four. He swam to safety with just cuts and bruises.
Accident number four came in 1970 when his car caught fire as he drove along a motorway and he fled with seconds to spare before the fuel tank exploded.
Three years later, he lost most of his hair when a faulty fuel pump spewed（喷） petrol over the hot engine of his car and blew flames through the air vents（排气口）.
Then in 1995 came his sixth accident when he was knocked down by a bus in Zagreb but walked away with minor injuries.
The following year, he was driving in the mountains when he turned a corner to see a truck coming straight toward him. His car rushed down the 300 feet deep slope. But he jumped at the last minute and sat in a tree as he watched his car hit the bottom and explode.
He then won ￡600,000 with his first ever lottery ticket and celebrated his fifth marriage saying: “I guess all the earlier marriages were disasters too.”
35. Why is the man considered the luckiest man?
A. Because he escaped death in all the deadly accidents. B. Because he won a lottery of ￡600,000.
C. Because his present marriage is satisfying. D. Because he married five times.
36. How many times did the man escape death?
A. 5 B. 6 C. 7 D. 8
37. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. He jumped out of his car before it rushed down the slope. B. He was badly injured in the plane accident.
C. He won the lottery the first time he bought lottery ticket. D. He had the train accident in the summer of 1962. 38. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The luckiest man escaping deaths, winning lottery B. The luckiest man surviving two car accidents C. The luckiest man celebrating his marriage D. The luckiest man marrying five times
C
In America, after middle school comes high school, which includes grades 9 through 12. Students are required to take certain subjects like English, social studies, math, science, and physical education. In addition, they choose among elective subjects to
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complete their high school education. Electives include subjects in technology, music, art, and foreign languages.
Cheating in any form is strictly forbidden in American schools. And in fact, high school students usually don’t cheat. A student caught in plagiarism(剽窃), forgery(伪造), or copying another student faces severe discipline(纪律), even expulsion(开除). Each school holds certain yearly activities for the entire school body, such as homecoming, prom night, holiday celebrations, etc.
Homecoming is celebrated each fall, usually on a weekend, and events leading up to it may last all week. While homecoming is celebrated differently at each school, it usually includes a parade and the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen, and ends with a football game and school dance.
The prom is a formal dance for students in grades 11 and 12, and is generally expected as the most important social event of the school year. It can also be a time of anxiety, as boys have to work up the courage to ask a date to the prom, and girls hope the right boy invites them. These couples dress in formal clothes, girls in long gowns(长衫), boys in suits. Some students even arrange a limousine and driver for their group of friends to arrive in style! At the prom, students dance, have snacks and drinks, and chat. Prom usually ends with a Prom King and Queen being announced and crowned on stage before an envious(羡慕的) audience.
Besides hosting events for holidays such as the Fourth of July and Halloween, each high school often has their own special events. One day might be “Inside Out/Backwards Day,” where students and teachers should wear their clothes reversed all day, perhaps walk and speak backwards, and even go to classes in opposite order. And some schools hold competitions where, if certain academic goals are met, the principal will kiss a pig, shave his mustache, or dress as a woman for the day.
39. What do we know from the first or the second paragraph?
A. American high school courses include required courses and
selective courses.
B. American high school lasts three years.
C. No American high school student cheats at school.
D. American high school rules are too strict for the students
to follow.
40. Which of the following statements is true?
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A. Homecoming is celebrated entirely differently in each school.
B. It is a great honor to be announced Prom King and Queen. C. All school activities are held just for fun. D. Teachers don’t attend the school activities.
41. What does the underlined word “limousine” in the fifth
paragraph refer to? A. a party B. a car C. a meal D. a hall 42. What can we say about American high school life?
A. Heavy academic burden. B. Busy and creative holidays.
C. Free from limitation. D. Colorful school activities.
D
When I was a kid my mum used to say I would read the back of a sauce(调料) bottle if I didn’t have a book on the go. It was true, and even now that reading habit has stuck with me, I always have at least one book, sometimes two or three, being read. And I’m talking about real books, books made out of paper, books that you can hold in your hand to read.
