五、语篇理解 根据短文内容，从各题的四个选项中选择一个最佳答 案。（本题共 40 分）

(A)

This year some twenty-three hundred teen-agers(young people aged from 13-19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in

U. S. homes. They will attend U. S. schools, meet U. S.teen-agers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teen-agers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.

Here is a two-way student exchange( 交 换 )in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's family. In turn,George's son Mike spent a year in Fred's home in America.

Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months'study, the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected-much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities(活动).

Family life, too, was different. The father's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual(个人). Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.

"Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it." At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. "I suppose I should criticize(批评)American schools", he says. "It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe you schools are better in training for citizens(公民). There ought to

be some middle ground between the two. "

1. This year teen-agers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.

   1. twenty three hundred B. thirteen hundred

C. over three thousand D. less than two thousand

1. The whole exchange programme is mainly to .

   1. help teen-agers in other countries know the real America.

   2. send students in America to travel in Germany

   3. let students learn something about other countries

   4. have teen-agers learn new languages

2. Fred and Mike agreed that .

   1. American food tasted better than German food

   2. German schools were harder than American schools

   3. Americans and Germans were both friendly

   4. There were more cars on the streets in America

3. What is particular in American schools is that .

   1. there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings

   2. there are a lot of after-school activities

   3. students usually take fourteen subjects in all

   4. students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car

4. After experiencing the American school life,Mike thought

A.a better education should include something good from both America and Germany

1. German schools trained students to be better citizens

2. American schools were not as good as German schools

3. the easy life in the American school was more helpful to students

(B)

When did you last see a polar bear(北极熊)?On a trip to a zoo, perhaps?If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water.That day, the air temperature was 3 ℃ , and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group, this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.

Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.

The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages)of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统)because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.

The main benefits(or advantages)of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round;they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."

1. The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that .

   1. they should be easy to make friends with

   2. they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months

   3. they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February

   4. they must reach the age of 60

2. Doctors .

   1. encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively

   2. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water

      swimming

   3. believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer

   4. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water

      swimming

3. According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that .

   1. you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color

      blue

   2. cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in

      winter

   3. cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously

      high

   4. Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water

4. The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round,for .

   1. they can remain young

   2. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter

   3. they find it enjoyable and interesting

   4. they might meet fewer troubles in life

5. The passage is mainly about .

   1. a group of cold-water swimming lovers

   2. the Polar Bears' life in New York

   3. doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming

   4. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club

C

Farmer Ed Rawlings smiles as he looks at his orange trees. The young oranges are growing well in Florida's weather. Warm sunshine and gentle rains, along with Ed Rawlings'expert care, will produce

a good crop of oranges this year.

But Ed has to fight against Florida's changeable winter weather. In January and February, temperatures can destroy Ed's entire orange, crop. Having farmed in Florida for the past 35 years, Ed Rawlings is prepared for the frosts( 霜 ). When temperatures drop below freezing， Ed tries to save his crop by watering his orange trees. The water freezes and forms a thin layer (层)of ice on the trees. Strange as it may sound, this thin layer of ice actually keeps the fruit warm.

What happens is simple. When the trees are watered, the water loses heat and becomes ice. The warmth of the heat it loses is sucked in by the fruit and keeps its temperature at a safe level. Ed Rawlings has effectively used this method(方法)to save many orange crops.

But Ed still faces some difficulties. The trees should be watered at the exact moment the temperature drops to the freezing point. Also, just the right quantity of water must be used. Too much water can form a thick layer of ice that will break the trees'branches. Another difficulty is that wind blows away the heat. So Ed has to worry about not only when but also how often his trees should be watered, and how much water should be used.

Computer technology may help Ed Rawlings with some of these worries. With equipment, air and soil temperatures and wind speed can be measured. The information is fed into a computer which can tell when temperatures drop to freezing. The computer can correctly decide the quantity of water to be used and how frequently the trees should be watered. Ed Rawlings will find looking after his orange trees a lot easier with the help of a computer, and we'll all have the benefits(or advantages)of computer-age oranges.

