More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1996, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

       The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

       In nutrition(營養(yǎng)) it was all good news too. This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(維生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

       Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market.

60. We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is ______.

   A. green outside and sweet inside

   B. good-looking outside and soft inside

   C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside

   D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

61. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

   A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.

   B. It was less sweet and good for health.

   C. It was developed by Del Monte.

   D. It was used as medicine.

62. The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something ______.

   A. that people enjoy eating             B. that is always present

   CV. that is difficult to get               D. that people use as a gift

63. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte ______.

   A. allowed other companies to develop pineapples

   B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

   C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

   D. planned to help the other companies

The word “plastic” comes from the Greek word “Platicos” and is used to describe_1_which can be easily shaped.?

The history of plastics is longer than you might_2_.In fact _3_ manmade plastics ever to appear on the market was made over a hundred years ago. It was called “celluloid(賽璐璐)”.It was discovered by both an Englishman and an American in the same year._4_it was the Americans who first produced it on a large scale during the year 1860.Everybody was _5_by this new material which could be moulded (用模子做) into shapes and _6_so cheap to buy.

Poor young men _7_in cities with lots of smoke and dirt were_8_ to buy white celluloid collars(領子).The collars were hard and uncomfortable. But they did not have to be sent to wash. The poor young men _9_ rub them clean every evening with soap and water! Poor mothers,

_10_ had not been able to afford playthings _11_their children, were now able to buy them playthings _12_ of celluloid. But celluloid had one very serious fault. It caught fire very easily. In fact it burned even more quickly than wood or cloth. There were many terrible accidents, particularly _13_ children. For years scientists worked hard to find a better plastic material than celluloid. They had _14_ success. Then in 1932 an American scientist called Baekeland produced a hard plastic material which did not burn. _15_ became known _16_ bakelite(酚醛塑料).Other plastic materials like bakelite were _17_ produced. They _18_ to make electrical fittings and plates and cups. Poor people liked them because they were both cheap and safe, but rich people _19_ them because they were cheap, and because they could only be made _20_dark colours.

1. A. something    B. everything  C. thing            D. anything

2. A. wish        B. think       C. want            D. hope

3. A. first         B. at first      C. for the first      D. the first

4. A. So          B. But        C. And            D. As

5. A. surprised     B. excited     C. told            D. frightened

6. A. be          B. were       C. was             D. is

7. A. waiting      B. running    C. walking          D. working

8. A. going       B. sure        C. about            D. able

9. A. could       B. ought to     C. must            D. should

10. A. which      B. who       C. whom            D. that

11. A. for        B. like        C. in               D. of

12. A. done       B. produced   C. worked           D. made

13. A. between    B. on        C. among            D. about

14. A. much      B. great.      C. never             D. little

15. A. The man   B. He         C. It                D. The scientist

16. A. as        B. with        C. by               D. to

17. A. already    B. still         C. also             D. yet

18. A. used      B. hoped       C. were used         D. had

19. A. took     B. loved       C. enjoyed           D. disliked

20. A. in       B. by          C. from             D. of

Life became hard when I was 14. My mother and I moved to New York to 36 my father, who’d moved there to find 37 work when I was three years old. He had a job at a restaurant and only visited us 38 every couple of years.

　　Before I moved, I knew that people in the US spoke English. But honestly, I didn’t stop to analyze the 39 when I was 40 to leave. Just like I assumed I could easily become a doctor or a lawyer. I assumed that I had the skills to learn English in a few weeks. 

When I 41 in the US and started 8th grade at Ditmas Middle School in Brooklyn, everyone was speaking a(n)  42  language I couldn’t understand. I  43  that life had subtitles, like in foreign movies. School was such a serious place here. Sometimes I felt like I was in a geek（呆子） class. The teachers were always  44  my moves so I couldn’t even throw a paper ball at a classmate’s head. And the worst thing was having to read 45 .

46  after almost seven months of complaining about everything, I realized that complaining didn’t change things.  47 just made my life worse. If I was going to 48   in this new concrete jungle, I had to 49 . I began to learn English by reading newspapers on my own  50  school. After about four months, I started enjoying reading the crime and sports stories. After six months of studying, my teachers 51  my improvement and moved me into a more  52  English class. I could go to the store and ask for things that I wanted to buy without 53 frustration. For the first time I felt like I was living on earth again, 54  I didn’t hear foreign talk. I 55 understand people.

