(1)

　　In October 1961 at Crowley Field in Cincinnati Ohio an old deaf gentleman named William E. Hoy stood up to throw the first ball of the World Series. Most people at Crowley Field on that day probably did not remember Hoy because he had retired(退休) from professional baseball 58 years earlier in 1903. However he had been an outstanding player and the deaf people still talk about him and his years in baseball.

　　William E. Hoy was born in Houckstown Ohio on May 23, 1862. He became deaf when he was two years old. He attended the Columbus Ohio School for the deaf. After graduation he started playing baseball while working as a shoemaker.

　　Hoy began playing professional baseball in 1886 for Oshkosh(Wisconsin) of the Northwestern League. In 1888 he started as an outfielder(外場手) with the old Washington Senators. His small figure and speed made him an outstanding base runner. He was very good at stealing bases during his career. In the 1888 major league season he stole 82 bases. He was also the Senators’ leading hitter in 1888. Hoy was clever and he threw right-handed and batted left-handed. On June 19,1889 he threw out three batters(擊球手) at the plate from his outfield position.

　　The arm signals used by judges today to show balls and strikes began because of Hoy. The judge lifted his right arm to show that the pitch was a strike and his left arm to signal that it was a ball.

　　For many years people talked about Hoy’s last ball game in 1903. He was playing for Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast Winter League. It was a memorable game because Hoy hit a wonderful ball which won the game. It was a very foggy day and therefore very hard to see the ball. In the ninth inning(棒球的一局) with two men out, Hoy managed to catch a fly ball to make the third out in spite of the fog. Los Angeles defeated their opposition and won the game.

　　After he retired Hoy stayed busy. He ran a dairy farm near Cincinnati for 20 years. He also became a public speaker and traveled giving speeches. Until a few years before his death he took 4-10 mile walks several mornings a week. On December 15, 1961 William Hoy died at the age of 99.

　　1. In which order did the following things happen in Hoy’s life?

　　a. Hoy worked as a shoemaker.

　　b. Hoy began to run a diary farm.

　　c. Hoy played a memorable game in the heavy fog.

　　d. Hoy threw the first ball of the World Series.

　　e. Hoy became deaf.

　　A. d e a c b  B. e a c b d  C. d a e c b  D. e a b c d

　　2. We can infer from the last paragraph that Hoy _______ in his late years.

　　A. became famous    B. led a relaxed life

　　C. traveled around the world  D. was in good physical condition

　　3. This passage is mainly about _______.

　　A. a deaf player devoted to the game of baseball

　　B. baseball game rules and important players

　　C. the rise in the social position of the deaf people

　　D. where the baseball judge hand signals came from

　　4. What can be inferred from this passage?

　　A. Hoy was the greatest baseball player in his time.

　　B. Speaking and listening are not necessary in baseball games.

　　C. The judge had to study the hand signals very seriously.

　　D. Hoy’s family encouraged him to become a baseball player.

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了美國20世紀初最杰出的棒球選手Hoy不平凡的一生。

　　1. B。細節(jié)題。此題要求對事件發(fā)生的先后順序進行排序�？捎檬孜捕ㄎ环ǎ�即找到第一個發(fā)生的事件 (e. Hoy became deaf.)，再找到最后一個發(fā)生的事件 (d. Hoy threw the first ball of the World Series.)，故可排除A、C。再進行比較可知B最佳。

　　2. D。推斷題。根據(jù)Until a few years before his death he took 4-10 mile walks several mornings a week.，可見在他生命的最后歲月里，他的身體狀況很好。

　　3. A。主旨題�？v觀全文可知。

　　4. A。推斷題。根據(jù)he stole 82 bases…the Senators’ leading hitter…threw out three batters…managed to catch a fly ball to make the third out in spite of the fog. 等細節(jié)，可以判斷Hoy是他那個時代最杰出的棒球選手。

　　(2)

　　The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes — from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.

　　Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.

　　Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape, in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.

　　It was the publicity(宣傳) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape ankle chins. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.

　　Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? World-wild fame, and a name remembered today.

　　1. According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______.

　　A. his special tricks and supernatural powers

　　B. his unusual ability and a skeleton key

　　C. his magic tricks and unhuman powers

　　D. his wisdom and magic tricks

　　2. In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.

　　A. his first prison escape   B. the year 1898

　　C. the publicity     D. Harry Houdini’s success

　　3. It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.

　　A. in 1894      B. before he married

　　C. at the age of 17    D. when he was about 24

　　4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

　　A. A Skeleton Key    B. A Man of Many Secrets

　　C. World-wild Fame     D. Great Escape

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了Harry Houdini特技成功的經(jīng)歷和方法。

　　1. B。細節(jié)題。根據(jù)第4段第2句：Harry把手、腳都訓練得很靈活來擺脫手鏈腳銬及第4句后半部分：妻子通過接吻傳給他萬能鑰匙，可推知此題答案為B。

　　2. A。單詞理解題。根據(jù)語境，this指上文所表演的事情：第一次越獄成功。由此可推知此題答案為A。

　　3. D。推斷題。第3段第1句：他步入娛樂圈時是1891年，17歲；倒數(shù)第2句：第一次成功是1898年，時隔七年，應是24歲，可推知此題答案為D

　　4. D。主旨題。由文章第1段第2句：He was a man famous for his escapes — from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water，可知Harry 因逃脫出名，后面列舉的例子談的是他從監(jiān)獄成功地逃出，所以答案為D。

　　(3)

　　On May 29, 1973, Thomas Bradley, a black man, was elected mayor of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the third largest city in the United States, with a population of three million. About sixteen percent of the city’s population are black.

