The Golden Gate Bridge, the first sight for many people arriving in the United States by ship, is a well-recognized landmark, which spans(橫跨) the Golden Gate Strait.
The idea for a bridge across the strait had been around for many years, but it was not easy to get the project started. The construction of the bridge finally began in 1933. The construction work set new standards for safety----workers were among the first required to wear hard hats, and an innovative（革新的） safety net saved the lives of nineteen men while the bridge was built. The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, which was finished ahead of schedule.
Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer in charge of the bridge project. However, he had little experience with the construction of suspension（懸浮）bridges. For this reason, other engineers, architects, and designers made great contributions to the design and construction of the bridge. For example, the bridge owes its art style and unique orange color to the architects Irving and Gertrude Morrow. Charles Alton Ellis was the main engineer on the project and did much of the technical work necessary to build the bridge.
Today, the Golden Gate Bridge has a main span of 4,200 feet and a total length of 8,981 feet, making it one of the longest bridges in the world. The bridge is 90 feet wide, and its span is 220 feet above the water. The towers supporting the huge cables (巨纜) rise 746 feet above the waters of the Golden Gate Strait, making them 191 feet taller than the Washington Monument. About 40 million cars cross the bridge every year. There are foghorns（霧角）to let passing ships know where the bridge is, and aircraft beacons（信號(hào)燈）on the tops of the towers to stop planes from crashing into them.
小題1:The purpose of the passage is to _______.

A．describe the construction work of the Golden Gate Bridge

B．introduce the Golden Gate Bridge

C．tell us the history of the Golden Gate Bridge

D．introduce the engineers in charge of the Golden Gate Bridge

小題2:Safety innovations during the construction of the bridge included ________.

A．hardhats and a safety net	B．a(chǎn)ircraft beacons
C．foghorns	D．a(chǎn)ll of the above

小題3: It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A．Joseph Strauss was skilled in the construction of suspension bridges

B．it took the construction workers three years to build the Golden Gate Bridge

C．a(chǎn)bout 100 thousand cars cross the Golden Gate Bridge every day

D．the Golden Gate Bridge is the longest bridge in the world

小題4:The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refers to ________.

A．towers

B．cables

C．waters

D．bridges

Sublet.com is not just for sublets (轉(zhuǎn)租，分租) and subleases（轉(zhuǎn)租入，轉(zhuǎn)租出）! If you are searching for a place to live or just need temporary rental housing, you will find the rental you need at Sublet.com. Sublet.com is a full service rental website where landlords(房東), tenants(房客) and roommates come together to rent apartments, houses and rooms.
At sublet.com tenants can search and find every type of rental housing. Sublet.com landlords rent and sublet apartments, houses, townhouses, rooms, hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, mobile homes, vacation rentals and dormitory rooms. Sublet.com rentals and sublets meet every demand: pet friendly rentals and subleases, furnished or unfurnished rentals, short term or long term rentals, roommates, rentals and sublets for tenants with bad credit and obviously rentals for tenants with good credit. At Sublet.com tenants can search for rentals in many different ways. Search rentals by location neighborhood, by zip code(區(qū)號(hào)), by specific rental needs like doorman, pets, high speed internet, no smokers and more.
If you are a landlord and you have an apartment, house, townhouse or room to rent, post it for free at Sublet.com. Post your apartment or house for a 1 year lease, for a one week rental or even for a 1 day rental. Whatever your rental goals are, sublet.com will help by sending quality rental leads(線索). Sublet.com also offers landlords a complete tenant screening service. At Sublet.com you can conveniently run credit reports, employment reports, criminal background checks to evaluate the quality of a tenant..
Sublet.com does not share personal information. Even email addresses are not accessible to landlords or tenants. Sublet.com does not save credit card information. Sublet.com posts a TRUSTED logo(專用標(biāo)識(shí)) for landlords that have been screened and checked. And tenant reviews of landlords are posted with each listing to express the quality of a rental or a landlord. Since all landlords with tenant complaints are blocked, the length of time a landlord has been posting is shown to indicate the quality of the landlord.
小題1:At Sublet.com, _________.

