阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

（一）

When I was a boy， I belonged to the Boy Scouts so I used to go camping every summer， and once something happened which I have never been able to explain.

We were camping in a place above a river. After arriving， we all rushed down to the river and had a swim. Standing by the river， we noticed that it was surrounded[环绕] by cliffs[悬崖]. If someone wanted to reach the river at this point， he had to walk past our camp.

Several days later， the scoutmaster had to be away for a day. That afternoon， we had supper early. We were sitting round the fire， eating and talking， when a man walked past and went down towards the river. We all felt that this man looked very strange， but， because each of us was afraid of looking very stupid， no one said anything.

We ate rather slowly， taking as long as possible. After finishing， we collected our plates together so that we could take them to the river where we always washed them. But no one moved towards the river—we stood looking at each other ashamed. Then all shouting at once， we began talking about the man who had walked past us. We agreed how strange he looked and we wondered what he could be doing by the river. We knew that he could only return by passing through our camp.

An hour passed. Then one of the boys suggested we should creep[悄悄移動] down by the river so that we could see what the man was doing. Moving very slowly and keeping in the shadow， we crept down towards the bank. One boy climbed a tree so that he could see everything clearly. He called to us that there was no one there， so we ran down to the bank， looking everywhere carefully. We could not understand where the man had gone.

When it got dark， we went back to our camp feeling bewildered. We told the scoutmaster what had happened in the evening. Smiling， he doubted that we had seen the man， but finally suggested we go and look again. We did， but there was no one there.

Many years have passed， but I still remember it as if it were yesterday. What did we see？ I do not know.

1. The writer in the text mainly tells us _________.

A. the story of his childhood       B. a strange camping experience

C. about a stranger by the river D. about a good place for camping

2. Why did the boys eat their supper slowly？

A. They wanted to delay going to the river bank.

B. They were sitting for their scoutmaster.

C. They had a supper earlier than usual.

D. They were taking while eating.

3. The word “Bewildered” in the text probably means _________.

A. ashamed               B. nervous

C. unable to understand     D. eager to know something

4. When he heard what had happened， the scoutmaster _________.

A. realized who the man was B. started to worry about the man

C. went back to look for the man   D. felt it hard to believe the boys

5. The writer still remembers the event because ________.

A. the boys acted foolishly

B. the camping place is beautiful

C. there has been no explanation for the event

D. he particularly enjoyed his camping that summer.

（二）

Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii， Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for—its stadium and theatres， its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not， however， see Pompeiis people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years.

Once， Pompeii was a busy city of 22000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius， a grass-covered volcano[火山]. Mount Vesuvius had not erupted[噴发]for centuries， so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not.

In August of AD 79， Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded， and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later， Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.

For centuries， Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then， in the year 1861， an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly， carefully， Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79. There were streets and fountains， houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all， there were everyday objects， which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom， so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread， too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round， flat loaves of bread—a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark， shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup.

Ginseppe has died， but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging， still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.

1. Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year？

A. To visit the volcano.               B. To shop and eat there.

C. To watch sports and plays.   D. To see how Pompeiians lived.

2. Why had so many Pompeiians remained by volcanic Mount Vesuvius？

A. The city nearby offered all kinds of fun.

B. The area produced the finest wine in Italy.

C. Few people expected the volcano to erupt again.

D. The mountain was beautiful and covered with grass.

3. Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in AD 79？

A. Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully.

B. Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched.

C. Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects.

D. Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted.

4. What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2000 years ago？

A. They lived more or less the same as Italians now do.

B. They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup.

C. They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating.

D. They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD 79.

（三）

Excused from recycling because you live in a high rise with a rubbish chute？ You wont be for long. Miamis Mark Shantzis has made it simple for those living in tall buildings to use the chute and recycle too.

In Shantzis Hi-Rise Recycling System， a chute leads to a pie-shaped container with six boxes that can turn around when operated. The system， which fits in the same space as the chute and container now in use， enables glass， plastic， paper， metal， and other rubbish to go into separate boxes.

The system is controlled from a board fixed next to the chute door. The board has a button for each class of recycling materials （as well as for unrecyclables）. At the press of a button， a microcomputer locks all other floors chute door and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables.

Sorting[分類] recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materials recovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting. Such equipment often makes recycled materials very expensive， so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted. Shantzis believes his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective.

