section a
directions: in this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. at the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. both the conversation and the question will be spoken only once. after each question there will be a pause. during the pause, you must read the four choices marked a), b), c) and d), and decide which is the best answer. then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
example: you will hear:
you will read: a) 2 hours. b) 3 hours. c) 4 hours. d) 5 hours.
from the conversation we know that the two were talking about some work they will start at 9 o’clock in the morning and have to finish at 2 in the afternoon. therefore, d) “5 hours” is the correct answer. you should choose [d] on the answer sheet and mark it with a single line through the center.
sample answer [a] [b] [c] [d]
1. a) he often cuts classes to play basketball.
b) he has little chance to play basketball.
c) he’s looking for somebody to play the game with.
d) he loves playing basketball very much.
2. a) go to the lab for a quick look.
b) go and see if they have dropped anything in the lab.
c) check on what’s for dinner.
d) have a run before they eat.
3. a) she was going out. b) she was checking into a hotel.
c) she was yelling at the man. d) she was doing things.
4. a) it was too terrible for him to sleep.
b) he was not very worried about it.
c) he already lost a lot of sleep over it.
d) he feels uncomfortable.
5. a) in swiss. b) on a trip. c) in their homeland. d) in the u.s.
6. a) in a store. b) in a car. c) in the hospital. d) in the cinema.
7. a) she doesn’t like standing so close.
b) she can’t hear clearly.
c) she can’t watch the television clearly.
d) she was hurt by the light.
8. a) studying. b) listening to music.
c) talking on the telephone. d) watching the television.
9. a) he drove in a straight line. b) he left just in time.
c) he ran into a tree. d) he avoided an accident.
10. a) in the classroom. b) at the date of the library.
c) in the library. d) in the office.
section b
directions: in this section, you hear 3 short passages. at the end if each passage, you will hear some questions. both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. after you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked a), b), c) and d). then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the center.
passage one
questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11. a) twenty-first. b) eighteen. c) twenty. d) seventeen.
12. a) a car. b) the most expensive present.
c) the key to the house. d) a house.
13. a) happy. b) relish. c) unwelcome. d) mixed feeling.
passage two
questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14. a) march 22. b) april 25.
c) moveable. d) less than 48 hours after march 22.
15. a) it is the anniversary of the crucifixion of jesus christ.
b) it is the most unlucky day.
c) it is the most solemn day of the year for christians.
d) it is the resurrection of jesus christ.
16. a) one of pagan festivals. b) one of christian festival.
c) the festival of eostre. d) the goddess eostre.
passage three
questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
17. a) 1920s. b) 1930s. c) 1940s. d) 1910s.
18. a) she polluted the water.
b) she couldn’t make the shirt collar white.
c) she killed two fishes.
d) she had no enough money to buy formula soap.
19. a) she learned a new way from mrs. murphy.
b) she worked harder at it.
c) she found super fortified formula.
d) she used super fortified formula.
20. a) the man who fell into the river was dead.
b) the fishes lived in the river were killed.
c) the shirt washed with lost its original colour.
d) the person who used it was criticized in public.
part ii reading comprehension (35 minutes)
directions: there are 4 passages in this part. each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. for each of them are four choices marked a), b), c) and d). you should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the center.
passage one
questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
the discovery of the antarctic not only proved one of the most interesting of all geographical adventures, but created what might be called “the heroic age of antarctic exploration”. by their tremendous heroism, men such as shackleton, scott, and amundaen caused a new continent to emerge from the shadows, and yet that heroic age, little more than a century old, is already passing. modern science and inventions are revolutionizing the techniques of former explorers, and, although still calling for courage and feats of endurance, future journeys into these icy wastes will probably depend on motor vehicles equipped with caterpillar traction rather than on the dogs that earlier discoverers found so invaluable.