1. The passage is mainly about .

   1. a farmer's expert care for his orange trees

   2. the different uses of computers

   3. growing oranges in Florida's changeable weather

   4. different ways of frost protection

2. Ed tried to protect his crop by .

   1. using a wind machine to drive away the cold air

   2. equipping his orange trees with a computer

   3. watering it at the proper time

   4. picking his fruit at the first sign of frost

3. In the writer's eyes, computers .

   1. are too expensive for small farmers

   2. can be a valuable tool for the farmer

   3. can be used to help oranges grow bigger

   4. cannot take the place of the farmer's experience and judgement

do?

1. Which of the following is NOT NECESSARY for Ed Rawlings to

   1. He should water the orange trees as soon as the temperature

      drops to the freezing point.

   2. He should decide the quantity of water for the orange trees.

   3. He has to water the orange trees more often in January and

      February.

   4. He has to judge how often he should water the orange trees.

2. According to the passage, the computer technology can .

   1. get rid of the need for frost protection

   2. help the farmer get a better harvest

   3. tell the farmer why outdoor temperature changes

   4. prevent the temperature from dropping to the freezing point

(D)

Have you ever been in a meeting while someone was making a speech and realized suddenly that your mind was a million miles away?You probably felt sorry and made up your mind to pay attention and never have daydreaming again. Most of us, from earliest school days, have been told that daydreaming is a waste of time.

"On the contrary, "says L. Giambra, an expert in psychology(心理学), "daydreaming is quite necessary. Without it, the mind couldn't get done all the thinking it has to do during a normal day... You can't possibly do all your thinking with a conscious(有意识的)mind. Instead, your unconscious mind is working out problems all the time. Daydreaming then may be one way that the unconscious and conscious states of mind have silent dialogues. "

Early experts in psychology paid no attention to the imporance of daydreams or even considered them harmful. At one time daydreaming was thought to be a cause of some mental illnesses. They did not have a better understanding of daydreams until the late 1980s. Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology, is the writer of the book Daydreaming. Klinger says, "We know now that daydreaming is one of the main ways that we organize our lives, learn from our experiences, and plan for our futures...Day dreams really are a window on the things we fear and the things we long for in life. "

Daydreams are usually very simple and direct, quite unlike sleep dreams, which may be hard to understand. It's easier to gain a deep understanding of your life by paying close attention to your daydreams than by trying to examine your sleep dreams carefully. Daydreams help you recognize the difficult situations in your life and find out a possible way of handling(处理)them.

Daydreams cannot be predicted(预料);they move off in unexpected directions which may be creative and full of useful ideas. For many famous artists and scientists, daydreams were and are a main source of creative energy.

So the next time you catch yourself daydreaming, don't stop. Just pay attention to your dream. It may be more important than you think.

1. Daydreaming used to be considered .

   1. very simple and direct

   2. unimportant or even harmful

   3. a necessary part of thinking

   4. the result of an unconscious mind

2. In what way are daydreams different from sleep dreams?

   1. Daydreams are easier for us to understand.

   2. Daydreams are not so easy for us to control and direct.

   3. Daydreams help us to handle more difficult situations.

   4. Daydreams help to develop an unconscious mind.

3. Professor Eric Klinger believes that .

   1. we may study our experiences just through our daydreams

   2. daydreaming is one of the important ways that we recognize our

      lives

   3. we should be able to tell our futures by having daydreams

   4. our fears and longings in life are shown in our daydreams

4. The writer of the article thinks that .

   1. Professor Eric Klinger has a better idea than L. Giambra

   2. daydreaming with an unconscious mind will do good to health

   3. daydreaming is more helpful than sleep dreams

   4. many artists and scientists are famous because they have

      daydreams

5. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

   1. Daydreaming was once regarded as a cause of some mental

      illnesses.

   2. Scientists believe that we can know daydreams before having

      them.

   3. Experts began to have a better understanding of daydreams in the

      late 1980s.

   4. Many well-known artists gained energy of creation from

      daydreams.

第Ⅱ卷（共 35 分）