1.                A．find           B．join            C．see  D．help

 

2.                A．good-looking    B．well-dressed     C．better-paying  D．highly-thought

 

3.                A．once           B．other          C．each D．only

 

4.                A．case           B．condition       C．situation  D．state

 

5.                A．packing         B．trying          C．managing D．arranging

 

6.                A．reached        B．entered        C．got  D．arrived

 

7.                A．strange         B．unusual         C．standard  D．foreign

 

8.                A．hoped         B．wished         C．expected D．demanded

 

9.                A．staring         B．looking         C．checking  D．watching

 

10.               A．texts           B．newspapers     C．English    D．poems

 

11.               A．Although       B．Even if         C．But   D．Since

 

12.               A．It             B．They           C．I D．Things

 

13.               A．live            B．study          C．survive    D．continue

 

14.               A．adapt          B．adopt          C．adore D．admire

 

15.               A．for            B．in             C．after  D．at

 

16.               A．made          B．noticed         C．concerned D．remember

 

17.               A．modern        B．advanced       C．difficult   D．convenient

 

18.               A．even          B．ever           C．some D．any

 

19.               A．if             B．though         C．ever  D．because

 

20.               A．could          B．should         C．would D．might

 

 

Thousands of people living in the Chinese capital will celebrate the start of the Chinese New year by heading for the ski resorts (滑雪場). Never mind that Beijing's dry weather seldom produces snow. It is cold enough in winter for snow-making machines to make a covering for the hills north to the capital. And the rapid growth of a pleasure-seeking middle class has formed the basis for this new craze(熱潮）.

Since Beijing's first ski resort was opened ten years ago, the sport has enjoyed astonishing increase. There are now more than a dozen resorts. Clothes markets in the city have added bright colored ski suits to their winter collections. Mr. Wei, a manager of a newly-opened ski resort in Beijing, sees the growth of an industry that could soon lead Chinese to head for the ski resorts of Europe, In recent years ski resorts offering natural snow have opened in China. But many are in faraway areas of the country and can't really match the equipment and services of some ski resorts in Europe.

Beijing's skiing craze is partly a result of the recent increase in private (私有的) cars. This has led to the growth of a leisure industry in the capital's suburbs (郊區(qū)), which until the late-1990s were unreachable to ordinary people, According to Mr, Wei, about 40% of the visitors to his resort come in their own cars. The rest are bused in by schools, businesses or government Offices.

The problem is making money. Starting ski resorts requires quite a lot of money; hiring land from the local government, preparing the hills, buying snow machines, making sure there are enough water and electricity to run them, and buying ski equipment for hiring out to customers.

    The ski resort where Mr. Wei works cost nearly $4m to set up. And, as so often in China when someone comes up with a good idea, many others hash in and price wars break out. Beijing now offers some of the cheapest ski training classes in the world, though with most people rather new to the sport, expecting a few more doing the same job.

What does this text mainly talk about?

    A. Convenience for skiers brought about by private cars.

    B. Skiing as a new way of enjoying one's spare time.

    C. Things to be considered when starting a ski resort.

    D. A sudden increase of ski training classes in Beijing.

Why are some Chinese likely to go skiing in Europe?

    A. To visit more ski areas.             . To ski on natural snow.

    C. For a large collection of ski suits.  D. For better services and equipment.

The underlined words "leisure industry" in Paragraph 3 refer to -

     A. transport to ski resorts              B. production of family cars

     C. business of providing spare time enjoyments

     D part-time work for people living in the suburbs

 What is the main problem in running a ski resort?

     A. Difficulty in hiring land.      B. Lack of business experience.

     C. Price wars with other ski resorts.  D. Shortage of water and electricity,

   Which of the following is right?

         A. People always worry that Bejing’s dry wather seldom produces snow.

         B. Beijing’s ski resort was opened in recent years.

         C. Private cars are partly the reason for Beijing’s skiing craze.

         D. Starting ski resorts dosen’t requires quite a lot of money.

請閱讀下列應用文及相關信息，并按照要求匹配信息。請在答題卡上將對應題號的相應選項字母涂黑。

請仔細閱讀下面有關信息。

A. A scarf, a good present for fair ladies. In winter, in addition to keeping you warm, a scarf around your neck can help draw other’s attention.

B. Guitar Beginners. Do you like music? Do you want to play the guitar well in a short time?

This new book, written by guitarist Frank Jones, helps even the most basic beginner read his way to being a competent guitar player in just 20 days.

C. The Adventure of Tom Sawyer is a short novel written by Mark Twain, an American famous writer. It is very interesting and adventurous.

D. The Milk Calcium, produced for the senior. More and more people have realized that to be healthy is really the most important. The milk Calcium is especially good for the ones lack of calcium(鈣).

E. The Classic Explorer’s Compass, a precious instrument, will help you know wherever you are. Each comes with its own waterproof leather case.

F. Super Shoes, the sports shoes liked by all the young. Wearing Super Shoes can be attractive. It is said that Super Shoes can help you to be the winner in every sports game.

匹配信息

你打算為你的朋友Mike, Mary, Robert, Lily和Tom選購新年禮物。請閱讀有關對他們的描述，選出最適合他們的禮品。

56. Mike likes sports and travel. He would like something that he can take with him on his  journeys, especially when he is camping or hiking, because sometimes it is hard to find the direction.

57. Mary likes parties and discos. She likes to look smart, and she is very fond of music. She says that she likes books, but she never reads any. Now, she wants to learn how to play a musical instrument.

58. Robert is an eighty-year-old man. He likes doing exercise in the morning. But one week ago, the doctor told him that he suffered from osteoporosis(骨質疏松) in a common health examination.

59. Lily is a beautiful girl. She sings well and is going to perform at the New Year’s party. She’d like to wear something that is attractive at the party.

60. Tom is a junior student. He likes playing basketball and reading. He would like to read something about taking a risk.