few realize that this antarctic continent is almost equal in size to south america, and enormous field of work awaits geographers and prospectors. the coasts of this continent remain to be accurately charted, and the mapping of the whole of the interior presents formidable task to the cartographers who undertake the work. once their labors are completed, it will be possible to prospect the vast natural resources which scientists believe will furnish one of the large treasure hoards of metals and minerals the world has yet known, an almost inexhaustible sources of copper, coal, uranium, and many other ores will become available to man. such discoveries will usher in an era of practical exploitation of the antarctic wastes.
the polar darkness which hides this continent for the six winter months will be defeated by huge batteries of lithe, and make possible the establishing of air-fields for the future inter-continental air service by making these areas as light as day. present flying routes will completely change, for the antarctic refueling bases will make flight from australia to south america comparatively easy over the 5,000 miles journey.
the climate is not likely to offer an insuperable problem, for the explorer admiral byrd has shown that the climate is possible even for men completely untrained for expeditions into those frozen wastes.
few realize that this antarctic continent is almost equal in size to south america, and enormous field of work awaits geographers and prospectors. the coasts of this continent remain to be accurately charted, and the mapping of the whole of the interior presents formidable task to the cartographers who undertake the work. once their labors are completed, it will be possible to prospect the vast natural resources which scientists believe will furnish one of the large’ treasure hoards of metals and minerals the world has yet known, an almost inexhaustible sources of copper, coal, uranium, and many other ores will become available to man. such discoveries will usher in an era of practical exploitation of the antarctic wastes.
the polar darkness which hides this continent for the six winter months will be defeated by huge batteries of light, and make possible the establishing of air-fields for the future inter-continental air service by making these areas as light as day. present flying routes will completely change, for the antarctic refueling bases will make flight from australia to south america comparatively easy over the 5,000 miles journey.
the climate is not likely to offer an insuperable problem, for the explorer admiral byrd has shown that the climate is possible even for men completely untrained for expeditions into those frozen wastes. some of his party were men who had never seen snow before, and yet he records that they survived the rigors of the antarctic climate comfortably, so that, provided that the appropriate installations are made, we may assume that human beings from all countries could live there safely. byrd even affirms that it is probably the most health climate in the world, for the intense cold of thousands of years has sterilized this continent, and rendered it absolutely germfree, with the consequences that ordinary and extraordinary sicknesses and disease from which man suffers in other zones with different climates are here utterly unknown. there exist no problems of conservation and preservation of food supplies, for the natural storehouse for the whole world. plans are already on foot to set up permanent bases on the shores of this continent, and what so few years ago was regarded as a “dead continent” now promises to be a most active center of human life and endeavor.
21. when did man begin to explore the antarctic?
a) about 100 years ago. b) in this century.
c) at the beginning of the 19th century. d) in 1798.
22. what must the explorers be, even though they have modern equipment and techniques?
a) brave and tough. b) stubborn and arrogant.
c) well-liked and humorous. d) stout and smart.
23. what is planned for the continent?
a) building dams along the coasts.
b) setting up several summer resorts along the coasts.
c) mapping the coast and the whole territory.
d) setting op permanent bases on the coasts.
24. what kind of metals and minerals can we find in the antarctic?
a) magnesite, coal and oil. b) copper, coal and uranium.
c) silver, natural gas and uranium. d) aluminum, copper and natural gas.
25. the most healthy climate in the world is .
a) in south america b) in the arctic region
c) in the antarctic continent d) in the atlantic ocean
passage two
questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
andrew carnegie, american industrialist and philanthropist, made a fortune by manufacturing iron and steel protected by custom tariff. in 1873, on one of his frequent trips to england, he met henry bessemer and became convinced that the industrial future lay in steel. he built the j.edgar thomson steel mills near pittsburgh, and from that moment on, the carnegie empire was one of constant expansion. later on, the carnegie steel co. became an immense organization. it included all the processes of steel production from the great furnaces and finishing mills of pittsburgh to the inroads and lake steamers that move the ores and the finished products.