　　News of this election appeared on the front pages of newspapers everywhere in the United States. Here is how one major newspaper reported the event:

　　LOS ANGELES ELECTS BRADLEY MAYOR UNSEATING YORTYBLACK WINS 56% OF VOTES

　　Bradley called his victory over Yorty “the fulfillment (實現(xiàn)) of a dream”. During his childhood and youth, people had kept telling him, “You can’t do this, you can’t go there, because you are a Negro.” Nevertheless he had won a decisive victory over a man who had been won 43.7 percent.

　　Los Angeles voters have had many opportunities to judge. Thomas Bradley had to form an opinion of him. The son of a poor farmer Texas, he joined the Los Angeles police force in 1940. During his twenty-one years on the police force he earned a law degree by attending school at night. He was elected to the city council (市政廳) ten years ago.

　　At the time of the Los Angeles election, three other American cities already had black mayors, but none of those cities had as large a population as Los Angeles. Besides, the percentage of blacks in those other cities was much larger. Cleveland, Ohio, had thirty-six percent black when Carl Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland in 1967. In the same year Richard Hatcher was elected mayor of Cary. In Newark, New Jersey, sixty percent of the population were black when Kenneth Gibson was elected in 1970. Thus election of a black mayor in those cities was not very surprising.

　　In Los Angeles thousands of white citizens voted for Thomas Bradley because they believed he would be a better mayor than the white candidate(候選人). Bradley had spent forty-eight of his fifty-five years in Los Angeles. Four years ago Bradley lost mayoral election to Yorty. This time Bradley won.

　　1. In the author’s opinion, it was surprising that _______.

　　A. the whites would vote for a black mayor

　　B. a black mayor would be elected in such a large city

　　C. a black from a poor farmer’s family could be elected mayor of Los Angeles

　　D. there would be so many black mayors

　　2. From the passage we can infer that people ________.

　　A. voted for Bradley because of his black color

　　B. didn’t care much about his color when they voted

　　C. voted for him to give a chance to fulfill his dream

　　D. voted for Bradley because they trust him

　　3. Bradley hit the front page headline for _______.

　　A. he was the first black mayor in history

　　B. he was the first black mayor in the south of USA

　　C. he was the first black mayor of one of the largest cities in USA

　　D. a poor farmer’s son could also win an important election

　　4. From Bradley’s victory in the election we can see that ________.

　　A. blacks had equal rights as whites in the USA

　　B. black people’s situation began to be improving much more than before

　　C. one can be successful through hard work in the USA no matter what color he is

　　D. it is certain that someday the USA will have a black president

　　【答案解析】

　　本文報道了黑人在洛杉磯這樣白人占絕大多數(shù)的大城市里被當選為市長這一新聞。

　　1. A。推斷題。根據(jù)文章第1段最后一句：洛杉磯黑人的比例為16%以及倒數(shù)第2段所描述其他幾個城市的黑人的比例(分別是36 %、55 %、60 %)可推此題答案為A。

　　2. D。細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章最后一段第1句…because they believed he would be a better mayor than the white candidate可推知此題的答案為D。

　　3. C。細節(jié)題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第2段第1句…three other American cities already had black mayors, but none of those cities had as large a population as Los Angeles可推知此題的答案為C。

　　4. B。推斷題。運用排除法：選項A顯然與原文內(nèi)容不符；選項C和D文章沒提及，況且此兩項過于忽略美國的種族矛盾，不宜選；只有選項B原文內(nèi)容較相符。

　　(4)

　　Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became a record breaker on 17 October of 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.

　　Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.

　　So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips(竅門). She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glassed of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes(基因) from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.

　　A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying:

　　Sorry, I’m still alive!

