2010期末试卷.doc

READING COMPREHENSION (2*15)Passage one When the steam engine was invented in the eighteenth century, it began one of the greatest revolutions that have ever happened in our world. The invention of the petrol engine at the end of the nineteenth century led to another enormous change in our lives. And the computer is almost certainly going to be no less important an invention than these engines were. Just as there was a Stone Age, an Iron Age and so on, we have been living for centuries in a Paper Age, during which almost all information was kept and sent on paper; and so much of it is wasted after it has been used once that enormous number of trees have to be cut down every year to provide us with this paper. But now, with the computer, enormous amounts of information can be stored and sent without any paper at all, using small discs or Internet. Computers have made it possible to do very difficult calculations very much faster than any earlier machine could. Computers also allow one to send information to others anywhere in the world, via the telephone line, and to receive information from them. One can send a very long message more quickly from England to Australia, for example, than from ones house to someone in the garden. Computers are not only used for writing; they can produce diagrams and pictures, and they can be used for playing games. One now sees them at airports and railway stations, in hotels and restaurants; in fact, almost everywhere where people gather. 1, The author seems to say that the invention of the computer is .A) not so important as that of the steam and petrol enginesB) at least as important as that of the steam and petrol enginesC) less important than that of the steam and petrol enginesD) far more important than that of the steam and petrol engines2, According to the author the disadvantage of using paper to keep and send information is that .A) it is hard to get enough paper B) it wastes our time C) it damages the environment D) there is too much paper around 3, We may infer that the fastest way for the computer to send messages is by using .A) paper B) discs C) the telephone line D) air mail 4, Which of the following functions of the computer is NOT mentioned in the passage? A) Handling information B) Doing office and business work C) Offering entertainment D) Making phone calls 5, The title that best expresses the main idea of the passage is . A) Computer Age B) Paper Age and Computer Age C) Computer and Our Daily Life D) Computer and Our Future Passage twoFor many years, scientists couldnt figure out how the atoms and molecules on the Earth combined to make living things. Plants, fish, dinosaurs, and people are made of atoms and molecules, but they are put together in a more complicated way than the molecules in the primitive ocean. Whats more, living things have energy and can reproduce, while the chemicals on the Earth 4 billion years ago were lifeless. After years of study, scientists figured out that living things, including human bodies, are basically made of amino acids and nucleotide bases, carbon, nitrogen atoms. How could such complicated molecules have been formed in the primitive soup? Scientists were stumped. Then, in 1953, two scientists named Harold Urey and Stanley L. Miller did a very simple experiment to find out what had happened on the primitive Earth. They set up some tubes and bottles in a closed loop, and put in some of the gases through some water, sent them back for more sparks, and so on. After several days, the water that the gases had been bubbling through turned brown. Some new chemicals were dissolved in it. When Miller and Urey analyzed the liquid, they found that it contained amino acidsthe very kind of molecules found in all living things. 6, When did scientists come to realize how the atoms and molecules on the Earth combined to make living things? A) 4 billion years ago. B) After several days. C) Many years ago. D) In 1953. 7, Scientists figured out that human bodies basically made of .A)hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen atoms B)water vapor, ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane and hydrogen C)amino acids D)molecules 8, Harold Urey and Stanley L. Miller did their experiment in order to .A) dissolve some new chemicals B) find out what had happened on the earth 4 billion years ago C) simulate bolts of lightning on the ancient Earth D) analyze a liquid 9, At the end of the last paragraph, the word “it” refers to .A) water B) the liquid C) a closed loop D) an electric spark 10, According to the writer, living things on the Earth include . A) atoms and molecules B) chemicals C) plants, fish, dinosaurs and human beings D) the primitive soup Passage Three 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 Harry 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 his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted. Harry started working in the entertainment world when he was 17 in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in a 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 newspaper to watch. It was the publicity that came from this that started Harry Houdinis success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs(手铐) and toes trained to escape from ankle chains. 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, passed quickly from her mouth to his. Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local jail 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-wide fame and a name remembered today. Choose the correct answer according to the passage 11, Harrys success in prison escapes depends on .A)his magic tricks and superman powers B)his special tricks and a skeleton keyC)his unusual ability and a skeleton key D)the help of his wife and his food luck12, In the fourth paragraph, the word “this” refers to .A)his first prison escape B)the local newspaper C)the detectiveD)the publicity 13, Harry gave his performance most often .A)In the local theatersB)in rivers C)in the local prisons D)in clubs 14, It can be inferred from the passage that Harry became famous .A)when he was about 24 B)when he was about 17C)after the year 1894 D)before the year 1898 15, From the passage we can learn that Harry .A)gave his first performance in a prison B)was first recognized widely in Chicago C)entered the entertainment world together with his wifeD)owed his great success principally to his small skeleton key Cloze (1*20)Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.For the past two years, I have been working on students evaluation of classroom teaching. I have kept a record of informal conversations _16_ some 300 students from at _17_ twenty-one colleges and universities. The students were generally _18_ and direct in their comments _19_ how course work could be better _20_. Most of their remarks were kindly _21_ with tolerance rather than bitternessand frequently were softened by the _22_ that the students were speaking _23_ some, not all, instructors. Nevertheless, _24_ the following suggestions and comments indicate, students feel _25_ with things-as-they-are in the classroom. Professors should be _26_ from reading lecture notes. “It makes their _27_ monotonous(单调的).”If they are going to read, why not _28_ out copies of the lecture? Then we _29_ need to go to class. Professors should _30_ repeating in lectures material that is in the text-book. “_31_ weve read the material, we want to _32_ it or hear it elaborated on, _33_ repeated.” “A lot of students hate to buy a _34_ text that the professor has written _35_ to have his lectures repeat it.”16. A) involving B) counting C) covering D) figuring17. A) best B) least C) length D) large18. A) reserved B) hard-working C) polite D) frank19. A) over B) at C) on D) of20. A) presented B) submitted C) described D) written21. A) received B) addressed C) made D) taken22. A) occasion B) truth C) case D) fact23.