Hilary Smith belonged to a good family. But by the age of twenty, he had spent all the money the good old family had. He then had some trouble with the bank and was put in prison. He escaped from the prison and ran to Australia without delay.

Hilary did not like Australia and Australia did not like Hilary. What he could do seemed to be one of two things: die or work. The thought of neither of these gave him any pleasure. Then he remembered that he was not alone in the world. He possessed an aunt.

She was his father’s only sister, but his father used to say she brought no glory to the family. Hilary, of course, tried to discover what she had done. It seemed that she had failed to marry a nobleman. Instead, she had chosen a husband who was connected with trade. Of course as soon as she became “Mrs Parks”, her brother considered her dead. Later on, Mr. Parks died and left her a lot of money; but that did not bring her back to life in her brother’s opinion.

Hilary discovered his aunt’s address. Fortunately she remained faithful and honest to him even after she fell ill. So Hilary’s star shone again. When he was feeling honest, he could talk attractively. He frequently visited his aunt’s house; and soon he was living comfortably in the building which the profits of trade had provided.

One thing was soon clear: his aunt was seriously ill, and nothing could cure her illness. Hilary was very worried. Fate had found a home for him, and was now going to throw him out of it. There was only one thing that could save him: her will.

“Will?” she said, “yes, I have made one. That was when I was a girl and had not much money. I left all my money to some religious people.”

“Didn’t you make another will when you were married?” Hilary asked.

His aunt shook her head. “No,” she said in a low voice, “There was no need. When I finally had a lot of money I found I had no relations.”

On the next day he went to the public library and examined a book of law. It told him what he already believed. When a woman is married, an earlier will loses its value. A new will must be made. If no new will is made, the money goes to the nearest relation. Hilary knew that he was his aunt’s only relation. His future was safe.

After a few months had passed, Hilary’s problems became serious. He badly needed money. He had expensive tastes, and owed a lot of money to shopkeepers. They trusted him because his aunt was rich; but the debt was terrible.

Unfortunately his aunt did not want to discuss money matters at all. In the end they had a quarrel about the small amount of ten pounds. Hilary was now very angry. He began to wonder about a new problem. Was it kind to want his aunt to live any longer? Was it not better for her to die now? While he was considering what to do, his aunt told him that she was going to send for her lawyer. So she was going to make a new will. Hilary thought she might leave all her money to someone else. Soon he reached a clear decision．He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman.

One night when the old servant who had been nursing his aunt went off, he doubled the amount of some medicine. The total amount was too great and it could just put her to sleep forever.

“Thank you,” his aunt took the glass from his hand with a grateful look. “I want, more than anything, to sleep, and never to wake up again. Is that what you wish, Hilary? I have given you your chance. Don’t blame me if I have some doubts about what you intended to do. Sick people get these ideas, you know. One thing I ought to explain to you. Mr. Parks never married me. He already had a wife and couldn’t marry again. That made your foolish father very angry with me… Well, if I am alive tomorrow I shall make another will in your favor. If I die tonight, you’ll get nothing… No, Hilary, don’t try to take the glass away. If you do that, I shall know; and I don’t want to know. Good night, Hilary.”

Then, very carefully, she raised the glass to her mouth and drank.

1.From the story, we learn that Hilary’s aunt was ______.

A. bad-tempered and lonely                    B. kind-hearted and wise

C. careless about money                       D. cruel to her nephew

2.Why did Hilary’s father consider his aunt dead?

A. Because they lost contact with each other after her marriage.

B. Because she married a businessman.

C. Because she broke away from the family for a better life.

D. Because he thought she was a shame to the family.

3.The underlined sentence “He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman” in Paragraph 11 suggests that Hilary Smith ______.

A. was determined to put his aunt’s life to an end

B. decided to do his aunt a favor to call in a lawyer

C. made up his mind to take good care of his aunt

D. would help his aunt to donate all her money to religious people

4.Which of the following is the focus of the story?

A. Hilary’s aunt’s money.                    B. Hilary Smith’s debts.

C. The intended murder.                     D. Hilary’s aunt’s marriage.

5.Which part of what Hilary’s aunt said finally might make Hilary frustrated?

