A

Though they may often be thought of as services for travelers， ferries are often ignored as tourist opportunities. In cities and regions all over the world， ferries offer an advantage point of top destinations.

Staten Island Ferry

Take a famous ride in one of the worlds greatest cities；New Yorks Staten Island Ferry is free all day， every day. On this 25-minute trip between Manhattan and Staten Island， passengers will get a fresh view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Golden Horn Ferry

The Bosporus is a narrow， natural strait located in northwestern Turkey， which carries many a boat between its European and Asian shores. Ferries here offer 20-minute trips or six-hour tours into the Golden Horn. Both feature marks made on the city by 13 different civilizations， including the Egyptians and Bulgarians.

Star Ferry

The Star Ferry travels between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island， providing scenes of striking color at sunset in the sky and against the skyline. The two-level Shining Star ferry is a reinvention of boats from the 1920s and offers tours of the harbor.

Alaska Marine Highway System

Though many cities host eye-catching ferry rides，other locations provide water journeys of a much greater range. Covering more than 3， 500 miles， the Alaska Marine Highway System stretches along the coast from southern Washington to the Aleutian Islands. On this voyage， travelers can see wildlife including whales and bears， the largest national forest in the US， and Alaska-native villages. While on the journey， travelers can book a two-or-four-person cottage or put up a tent on one of the ferries.

Each with its own set of sights and experiences， ferries share just one thing—a new angle to redescribe your favorite place.

1. Which is recommended to those in favor of free ferries？

A. Star Ferry.

B. Staten Island Ferry.

C. Golden Horn Ferry.

D. Alaska Marine Highway System.

2. Whats special about the Shining Star ferry among the four ferries？

A. It was born out of old boats.

B. Its tours take the longest time.

C. It provides services in evenings.

D. It travels between two countries.

3. What can travelers experience through the Alaska Marine Highway System？

A. The Statue of Liberty.

B. Striking color at sunset.

C. Local mountain villages.

D. USs largest national forest.

4. What is the common characteristic of these ferries？

A. They feature ancient civilizations.

B. They offer at least half an hours ride.

C. They provide fantastic European rides.

D. They help travelers appreciate views along the way.

B

I sometimes wonder if old Finchley has the right personality to be a research scientist. He keeps asking when hell be coming back. After all， it was his own fault. Nobody tries out what has just been invented on themselves any more but Finchley. Well， he must have pumped about a thousand cc into himself before I noticed he was clearly becoming smaller.

It was funny watching him， because his clothes remained the same in size. They simply piled up around him so that he looked like a small boy in his fathers clothes. But he kept getting smaller and smaller. As my colleague Dawson and I watched him， he disappeared！ All we could see was Finchleys clothes on the floor. They looked so strange， because the lab coat was on top， shirt and trousers inside and， I suppose， underclothes inside again. It gave me a strange feeling， and I think Dawson was a bit shaken， too.

Dawson was sitting on his chair in front of a microscope hed been using to examine a family of mites （螨）. He looked through the microscope kind of absently again， and was nearly scared to lose awareness when he found old Finchley waving back from the other end.

It seemed as if Finchley had taken a free ride on a dust mite and landed on the land of the mite family. Of course， we didnt know till Finchley told us later. But anyhow， as I said， Dawson nearly passed out. He jumped off his chair and pointed at the microscope， too shocked to speak.

5. Why did Finchley become smaller？

A. He tried out what has just been invented on himself.

B. His fathers clothes totally covered him up.

C. He was changed into a dust mite.

D. He took something poisonous.

6. What have Finchley， Dawson and the writer probably invented？

A. A new way to study the family of mites.

B. A machine to make people small.

C. A new powerful microscope.

D. Some kind of medicine.

7. Dawson was frightened to see Finchley ___ .

A. got out of his microscope by accident

B. gradually disappeared in the lab

C. suddenly got lost in his clothes

D. was waving through his scope

C

The Australian postal service has apologized for delivering a letter half a century after it was sent from an island in the South Pacific.