like his grandfather, andrew carnegie did not abandon the radical idealism of his forebears for the benefit of the working class and the poor people. in spite of his espousal of herbert spencer’s philosophy and the social darwinism of the period carnegie remained deeply committed to many of the charitist ideals of his boyhood. he believed in the social responsibility of the man of wealth to society. he must serve as a steward for the fortune he has earned and use that fortune to provide greater opportunity for all and to increase man’s knowledge of himself and of his universe. furthermore, carnegie considered that the dispensation of wealth for the benefit of society must never be in the form of free charity but rather must be as a buttress to the community’s responsibility for its own people.
when carnegie died in lenox. mass., on august 11, 1919, most of his fortune was already gone. people wonder that if carnegie had known this when he was alive, he would have spread most of his wealth to the poor people.
26. garnegie was able to develop his vast industrial fortunes .
a) with the act of five enterprise system
b) through large loans from the american government
c) because the american government had special tariffs to protect the american steel and iron industry
d) because he had relatives in the english steel industry
27. carnegie followed his ancestors’ footsteps .
a) by developing a large industrial company
b) in caring for and improving benefits for the worker and the poor
c) by furthering spencer’s philosophy
d) by being a follower of social darwinism
28. the industry carnegie was not concerned with was .
a) the manufacturing of steel
b) the transporting of the finished product
c) the movement of raw materials
d) the lumber business
29. carnegie’s trips to england .
a) were purely for pleasure and visiting relatives
b) introduced him to the charitist ideals which would influence his life
c) helped him gain steel contracts with the british industrialists
d) led him to believe that the industrial future would be with steel
30. which happened first?
a) the foundation of the carnegie steel co.
b) the introduction of charitist ideals.
c) the foundation of the j.edgan thomson steel mills.
d) andrew carnegie’s trips to great britain.
passage three
questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
monkeys and chimpanzees (黑猩猩)，although they are weaker and less fierce than many other animals, possess brains which are 55 far along the evolutionary road as any creature other than man. birds can perform marvels of aerobatics (特技飛行)，they can catch insects on the wing with unparalleled skill, they can navigate in a remarkable manner half round the world and back-but they cannot think and reason. in technical terms it can be said that they are lacking in insight. the abilities which they do possess are built-in instincts derived from their genetic inheritance. monkeys, on the other hand, can reason. they can easily remember a lighted door indicating the presence of food. they can remember what kind of food they are looking for. a monkey set the problem of reaching a banana, say, hung high up in its cage, can work out a system for getting it even if it even if it involves piling up boxes to stand on and then knocking down the banana with a stick. a charming story is told about the psychologist wolfgang kobler, who had provided various boxes and other apparatuses by which he proposed to test a chimpanzee’s ability to think out a method of reaching a fruit hung nine feet in the air. the animal looked about it and sized up the problem. then it took kobler by the hand, led him to a position immediately under the banana, jumped up on to his shoulder and reached it down from there.
but evolution, although it has brought monkeys to a remarkable degree of cleverness, has stopped short at a crucial ability, the possession of which places man at a clearly superior level. their minds cannot cope with abstract ideas. for example, an ape can be taught to fil a can with water from a barrel and take the can of water to put out a fire so that it can reach into a box and get food. but if the whole set-up is arranged on a raft (木筏) the animal will continue to draw its water only from the barrel. it can not grasp that any water, taken more, conveniently, say, from the pond on which the raft is floating, will pot out the fire just as well. the abstract idea that water puts out fire is beyond it.