A．tenants with bad credit can not find their rentals

B．tenants can not find the rentals which provide Bed and Breakfasts

C．landlords can post a flat or a room to rent without paying any money

D．landlords and tenants are informed of each other’s email addresses

小題2:This passage is probably_________.

A．a(chǎn)n ad for a housing rental website	B．a(chǎn) guide for people to rent houses
C．a(chǎn) direction of making rental deals	D．a(chǎn) collection of rental information

小題3:People can do all the following at Sublet.com EXCEPT_________.

A．buy a well-furnished apartment

B．find a place to stay with their pets

C．evaluate the quality of a tenant

D．post their apartment or house for a short term or long term rental

小題4:The purpose of the last paragraph is probably to_________.

A．a(chǎn)ttract more tenants

B．prove that sublet.com is the best

C．refuse people with bad credit

D．convince landlords and tenants of their privacy and security

完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，從第每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)
How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? The mark of a successful person is how   36  he can get back his focus on what is important.
Two years ago I gained the knowledge about the Law of the Garbage Truck. I   37  it in a taxi. I got on a taxi, and we headed for Grand Central Station. We were  38 in the right lane(行車道) when   39 a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver stepped on his brakes(剎車)heavily, and    40  the car’s back end by just inches!
The driver almost caused a(n)   41 , saying bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy  42   . So, I said, “This guy almost   43  your car and sent us to the   44  !” On the way to the Grand Central Station, my taxi driver told me what I now   45  “The Law of the Garbage Truck.”
“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of   46  , full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage becomes more, they needed a(n)   47 to dump(扔) it. When someone wants to dump it on you, don’t   48  it. You just smile, wish them well, and focus on important things quickly.
Good leaders know they have to be  49 for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Good  50 and parents know what is   51 for them. The bottom line is that   52 people do not let garbage Trucks take over their day.
Life is too   53 to wake up in the morning with  54 , so take your time and love the people who treat you right.  55 about the ones who don’t. Don’t be regretful for your life.

小題1:.	A．quickly B．hardly C．completely D．directly
小題2:.	A．realized B．observed C．concluded D．learned
小題3:	A．walking B．driving C．running D．talking
小題4:	A．suddenly B．slowly C．secretly D．finally
小題5:.	A．struck B．hit C．a(chǎn)pproached D．missed
小題6:	A．a(chǎn)rgument B．fire C．a(chǎn)ccident D．debate
小題7:	A．impatiently B．friendly C．a(chǎn)ngrily D．impolitely
小題8:	A．destroyed B．stole C．burned D．caught
小題9:	A．station B．office C．park D．hospital
小題10:	A．imagine B．believe C．call D．expect
小題11:	A．energy B．garbage C．happiness D．possibility
小題12:	A．a(chǎn)ssistant B．chance C．tool D．place
小題13:	A．value B．refuse C．mind D．ignore
小題14:	A．ready B．eager C．a(chǎn)nxious D．suitable
小題15:	A. teachers	B doctors	C. drivers	D. leaders
小題16:	A．useful B．important C．necessary D．dangerous
小題17:.	A．successful B．busy C．silly D．common
小題18:.	A．long B．hard C．short D．exciting
小題19:	A．a(chǎn)ims B．dreams C．hopes D．regrets
小題20:	A. Point	B. Forget	D. Wonder	D. Dream

 

  When you have a question about something, where do you go? For many people the answer is simple as they can go online to a search engine like Google or Yahoo. But what about people in rural or underdeveloped areas who may have no way to get on the Internet?
A business and international development professor in California, Rose Shuman, found an answer for them: Question Box. Question Box is a service that provides answers---free of charge--- for people who cannot search the Internet directly. The users of Questions Box might be those who might not be able to read, or simply have no access to the Internet.
Question Box began three years ago in India. People used a metal call box with a push-to-talk button to connect a live operator. Rose Schuman explained,” You just need to push a big green button on the box which will connect you directly to our operators who are sitting in front of computers, and speak your language. You can ask them any sort of question you want, and they’ll look it up in English or in Hindi, or whatever the main language is, and translate the answer back for you.”
The service is currently offered in two villages. The latest version of the box uses mobile phone technology, and solar panels in case the electrical power fails. Rose Shuman says the aim was to make the box as easy as possible for users, “It is very efficient (效率高的). Rather than try to bring a lot of difficulties to them and expect them to spend a lot of time to learn how to use the Internet, the idea was to make a technology that even Grandma could use.”
In April 2009, Question Box was introduced to Uganda. Forty community workers with mobile phones connected villagers to call center operators in Kampala. The community workers went around telling people about the service. They wore T-shirts that said “Ask me.” But Internet service in Uganda proved slow and undependable. So Question Box teamed up with a local technology company to store information on a local server. That way, the researchers in Kampala could quickly search the database for answers.
小題1: The best title for the passage is __________.