1. The purpose in writing this text is ________.

A. to encourage people to recycle their rubbish

B. to introduce a recycling system for high rises

C. to describe the use of computer technology in recycling

D. to explain the need for rubbish collection in high rises

2. When he says “You wont be for long” the writer means that ________.

A. youll soon be living in a cleaner building

B. rubbish chutes will become out of date before long

C. you wont wait long for your turn to recycle rubbish

D. it wont be long before youll have to recycle your rubbish

3. Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to ________.

A. lock the other floors chute doors

B. check if the container is full

C. press the correct button

D. break up the rubbish

4. The biggest advantage of this new system is that _________.

A. it reduces the cost of recycling

B. it saves time and space

C. it saves money for people living in high rises

D. it makes better use of the existing recovery equipment

（四）

Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men， in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilizations[文明]， broken up by long “dark ages” in between. In his view， what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2，000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men.

However， most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted. Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred？ The next thousand？ The next million？ Thats much more difficult.

When men and women lived by hunting 50，000 years ago， how could they even begin to picture modern life？ Yet to men of 50，000 years from now， we may seem as primitive[原始的] in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days gollocking to make new spundels， or struggling with their ballalators through the cribe. These words， which I have just made up， have to stand for things and ideas that we simply cant think of.

So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future？ Here are two reasons. First， unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history， we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live because we are careless or greedy[貪婪] or quarrelsome， our grandchildren will not bother to think of excuses for us.

Second， by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future， we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example， if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming， we can think of trying it now. So set you imagination free when you think about the future.

1. A particular mention made of Stapledons book in the opening paragraph ________.

A. serves as a description of human history

B. serves an introduction to the discussion

C. shows a disagreement of views

D. shows the popularity of the book

2. The text discusses men and women 50，000 years ago and 50，000 years from now in order to show that ________.

A. human history is extremely long

B. life has changed a great deal

C. it is useless to plan for the next 50 years

D. it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future

3. Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to ________.

A. tools used in farming

B. ideas about modern life

C. unknown things in the future

D. hunting skills in the Stone Age

4. according to the writer of the text， imagining the future will ________.

A. serve the interests of the present and future generations

B. enable us to better understand human history

C. help us to improve farming

D. make life worth living

（五）

The easy way out isnt always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug， my husband of one month， to a special meal. I glanced through my cook book and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time. I started on it as soon as Doug left for work. As I was not experienced in cooking， I thought if a dozen was good， two dozen would be better， so I doubled everything. As Doug loved oranges， I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was a sticky dough covered with ugly yellowish marks. Realizing I had been defeated， I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldnt have to face Doug laughing at my work. I went on preparing the rest of the meal， and， when Doug got home， we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside， saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left， I went to the windows to see what he was doing. Looking out， I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin， holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house， he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in out rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again， he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder. Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast[酵母] made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the living thing？ was and why it was there. I dont know who was more embarrassed[尷尬] by the whole thing—Doug or me.

1. The writers purpose in writing this story is ________.

A. to tell an interesting experience

B. to show the easiest way out of a difficulty

C. to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman

D. to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books

2. Why did the womans attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful？

A. The canned orange had gone bad.

B. She didnt use the right kind of flour.

C. The cookbook was hard to understand.

D. She did not follow the directions closely.

3. Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin？

A. She didnt see the use of keeping it.

B. She meant to joke with her husband.

C. She didnt want her husband to see it.

D. She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.

4. What made the dough in the bin looks frighting？

A. The rising and falling movement.

B. The strange-looking marks.

C. Its shape.

D. Its size.

5. When Doug went out the third time， the woman looked out of the window because she was ________.

A. surprised at his being interested in the bin

B. afraid that he would discover her secret

C. unhappy that he didnt enjoy the meal

D. curious to know what disturbed him

（六）

New York， 10 November 5：27 pm， yesterday. Biggest power failure in the citys history.

Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. “There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didnt let him. Firemen finally got us out.”

“It was the best night weve ever had，” said Angela Carraro， who runs an Italian restaurant on 42nd Street. “We had lots of candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full and all night， in fact， for after we had closed， we let the people stay on and spend the night here.”

The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problems keeping warm， supermarkets had problems keeping cool. “All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted，” said the manger of a store in downtown Manhattan. “They were worth $50，000.”

The big electric clock in the lobby[大廳] of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started ticking [滴答] again at 5：25 this morning. It was almost on time.

