Part IV Translation

To cover the marks of the fire, the building was painted white. Before long it became known as the White House. (Passage One)

Passage 1

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:

Do you want to say what you think in a letter to the President of the United States? You’ll get a reply from him—written in ink, not typed—after only a few days.

The President gets about 4,000 letters every week. He answers everyone who writes to him on special Whites House paper. But he doesn’t need a lot of time for it. In fact, he only gives 20 minutes a week to look at his personal correspondence. He has the most modern secretary in the world to help him.

It’s computer, worth ￡ 800，000，which has its own rooms on the first floor of the White House. It has a bank of electronic pens which write like the President writes, in his favorite light blue ink. Each letter the President receives gets a number, according to the type of answer it needs. The pens then write the correct reply for it, according to the number. Each letter takes less than a second to write. A White House official said, “It’s not important that letters come from a computer. Each letter says what the President wants to say.”

1. for a reply from the President.

A. You have to wait a long time B. You only have to wait several days

C. You have to wait at least one month D. You only have to wait a few weeks

2. The reply from the President .

A. is always printed B. is always typed

C. is always written in ink D. is always written by himself

3. It takes the computer to write ten letters.

A. no more than ten seconds B. a little more than ten seconds

C. less than ten seconds D. at least one second

4. The computer can be described as .

A. expensive but efficient B. possessing a beautiful handwriting

C. heavy and inefficient D. the President’s most reliable secretary

5. It can be inferred from the passage that .

A. the President never reads any letters written to him by ordinary people

B. the President hires a very efficient secretary to deal with his correspondence

C. the President does not really care about the letters he receives every week

D. the President is assured that the computer express his views in the letters

Part I Reading Comprehension

Passage 1

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:

In Washington D.C., 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a very special address. It is the address of the White House, the home of the president of the United States.

Originally the White House was gray and was called the Presidential Palace. It was built from 1792 to 1800. at this time, the city of Washington itself was being built; it was to be the nation’s new capital city. George Washington, the first president, and Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French engineer, chose the place for the new city. L’Enfant then planned they city. The president’s home was an important part of the plan.

A contest was held to pick a design for the president’s home. An architect named James Hoban won. He designed a large three-story house of gray stone.

President Washington never lived in the President Palace. The first president to live there was John Adams, the second president of the United States, and his wife Mrs. Adams did not really like hew new house. In her letters, she often complained about the cold. Fifty fireplaces were not enough to keep the house warm!

In 1812 the United States and Britain went to war. In 1814 the British invaded Washington. Theu burned many buildings, including the Presidential Palace.

After the war James Hoban, the original architect, partially rebuilt the president’s homes. To cover the marks of the fire, the building was painted white. Before long it became known as the White House.

The White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. Every year more than 1.5 million visitors go through the five rooms that are open to the public.

1. The White House was built in Washington .

A. because a French engineer was invited to design it

B. because President George Washington liked to live in it

C. because the British invaders lived in it in 1812-1814

D. because it was to be the nation’s capital city

2. The Presidential Palace was .

A. painted gray and white B. made of gray stone

C. made of white stone D. made very warm in winter

3. The president’s home and the city of Washington were .

A. built by the American army B. built by the British troops

C. planned by George Washington D. planned by the French

4. The original home of the president needed to be rebuilt .

A. because John Adam’s wife did not like it

B. because it was cold in winter even with 50 fireplaces

C. because it had burned down during the war

D. because George Washington was not willing to live in it

5. The new presidential home was painted white to .

A. cover the marks of fire B. attract tourist from France

C. to please Mrs. John Adams D. keep it warm in winter

Passage2

Questions6to10arebasedonthefollowingpassage:

Whenaluminumwasfirstproducedaboutahundredandfiftyyearsago,itwassodifficulttoseparateformtheoresinwhichitwasfoundthatitspricewashigherthanthatofgold.Thepriceremainedhighuntilanewprocesswasdiscoveredforrefiningthemetalwiththeaidofelectricityapproximatelythreequartersofacenturylater.Thenewmethodwassomuchcheaperthataluminumbecausepracticalformanypurposes,oneofwhichwasmakingpotsandpans.

Aluminumislightweight,rustproofandeasilyshapedintodifferentforms.Bymixingitwithothermetals,scientistshavebeenabletoproduceavarietyofalloys,someofwhichhavethestrengthofsteelbutweighonlyonethirdasmuch.