A．Question Box ----taking the place of the Internet

B．Needing an answer? ----asking Question Box

C．Question Box ----A great invention in the world

D．Rose Shuman----- A professor helping the poor

小題2: In Rose Schuman’s opinion, the greatest advantage of Question Box is that______.

A．It is the most advanced in the world

B．It is more convenient to carry.

C．It is much easier to use

D．it saves much more energy

小題3:The underlined word “them” in the fourth paragraph refers to______.

A．the users	B．the operators
C．the researchers	D．Question Box workers

小題4:What can we know from the passage?

A．Question Box costs the users much less than the Internet.

B．Question Box operators can look for information in any language.

C．Question Box is more efficient in solving problems in underdeveloped areas.

D．Question Box can work without the help of the Internet in Uganda.

If you want to fully enjoy your vacation, then you’d better check the Durban City Tours! This is actually one of the best choices in South Africa today.
There is nothing more relaxing than to think about it that there is a place to go and relax, right? City life is stressful, but you can escape this situation and be in the place where there is noting but fun. Here in Durban you will get to see all the amazing tourist attractions. If you love animals and want to see some elephants wandering around the streets, then Durban is the place to go. You can even get to ride one if you want!
Here you will also get to taste all the delicious South African food. You can choose from Italian cooking to its native dishes. Durban is a great place to tour with your friends and family. You will learn a lot about its history through the landmarks you will see down the streets. Tourists and even the local villagers just can’t get enough of these treats!
However, it is important that you make the necessary arrangements. There are actually lots of tour guides that will help you as you make your journey along the streets of Durban. But if you prefer the best tour guides here in Durban, then you’d better settle for the Street Scene Tours. Their staff are all well-trained and professional. They will certainly make your stay here an unforgettable one. No wonder tourists prefer the Street Scene Tours when it comes to Durban City Tours.
小題1:What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．Durban is a relaxing city.

B．City life means high pressure.

C．It is good to have a place to relax.

D．One can have fun riding elephants.

小題2: If you walk in the street of Durban, what will impress you most?

A．Tourists from all over the world.

B．The buildings and many kinds of animals.

C．The streets and some wandering elephants.

D．The friendly local people and the scenery.

小題3:. What does the last sentence in Paragraph 3 show?

A．The food can’t satisfy them.

B．They are bored with the streets.

C．They are treated very well here.

D．They never get tired of the sights.

小題4: The author wrote the last paragraph mainly to      .

A．a(chǎn)ttract tourists to Durban

B．help readers make arrangement

C．introduce the tour guides in Durban

D．persuade tourists to choose the Street Scene Tours

Sure, human dads can play games with their kids and help with homework, but can they give birth? Daddy sea horses can! This Father’s Day, while you’re praising your daddy, you may also remember that some of the best dads in the world can be found in the animal kingdom:
Sea horses: The “Mr. Moms” in the sea, male sea horses, carry up to 2,000 fertilized eggs in small bags in their stomachs until they hatch. Even after the babies are born, they stay inside the bag until they are ready to live by themselves.
Darwin’s rheas: Thought your dad was overprotective? Darwin’s rheas, also known as South American ostriches (鴕鳥), are so protective of their children that they have even been known to attack small airplanes on the ground if they get too close to their home!
Marmosets: These little monkeys do everything but give lectures on how to give birth! Devoted dads assist during their babies’ birth. They also let Mom get some rest by taking care of the kids when she’s not nursing them.
Sand grouse: These pigeon-like birds live in areas where water is rare, so fathers fly as many as 50 miles to get water for their kids. After they dip their breast feathers in the water, they fly home and let their chicks suck the water from their bodies.
Fathers in the animal kingdom are not that different from our own beloved dads. This Father’s Day, when you are honoring your dad, honor animal dads, too, by practicing kindness toward all animals.
小題1: The underlined “they” in paragraph 2 refers to      .