31. birds owe their remarkable abilities to .
a) inheritance b) insight c) intelligence d) navigation
32. the superior intelligence of monkeys, compared with other creatures, apart from man, is demonstrated by .
a) the possession of brains b) the ability to reason and think
c) the memory d) the ability to cope with abstract ideals
33. monkeys show their superiority in intelligence over other creatures apart from man by .
a) being less fierce b) piling op boxes
c) remembering lighted doors
d) developing their own methods for solving problems
34. monkeys are differentiated from man because they lack our ability to .
a) draw water from a pond b) understand abstract ideas
c) stop short and consider difficult problems d) use water to put out fires
35. kobler’s monkey is “charming” because the monkey .
a) chose kobler himself as the quickest route
b) successfully completed the experimen
c) took kobler by the hand
d) used all the gear provided
passage four
questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
in recent years there has been an increasing number of large oil spills. these spills, some of which have occurred directly at the site of extraction and others during transportation, have had in adverse effect on marine organisms. because of the importance of these organisms in the life cycle, research has been carried out in order to identify more accurately the reactions of these organisms to oil. a recent study has revealed that it is essential to understand that there is not one but rather, at least four possible ways in which oil can affect an organism.
first, as a result of an organism’s ingestion of oil, direct lethal toxicity (毒性)，that is, death by poisoning, can occur. however, in cases where the effect is less extreme, sub-lethal toxicity occurs. while cellular and physiological processes are involved in both cases in the latter, the organism continues to survive. second, in some cases, oil forms a covering on the organism. this covering, referred to as coating, can result in smothering, that is, death of the organism due to lack of air. in instances where the effects of coating are less severe, interference with movement and loss of insulated properties of feathers or fur may occur. the third effect of oil on marine organisms is the tainting or contamination of edible organisms. this results from the incorporation of hydrocarbons (碳化氫) into the organism, thus making it unfit for human consumption. the final effect which this study has revealed is that of habital changes. the alterations in the physical and chemical environment brought about by oil spills result in a change in the species composition of a region.
the implications of this must recent study are far-reaching. an oil spill in a particular region could critically upset the balance of nature, the total effect only becoming apparent after many years.
36. what is the title of this passage?
a) marine organisms; b) oil spills.
c) the effect of oil on marine organisms. d) the study of oil spills.
37. oil spills have occurred .
a) at the site’ of transportation b) during extraction
c) before making use of it d) at the site of extraction
38. scientists have started to do the research to .
a) reveal the reactions of marine organisms to oil
b) find out a way of solving it
c) make a clean of oil spills
d) reveal the life of marine organisms
39. according to the passage, which of the following is true?
a) the organism who ingests lethal toxicity can survive.
b) the oil coat will not interfere in organism’s life.
c) organisms can fight against the pollution of oil.
d) oil spills can lead to the change of the environment.
40. the effect of oil spills can be seen .
a) immediately b) after quite a long time
c) few years later d) after several months
part iii vocabulary (15 minutes)
directions: there are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. for each sentence there are four choices marked a), b), c) and d). chose the one that best completes the sentence. then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the center.
41. we regret that it is impossible to meet the revised dates for the goods you recently ordered from us.
a) delivery b) carriage c) service d) arrival
42. good lighting in factories leads to great comfort, higher and productivity, fewer mistakes and accidents.
a) profusion b) craft c) efficiency d) proficiency
43. it had been an abominable afternoon, at about six o’clock in her father’s sudden collapse into unconsciousness.
a) culminating b) leading c) arriving d) finalist
44. he is eager to win because his enjoyment of a game lies in the struggle to defeat his
a) enemies b) opposites c) opponents d) friends
45. it was with great delight that i read in your february the letter written by prof. johnson.
a) issue b) copy c) printing d) magazine
46. the little boy focused his on the picture book.
a) consideration b) attention c) concentration d) intention
47. i felt uneasy for a whole day as i was from deep sleep by the ringing of the telephone early in the morning.
a) aroused b) raised c) rose d) arose
48. the boy’s performance in school suffered greatly when he became a member of a(n) gang.
a) unlikely b) inequitable c) disreputable d) unwieldy
49. she didn’t leave it out of that she offered the old woman her seat on the bus.
