Passage 1
There are stories about two U．S . presidents，Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren，which attempt to explain the American English term OK．We don?t know if either story is true，but they are both interesting． The first explanation is based on the fact that President Jackson had very little education．In fact，he had difficulty reading and writing．When important papers came to Jackson，he tried to read them and then had his assistants explain what they said．If he approved of a paper．he would write“all correct”on it．The problem was that he didn?t know how to spell．So what he really wrote was“ol korekt”．After a while，he shortened that term to“OK”．
The second explanation is based on the place where President Van Buren was born，Kinderhook，New York．Van Bnren?s friends organized a club to help him become President They caned the club the Old Kinderhook Club，and anyone who supported Van Buren was called“OK”． 31．The author A. believes both of the stories B．doesn?t believe a word of the stories
C．is not sure whether the stories are true D. is telling the stories just for fun 32. According to the passage，President Jackson
A．couldn?t draw up any documents at all B. didn?t like to read important papers by himself C．often had his assistants sign documents for him D .wasn?t good at reading，writing or spelling 33．According to the first story, the term “OK” A. was approved of by President Jackson B．was the title of some Official documents
C．was first used by President Jackson D．was an old way to spell“all correct’’ 34 .According to the second story，the term‘‘OK” A．was the short way to say‘‘old Kinderhook Club” B．meant the place where President Van Buren was born
C．was the name of Van Buren?s club D．was used to call Van Buren?s supporters in the election
35．According to the second story．the term“OK”was first used __ A．by Van Buren B．in a presidential election
C．to organize the Old Kinderhook Club D．by the members of the‘‘Old Kinderhook Club”
Passage 2
Although the United States covers so much land and the land produces far more food than the present population needs，its people are by now almost entirely an urban society Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in agriculture and forestry(林业)，and most of the rest live in or around towns，small and large．Here the traditional picture is changing：every small town may still be very like other small towns，and the typical small town may represent a widely accepted view of the country，but most Americans do not live in small towns any more．Half the population now lives in some thirty metropolitan areas(1arge cities with their suburbs、of more than a million people each—a larger proportion than in Germany or England，let alone France．The statistics(统计)of urban and rural population should be treated with caution because so many people who live in areas classified as rural travel by car to work in a nearby town each day．As the rush to live out of town continues．rural areas within reach of towns are gradually filled with houses，so that it is hard to say at what moment a piece of country becomes a suburb But more and more the typical American lives in a metropolitan rather than a small town environment．
36．If now America has 250 million people．how many of them are engaged in agriculture and forestry?
A．About 25 million． B．More than 25 million． C．Less than 25 million． D. Less than 225 million
37．Which of the following four countries has the smallest proportion of people living in metropolitan areas?
A．United States． B．Germany． C．France．D．England．
38．What’s the meaning of the word“metropolitan”in the middle of the passage?
A .Of a large city with its suburbs． B．Of small and large towns． C．Of urban areas． D．Of rural areas．
39．According to the passage，what can we learn about small towns in the United States? A Most small towns become gradually crowded B．Small towns are still similar to each other．
C．As the traditional picture is changing，towns are different． D .Small towns are turning into large cities
40．Why is it hard to say when a piece of country becomes a suburb?
A．Because they are the same． B．Because the rush takes place too quickly
C．Because the process is gradual． D．Because more and more Americans live in metropolitan areas．
Passage 3
If we were asked exactly what we were doing a year ago，we should probably have to say that we could not remember But if we had kept a book and had written in it an account of what we did each day，we should be able to give an answer to the question.