A．fertilized eggs

B．their stomachs

C．male sea horses

D．baby sea horses

小題2: According to the passage, which animal is the most protective?

A．A sea horse

B．A Darwin’s rhea

C．A marmoset

D．A san grouse

小題3:The passage mainly tells readers       .

A．how clever and brave animals are

B．how to honor animal dads on Father’s Day

C．a(chǎn)nimal dads are different from human dads

D．some interesting facts about male animals

Why are so many people so afraid of failure? Quite simple because no one tells us how to fail so that failure becomes an experience that will lead to growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.
Most parents work hard at either preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. A mother describes her child’s hastily made table as “Perfect!” even though it doesn’t stand still. Another way is to shift(轉(zhuǎn)移)blame. If John fails science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.
The trouble with failure prevention is that they leave a child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time and that it’s possible to enjoy a game even when you don’t win. A child who’s not invited to a birthday party, who doesn’t make the honour roll on the baseball team, feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick comfort, prize or say “It doesn’t matter.” because it does. The young should be allowed to experience disappointment and be helped to master it.
Failure is never pleasurable. It hurts grownups and children alike. But it can make a positive contribution to your life once you learn to use it. Step one is to ask “Why did it fail? Don’t blame someone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong, how you can improve. If someone else can help, don’t be shy about inquiring. Success, which encourages repetition of old behaviour, is not nearly as good a teacher as failure. You can learn from a bad party how to give a good one, from an ill-chosen first house what to look for in a second. Even a failure that seems definitive can cause fresh thinking, a change of direction. After twelve years of studying ballet, a friend of mine applied for a professional company. She asked. That ballet master shook his head. “You will never be a dancer,” he said,” you haven’t the body for it.”
In such cases, the way to use failure is to take stock bravely asking “What have I left? What else can I do?” My friend put away her shoes and moved into dance treatment center, a field where she’s both able and useful. Failure frees one to take risks because there’s less to lose. Often there is recovery of energy — a way to find new possibilities.
小題1:The first paragraph tells us ______.

A．failure is very natural for every person

B．the reason why we don’t know how to fail

C．the reason why so many people are afraid of failure

D．one should be ready to face failure at any time

小題2:How many preventions may parents use when a child fails according to the passage?

A．only two

B．no more than three

C．less than three

D．more than three

小題3: Which statement below does the writer support?

A．Failure is as good an experience as success.

B．Failure is the mother of success.

C．Failure is far from a good teacher like success.

D．Definitive failure gives us nothing but fresh thinking.

小題4: We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.

A．failure is the recovery of energy

B．failure makes one free to do something dangerous

C．failure should be forgotten in our life

D．failure is likely to do us good in life

What makes it rain? Rain falls from clouds for the same reason anything falls to Earth. The Earth's gravity pulls it. But every cloud is made of water droplets or ice crystal(冰晶). Why doesn't rain or snow fall constantly from all clouds? The droplets or ice crystals in clouds are extremely small. The effect of gravity on them is slight. Air currents move and lift droplets so that the net downward amount of water is zero, even though the droplets are moving constantly.
It can be seen that droplets and ice crystals behave somewhat like dust in the air in a beam of sunlight. To the casual observer, dust seems to act in a totally random fashion, moving about
without fixed direction. But in fact dust particles（分子） are much larger than water droplets and they finally fall. The average size of a cloud droplet is only 0.0004 inch in diameter（直徑）. It is so small that it would take sixteen hours to fall half a mile in perfectly still air, and it doesn't fall out of moving air at all. Only when the droplet grows to a diameter of 0.008 inch or larger can it fall from the cloud. The average raindrop contains a million times as much water as a tiny cloud droplet. The growth of a cloud droplet to a size larger enough to fall out is the cause of rain and other forms of precipitation. This important growth process is called "coalescence".
小題1: Ice crystals do NOT immediately fall to Earth because           .

A．they are kept up by air currents

B．most of them change into steam

C．they combine with other chemicals in the atmosphere

D．their electrical charges draw them away from the earth

小題2: The underlined word "random" in line 10 most probably means            .

