1

  The making of glass is a very old industry - at least 4,500 years old. Glass has many extraordinary qualities and it is frequently being used in new ways.
  One of the most interesting new uses for glass is in telephone communication. Scientists have developed glass fibres as thin as human hair which are designed to carry light signal. When the light reached the other end, it is first changed into electrical signals, which are in turn converted into sound messages.
  Called lightwave communication, the new system was used successfully in an experiment in Chicago in 1977. During the experiment, two glass fibres were able to carry 672 conversations at the same time. The lightwave cable, containing 144 glass fibres, has the capacity to carry 50,000 conversations at the same time.
  The lightwave communication system has two important advantages. First, the glass fibre cables are smaller and weigh less than copper cables. Second, they cost less.
  Perhaps it can be said that telephone communication has entered the age of light.

1. One of the extraordinary qualities of glass is that it can carry ________.
A. light signals
B. electrical signals
C. sound signals
D. any signals

2. Before you can hear a message on the telephone using the new system, ________.
A. electrical signals must first be changed into light signals and then into sound
B. light must be changed into electrical signals and then into sound
C. light signals have to be turned directly into sound message
D. electrical signals have to be changed directly into sound messages

3. According to the passage the new telephone communication system ________.
A. had been repeatedly experimented on before 1977
B. was first put into actual use in 1977
C. had been used within very limited scope before 1977
D. was put on experiment in 1977

4. From the passage, you can tell that people prefer glass fibre cables to copper cables because ________.
A. glass fibres are less expensive
B. glass fibres are easier to make
C. glass fibres deliver messages directly
D. glass fibres are more up to date

5. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A. Glass is very useful because it has many unusual qualities.
B. Light signals have changed the use of glass in industry.
C. The use of glass fibres to carry telephone messages is an interesting new development.
D. Glass fibres have reduced the cost of telephone communication.

2

  But the success of science, both its intellectual excitement and its practical application, depends upon the selfcorrecting character of science. There must be a way of testing any valid idea. It must be possible to reproduce any valid experiment. The character or beliefs of scientists are irrelevant; all that matters is whether the evidence support their contentions(观点). Arguments from authority simply do not count; too many authorities have been mistaken too often. I would like to see these very effective scientific modes of thought communicated by the schools and the media(传播媒介); and it would certainly be an astonishment and delight to see them introduced into politics. Scientists have been known to change their minds completely and publicly when presented with new evidence or new arguments. I cannot recall the last time a politician displayed a similar openness and willingness to change.

6. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The rewards of scientific discoveries.
B. Practical applications of an abstract theory.
C. An important characteristic of science.
D. Some similarities between politics and science.

7. According to the passage, if a scientist repeats an experiment several times and does not produce similar results each time, the experiment must be ________.
A. extremely complex
B. incorrectly recorded
C. scientific
D. invalid

8. According to the passage, which of the following is most essential to scientists' work?
A. Character.
B. Beliefs.
C. Authority.
D. Evidence.

9. The author implies that in science, arguments from authority are ________.
A. not decisive
B. doubtful
C. precious
D. misleading

10. According to the author, a politician tends to ________.
A. think much of the media
B. accept new arguments
C. avoid admitting his mistakes
D. stick to the laws

3

  In the United States many have been told that anyone can become rich and successful if he works hard and has some good luck.
  Yes, when one becomes rich he wants people to know it. And even he does not become very rich, he wants people to think he is. That's what "Keeping up with the Joneses" is about. The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American by the name of Arthur Momand.  Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things to keep up with their neighbors: they try to look as rich and as successful as their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and as successful as their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it "Keeping Up with the Joneses", because "Jones" is a very common name in the United States. "Keeping up with the Joneses" came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
  People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. That is one reason why they read the "right" books, go to the "right" universities and eat in the "right" restaurants.
  Every city has an area where people want to live because others will think better of them if they do. And there are "Joneses" in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses, because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.

11. Why, according to the passage, do many people try to keep up with the Joneses?
A. Because they want to be as rich as their neighbors.
B. Because they feel proud to be taken for the Joneses.
C. Because they want others to know or think they are rich.
D. Because they are afraid that others will know they are rich.

12. Why did Arthur Momand use the name "Jones" in his stories?
A. Because many rich people in the U.S. are named Jones.
B. Because few rich people in the U.S. are named Jones.
C. Because the name sounds funny and impressive.
D. Because there are many people in the U.S. whose family name is Jones.