A. She wanted to sleep and never to wake up again.

B. She never got married to Mr. Parks.

C. Mr. Parks had a wife.

D. She would make a new will tomorrow.

6.Which detail from the story is the climax（高潮）of the story?

A. Hilary escaped from the prison.

B. Hilary quarreled with his aunt about ten pounds.

C. Hilary’s aunt drank the medicine her nephew prepared for her.

D. Hilary’s aunt made a will to leave all her money to someone else.

 

Hilary Smith belonged to a good family. But by the age of twenty, he had spent all the money the good old family had. He then had some trouble with the bank and was put in prison. He escaped from the prison and ran to Australia without delay.

Hilary did not like Australia and Australia did not like Hilary. What he could do seemed to be one of two things: die or work. The thought of neither of these gave him any pleasure. Then he remembered that he was not alone in the world. He possessed an aunt.

She was his father’s only sister, but his father used to say she brought no glory to the family. Hilary, of course, tried to discover what she had done. It seemed that she had failed to marry a nobleman. Instead, she had chosen a husband who was connected with trade. Of course as soon as she became “Mrs Parks”, her brother considered her dead. Later on, Mr. Parks died and left her a lot of money; but that did not bring her back to life in her brother’s opinion.

Hilary discovered his aunt’s address. Fortunately she remained faithful and honest to him even after she fell ill. So Hilary’s star shone again. When he was feeling honest, he could talk attractively. He frequently visited his aunt’s house; and soon he was living comfortably in the building which the profits of trade had provided.

One thing was soon clear: his aunt was seriously ill, and nothing could cure her illness. Hilary was very worried. Fate had found a home for him, and was now going to throw him out of it. There was only one thing that could save him: her will.

“Will?” she said, “yes, I have made one. That was when I was a girl and had not much money. I left all my money to some religious people.”

“Didn’t you make another will when you were married?” Hilary asked.

His aunt shook her head. “No,” she said in a low voice, “There was no need. When I finally had a lot of money I found I had no relations.”

On the next day he went to the public library and examined a book of law. It told him what he already believed. When a woman is married, an earlier will loses its value. A new will must be made. If no new will is made, the money goes to the nearest relation. Hilary knew that he was his aunt’s only relation. His future was safe.

After a few months had passed, Hilary’s problems became serious. He badly needed money. He had expensive tastes, and owed a lot of money to shopkeepers. They trusted him because his aunt was rich; but the debt was terrible.

Unfortunately his aunt did not want to discuss money matters at all. In the end they had a quarrel about the small amount of ten pounds. Hilary was now very angry. He began to wonder about a new problem. Was it kind to want his aunt to live any longer? Was it not better for her to die now? While he was considering what to do, his aunt told him that she was going to send for her lawyer. So she was going to make a new will. Hilary thought she might leave all her money to someone else. Soon he reached a clear decision．He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman.

One night when the old servant who had been nursing his aunt went off, he doubled the amount of some medicine. The total amount was too great and it could just put her to sleep forever.

“Thank you,” his aunt took the glass from his hand with a grateful look. “I want, more than anything, to sleep, and never to wake up again. Is that what you wish, Hilary? I have given you your chance. Don’t blame me if I have some doubts about what you intended to do. Sick people get these ideas, you know. One thing I ought to explain to you. Mr. Parks never married me. He already had a wife and couldn’t marry again. That made your foolish father very angry with me… Well, if I am alive tomorrow I shall make another will in your favor. If I die tonight, you’ll get nothing… No, Hilary, don’t try to take the glass away. If you do that, I shall know; and I don’t want to know. Good night, Hilary.”

Then, very carefully, she raised the glass to her mouth and drank.

50. From the story, we learn that Hilary’s aunt was ______.

A. bad-tempered and lonely                    B. kind-hearted and wise

C. careless about money                       D. cruel to her nephew

51. Why did Hilary’s father consider his aunt dead?

A. Because they lost contact with each other after her marriage.

B. Because she married a businessman.

C. Because she broke away from the family for a better life.

   D. Because he thought she was a shame to the family.

52. The underlined sentence “He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman” in Paragraph 11 suggests that Hilary Smith ______.

