閱讀理解

A

The American newspaper has been around for about three hundred years. In 1721， the printer James Franklin， Benjamins elder brother， started The New England Courant， and that was what we might recognize today as a real newspaper. He filled his paper with stories of adventure， articles on art， on famous people， and on all sorts of political subjects.

Three centuries after the appearance of Franklins Courant， few believe that newspapers in their present printed form will remain alive for long. Newspaper companies are losing advertisers， readers， market value， and in some cases， their sense of purpose at a speed that would not have been imaginable just several years ago. The chief editor of The Times said recently， “At places where they gather， editors ask one another， ‘How are you？， as if they have just come out of the hospital or a lost law case.” An article about the newspaper appeared on the website of The Guandian， under the headline “NOT DEAD YET”.

Perhaps not， but the rise of the Internet， which has made the daily newspaper look slow and out of step with the world， has brought about a real sense of death. Some American newspapers have lost 42% of their market value in the past three years. The New York Times Company has seen its stock （股票） drop by 54% since the end of 2004， with much of the loss coming in the past year. A manager at Deutsche Bank suggested that stock-holders sell off their Times stock. The Washington Post Company has prevented the trouble only by changing part of its business to education； its testing and test-preparation service now brings in at least half the companys income.

1. What can we learn about The New England Courant？

A. It is mainly about the stock market.

B. It carries articles by political leaders.

C. It remains a successful newspaper in America.

D. It marks the beginning of the American newspaper.

2. We can infer the newspaper editors ___ .

A. often accept readers suggestions

B. care a lot about each others health

C. stop doing business with advertisers

D. face great difficulties in their business

3. Which of the following found a new way for its development？

A. The Washington Post. B. New England Courant.

C. The New York Times. D. The Guardian.

4. How does the author feel about the future of newspapers？

A. Satisfied. B. Surprised.

C. Worried. D. Hopeful.endprint

B

When I was a child， my parents often took me to an old house in a thick forest. No other children ever stayed there. I didnt even have the choice of playing with a brother or sister.

I could never understand what the attraction of the house was， even for my parents， who enjoyed nothing better than to sit in silence with a good book. The woman in the house， my fathers distant cousin， was a terrible cook and her food was inedible.

One day， when I was wandering around the garden behind the house， I noticed a wooden house which had clearly been abandoned. As I walked towards it， I heard a noise， like an animal moving hurriedly away. Then I saw a man with a long beard standing at the door. I was greatly surprised.

“Please dont tell them you saw me，” he said. “They never use this place， and I have nowhere else to live.” “Dont worry，” I said. “I wont tell anyone. But are you all right out here？ I mean—do you have enough to eat？” The old man shook his head.

The same evening， I took a small plastic bag into the dining room and， while no one was looking， emptied some of the food into it. Later， I got out of the back door secretly and gave the food to the old man， whose name I had discovered was Taff.

I had never seen anything else as lovely as the smile of satisfaction on Taffs face when he ate the food. From then on， my visits to the old house had a purpose， and I enjoyed every minute of the rest of my stay.

5. How did the writer feel staying in the old house at first？

A. He enjoyed reading good books there.

B. He was happy to be with his parents.

C. He was pleased with the woods.

D. He felt very lonely.

6. The underlined word “inedible” is closest in meaning to “___”.

A. nice to look at

B. not enough to eat

C. as delicious as usual

D. too bad for him to eat

7. What can we learn about the old man from the passage？

A. He was poor and hungry.

B. He raised many animals.

C. He helped to repair the old house.

D. He liked to play hide-and-seek with the writer.

8. What does the story mainly tell us？

A. Its valuable to help others.

B. Its good to live in the forest.

C. Its nice to raise wild animals.

D. Its comfortable to live in the old house.endprint