1. Throughout the period of darkness， Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were ________.

A. nervous       B. excited

C. calm   D. frightened

2. In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro？

A. She had a taste of adventure.

B. Burning candles brightened the place.

C. Business was better than usual.

D. Many people stayed the night in her restaurant.

3. How long did the power failure last？

A. Nearly 12 hours.               B. More than 12 hours.

C. Nearly 24 hours.               D. More than 24 hours.

（七）

Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer-literate.” But not all experts[专家] agree that this is a good idea.

One pioneer， in particular， who disagrees is David Tebbutt， the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer， David does not see it that way. He says that Computer town UK was formed for just the opposite reason， to bring computers to people and make them “people-literate？

David Tebbutt thinks Computertowns are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away non-experts， who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers for them to experiment on， with experts to encourage them and answer any questions they have. They are not told what to do. They find out. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers， but have to be able to answer all questions people ask. People dont have to learn computer terms[術语]， but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming “people-literate？

1. Which of the following is David Tebbutts idea on the relationship between people and computers？

A. Computer learning should be made easier.

B. There should be more computer clubs for experts.

C. People should work harder to master computer use.

D. Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them.

2. We can infer from the text that “computer-liberate” means ________.

A. being able to afford a computer

B. being able to write computer programs

C. working with the computer and finding out its value

D. understanding the computer and knowing how to use it

3. The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to the idea that Computertowns ________.

A. help to set up more computer clubs

B. bring people to learn to use computers

C. bring more experts to work together

D. help to sell computers to the public

4. David Tebbutt started Computertown UK with the purpose of _______.

A. making better use of computer experts

B. improving computer programs

C. increasing computer sales

D. popularizing computers

參考答案与解析

（一）

【答案与解析】这篇文章记叙了作者孩提时代一次难忘的野营经历。在这次野营活动中，作者和其他小伙伴们一道，目睹了一位男士走到他们野营地河边，然后悄然消失，致使作者至今仍百思不得其解。

1. B。这是一道对全文主旨进行判断的题目。A项内容涉及面太广应排除，D项内容文中未涉及，C项内容应包含在 B 项之中。

2. A。文中第3段提及：We ate rather slowly， taking as long as possible—no one moved towards the river—we stood looking at each other ashamed. 可知孩子们细嚼慢咽，不敢去河边洗碗，是因为对这个陌生人的怪诞先是感到害怕，后又因胆小而感到难为情，故应选A。

3. C。明明看到一个人去了河边，却到处找不到，故选 C，即“不可理解”（unable to understand）。

4. D。文中提及孩子们将这一奇遇告知童子军首长后，他笑了，对孩子们是否见到这一奇人颇感怀疑（doubt），故应选 D。

5. C。由文中第1段后半句 and once something happened which I have been able to explain 可知选答案C。同时从常识角度可知，这一奇遇事件会给作者幼小的心灵烙上永远不可磨灭的、难忘的印迹。

（二）

【答案与解析】本文记叙了意大利西南部 Vesuvius 火山之南麓古镇庞贝在公元79年被火山吞没以及1861年被发掘后，古镇人文景观重现于世的故事。

1. D。可排除A、B、C三项内容，因为文中未涉及此三项内容。人们来庞贝观光游览，当然是领略古镇公元79年的人文景观，故应选 D。

2. C。文中提及 Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries， so the people of Pompeii felt safe. 故选C。

3. B。由于Pompeii 突然被火山喷发后的石头和灰尘覆盖了20英尺，几乎无人存活下来。可以说 Pompeii 是被活埋的，近1，800年无人迹可至，故选B。

4. A。根据 In one bakery… a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today 可推知答案为 A。

（三）

【答案与解析】这是一篇介绍美国迈阿密 Mark Shantzis 的 Hi-rise Recycling System的文章。

1. B。考查写作目的。文章第1段说：由于你住在带有垃圾通道的高层建筑里，对垃圾的回收不便是情有可原的;但是在不久的将来这种不回收的借口是不存在的了。美国迈阿密州 Mark Shantzis 已经使住在高层建筑里的人们利用垃圾通道回收利用垃圾变得简单了，应选 B。

