讲述关于人们的故事

第一篇Telling Tales about People 讲述关于人们的故事

1. This passage is mostly about the characteristics of autobiographies，memoirs，and biographies

2. Helen Keller wrote an autobiography. 3. Autobiography writers are not always objective because they want to present themselves in a good light. 4. The writer introduces each category in the passage by defining it.5. Diverse means varied or different _.

第八篇The Changing Middle Class 变化中的中产阶级

The United States perceives itself to be a middle-class nation. However，middle class is not a real designation，nor does it carry privileges.

1. The information in this passage deals with a social and economic group. 2. A common middle class value is that the family is very important. 3. ln the years after World War II，the middle class could be defined as prosperous and optimistic. 4. The phrase “In other words\" in the first paragraph means that the following statement is a restatement of the previous idea. 5. The word collectively means as a group.

第十篇 A Letter from Alan 艾伦的来信

I have learnt of a plan to build three hundred houses on the land called Parson's Place by the football ground. Few people know about this new plan to increase the size of our town.

1. Why has Alan written this letter? To inform other people about the builders' plans. 2. Why is Parson's Place particularly important，in Alan's opinion? Because it is a place near the town where people can enjoy nature. 3.What will cause traffic jams? A building on Parson's Place. 4.Alan says that ordinary people who live in the town will probably soon have less money 5.Which of these posters has Alan made? SAY NO TO HOUSES ON PARSON' S PLACE 第十一篇 The Development of Ballet 芭蕾舞的发展

Ballet is a dance form that has a long history. The fact that it survives to this day shows that it has adjusted as times have changed.

1.This passage deals mainly with the way ballet developed 2. An important influence in early ballet was Louis XIV

3.You can conclude from this passage that ballet will continue to change as new people and ideas influence it 4.The information in this passage is presented in chronological order

5. The word pageants means elaborate shows 第十六篇 The Sahara 撒哈拉沙漠 The name Sahara derives from the Arabic word for \"desert\" or \"steppe\". At 3. 5 million square miles，an area roughly the size of the United States，the Sahara Desert in northern Africa is the largest desert in the world. 1. This passage is mostly about life in the Sahara.

2. Rainfall in most of the Sahara is less than five inches per year 3. The Sahara can be described as a place of contrasts

4. The phrase \"an area roughly the size of the United States\" gives an indication

of the size of the Sahara 5. In this passage caravan means group traveling together through difficult country

第一篇 A Life with Birds 有鸟陪伴的生活

For nearly 17 years David Cope has worked as one of the Tower of London's yeoman warders, better known to tourists as beefeaters. David, 64, lives in a three-bedroomed flat right at the top of the Byward Tower, one of the gatehouses. \" From our bedroom we have a marvellous view of Tower Bridge and the Thames, \" says David.

The Tower of London is famous for its ravens, the large black birds which have lived there for over three centuries. David was immediately fascinated by the birds and when he was offered the post of Raven Master eight years ago he had no hesitation in accepting it. \"The birds have now become my life and I'm always aware of the fact that I am maintaining a tradition. The legend says that if the ravens leave the Tower, England will fall to enemies, and it's my job to make sure this doesn't happen!\"

David devotes about four hours a day to the care of the ravens. He has grown to love them and the fact that he lives right next to them is ideal. \"I can keep a close eye on them all the time, and not just when I'm working.\" At first, David's wife Mo was not keen on the idea of life in the Tower, but she too will be sad to leave when he retires next year. \"When we look out of our windows, we see history all around us, and we are taking it in and storing it up for our future memories.\" 第二篇 A Lucky Break 幸运的骨折

Actor Antonio Banderas is used to breaking bones, and it always seems to happen when he's doing sport. In the film Play it to the Bone he plays the part of a middleweight boxer alongside Woody Harrelson. During the making of the film Harrelson kept complaining that the fight scenes weren't very convincing, so one day he suggested that he and Banderas should have a fight for real. The Spanish actor wasn't keen on the idea at first, but he was eventually persuaded by his co-star to put on his gloves and climb into the boxing ring. However, when he realized how seriously his opponent was taking it all, he began to regret his decision to fight. And then in the third round, Harrelson hit Banderas so hard in the face that he actually broke his nose. His wife, actress Melanie Griffith, was furious that he had been playing \"silly macho games\". \"She was right,\" confesses Banderas, \"and I was a fool to take a risk like that in the middle of a movie.\" He was reminded of the time he broke his leg during a football match in his native Malaga. He had always dreamed of becoming a soccer star, of performing in front of a big crowd, but doctors told him his playing days were probably over. \"That's when I decided to take up acting; I saw it as another way of performing, and achieving recognition. What happened to me on that football pitch was, you might say, my first lucky break.\"