a) fashion b) obligation c) consideration d) realization
50. the headmaster has to improve the lighting in the school corridors.
a) accepted b) allowed c) agreed d) affirmed
51. today, housework has been made much easier by electrical .
a) facilities b) appliances c) instruments d)equipment
52. last week’s meeting was so long that they have promised that this one will be very .
a) complete b) brief c) fair d) narrow
53. he has been called upon by the police as he some of the events with which the case was concerned.
a) witted b) witnessed c) proved d) verified
54. people often make mistakes in their as things in many cases turn out the opposite to their wishes.
a) predictions b) productions c) prepositions d) prescriptions
55. it is difficult for museums to find funds to protect the nation’s
a) inheritance b) heritage c) possessions d) legacy
56. i don’t intend to sign my documents without my lawyer.
a) inquiring b) discussing c) advising d) consulting
57. his name was on the of my tongue, but now i can’t remember it.
a) point b) edge c) tip d) top
58. the foreman is amazed to find that the of these volunteers for hard work is very great.
a) probability b) capacity c) ability d) capability
59. because of road works, traffic is restricted to one in each direction.
a) lane b) row c) alley d) path
60. they’ve bought a holiday cottage near the sea, and in course they plan to move there permanently.
a) due b) coming c) future d) intended
61. although the pay is not good, people usually find social work in other ways.
a) grateful b) payable c) respectful d) rewarding
62. he knows the rule but does not know how to it.
a) control b) direct c) apply d) run
63. in recent years, teachers far outnumber the available teaching positions in many in the us.
a) items b) disciplines c) conferences d) projects
64. jack can never get away with his crime this time as there is evidence against him.
a) provable b) thoughtful c) substantial d) harmful
65. their teacher of english often tells them how to passages in the shortest possible time in an exam.
a) scan b) copy c) glance d) drill
66. hopes of finding the missing climbers are now beginning to .
a) fade b) dim c) reduce d) faint
67. the young novelist published a book whose success his wild expectation.
a) exceeded b) executed c) extended d) expanded
68. when he was questioned about the missing ring, he firmly that he had ever seen it.
a) stated b) denied c) claimed d) refused
69. the dying man’s speech was so that no one was able to interpret his last request.
a) indiscreet b) impotent c) incoherent d) nonchalant
70. we received the news today that there would be no raises this year.
a) uncanny b) incongruous c) disreputable d) disconcerting
part iv short answer questions (15 minutes)
directions: in this part there is a short passage with five questions or incomplete statements. read the passage carefully. then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words ( not exceeding 10 words).
england’s highest main-line railway station hangs on to life by a threat; deserted and unmanned since it was officially closed in 1970, dent, situated high in the hills of yorkshire, wakes up on six summer weekends each year, when a special charter train unloads walkers, sightseers and people who simply want to catch a train from the ration, on to its platform.
but even this limited existence may soon be brought to an end. dent station is situated on the settle to carlisle railway line said to be scenic in the country. but no amount of scenic beauty can line from british rail’s cash problems. this year, for the sake of economy, the express trains which used to pass through dent station have been put on to another route.
it is now an open secret that british rail sees no future for this railway line. most of its trains disappeared some time ago. its bridge, built on a grand scale a century ago, is falling down. it is not alone. zen railway routes in the north of england are facing a similar’ he problem is a worn out system and an almost total lack of repair it. bridges and tunnels are showing their age, the wooden for the tracks are rotting and engines and coaches are getting old.
on major lines between large cities, the problem is not too bad. these lines still make a profit and cash can be found to maintain them. but on the country branch line, the story is different. as track wears out, it is not replaced. instead speed limits are introduced making longer than necessary and discouraging customers.
if a bridge is dangerous, there is often only one thing for british rail to do: go out and find money from another source. this is exactly what it did a few months ago when a bridge at bridlington station was threatening to fall down. repairs were estimated at ＄200,000 just for one bridge---and british rail was delighted, and rather surprised, when two local councils offered half that amount between them.