Today,theusesofaluminumareinnumerable.Perhapsitsmostimportantuseisintransportation.Aluminumisfoundintheengineofautomobiles,inthehullsofboats.Itisalsousedinmanypartsofairplanes.Infact,thehuge“airbus”planeswouldprobablyneverhavebeenproducedifaluminumdidnotexist.Bymakingvehicleslighterinweightaluminumhasgreatlyreducedtheamountoffuelneededtomovethem,Aluminumisalsobeingusedextensivelyinthebuildingindustryinsomecountries.

Sincealuminumissuchaversatile(多用的)metal,itisfortunatethatbauxite(铝土矿),whichisoneofitschiefsources,isalsooneoftheearth’smostplentifulsubstances.Asthesourceofaluminumisalmostinexhaustible,wecanexpectthatmoreandmoreuseswillbefoundforthisversatilemetal.

6.Thepriceofaluminumwassharplyreducedwhenpeoplediscoveredanewrefiningprocesswiththeaidof.

A.windB.solarenergyC.hydraulicpowerD.electricity

7.Aluminumis.

A.lightweight,rustproofbutnoteasilyshapedintodifferentforms

B.heavyweight,rustproofandeasilyshapedintodifferentforms

C.lightweight,rustproofandeasilyshapedintodifferentforms

D.lightweightandeasilyshapedintodifferentformsbutitiseasytobecomerusty

8.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrue?

A.Aluminumiswidelyusedintransportation.

B.Aluminumisalsousedinmanypartsofairplanes.

C.Aluminumisbeingusedextensivelyinthebuildingindustry.

D.Aluminumisnotusedinitspureform.

9.Aluminumisfoundonearthmostlyintheformof.

A.puremetalB.bauxiteC.goldD.liquid

10.Whatisthepassagetalkingabout?

A.Thefeaturesofaluminumanditsfunctions.B.Theprocessofaluminum.

C.Thediscoveryofaluminum.D.Thepromisingfutureofaluminum.

Passage 3

Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:

The idea of a special day to honor mothers was first put forward in America in 1907. two years later a woman, Mrs. John Bruce Dodd, in the state of Washington proposed a similar day to honor the head of the family—the father. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father brought her up. She loved her father very much.

In response to Mrs. Dodd’s idea that same year—1909, the state governor of Washington proclaimed (宣布) the third Sunday in June Father’s Day. The idea was officially approved by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended national observance of the occasion “to establish more intimate (亲密) relations between fathers and their children, and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations.” The red or white rose is recognized as the official Father’s Day flower.

Father’s Day took longer to establish on a national scale than Mother’s Day, but as the idea grained popularity, tradesmen and manufacturers began to see the commercial possibilities. They encouraged sons and daughters to honor their fathers with small thank-you presents, such as a tie or pair of socks, as well as by sending greeting cards.

During the Second World War, American servicemen stationed in Britain began to request Father’s Day greeting cards to send home. This generated a response with British card publishers. Though at first the British public was slow to accept this rather artificial day, it’s now well celebrated in Britain on the third Sunday in June in much the same way as in America.

Father’s Day seems to be much less important as occasion than the Mother’s Day. Not many of the children offer their fathers some presents. But the American fathers still think they are much better fated than the fathers of many other countries, who have not even a day for their sake in name only.

11. When did Father’s Day officially begin to have national popularity?

A. 1907 B. 1909 C. 1916 D. 1924

12. Who first started the idea of holding the Father’s Day?

A. Mrs. John Bruce Dodd B. Mrs. John Bruce’s Mother

C. The government of Washington. D. Some businessmen.

13. What flower will be popular on Father’s Day?

A. Lily B. Water Lily C. Red rose or white rose D. Sunflower.

14. Which statement is true, a according to this passage?

A. It took even longer for Mother’s Day to gain national popularity.

B. The businessmen helped to make Father’s Day popular.

C. Father’s Day is only celebrated in America.

D. Father’s Day is only a trick of the businessmen to make money.

15. What was the first reaction of the British publishing towards Father’s Day?

A. They thought highly of it and accepted it at once.

B. They just accepted it at once without any hesitation.

C. They just thought it a joke.

D. They thought it was too artificial and took a long time to accept.