A couple from Adelaide found the faded postcard， from the French Polynesian island of Tahiti， resting on their doorstep under a gas bill. It bore a postmark of 1966 and was addressed to one “Robert Giorgio”， according to the Adelaide Advertiser. The postcard， which was written by someone named “Chris”， reads： “I am enjoying myself greatly. The weather is very humid. Ill try and drop you a note in England.” Its stamp cost 13 francs， or around nine pence， and is understood to have been sent to the original owner of the house， whose whereabout is unknown.

“It took a while to realize it was an old one，” said Tim Duffy， who bought the house 18 months ago with his wife， Claire， and believes it was built by an Italian man in 1963. “Then I checked the post date and its 1966.” He suspects the card may have been sent by someone who was traveling by boat. “Its fresh enough although it is a bit faded and its got some damage to the top left， which looks like a bit of water damage，” he said. Mr Duffy handed the letter back to Australia Post， who acknowledged that something had “gone wrong” and issued an apology. “It is clear that something went wrong 50 years ago after the postcard was posted in French Polynesia， and we apologize for the inconvenience，” a spokesman said.

It is not the first time that a letter has taken vastly longer than expected to arrive at its destination.

A love letter sent by a British soldier during World WarⅡ was apparently stuck in transit for more than 64 years before it reached RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

8. Who wrote the postcard？

A. Claire. B. Chris.

C. Tim Duffy. D. Robert Giorgio.

9. The underlined word “suspects” in Paragraph 3 probably means “___ ”.

A. decides B. regards

C. imagines D. expects

10. What does the postcard look like？

A. Nice and perfect. B. Old and damaged.

C. Old but perfect. D. Fresh but damaged.

11. What can be inferred from the text？

A. The postcard was sent out in 1963.

B. Tim Duffy accepted the apology from the Australia Post.

C. This is the first letter that has gone wrong during delivering.

D. The person who wrote the postcard would travel to England.

D

Nature is full of color， from rainbows and roses to butterfly wings and peacock tails. Even the fruits and vegetables you eat have different colors： blue blueberries， red strawberries， green broccoli， and orange carrots.

Plants and animals often use color to attract attention. The substances responsible for these colors belong to a class of chemicals called antioxidants （抗氧化物）. Plants make antioxidants to protect themselves from the suns ultraviolet （UV） light.

The UV light causes chemicals called free radicals （自由基） to form within plant cells. They can destroy parts of plant. Free radicals also have damaging effects on human beings. Some of these effects like wrinkled skin can be seen. The damage is caused by the free radicals attacking cells in our bodies. Certain cancers and heart disease are linked to free radicals.

Our bodies have natural defences for fighting off free radicals. While we are young， our defences are pretty strong. However， they get weaker as we get older. The bodys built-in defences can only go so far without extra help.

The key to fighting free radicals with fruits and vegetables is to mix and match colors. Its like sunscreen for the inside of your body. Go for a range of very bright colors. Colorful foods contain hundreds of healthy chemicals not found anywhere else.

Research into how chemicals in blueberries affect the brains function in rats suggests that these chemicals may help our own brains work more efficiently.

Dont just blame the sun. The UV light isnt the only source of free radicals. If you breathe polluted air such as smog， automobile exhaust， or wasted gas from a factory， you take in chemicals that also cause such damage. And the body itself produces free radicals as it processes food.

12. Which of the following is TRUE about antioxidants？

A. They use color to attract attention.

B. They can protect plants from UV light.

C. They help free radicals to attack plants.

D. They have nothing to do with plant colors.

13. In which order do the following facts occur？

a. Wrinkled skin can be seen.

b. The sun gives out UV light.

c. UV light causes free radicals to form.

d. Free radicals damage cells in our bodies.

A. b， d， c， a B. b， c， d， a

C. c， a， d， b D. d， b， a， c

14. Why do we need extra help to fight off free radicals with fruits and vegetables？

A. We are too young to defend ourselves.

B. Our defences get weaker as we get older.

C. Our bodies built-in defences are limited in power.

D. Our bodies defences are not naturally strong enough.

15. What can cause free radicals besides the UV light？

A. Clean air. B. Colorful food.

C. Oxygen gas. D. The body itself.

My wife and I had just finished the 150-mile trip home from our daughters college. It was the first time in our lives that we would 1 for any length of time. We wondered how other people had 2 it.

