三. Reading Comprehension : 30 %
A
Sequoyah was a young Indian, son of a white businessman and Indian
woman. At an early age , he became interested in " the talking leaf ",
an expression tht he used to refer to the white man‘s written records.
Although many believed this " talking leaf " to be a gift from the Great
Spirit, Sequoyah refused to accept that theory. Like other Indians of the
period, he was illiterate,but his decision to change the situation led
to the invention of an 86-character alphabet (字母表) based on the sound
that he heard.
His family and friends thought him mad, but while he was getting back
to a former state of health after a hunting accident, he set out to
invent a form of communication for his own people as well as for other
Indians. In 1821, after twelve years of work, he successfully developed a
written language that would help thousands of Indians to read and write.
Sequoyah’s wish to invent a written language has caused him to
be remembered among the important inventors . The huge redwood trees
of California, called "sequois " in his honour will furhter print his
name in history.

1. What is the most important reason that Squoyah will be remembered ?
a. California redwoods were named in his honour.
b. He could read and write.
c. He succeeded in inventing an alphabet.
d. he became well from his madness and helped man.

2. What is the attitude ( 态度 ) of Squoyah‘s family toward his idea of
developing his own "talking leaf" ?
a. They encouraged him
b. They thought there was something wrong with his mind.
c. They decided to help him
d. They asked him to teach them to read and write

3. The word "illiterate" means ________.
a. lazy. b. poor.
c. proud. d. unable to read and write.

4. From the passage we can see that Sequoyah was ________.
a. mad b. in good health
c. a man with strong will d. a man of great courage.

5. Which of the following is NOT TRUE ?
a. Sequoyah developed a form of writing with the help of his friends.
b. Sequoyah was a very clever young man.
c. Sequoyah spent twelve years developing his alphabet.
d. Sequoyah was honoured by having some trees named after him.

B
Riding a motorcycle is a popular way to travel. A motorcycle often
has better acceleration (加速) than the fastest car. A motorcycle is
easier to mend than a car;most parts of the engine are not too difficult
to reach. It’s smaller than a car, so it is faster in heavy traffic and
can avoid traffic jams by speeding ahead while the cars wait. A motorcycle is cheaper to run --- you need
less gas per mile for a motorcycle than for most cars.
But this doesn‘t explain why , for some people, motorcycles are more
than just a way to travel --they are a way of life. Everybody knows about
the problems of life . Everybody knows about problems of riding a
motorcycle. It is far more dangerous than driving a car. It’s often
very uncomfortable too. However well-dressed for a ride the motorcyclist
is, wind and rain make the journey difficult and tiring.And then,
motorcycles often break down. There‘s nowhere to sleep, or to hide from
bad weather when this happens.

1. A motorcycle has better acceleration than the fastest car for______.
a. it is faster than a car b. it is lighter than a car
c. it is heavy d. it is cheaper to run

2. A motorcycle is faster in heavy traffic because________.
a. it is heavier than a car b. it is smaller than a car
c. it is a way of life d. it is more than just a way to travel

3. A motorcycle is easier to mend because_______.
a. it does not often break down b. it uses less gas
c. it can avoid heavy traffic d. most parts of the engine are easy to reach

4. Riding a motorcycle is ______ than driving a car.
a. dangerous b. more dangerous
c. comfortable d. more comfortable

5. Which of the following is the advantage ( 优越 ) of riding a motorcycle?
a. Motorcycles often break down b. Wind and rain
c. Finding a place to sleep d. Avoiding traffic jams

C

Colour blindness is a condition in which a person cannot see all
colors. This defect (缺陷) is more common in men than in women. About
60 million people in China suffer from such a defect. Usually they
can see only two basic colors and live in a black and white world. They
are often unable to tell other colors, especially red from green. This
defect can bring about problems because many colour-blind people do
not realize that their eyesight is defective. They have learned
to use the colour names that everyone else uses,and they fail to know
that they do not see the colors that others see. There is a risk that
their condition may place them in danger. If they mix up red with green,
for example, they may be able to tell traffic signals only by their
brightness. Scientists believe that color blindness is a defect received
from the parents and grandparents, and no medical treatment can make
these people see as well as others.
However, the well-known eye doctor Zhao Wenging, who has invented
looking glasses to help those suffering from color blindness, said that
when some of these people tried his invention, their joy was hard to
imagine.
Somebody said it was like the window that had suddenly been thrown
open to his soul. From then on he saw such a beautiful world.

1. Most colour-blind people can’t tell____________.
a. black from white b. red from green
c. the two basic colors d. any colors

2. How many people in China are colour-blind ?
a. About one out of twenty. b. about six out of one hundred.
c. About one out of six. d. about four out of one thousand.

3. Color blindness may cause problems because those who suffer it_______.
a. do not use color names correctly
b. do not know they can‘t see all colors
c. do not see traffic signals
d. do not realize their eye conditions are in danger

4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
a. Color-blind people can’t see so well as normal persons.
b. Color-blind people may meet with dangers because of this defect.
c. Color-blind people can‘t do special jobs.
d. Color-blind people’s parents may also have such defect.

5. Dr Zhao‘s invention has helped color-blind people to__________.
a. correct this defect b. see the two basic colors
c. see different colors d. tell red from green

D
No one is very glad to hear that his body has to be cut open by
surgery (外科手术) and part of it taken out. Today, however, we need
not worry about feeling pain during the operation. The sick person
falls into a kind of sleep, and when he awakes the operation is
finished. But these happy conditions are fairly new. It is not many
years since a man who had to have operation felt all its pain.
Long ago, operatioon had usually to be done while the sick man
could feel everything. The sick man had to be held down on a table
by forc

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