2. D。Mark Shantzis 已经使得住在高层建筑里的人们利用垃圾通道回收利用垃圾变成了一件简单的事，应选D。

3. C。文章第2段言及这套垃圾处理系统含有六个可旋转的容器;文章第3段言及只要你按一种按钮，这个电脑系统就将其余各层其余的通道锁住，只让你按的那个按钮的通道畅通。因此按何种按钮是垃圾分类的关键。

4. C。文章最后一段提及，在收集垃圾之前将它们分类节省了使用分类设备的费用，而使用这些设备又得被回收物质白白地浪费了。Shantzis 相信这套回收系统有助于可回收物质变得更有（经济）效益。

（四）

【答案与解析】这是一篇由 Olaf Stapledon 所著的《最初的和最后的人类》而引出的关于幻想未来的文章。

1. B。用排除法解答：先排除 A，因为这篇短文并非是对人类历史进行描述;再排除C，因为作者在此文章中并非表明对不同观点的否定;最后排除 D，因为作者并非要说明这本书的普遍意义。至于 B 项内容，正好符合这本书引导人们讨论的意图，故应选 B。

2. D。文中提及五万年前，处于狩猎时代的人们不可能勾勒出现代生活的画卷;也许我们将来会被认为是我们所认为的原始人，正如石器时代的狩猎者和我们相比一样，可知要预测较为遥远的未来是一件困难的事情。

3. C。从上下文可知，这四个词汇是作者杜撰的，用以形象地表示五万年后未知的事物和行为。

4. A。文中提及现在即开始对未来展开想象，是基于两点理由：人生是有限的;我们可能得到一些对我们自己切实可行的新见解。文中还提及如果我们因粗心大意和贪得无厌而把地球弄得一塌糊涂而不能居住，我们的子孙们就不难找到迁怒于我们的理由，故应选A。

（五）

【答案与解析】这是一篇关于一位新婚的家庭主妇，为了给丈夫做面包而引发的有趣故事。

1. A。通读文章后，可知作者写这篇文章的目的，是想让人知道她这段有趣的经历，故应选A。

2. D。文中提及：As I was not experienced in cooking I thought if a dozen was good， two dozen would be better 和 As Doug loved orange， I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl，可知这位家庭主妇（即作者）并未按烹调指南行事，故应选 D。

3. C。作者在意识到自己制做面包失败时，put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldnt have to face Doug laughing at my work， 故应选C。

4. A。这是对句意和细节理解的题目。文中提及：The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing， 故应选A。

5. D。文中提及：…the third time he left， I went to the windows to see what he was doing. 可知作者在吃饭时就看出丈夫心烦意乱，频繁出去。当丈夫第三次出去时，作者不知道丈夫出去干什么，出于好奇，就到窗边去看。

（六）

【答案与解析】这是一篇关于纽约市11月9日下午5点27分至次日早晨5点25分这段时间大面积停电引发事故的短文。

1. C。文中提及 Martin Saltzman 以及其他11人被困在帝国大厦21层至22层之间的电梯里，他们无一人感到惊慌，通過讲故事、做文字游戏来打发时光，故应选C。

2. C。文中提及Angela Carraro 在42层开了一家餐馆，停电时餐桌上点燃了许多蜡烛，侍者们用托盘支起蜡烛，餐厅满员（the place was full），故应选C。

3. A。文章引语中提及下午5点27分停电，至次日早晨5点25分曼哈顿闹市中心的一家旅馆大厅的电子钟开始发出滴答声，并调侃说大钟几乎准时，故应选A。

（七）

【答案与解析】本文提出普通人应该了解有关计算机本身的知识还是应学会运用计算机来解决实际问题，作者倾向于后一观点。

1. A。文中第1段和第2段开头已经告诉读者，David Tebbutt 不同意普通人要学会电脑本身的有关知识。后文中还提及他的观点是 .…bring computer to people and make them people-literate 以及让 experts  have to explain in plain language 等，可知 A 为正确答案。

2. D。文章最后一段是解释 people-literate 的含义。

3. B。文章第2段说 David Tebbutt 不主张人向电脑靠拢，而主张电脑向人靠拢，这种人文观念正好说明正确答案为 B。

4. D。文章第3段主要叙述：进电脑俱乐部的人一般都有一些电脑知识，这会把那些想在电脑上试试身手，且有专家鼓励他们提问的非专业人士吓跑;而在电脑城里，电脑专家只需回答人们的提问，不必讲授一些电脑术语，而只用浅显的语言讲解电脑的使用知识，由此可见，电脑城是为普及电脑知识而开设的。