uniforms will be improved soon.

What has caused all these problems? Chen Hong, a uniform designer in Shenzhen, pointed out that problems   9   because the whole society doesn’t see the   10   of the school uniform.

“Most designers are  11   to stick to the same old fashion,  12 _ there are no professionals (專業(yè)人員)   13   work for students,” Chen said.

His company   14   most of the awards in the first national competition for school uniforms last month in Nanning, Guangxi.

“Besides, high quality calls for a high price,” said Chen. “But in some schools, the annual (一年一度) expense for each student’s uniform is only 50 to 60 yuan. How can we produce high quality clothes with so   15   money?”

Even with these problems, efforts have been made   16   the situation, according to Zhai Shiliang,   17   of the School Uniform Administration and Service Center in Beijing. A school clothes competition was held in April in Beijing. Thirty-seven uniforms,   18   in schools next spring, were selected from 570. “We will offer the samples (樣品) for schools to choose,” Zhai said.

“The perfect uniform should remind the students of the school’s honor and cause them to be proud of it   19   they are,” Chen said. Zhai added, “During the 2008 Olympic Games, the whole world will see the new appearance of our   20   century young generation with new school uniforms.”

1. A. take                    B. feel                C. to take             D. to feel

2. A. remains               B. remember          C. reminds           D. recalls

3. A. at all                   B. in all               C. for all              D. after all

4. A. not to wear           B. to wear            C. not wear         D. wear

5. A. large                   B. larger              C. small               D. smaller

6. A. quantity              B. amount            C. quality             D. unit

7. A. as                           B. like                C. for                  D. with

8. A. wishes                       B. needs               C. wants              D. hopes

9. A. come through      B. come up         C. come in           D. come on

10. A. importance        B. important             C. design             D. possibility

11. A. like                   B. possibly           C. unlikely           D. likely

12. A. if                      B. although         C. because            D. because of

13. A. what                B. which              C. that                D. ×

14. A. won                  B. has won           C. wins                    D. had won

15. A. few                   B. little                    C. much               D. many

16. A. improve            B. develop           C. change             D. to change

17. A. a head               B. the head           C. Head               D. head

18. A. being seen                B. to be seen        C. to see              D. will be seen

19. A. whenever and wherever                  B. when and where 

   C. what and who                                D. whatever and whoever

20.A. 19th                  B. 20th                       C. 21st                D. 22nd

Susan decided not to work on the program at home because she didn’t’ want her parents to know what she __________.

A. has done        B. had done        C. was doing          D. is doing

With the machine ____, she couldn't keep her eyes ___ in bed.

A. burning, closed  B.burnt, close  C. to burn, closed  D. being burnt, close