A. was determined to put his aunt’s life to an end

B. decided to do his aunt a favor to call in a lawyer

   C. made up his mind to take good care of his aunt

   D. would help his aunt to donate all her money to religious people

53. Which of the following is the focus of the story?

A. Hilary’s aunt’s money.                    B. Hilary Smith’s debts.

C. The intended murder.                     D. Hilary’s aunt’s marriage.

54. Which part of what Hilary’s aunt said finally might make Hilary frustrated?

   A. She wanted to sleep and never to wake up again.

B. She never got married to Mr. Parks.

C. Mr. Parks had a wife.

D. She would make a new will tomorrow.

55. Which detail from the story is the climax（高潮）of the story?

   A. Hilary escaped from the prison.

   B. Hilary quarreled with his aunt about ten pounds.

   C. Hilary’s aunt drank the medicine her nephew prepared for her.

D. Hilary’s aunt made a will to leave all her money to someone else.

Disposing (處理) of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste-disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult.

During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select faraway spot as a dump site. Residents or trash haulers (垃圾拖運者) would transport house hold rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site. Periodically (定期的) some of the trash was buried and the rest was buried .Me unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by.

Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of. Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem.

Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society. The first problem is space. Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose. Property is either too expensive or too close to residential (住宅區(qū)的) neighborhoods. Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent.

Awareness (意識) of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste, however, continues to grow.

Recycling efforts have become commonplace, and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city's reusable waste.

The most suitable title for this passage would be

A．Places for Disposing Waste　　　　　 B．Waste Pollution Dangers

C．Ways of Getting Rid of Waste　　　　 D．Waste Disposal Problem

During the 18th century, people disposed their waste in many ways EXCEPT for__________.

A．burying it　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．recycling it.

C．burning it　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．throwing it into rivers

What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph?

A．Farm areas accept waste from the city in modern society.

B．There is cheap land to bury waste in modern society.

C．It is difficult to find space to bury waste in modem society.

D．Ways to deal with waste in modem society stay the same.

The main purpose of writing this article is to________.

A．draw people's attention to waste management

B．warn people of the pollution dangers we are facing

C．call on people to take part in recycling programs

D．tell people a better way to get rid of the waste

Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years．Before that time, large computers were only, used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them

The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors (處理器) , or WPS as they are often called．40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．

There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hors．

But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (顯示器)．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．                                                                                 

Whatever the arguments for and against word processor, they are a key feature (特征) of this revolution in office practice．

Then years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________．

A．these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers

     B．these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today

     C．these computers did not come onto the market

     D．these companies did not need to use this new technology

According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work

   over the last ten years is __________．

   A．the saving of time and money   B．the use of computers in small companies

   C．the wide use of word processors       D．the decreasing number of secretaries

It is implied but not directly stated in the passage that with the use of word

   processors _________．

   A．some secretaries will lose their jobs

   B．daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours

   C．medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased

   D．the British companies will make less money

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

   A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor

   B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors．

   C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years．

   D．Using word processors , secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses．

It can be concluded from the passage that ________．

   A．safety screens are of poor quality

   B．working at a VDU for a long time is good for one's health

   C．more and more British offices will use word processors

   D．British companies will need fewer and fewer manages

Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years．Before that time, large computers were only, used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them

The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors (處理器) , or WPS as they are often called．40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．

There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hors．

But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (顯示器)．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．                                                                                  

Whatever the arguments for and against word processor, they are a key feature (特征) of this revolution in office practice．

Then years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________．

A．these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers

     B．these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today

     C．these computers did not come onto the market

     D．these companies did not need to use this new technology

According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work

   over the last ten years is __________．

   A．the saving of time and money   B．the use of computers in small companies

   C．the wide use of word processors       D．the decreasing number of secretaries

It is implied but not directly stated in the passage that with the use of word

   processors _________．

   A．some secretaries will lose their jobs

   B．daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours

   C．medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased

   D．the British companies will make less money

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

   A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor

   B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors．

   C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years．

   D．Using word processors , secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses．

It can be concluded from the passage that ________．

   A．safety screens are of poor quality

   B．working at a VDU for a long time is good for one's health

   C．more and more British offices will use word processors

   D．British companies will need fewer and fewer manages