questions: (注意：答題儘量簡短，超過10個詞要扣分。
每條橫線限寫一個英語單詞，標點符號不占格。)
s1. since 1970 dent station has been used
s2. of all the railway routes in britain the one which passes through dent
s3. what is the most urgent problem for many country railway lines?
s4. the people most affected by the difficulties facing british rail would appear to be
s5. in order to improve the financial situation of country railway lines, what should british rail do?
part v writing (30 minutes)
directions: for this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic “problems about reducing students’ heavy burden”. you should write at least 120 words, and base your composition on the outline ( given in chinese ) below:
1．目前學生負擔過重的現狀。
2．導致學生負擔過重的原因。
3．減輕學生負擔過重的措施。
2002年12月大學英語六級模擬試卷答案
part i
1. d 2. a 3. c 4 .b 5. c 6. c 7. b 8 .a. 9. d 10. a
section b
passage one
11. b 12. c 13. d
passage two
14. c 15. d 16. a
passage three
17. b 18. b 19. d 20. a
part ii
passage one
21. a 22. a 23. d 24. b 25. c
passage two
26. c 27. b 28. d 29. d 30. b
passage three
31. d 32. b 33. d 34. b 35. a
passage four
36. c 37. d 38. a 39. d 40. b
part iii
41. a 42. c 43. c 44. c 45. a 46. b 47. a 48. c 49. c 50.c 51. b 52. b 53. b 54. a 55.b 56. d 57. c 58. b 59. a 60. a 61. d 62. c 63.b 64. c 65. a 66. d 67. a 68. b 69. c 70. d
part v
sample writing
problems about reducing students’ heavy burden
nowadays ,students’ heavy burden makes students so nervous that it does harm to students’ health .it is not difficult to find out too many problems appearing in our society : some students give up studying ,even kill themselves . some other students go to kill their parents or their teachers because they can’t bear any more .
the factors that lead to students’ heavy burden are the following three : firstly ,it is because of educational system. such system forces students to learn too much complex but useless information .secondly , schools only quest for higher rate of entering schools .in order to get higher rate , schools try their best to do more training so that students can’t have their spare time .thirdly ,parents have good wishes .parents do not want their children to fail in the future competition .they have no other way but to send their children to attend more training .
it becomes urgent to reduce students’ heavy burden now .in my own opinion ,it is important to change the educational system into high quality education system ,to reduce the content of the training ,to change parents and society’s attitude towards talents ,all these are the basic ways that help reduce students’ heavy burden .
2002年12月大學英語六級模擬試卷聽力原文
section a
1. w: hi , tom . have you been playing much basketball lately ?
m: i play as often as i can get out of the classroom .and the game is my way to be somebody . it’s my life ,you know ?
q: what does tom tell the woman ?
2. m: could you drop by the lab for a minute ? i have some experiments running that i need to check on before dinner .
w: sure . i have plenty of time . i’d be interested to see what you’re working on , anyway .
q: what will the man and the woman do ?
3. w: where are you going at this time of night ?
m: i’m checking into a hotel . for the past two hours ,you have been complaining about everything i do .
q: what was the woman doing before this conversation ?
4.w: i heard they didn’t sign the agreement .
m: yes ,it’s too bad . but i’m certainly not going to lose any sleep over it .
q: what was the man’s reaction ?
5. m: why don’t you immigrate to swill instead of coming here on short visits ?
w: i would like to but i couldn’t live if i were cut off from my family and friends .
q: where are the woman’s family and friends ?
6. w: excuse me , sir .visiting hours are over .you must leave ,so your wife can get some rest .
m: pardon me ,nurse . i didn’t hear the bell or i would have left earlier .
q: where did this conversation take places ?
