Directions: There are five reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by five questions. For each question there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best answer and blacken the corresponding letter on the answer sheet.Passage One Early in November 1965, New York was blacked out by an electricity failure (停电). The Mayor promised that it would not happen again. Pessimists (悲观主义者) were certain that it would happen again within five years. In July 1977, there was a repeat performance which produced a serious disorder throughout the city. At that time the city was in one of its worst heat waves. In 1965, there was little crime during the darkness, and fewer than a hundred people were arrested. In 1977, hundreds of stores were broken into and looted (劫掠). Nearly 4,000 people were arrested but far more disappeared into the darkness of the night. The number of policeman available was far from enough and some looters even carry guns. Hospitals had to treat hundreds of people cut by glass from shop windows. Banks and most business remained closed the next day. The blackout started at 9:30 P.M., when lightning hit and knocked out supply cables. Many stores were thus caught by surprise. For twenty-four hours, New York realized how helpless it was without electricity. How long did the New York blackout in 1977 last()
A whole night.
B. Twenty-four hours.
C. A whole week.
D. Three days.
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Passage Five On the fourth Thursday of November, every year, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The day is a national holiday which is set aside each year as a time to give thanks to God for our blessings (祝福). Legend has it that the first English colonists (殖民者) in Massachusetts (马萨诸塞州) started the custom. According to the story, the Pilgrims~ first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops, and without fresh food, half of the colonists died from disease. The following spring the Indians taught them how to grow corn. In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited their Indian friends to join them in a large feast to share in the bounties (慷慨) of the land. This is the first Thanksgiving. The traditional foods of the big Thanksgiving Day meal include roast turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and Indian bread puddings. Since the day is set aside for giving thanks, it has also become a traditional family day. Large dinners with many relatives are common throughout America on this special day. All the following are traditional Thanksgiving Day foods except()
A. Cranberry sauce
B. Pumpkin pie
C. Pecan pie
D. Roast turkey
Passage Four "We’re more than halfway (中途) now; it’s only two miles farther to the tavern (客栈) ," said the driver. "I’m glad of that," answered the stranger, in a more sympathetic way. He meant to say more but the east wind blew clear down a man’s throat if he tried to speak. The girl’s voice was quite attractive; however, later he spoke again. "You don’t feel the cold so much at twenty below zero in the Western country. There isn’t such damp chill (潮冷)", he said, and then it seemed as if he had blamed the uncomplaining young driver. She had not even said that it was a bad day, and he began to be conscious of a warm hopefulness of spirit, and sense of pleasant adventure under all the woolen scarves. "You’ll have a cold drive going back," he said anxiously, and put up his hand for the twentieth time to see if his coat collar was as close to the back of his neck as possible. "I shall not have to go back!" cried the girl, with eager pleasantness. "I’m on my way home now. I drove over early just to meet you at the train. We had word that someone was coming to the tavern." According to the stranger, in the West the winters are()
A. dry and cold
B. warmer than in the East
C. wet and cold
D. mild
Passage Four "We’re more than halfway (中途) now; it’s only two miles farther to the tavern (客栈) ," said the driver. "I’m glad of that," answered the stranger, in a more sympathetic way. He meant to say more but the east wind blew clear down a man’s throat if he tried to speak. The girl’s voice was quite attractive; however, later he spoke again. "You don’t feel the cold so much at twenty below zero in the Western country. There isn’t such damp chill (潮冷)", he said, and then it seemed as if he had blamed the uncomplaining young driver. She had not even said that it was a bad day, and he began to be conscious of a warm hopefulness of spirit, and sense of pleasant adventure under all the woolen scarves. "You’ll have a cold drive going back," he said anxiously, and put up his hand for the twentieth time to see if his coat collar was as close to the back of his neck as possible. "I shall not have to go back!" cried the girl, with eager pleasantness. "I’m on my way home now. I drove over early just to meet you at the train. We had word that someone was coming to the tavern." From the passage we can infer that the story happened in()
A. spring
B. summer
C. autumn
D. winter
Passage Five On the fourth Thursday of November, every year, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The day is a national holiday which is set aside each year as a time to give thanks to God for our blessings (祝福). Legend has it that the first English colonists (殖民者) in Massachusetts (马萨诸塞州) started the custom. According to the story, the Pilgrims~ first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops, and without fresh food, half of the colonists died from disease. The following spring the Indians taught them how to grow corn. In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited their Indian friends to join them in a large feast to share in the bounties (慷慨) of the land. This is the first Thanksgiving. The traditional foods of the big Thanksgiving Day meal include roast turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and Indian bread puddings. Since the day is set aside for giving thanks, it has also become a traditional family day. Large dinners with many relatives are common throughout America on this special day. According to the passage, the first winter of the colonists was hard because()
A. they had too many enemies
B. the weather was too bad
C. they died from disease
D. they arrived too late to grow crops