A．unpredictable

B．strict

C．independent

D．a(chǎn)bnormal

小題3:What can be inferred about drops of water larger than 0.008 inch in diameter?

A．They never occur.

B．They are not affected by the force of gravity.

C．In moving air they would fall to earth.

D．In still air they fall a speed of thirty-two miles per hour.

小題4: How much bigger is the rain drop than a loud droplet?

A．200 times bigger

B．1,000 times bigger

C．100,000 times bigger

D．1,000,000 times bigger

Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.
Recite and repeat in conversation（談話，交往）.
When you hear a person’s name, repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial（矯揉造作的，不自然的）.
Ask the other person to recite and repeat.
You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort（努力） you’re making to learn their names.
Admit you don’t know.
Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say, “I’ m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again？”
Use associations（聯(lián)絡(luò)，聯(lián)系）.
Link（聯(lián)系） each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example, you could make a mental note：“Vicki Cheng — tall, black hair.” To reinforce (加強(qiáng)) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.
Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.
When meeting a group of people, concentrate on（集中精力） remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering everyone. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.
Go early.
Consider going early to conferences（會(huì)議）, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up（到場(chǎng)） on time. That’s fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others — an automatic （無(wú)意識(shí)的）review for you.
小題1:.．How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

A．They will be moved.	B．They will be annoyed.
C．They will be delighted.	D．They will be discouraged.

小題2:.If you can’t remember someone’s name, you may ________.

A．tell him the truth	B．tell him a white lie
C．a(chǎn)sk him for pity	D．a(chǎn)sk others to help you

小題3:.．When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember________.

A．a(chǎn)ll their names	B．a(chǎn) couple of names first
C．just their last names	D．a(chǎn)s many names as possible

小題4:.．What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Tips on an important social skill.	B．Importance of attending parties.
C．How to make use of associations.	D．How to recite and repeat names.

Whether you’re headed to another country for business or pleasure, it is likely that you need to keep in touch with family or business partners in the United States. But if you plan to do that using your cellphone, you could have an unwelcome surprise—U.S. cellphones don’t work abroad. U.S. companies use different forms of technology, not like most of the international community, including Europe.?
However, there is an easy, cost-effective solution to staying in touch while you’re traveling. You can rent a phone that is guaranteed（保證）to work in the countries you’re visiting. Roadpost offers a 30-day cellphone rental plan that includes free incoming calls, free voicemail and call waiting services.
The service is convenient and simple. You can place your order online and your phone will be shipped to arrive on the date you want. If an unexpected business trip comes up, Roadpost can provide next-day delivery for most cities. In addition to the phone, Roadpost provides a spare battery, travel charger and a leather carrying case.?
When your phone is shipped from Roadpost, you receive an e-mail confirmation（確認(rèn)）that contains your international cellphone number so you can leave it with family members and business partners; Roadpost even provides business cards preprinted with your international phone number.?
Those who don’t want to be without e-mail while traveling can rent an international BlackBerry. It can be hard to stay in touch by e-mail when traveling. With an international BlackBerry, you can e-mail as much as you like, without worrying about an expensive bill. If you’re traveling to very remote areas, you may want to consider renting a satellite phone, because it receives its signals from satellites, this phone works anywhere on the planet, including oceans and mountains. When you return, simply ship the phone or BlackBerry back to Roadpost using the return kit the company provides.?
小題1:The first paragraph mainly tells us that_________.?

A．Americans need to change their cellphones?

B．European form of technology is different from America’s?

C．U.S. cellphones don’t work abroad?

D．Americans who go abroad will meet an unwelcome surprise

小題2:According to the text,it can be inferred that__________.?

A．a(chǎn)n international BlackBerry is only used to send e-mail?

B．Roadpost can offer cellphones using in different areas?

C．you should select a bag used to send your cellphone?

D．Roadpost sells the best cellphones?

小題3:Which of the free services can you get from Roadpost??

A．Voicemail.?	B．Sending e-mail.?
C．Shipping the phone back.?	D．Call waiting services.??

小題4:Which of the following will help you a lot in mountainous areas??

A．BlackBerry.

B．The return kit.?

C．E-mail.

D．Satellite phones.