7. w: please turn down the television . i can’t understand anything my friends is saying on the phone .
m: hurry up and finnish your call .i don’t like standing so close . the light hurts my eyes .
q: why is the woman upset ?
8. m: hi, if you can’t enjoy that at a sensible volume ,please use the earphone ,i’m trying to study .
w: oh, i’m sorry ,i didn’t realize it was bothering you .
q: what has the man probably been doing ?
9. w: i thought for sure that bobby would hit that tree .
m: i thought so too . but thank goodness ,he swerved just in time .
q: what did you learn about bobby ?
10. m: jean said she would meet you in the library .did you get together ?
w: yes ,but it’s a wonder that we did .i had given up waiting and had gone inside the classroom .she had done the same thing .
q: where did the two women actually meet ?
section b
passage one
birthdays ---we all have one and in the course of lifetime we celebrate our own and those of friends and relations many times .some birthdays are personal landmarks .in britain ,one of the most important of these is the twenty ---first birthday ,which until recently also has a legal significance . it was the voting age .
the twenty ----first birthday used to be the day when young were finally accepted as adults and presented with the key to the house as a symbol of this new status . the voting age is now eighteen .ideas of when a person reaches adulthood have also changed .nevertheless many design on the twenty ----first cards still include a silvery key .
by middle age birthdays tend to be regarded with mixed feelings ,some people celebrate them with relish . others keep them secret ,even ignore them altogether as unwelcome reminders of the rapidly passing years .however it’s doubtful that many people would choose to ignore their hundredth birthday when a high-light of the day id a personal telegram form the queen .
11. what is the voting now ?
12. in the passage ,what kind of the presents will you get on your twenty –first birthday ?
13. what do you feel about middle age birthday ?
passage two
good friday is the most solemn day of the year for christians ,and is the anniversary of the crucifixion of jesus christ .it was also once considered by some people to be the most unlucky day .they would not use nails or iron tools on this day in remembrance of their use on the cross .in english it’s called good friday ,and here the word “good” has its own sense of “holy”.
less than 48 hours later ,believers everywhere celebrate the most joyful day in their calendar ,the resurrection of jesus christ on what is called easter day .this occurs on the first sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox ,so the exact date varies each year between march 22 and april 25.
the name easter comes from the name of pagan festival held during the equinox in honor of anglo-saxon goddess foster .people once believed that foster brought the world to life again in spring ,and the sun danced on her day .
14. what is the date of good friday ?
15. what is the easter day?
16. where does the name easter come form?
passage three
the history of modern water pollution goes back to february 28, 1931 ,when mrs. mrphy leaned over her back –yard fence and said to mrs.holbook , “ you call those shirts white ?” mrs. holbrook was ashamed to admit they were as white as she could get them with that ordinary soap .
“what you should use is this formula cake soap which guarantees against the dull grey look that the family wash always had .”
doubtful but adventurous ,mrs. holbrook tired the formula soap ,which did take the gray out of her husband’s shirts . but what she didn’t know was that the water eventually emptied into the blue sky river ,killing two fish .
three years later ,mrs. muphy was hanging her shirts and mrs. holbrook said , “ how did you ever get your collars so white ,surely not with formula ?”
“ not ordinary formula .but i did with super fortified formula . you see , it attacks dirt and destroys it . here ,try some on your shirts .”
mrs. holbrook did and discovered her husband’s shirt collars turned pure white . what she could not possibly know was that it turned the river water pure white as well .
six months later ,the blue sky river was declared a health hazard . one day as mr. holbrook was walking home form work ,he accidentally fell into the blue sky river ,swallowed a mouthful of water and died immediately . at the funeral service the minister said , “ you can say anything you want about holbrook ,but no one can deny he had the cleanest shirt in town .”
17. when did the history of modern water pollution go back to ?
18. why did mrs. holbrook feel ashamed ?
19. why could mrs. holbrook make the shirt clean ?
20. what is the result of using super fortified formula ?