It is the same in history Many things have been forgotten because we do not have any written account of them Sometimes men did keep a record of the most important happenings in their country，but often it was destroyed by fire or in a war．Sometimes there was never any written record at all because the people of that time and place did not know how to Write．For example，we know a good deal about the people who lived in China 4，000 years ago, because they could write and leave written records for those who lived after them．But we know almost nothing about the people who lived even 200 years ago in central Africa． because they had not learned to write． Sometimes．of course，even if the people cannot write，they may know something of the past．They have heard about it from older people，and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings，and these have been sung and acted and told for many generations For most people are proud to tell what their fathers did in the past．This we may call ?remembered history’．Some of it has now been written down. It is not so exact or so valuable to us as written history is，because words are much more easily changed when used again and again in speech than when copied in writing．But where there are no written records，such spoken stories are often very helpful．
41. Which of the following ideas is not suggested in the passage? A．“Remembered history”，compared with written history，is less reliable
B．Written records of the past play the most important role in our learning of the human history． C．A written account of our daily activities helps US to be able to answer many questions． D．Where there are no written records．there is no history．
42．We know very little about the central Africa 200 years ago because ___ A．there was nothing worth being written down at that time
B .the people there ignored the importance of keeping a record C．the written records were perhaps destroyed by a fire D．the people there did not know how to write 43．“Remembered history”refers to ___． A．history based on a person?s imagination
B .stories of important happenings passed down from mouth to mouth C .songs and dances about the most important events D .both B and C 44．“Remembered history”is regarded as valuable only when ____. A. it is written down B .no written account is available C．it proves to be time D．people are interested in it
45 .The passage suggests that we could have learned much more about our past than we do now if the ancient people had _____
A．kept a written record of every past event B. not burnt their written records in wars C．told exact stories of the most important happenings D．made more songs and dances
Passage4
When Mrs．Joseph Groeger died recently in Vienna，Austria，people asked the obvious，“Why did she live to be 107?”Answers were provided by a survey conducted among 148 Viennese men and women who had reached the age of 100．Somewhat surprising was the fact that the majority had lived most of their lives in cities．In spite of the city’s image as an unhealthy place，city living often provides benefits that country living can lack．One factor seems to be important to the longevity(长寿)of those interviewed． This factor is exercise．in the cities it is often faster to walk short distances than to wait for a bus．Even taking public transportation often requires some walking．Smaller apartment houses have no elevators(电梯)，and so people must climb stairs．City people can usually walk to local supermarkets Since parking spaces are hard to find，there is often no alternative to walking．
On the other hand，those who live in the country and suburbs do not have to walk every day．In fact，the opposite is often true．To go to school，work，or almost anywhere else，they must ride in cars． 31．The Vienna survey may help to explain _____
A．the complaints of people in apartment houses B．the cause of Mrs Groeger?s death C．the longevity of people like Mrs．Groeger D. the image of cities in general 32．The purpose of the second paragraph is to list some _____
A．benefits of walking B．occasions for walking in city life C. comments made by city people D．problems of city living
33．To reach the third floor of a building．it would probably be most healthful __ A. to take the elevator B．to walk up the stairs C．to ride in a car D．to find an alternative to walking
34．People who live in the country probably do more driving than walking because __ A．they don?t live near business areas B. they don?t need the exercise
C．they never have parking problems D．they can’t afford to take the bus 35．A conclusion that can be drawn from this passage is that _
A．air pollution is not serious B．anyone can live to be 107
C．country people should move to the city D．walking is a healthful exercise
Passage 5
For any Englishman，there can never be any discussion as to who is the world?s greatest dramatist(剧作家)．Only one name can possibly suggest itself to him：that of William Shakespeare Every Englishman has some knowledge，however slight，of the work of our greatest writer．All of US use words，phrases and quotations from Shakespeare?s writings that have become part of the common property of the English-speaking people．Most of the time we are probably unaware of the source of the words we used，rather like the old lady who was taken to see a performance of Hamlet and complained that it was full of well—known proverbs and quotations．
Shakespeare，more perhaps than any other writer，makes full use of the great resources of the English language．Most of US use about five thousand words in our normal use of English；Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand．