13. What does the author refer to when he says the "right" books?
A. Books that other people around are reading.
B. Books that teach people how to get rich and successful.
C. Books by famous and successful writers.
D. Very expensive books.

14. What does the author mean by "Mr. Jones always seem to be ahead"?
A. It seems Mr. Jones is always walking ahead of others.
B. It seems one can never keep up with all the people around.
C. It seems Mr. Jones is a very rich man.
D. It seems one has to work very hard to get rich.

15. What is the author's opinion?
A. It is funny to try to keep up with the Joneses.
B. It is necessary to keep up with the Joneses.
C. It is hard to keep up with the people around you.
D. It is senseless to try to keep up with the people around you.

4

  Humans have long been studying the flight of birds and trying to imitate it. Not until the twentieth century did engineers fully understand the principles of flight that birds have been using for millions of years.
  Birds are adapted in their body structure, as no other creatures, to live in the air. Their wings, tails, hollow bones, and internal air sacs(气囊) all contribute to this great faculty. These adaptations make it possible for birds to seek out environments most favorable to their needs at different times of the year. This results in the marvelous phenomenon we know as migration - the regular, seasonal movement of entire populations of birds from one geographic location to another.
  Each year with great regularity most species of birds return to their summer homes, court(求偶) and choose mates, build their nests, lay eggs, and rear their young. In the late summer and fall they acquire their new plumage(羽毛). Then they join with others of their kind in large and small flocks, feeding and storing up fat in their bodies. Thus they prepare for the hardships of winter, whether they remain in the cold northlands or make the strenuous journey to the south.

16. The best title for this passage would be ___________.
A. Principles of Flight
B. How Birds Fly
C. The Annual Migration of Birds
D. The Body Structure of Birds

17. The main idea of this passage is that ___________.
A. birds are built the same as other creatures
B. birds are built to fly
C. birds need to migrate to survive
D. birds need to be told when to migrate

18. It can be inferred from the second paragraph that ___________.
A. birds' migration is generally without purpose
B. birds' migration is merely out of their habits
C. most birds travel regularly for a change in their life pattern
D. birds are able to look for situation favorable to their existence

19. Birds feed and store fat in their bodies ___________.
A. for use in rearing their young
B. for use in winter
C. to be used when they return next summer
D. to be used on their way south

20. Which of the following is implied by the passage?
A. The migration of birds is a "social" undertaking.
B. Each individual bird has its own pattern of migration.
C. All birds fly south for the winter.
D. Different kinds of birds join together in their migration.

5

  You've probably had the experience of having someone fall in love with you when you didn't return the feeling. In such a case it's hard to know what to do. You want to discourage your admirer. Yet you don't want to be so obvious in your efforts that you make an enemy of him.
  A friend of mine had this problem and handled it in the most tactful(得体的) way I've ever seen. Instead of telling the young man that she found it tiresome to have him around so much, she devoted herself to introducing him to every girl she knew. Whenever she had a date with him, she arranged for them to drop in at the home of one of her girl friends. A few weeks was all it took for him to click(一见如故) with one of these girls, and then everyone was happy. The new girl and the young man got along just fine and both of them were grateful to my friend for having brought them together. My friend was rid of a problem and she still had the young man as a friend, which was just what she wanted him to be.
  Of course this solution may not work for you. You may have your own way of dealing with the problem. But whatever you decide to do, keep one thing in mind - the boy in question has feelings every bit as sensitive as your own. So try to find a way of discouraging him without hurting him.

21. The best title for this passage would be __________.
A. How to Make a Friend
B. Problems of Dating
C. Good Advice for Girls
D. How to Free Yourself from an Admirer

22. The main idea of this passage is __________.
A. it is possible to discourage an admirer without hurting his feelings
B. there are many solutions to the problems of dating
C. an admirer has feeling every bit as sensitive as our own
D. it's tiresome to have someone around too much

23. The author's friend solved her problem by __________.
A. telling her admirer she got tired of having him around so much
B. keeping on dating with her admirer
C. avoiding meeting the young man any more
D. bringing the young man together with another girl and still having him as a friend

24. The character of the author's friend can best be described as __________.
A. sympathetic
B. patient
C. tactful
D. cunning

25. The author urges us to be __________.
A. friendly to everybody
B. considerate to others
C. aware of man's weakness
D. responsive to other's demands

参考答案：

1. A  2. B  3. D  4. A  5. C
6. C  7. D  8. D  9. A  10. C
11. C  12. D  13. A  14. B  15. D
16. C  17. B  18. D  19. B  20. A
21. D  22. A  23. D  24. C  25. B