| 阅读理解。 |
| It was once thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and/or heavy automobile traffic. Today, we know that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is actually worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the entire eastern half of the United States and led to health warnings even in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be affected by air pollution. Some scientists feel that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a "greenhouse effect"-holding in heat reflected from the earth and raising the world's average temperature. If this view is correct and the world's temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be under water. Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particulate (废气排往空中而形成的微粒、颗粒) matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth's temperature-a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to new ice age and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. At present we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report prepared by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very likely). Perhaps, if we are very lucky, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world's temperature will stay about the same as it is now. |
| 1. As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution _____. |
| A. caused widespread damage in the countryside B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States C. had damaging effects on health D. existed merely in urban and industrial areas |
| 2. As far as the greenhouse effect is concerned, the author _____. |
| A. shares the same view with the scientists B. is uncertain of its occurrence C. rejects it as being ungrounded D. thinks that it will destroy the world soon |
| 3. The underlined word "offset" in Para. 2 could best be replaced by _____. |
| A. slip into B. make up for C. set up D. catch up with |
| 4. This passage is mainly concerned with _____. |
| A. the greenhouse effect B. the burning of fossil fuels C. the potential effect of air pollution D. the likelihood (可能性) of a new ice age |
| 阅读理解。 |
| On October 19, 1959, the first Special English program was broadcast on the Voice of America. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language was not English. Experts said the goal was admirable (令人敬畏的), but the method would not work. They were proved wrong. The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. And they still are. Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. But during the years its role has expanded. It also helps people learn American English. And it provides listeners, even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere. Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day. Each half-hour broadcast begins with 10 minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming. There is a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the weekend, about news events and American idioms. Three elements make Special English unique. It has a limited vocabulary of 1,500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Special English is written in short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are English speakers understand complex subjects. Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it was not designed as a teaching program. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way. In countries around the world, English teachers assign Special English to their students. They praise it for improving their students' ability to understand American English and for the content of the programs. Universities and private companies in many countries produce packages of Special English materials for students' use. |
| 1. At the beginning, Special English program was _____. |
| A. well received B. rejected by native people C. doubted by some professionals D. intended for teaching English |
| 2. Which of the following are the elements that make Special English unique? a. limited vocabulary b. short simple sentences c. good communication method d. slow speed e. interesting feature programming |
| A. a, b, e B. a, c, d C. a, b, d D. b, d, e |
| 3. Which of the following statements is TRUE? |
| A. Special English has been founded for less than 50 years. B. Native English speakers don't go in for Special English much. C. Special English usually starts with 20 minutes of the latest news. D. People can learn some idioms from Special English. |
| 4. From the last paragraph we can infer that _____. |
| A. Listening to Special English can be a student's homework B. Listening to Special English can improve the content of the program C. Some students record the Special English material for sale D. Learning English from VOA is a traditional way for English learners |
| 对话填空：请认真阅读下列对话，并根据首字母的提示，在标有题号的横线上写出一个单词的完整、 正确形式，使对话通顺。 |
| B - Boss S - Secretary B: You are making me very disappointed S: What (1) m_____ you say that. B: You are supposed to do your work well. But you (2) k_____ forgetting things that you are expected to do. Look at the (3) l_____ you've typed. Do you know how many (4) m_____ you've made? S: I'm really (5) s_____ about it. I'd like to apologize for that, John. I hope you'll forgive me. B: I can forgive you if you (6) p_____ me you can improve your work and do a good job in the future. If not, you'll get the pink note. S: OK. I'll do a good job in everything I do in the future. B: And don't litter all over the room. I can't (7) s_____ people doing that. S: I'm sorry, John. It's my fault. I was so careless that I neglected that. (8) A_____, I apologize. B: I'm afraid I also have to apologize to you for (9) b_____ so rude to you S: You're right to be (10) s_____ with me. I don't mind your criticisms since they are reasonable. |
| 写作。 | ||||||
| 随着生活水平的提高，近来，中学生过生日时互赠礼物已蔚然成风，甚至有的还去饭店过生日。 对此，同学们有不同的看法。假设你是王平，请你根据下表提示，给某英语报社的编辑写一封信， 并谈谈自己的观点。
1. 词数：120左右 （信的开头和结尾已经给出，但不计入总词数） 2. 短文须包括表中的全部内容，可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。 3. 参考词汇：攀比 keep up with the Joneses | ||||||
| Dear Editor, I'm a middle school student named Wang Ping. ____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Yours, Wang Ping |