Unit 5
Talking About Weather
Reading Comprehention
(A)
Mr. and Mrs. Williams had always spent their summer holidays in England in the past, in a small boardinghouse at the seaside. One year, however, Mr. Williams made a lot of money in his business, so they decided to go to Rome and stay at a really good hotel while they went around and saw the sights of that famous city.
They flew to Rome, and arrived at their hotel late one evening. They expected that they would have to go to bed hungry, because in the boardinghouses they had been used to in the past No meals were served after seven o'clock in the evening. They were therefore surprised when the clerk who received them in the hall of the hotel asked them whether they would be taking dinner there that night.
"Are you still serving dinner then?" asked Mr. Williams.
"Yes, certainly, madam." Answered the clerk. "We serve it until half past nine."
"What are the times of meals then?" asked Mr. Williams.
"Well, sir," answered the clerk, "We serve breakfast from seven to half past eleven in the morning, lunch from twelve to three in the afternoon, tea from four to five, and dinner from six to half past nine."
"But that hardly leaves any time for us to see the sights of Rome!" said Mrs. Williams in a disappointed voice.
1. When Mr. Williams made much money he decided ________with his wife.
A. to leave the small boarding-house for a really good hotel
B. to see the sight of the sea
C. to live in a good hotel in Rome
D. to go around the city of Rome, to see the sights of it and have a good hotel to stay in
2. They were surprised________.
A. when the clerk asked them whether they came from England
B. when they saw no clerk received them
C. when they found dinner was served after seven at the hotel
D. that there were no meals in the boarding-house
3. There were no meals served at _______in the hotel.
A. half past nine in the morning B. half past two in the afternoon
C. half past five in the afternoon D. half past ten in the evening
4. Mrs. Williams was disappointed because_________.
A. they would have no enough time for meals
B. they would have to pay much money for the meals
C. they would be unable to have enough time to have a good rest
D. she was too foolish
1—4 Key：DCDD
(B)
Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days' holiday with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He rented a cottage in the country, although he rarely spent much time there. We understood the reason for this after our arrival; the cottage had no comfortable furniture in it, many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked, making the whole house damp.
On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories our uncle had had to tell of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed, but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle's exciting tales.
He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had when his small sailing boat was carried out to sea in a storm. When there was a loud crash from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.
"It sounds as if the roof has fallen in!" exclaimed my uncle, with a loud laugh.
When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, we could see nothing at first because of the thick clouds of dust that filled the room. When the dust began to clear, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had collapsed, falling right on to the pillow of my bed, I was glad that I had stayed up late to listen to my uncle's stories, otherwise I should certainly have been seriously injured, perhaps killed.
That night we all slept on the floor of the sitting-room downstairs not wishing to risk our lives by sleeping under a roof which might at any moment collapse on our heads. We left for London the very next morning and my uncle gave up his cottage in the country. This was not the kind of adventure he cared for either!
5. Which of the following is true?
A. The writer dropped in on his uncle with his brother.
B. They went to their uncle's cottage by bus.
C. It was in winter that the story took place.
D. Their uncle had been living in his cottage since the war was over.
6. The stories which their uncle told them__________.
A. made them sleepy B. interested them very much
C. were about ghosts D. were not his own experience
7. It is clear that________.
A. they were staying at the sitting-room downstairs when the large part of ceiling collapsed
B. they spent the rest of the night in bed upstairs
C. his uncle's stories had finished before the ceiling collapsed
D. his uncle sold his cottage after they had left
5—7 Key: CBA
(C)
Some boys join the navy when they are quite young, and are then given a course of training as sailors. It is a long course, both on land and at sea, and during it the boys study things like mathematics and science as well as learning to tie knots(结绳), fire guns, and do other practical things.
One of the important things they are taught is, of course, how to swim. In the old days, many sailors were unable to swim, but nowadays it is rare to find one that cannot.
At one school for sailor boys, the swimming instructor was very good. He had never had a boy whom he had failed to teach to swim by the time the course ended. One year, however, there was one particular boy on the training course who seemed quite unable to learn to swim. The instructor tried giving him extra lessons. He tried throwing him into the pool at the deep end, and he tried holding him up with a rope tied to the end of a fishing-rod while he attempted to swim, but he had no success at all, whatever he did. In the end, as time drew near when the course was due to end, he had to admit defeat.
One day, he called the boy aside after the swimming lesson and said to him. "John, I have tried very hard to teach you to swim, but I have failed ----- for the first time in my life. Now I want to give you a piece of advice. Listen carefully."
"Yes, sir," answered the boy.
"Well," the instructor went on. "If you are ever in a ship and it sinks, just jump over the side into the sea, go right down to the bottom and turn to the shore as fast as you can. That is the only way you will save your life."
8. When John joined the navy________.
A. all sailors could swim B. no sailors could swim
C. quite a few sailors have to learn to swim
D. it was not important to teach the sailors to swim
9. "The instructor tried giving him extra lesson" means_________.
A. John had given up his efforts B. the instructor admitted defeat
C. the instructor was trying to make John successful in swimming
D. the instructor would make John get the experience to drown
10. What do you think of the instructor's advice?
A. It was only in this way that John could save his life
B. It suggested that the instructor had failed to teach John
C. John was expert at walking on the bottom of the sea
D. Running is faster than swimming
8—10 KEY: CCB
(D)
While waiting for the bus, I put my collapsible white stick into my bag. A little girl came up and asked, “could you please help me cross the street? I am afraid of ears." I did not want to add to the girl's fear by saying no, or showing her the little white stick. "Sure," I replied, "take my hand, and let's walk to where the white lines are painted across the street." The little girl obeyed. At the crossing, I said, "Now, look carefully both ways. When you see no cars are coming, tell me." In this way we crossed the street.
Safely on the other side, she thanked me and ran away happily. I waited until the sound of her steps died away before taking out my stick to make the return crossing.
11. What do you know about the man?
A. He wasn't an honest man B. He was a seller of collapsible sticks
C. He was ready to cross the street D. He was a blind man
12. From the passage we can see that________.
A. the man felt sorry to have helped the girl
B. the man was happy to have helped the girl
C. the girl was happy to help the man
D. the girl was sorry to ask the man to help her
13. Which of the following is true?
A. The street they crossed was a one-way street.
B. The girl knew at last the man was waiting for help.
C. The man could cross the street without any help.
D. The man didn't look like a man pleased to help others.
11—13 Key: DBC
(E)
Do you wake up feeling tired? Do you start the day with a yawn（打呵欠） instead of a smile? Try Wake-Ups, the new, improved breakfast cereal（麦饭）, the cereal that sports men eat. Listen to what Miki Menton, the famous basketball player, has to say about Wake-Ups.
"I always start my day with Wake-Ups, the cereal made for people like me. I have to keep healthy. Wake-Ups can give me the strength I need. If you want to be strong and healthy, eat Wake-Ups every morning."
14. Miki Menton has Wake-Ups________.
A. for breakfast B. at dinner C. For three meals D. Before breakfast
15. Perhaps this passage is .
A. a report B. a notice C. A piece of advice D. An advertisement
14—15 Key: AD