　　1. How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?

　　A. She is miserable and unhappy.

　　B. She is cheerful and humorous.

　　C. She would like to live much longer.

　　D. She feels she is going to die very soon.

　　2. Jeanne Calment owes her good health and long life to _______.

　　A. smoking only a little every day

　　B. her giving up smoking and drinking

　　C. drinking two glasses of strong red wine every day

　　D. the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises

　　3. Which of the following could best replace the word “move” in the fourth paragraph?

　　A. deal   B. trick   C. march   D. sport

　　4. Why does Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive” to the local lawyer every year on her birthday?

　　A. Because she had an agreement at 80 with the lawyer which was to her advantage.

　　B. Because she has asked the lawyer to pay her more rent than they first agreed.

　　C. Because the lawyer has paid her much more money than the value of the house.

　　D. Because the house she sold to the lawyer isn’t worth the money he has already paid.

　　【答案解析】

　　本文介紹了世界上壽命最長的法國老太太。

　　1. B。細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章內(nèi)容及第2段第3句 She still has a lively sense of humor 可推知此題答案為 B。

　　2. D。細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第 3 段第4句 She has always eaten a healthy diet… 及倒數(shù)第 2 句 Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes (基因) from her parents 可推知此題答案為 D。

　　3. A。詞義猜測題。根據(jù)此單詞所在句子的前面部分 A local lawyer bought her house… under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death 可推知此題答案為 A。

　　4. C。推斷題。文章倒數(shù)第 2 段第 1 句說 …so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house，而老太太本人也感到不好意思，據(jù)此可推知答案為 C。

　　(4)

　　Jonathan James looks like just another kid about to graduate from high school. But this 19-year-old Swede is anything but ordinary, from the computer in his parents’ home he helps the US Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) find out the world’s most wanted cyber criminals(網(wǎng)絡(luò)犯罪分子).

　　Jonathan first made headlines when he and another Swede, Fredrik Bjoerck, found out the maker of the “Melissa” virus(病毒) in March 1999. He came to the aid of the FBI again on May 7, finding out the suspected(嫌疑的) sender of the dangerous “I LOVE YOU” virus. The suspect was caught in Manila on May 8.

　　Jonathan’s special skills are in hot demand as officials around the world express alarm at the “virtual” crimewave. In between studying for final exams, hanging out with friends and refereeing his younger brother’s football matches, the quiet, gentle teenager also gives lessons on e-security(電子安全) to large companies. He reads a lot and exchanges information with other computer experts to know much about the latest tricks of the hacker (黑客) trade.

　　Many companies have already tried to employ him, but he is not interested at the moment. Instead, he plans to begin law school in the autumn at Sweden’s Uppsala University and start up his own e-security company.

　　Although he works with the FBI now, his family insists he’s just “a regular kid”. “Jonathan is a great kid, he has his friends and he does a lot more than just play with the computer,” his little sister Tessa said, adding that he helps the FBI because “he likes to help”, not because he’s looking for fame and recognition.

　　When the world was hit by the “Love Bug” virus, Jonathan was too busy preparing a speech on e-security to look into the problem. “Finally on May 7, I had some free time, so I began looking.” Within a few hours, he had found the suspect and e-mailed his method and results to the FBI. He said his work on the “Melissa” virus, which took three weeks to solve, was a big help in finding the suspect so quickly.

　　“This time I knew exactly where to start, I knew what to disregard and what to look at.”

　　1. The passage mainly wants to tell us that______.

　　A. Swedish kid helps FBI find out the most wanted cyber criminals

　　B. Jonathan is really a quiet, gentle and ordinary boy

　　C. many companies want the young computer expert to join in

　　D. any cyber criminals will surely be found out wherever they are

　　2. The public started to know something about Jonathan just from____.

　　A. his helping the US FBI to find out the sender of the dangerous “I LOVE YOU” virus

　　B. his work together with Fredrik Bjoerck to find out the maker of the “Melissa” virus

　　C. his little sister’s talk about his good qualities as a regular kid and a good programmer

　　D. his speech on e-security to many computer companies after his fight against hackers

　　3. From Jonathan’s success in finding out the sender of the dangerous ‘Love Bug” virus we can infer that ___.

　　A. where there’s a will, there’s a way B. experience is knowledge

　　C. hard work leads to success   D. failure is the mother of success

　　4. What do we know about Jonathan?

　　A. He is a good fame hunter with various abilities.

　　B. He is such a brave fighter that any criminal will feel afraid.

　　C. He is an expert on security, not interested in running a company.

　　D. He is a regular kid but does something unusual.

　　【答案解析】

　　本文主要講述了19個瑞典男孩 Jonathan 憑借自己出色的電腦技術(shù)幫助美國聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局尋找網(wǎng)絡(luò)犯罪分子。

　　1. A。主旨題。根據(jù) …he helps the US Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) find out the world’s most wanted cyber criminals 可確定答案。

　　2. B。細節(jié)題。根據(jù) Jonathan first made headlines when he and another Swede, Fredrik Bjoerck, found out the maker of the “Melissa” virus(病毒) in March 1999 可推測出答案。

　　3. B。推斷題。根據(jù) He said his work on the “Melissa” virus, which took three weeks to solve, was a big help in finding the suspect so quickly 可以看出，以前積累的經(jīng)驗對他以后的工作大有幫助，故 B 最佳。

　　4. D。細節(jié)題。根據(jù) Although he works with the FBI now, his family insists he’s just “a regular kid” 可以看出來，Jonathan 是一個正常的孩子，但他卻做出了一些不尋常的事情。