There is probably no better way for a foreigner to appreciate the richness and variety of the English language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare used it．Such a study is well worth the effort(it is not，of course，recommended to beginners)even though some aspects of English usage，and the meaning of many words，have changed since Shakespeare?s day． 36. English people ______
A．have never discussed who is the world?s greatest dramatist
B．never discuss any issue concerning the world?s greatest dramatist C．are sure who is the world?s greatest dramatist
D．do not care who is the world?s greatest poet and dramatist 37．Every Englishman knows ______
A．more or less about Shakespeare B．Shakespeare，but only slightly
C．all Shakespeare?s writings D．only the name of the greatest English writer 38．Which of the following is true? A．We use all the words，phrases and quotations from Shakespeare?S writings．
B．Shakespeare?s writings have become the property of those who are learning to speak English． C．It is likely to be true that people often do not know the origins of the words they use D All the words people use are taken from the writings of Shakespeare 39．What does the word “proverb” mean? A．Familiar sayings B．Shakespeare?s plays． C．Complaints． D．Actors and actresses． 40．Why is it worthwhile to study the various ways in which Shakespeare used English? A．English words have changed a lot since Shakespeare’S time．
B．By doing SO one can be fully aware of the richness of the English language C. English words are now being used in the same way as in Shakespeare?s time D. Beginners may have difficulty learning some aspects of English usage
Passage 6
Trees are useful to man in three very important ways：they provide him wood and other products；they give him shade；and they help to prevent drought(干旱)and floods．
Unfortunately，in many parts of the world，man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important．In his eagerness to draw quick profit from the trees，he has cut them down in large numbers
Two thousand years ago，a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships，with which to gain itself an empire It gained the empire but，without its trees，its soil became bare and poor．When the empire fell to pieces，the country found itself faced by floods and starvation．
Even where a government realizes the importance of a plentiful supply of trees，it is difficult sometimes to make the people realize this．They cut down the trees but are too careless to plant and look after new trees So，unless the government has a good system of control，or can educate the people，the forests slowly disappear
This does not only mean that there will be fewer trees．The results are even more serious：for where there are trees，their roots break the soil up，allowing the rain to sink in， and also bind the soil．This prevents the soil from being washed away．But where there are no trees，the rainfalls on hard ground and flows away on the surface，and this causes floods and the rain carries away the rich topsoil in which crops grow When a11 the topsoil is gone．nothing remains but worthless desert．
41．Trees are useful to man mainly in three ways，the most important of which is that they can ____ A. keep him from the hot sunshine B．enable him to build warships
C．make him draw quick profit from them D .protect him from droughts and floods 42．It’s a great pity that ____
A．man is only interested in building empires B．man is eager to profit from trees
C．man hasn?t realized the importance of trees to him D. man hasn?t found out that he has lost all trees 43．Sooner or later the forests will disappear ______．
A. unless a country has a plenty supply of trees B．unless people stop cutting down their trees C．unless aIl people are taught the importance of planting trees
D．unless the government punishes those who cut trees instead of planting them 44．The word“bind”in Paragraph 5 means“_____”
A．to wash away B．to make wet C．to make stay together D．to improve 45. When there is a heavy rain．trees can help to prevent floods．as they can. A．keep rain from falling down to soft ground B，cause the soil to allow rainwater to sink in C．prevent the soil from being washed away D .make the topsoil stick together
Passage 7
Some of the notebooks George Washington kept as a young man are still in existence． They show that he was learning Latin，was very interested in the basics of good behavior in society，and was reading English literature．
At school he seems only to have been interested in mathematics．In fact，his formal education was surprisingly brief for a gentleman，and incomplete For unlike other young Virginian of that day，he did not go to the College of William and Mary in the Virginian capital of Williamsburg．In terms of formal training then，Washington contrasts sharply with some other early American Presidents such as John Adams，Thomas Jefferson and James Madison．In later years，Washington probably regretted his lack of intellectual training He never felt comfortable in a debate in Congress(国会)，or on any Subject that had not to do with everyday，practical matters And because he never learned French and could not speak directly to the French leaders，he did not visit the country he admired SO much．Thus，unlike Jefferson and Adams，he never reached Europe
31．Why didn?t Washington go to college? A．His family could not afford it． B A college education was rather uncommon in his time．
高中英语阅读理解（附答案、解析、翻译）[1]1
