1
Crime has its own cycles,a magazine reported some years ago.Police records that
were studied for five years from over 2,400 cities and towns show a surprising link between changes in the seasons and crime patterns.
The pattern of crime has varied very little over a long period of years.Murder reaches its high during July and August,as do rape and other violent attacks.Murder,moreover,is more than seasonal:it is a weekend crime.It is also a nighttime crime:62 percent of murders are committed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Unlike the summer high in crimes of bodily harm,burglary has a different cycle.You are most likely to be robbed between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. on a Saturday night in
December,January,or February.What is the most uncriminal month of all?May—except for one strange statistic.More dog bites are reported in this month than in any other month of the year.
1.The main idea of paragraph 1 is ____.
A.crime is a serious social problem
B.there is a link between change in the seasons and crime patterns
C.crime is not linked to the change in season
D.2,400 towns were studied for five years
2.The subject of paragraph 2 is ____.
A.Summer cime B.burglary
C.murderD.nighttime crime
3.According to the passage,a murder would most likely occur ____.
A.on a weekend night in winter
B.on a weekend afternoon in summer
C.on a Saturday night
D.on a weekend night in summer
4.In paragraph 2 “it is also a nighttime crime,”it refers to ____.
A.murderB.62 percent
C.weekend crimeD.rape
5.In paragraph 3,what is the one strange statistic for May?
A.There are more dog bites in May.B.There are more robberies in May.
C.There is the most crime in May.D.There are more murders in May.
2
Once a peasant lost his horse and he went to town to buy another.Among the horses on sale he saw his own horse.
“This horse is mine,”he said to the man standing by the horse.“Someone stole
it from me three days ago.”
“How can that be?”the man said.“It has been mine for three years.”
“Three years?”said the peasant.“Are you sure?”
Then he quickly covered both eyes of the horse with his hands and asked:“Which
eye is he blind in?”
“The left eye,”said the man.
The peasant uncovered the horse’s left eye and people saw it was clear and shining.
“Oh,I made a mistake,”said the man.“I meant to say the right eye.”
“It’s not blind in either eye,”said the peasant,uncovering the other eye.Then
he said to the people around:“It’s clear this man is a thief.”
The thief tried to run away,but the people caught him.They took him to the judge
,and the peasant got his horse back.
6.When did the peasant lose his horse?
A.Yesterday.B.Three days ago.
C.The day before yesterday.D.We don’t know.
7.The peasant depended on ____ to get the horse back.
A.his good luckB.the help of other people
C.his wisdomD.the mistake made by the thief
8.He recognized his horse when someone was trying to ____ it.
A.sellB.hide
C.killD.steal
9.Which eye was the horse blind in?
A.The left eye.B.The right eye.
C.Neither of the eyes.D.Both eyes.
10.The peasant went to town to buy a horse because ____.
A.he knew he would meet his horse in town
B.his horse was stolen
C.his horses were not enough to use and he wanted another one
D.his horse was blind and he wanted another one
3
When you are making your speech,try to relax.Speak slowly and clearly and look at the people in your audience.Use simple vocabulary and expressions whenever
possible.Pause for a few seconds and then to give your audience a chance to think about what you have said.Make sure that everyone in the room can hear you.If it is a large room or an auditorium,you will probably have to use a microphone.
If you follow these simple steps you’ll see that you don’t have to be afraid of
public speaking.In fact,you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches!You’re not convinced yet?Give it a try and see what happens.
11.What is the main idea of the article?
A.You can improve your speaking ability.
B.A poor speaker can never change.
C.You should always make a short speech.
D.It is enjoyable to make a speech.
12.What is the main idea of paragraph 1?
A.It says it is difficult to improve your speech.
B.It doesn’t give any suggestions for improvement.
C.It says it is easy to improve your speech.
D.It gives some suggestions for how to make a better speech.
13.When you are making your speech,____.
A.you should speak very slowly
B.you should pause for a few seconds now and then to have a rest
C.you should use some flowery sentences to attract your audience
D.you should make yourself heard by the audience
14.If the author of this article were speaking to you instead of writing,wh
at type of speaker would he or she be?
A.Moderator.B.Introducer.
C.Lecturer.D.Reporter.
15.The phrase “now and then” means ____.
A.right awayB.when you are finished
C.occasionallyD.for a while
4
There are some 65 species of New World monkeys.Many of these have very useful an
atomical adaptation lacking in their Old World counterparts:the prehensile tail.
And in a few species the gripping tail has developed to such an extent that it actually has “fingerprints” on the tip.While of course a tail is not equipped with fingers,it can sometimes be even more useful than an arm or a leg.A spider monkey’s tail,for instance,is longer than its head and body combined,and is frequently used instead of a hand to grasp distant objects.Other monkeys less fortunate are forced to relegate at least one limb to support while they feed.Whereas monkeys endowed with prehensility can hang by their tails while they feast with both hands and feet.A few New World mo…………