But reading is on the decline. A recent survey has found that Chinese people read only 4.77 printed books a year on average and in the U.S. 25 percent of the population claim not to have read a book in the last year! So what’s stopping people from reading?
The obvious answer of course is the huge influence that technology has made on all of our lives. Why read a book when you can watch a movie or TV series on your hand-held device（设备） on the underground going home? For younger people books may not be as immediately exciting and attention catching as an online game. With stories you have to work at it, stick with it, follow the twists and turns of the plot. There are no shortcuts with a book. You have to turn page after page.
But you can still get lost in a book. We all have this thing called imagination. It’s much more powerful than any computer; in fact, it’s worth remembering that any online game has first been written, in words, as a story by its author(s). It’s the total of his or her or their imagination.
So we need to read because if we do not read we start to block our ability to think widely, to have an imagination. Reading is a process that involves completely different pathways in the brain.
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Pathways that allow us to draw comparisons and make connections to other things we have read and seen in the past. If you do not read, this will eventually influence not just on your academic performance, but also on your economic performance and eventually on your ability to connect with a civil life and political life.
So take a book off your bookshelf, find a comfortable chair and get yourself lost in a good book for a few hours. There are also loads of books, for free, in your local library. 43. Why do people read less and less?
A. Because books are no longer interesting to readers. B. Because readers are over influenced by media devices. C. Because people don’t have time to read books. D. Because books are difficult to understand. 44. Why is reading so important?
A. Because reading keeps readers’ brain active and imaginative.
B. Because reading can immediately improve readers’ academic performance.
C. Because reading reminds readers of the things in the past. D. Because reading can bring in much money. 45. What can you infer from the passage?
A. Technology means more harm than good.
B. People shouldn’t watch TV or play computer games. C. Reading is a very active thinking process.
D. People will be affected the moment they stop reading. 46. Why does the author write the passage?
A. To tell why people are reading less and less. B. To state the advantages of reading books. C. To persuade people to read more books. D. To ask people to follow him / her.
E
Children who suffer from frequent nightmares or night terrors may be at an increased risk of mental illness in adolescence, said a new study published Friday in the U.S. journal SLEEP,
It showed that children with frequent nightmares before the age of 12 were 3.5 times more likely to suffer from mental problems in early adolescence.
About three in every four children experience nightmares at this young age, which can reduce as they grow older. They occur in the second half of sleep during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
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Those who have experienced them will often wake up suddenly with a sense of fear, worry and possible palpitations(心悸).
Night terrors, a sleep disorder, differ from nightmares and occur during deep sleep (non-REM) cycles in the first half of the night. A night terror is often signified by a loud scream and the individual sitting upright in a scared state, though unaware of any of the involuntary action. The violent movement of limbs(肢体) and rapid body movements are witnessed in more extreme cases. Children wake up in the morning unaware of their activity throughout the night.
“We certainly don’t want to worry parents with this news. However, nightmares over a prolonged period or night terrors that continued into adolescence can be an early indicator of something more important in later life,” Wolke said.
The researchers advised parents to create an environment that allows for the best possible quality of sleep for their child. “Diet is a key part of this, such as avoiding sugary drinks before bed,” co-author Helen Fisher of King’s College London said. “But at that young age we’d always recommend removing any affecting stimuli（刺激） from the bedroom -- be it television, video games or otherwise. That's the most practical change you can make. ”
The researchers said the study is important because an early warning sign may lead to early intervention(干预) that is important to help avoid children suffering mental illness when they reach adulthood.
47. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The differences between nightmares and night terrors. B. How to reduce nightmares and night terrors. C. Why children have nightmares and night terrors.
D. Frequent nightmares and night terrors may affect
children’s mental health.
48. Which of the following best shows the differences between
nightmares and night terrors?
A. Conscious nightmares, unconscious night terrors B. Unconscious nightmares, conscious night terrors C. Earlier nightmares, later night terrors D. Common nightmares, rare night terrors. 49. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Most children experience very frequent nightmares.
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