Later in bed， I 3 the time I started college. My father had driven me， too. My mother had to stay home to 4 the cattle getting into the crops. I， the fourth in a line of 5 ， was the first to go away to college.

The truck was slow， and I was 6 . I didnt want to get to the city too soon. I shook hands with my father in the truck and he didnt say a word. But I knew he was going to make a little

7 . He finally said， “I never went to 8 and none of your brothers did. I cant say dont do this or that， because everything is 9 and I dont know what is going to come up， but I think things will 10 out. When you get a job， be sure to be honest and work hard.” I knew that soon I would be 11 in the big city and I would be 12 the life at home. Then my father brought out the Bible （《圣經》） that he had 13 so often. I knew that he would miss it but I must 14 it. He just said， “This can help you if you will 15 it.”

When I finished school I took the Bible back to my father. But he said he wanted me to 16 it.

Now， too 17 ， I remember. It would have been so 18 to give it to my daughter when she got out of the car. But I didnt. My father could give me only a Bible， but I dont really believe now that I gave her half as 19 as my father gave me. So the next morning I 20 up the book and sent it to her. I wrote a note. “This can help you，” I said， “if you will let it.”

1. A. worry B. separate C. stay D. travel

2. A. left B. stood C. enjoyed D. tried

3. A. wasted B. spent C. remembered D. found

4. A. defend B. raise C. prevent D. protect

5. A. sisters B. brothers C. classmates D. friends

6. A. serious B. anxious C. glad D. worried

7. A. speech B. living C. promise D. progress

8. A. town B. hospital C. college D. school

9. A. impossible B. different C. difficult D. favorite

10. A. work B. burst C. hold D. break

11. A. happy B. alone C. free D. lost

12. A. forgetting B. needing C. missing D. leading

13. A. chatted B. read C. discussed D. shared

14. A. refuse B. trust C. follow D. take

15. A. let B. make C. hold D. get

16. A. post B. return C. keep D. sell

17. A. late B. bad C. far D. complex

18. A. nice B. easy C. impolite D. strange

19. A. much B. many C. quick D. good

20. A. set B. turned C. gave D. packed

Last Monday， my father would be on a business trip for five days. Having gotten my promise of taking care of my mother， he put his luggage into the trunk of his car. 1 （see） my fathers driving away， my mother and I waved our 2 （hand） and said goodbye to him. For a moment， I began to miss my father， wishing that he 3 （be） safe and well in the next few days.

Yet， unfortunately， my mother 4 （catch） a cold the next morning. Looking at her pale face， I experienced high levels of anxiety. However， I told myself 5 （calm） down and look after my mom， 6 I promised to my dad. The moment I got my mom to sleep， I put cold towel on her forehead， found pills in the medicine box， and made some noodles for her. 7 （lucky）， she woke up and felt 8 （good） after taking the pills and the noodles， which satisfied me a lot.

In the next four days， I was taking her body temperature twice a day， ensuring that she was completely well. 9 our delight， my dad got back home safely and healthily on Saturday. On hearing 10 I had done to my mom， he， as well as my mom， looked at me and gave me a big thumb.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10.

Christine was the girl in one of my classes. I never knew many about her except that she was strange. She did not talking much. Her hair was black and purple， and she wears black sports shoes and a black sweater， even the summer. She was， in fact， rather attractively， and she never seemed to care how the rest of us thought about her. Like the rest of my classmate， I really wouldnt prefer to getting close to her. It was only when we did our chemistry project together that I began to understand it why Christine dressed the way she did.

1﹒我很遺憾必须离开这个城市，但我会跟所有朋友保持联系。（keep in touch）

2﹒你不记得以前见过那个女生吗？（remember doing）

3﹒做完练习以后，我们继续学习了下一模块的单词。（用动词-ing形式的完成式）

4﹒既不懂当地语言，又没有朋友在这个国家，他觉得找份工作是不可能的。（find it...）

5﹒她把牛奶收好后转过身来。（turn around）