第三篇 Global Warming 全球变暖

Few people now question the reality of global warming and its effects on the world's climate. Many scientists put the blame for recent natural disasters on the increase in the world's temperatures and are convinced that, more than ever before,

the Earth is at risk from the forces of the wind, rain and sun. According to them, global warming is making extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts, even more severe and causing sea levels all around the world to rise . Environmental groups are putting pressure on governments to take action to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide which is given off by factories and power plants, thus attacking the problem at its source. They are in favour of more money being spent on research into solar, wind and wave energy devices, which could then replace existing power stations. Some scientists, however believe that even if we stopped releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere tomorrow, we would have to wait several hundred years to notice the results. Global warming, it seems, is here to stay. 第四篇 A Success Story 一个成功的故事

At 19, Ben Way is already a millionaire, and one of a growing number of teenagers who have made their fortune through the Internet. What makes Ben's story all the more remarkable is that he is dyslexic, and was told by teachers at his junior school that he would never be able to read or write properly . \"I wanted to prove them wrong \can be used to find goods in online shopping malls.

When he was eight, his local authorities provided him with a PC to help with school work. Although he was unable to read the manuals, he had a natural ability with the computer, and encouraged by his father, he soon began charging people $l0 an hour for his knowledge and skills. At the age of 15 he set up his own computer consultancy, Quad Computer, which he ran from his bedroom, and two years later he left school to devote all his time to business.

\"By this time the company had grown and I needed to take on a couple of employees to help me\says Ben. \"That enabled me to start doing business with bigger companies.” It was. his ability to consistently overcome difficult challenges that led him to win the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the same year that he formed Waysearch, and he has recently signed a deal worth $25 million with a private investment company, which will finance his search engine. 第五篇 Traffic in Our Cities 城市的交通

The volume of traffic in many cities in the world today continues to expand. This causes many problems, including serious air pollution, lengthy delays, and the greater risk of accidents. Clearly, something must be done, but it is often difficult to persuade people to change their habits and leave their cars at home. One possible approach is to make it more expensive for people to use their cars by increasing charges for parking and bringing in tougher fines for anyone who breaks the law. In addition, drivers could be required to pay for using particular routes at different times of the day. This system, known as \"road pricing\already being introduced in a number of cities, using a special electronic card fixed to the windscreen of the car. Another way of dealing with the problem is to provide cheap parking on the outskirts of the city, and strictly control the number of vehicles allowed into the centre.

Drivers and their passengers then use a special bus service for the final stage of their journey.

Of course, the most important thing is to provide good public transport. However, to get people to give up the comfort of their cars, public transport must be felt to be reliable, convenient and comfortable, with fares kept at an acceptable level.

阅读判断

第七篇Moderate Earthquake Strikes England A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeast England on 28 April 2007，

1. During the April 28 earthquake，the whole England was left without power. B 2. The Channel Tunnel was closed for 10 hours after the earthquake occurred. C 3. It was reported that one lady had got her head and neck injured，but not seriously. A 4. France and several other European countries sent their medical teams to work side by side with the British doctors. C 5. The country's strongest earthquake took place in London in 1580. B 6. Musson predicted that another earthquake would occur in southeast England sooner or later. A 7. It can be inferred from the passage that England is rarely hit by high magnitude earthquakes. A

补全短文

第九篇Heat Is Killer

Extremely (l) •Experts ， health. (2). Experts ，body. (3). Stay ，heat. (4) _. The，stress. (5) Hot ， depression. A Such persons have a weak or damaged heart, high blood pressure, or other problems of the blood system.B Several of these conditions are present at the same time. C Most people suffer only muscle pain as a result of heat stress.D Several hot days are considered a heat wave. E So does extreme heat. F Doctors say people can do many things to protect themselves from the dangers of extreme heat. 答案：E D F C A