二.閱讀理解

　　1

　　Why is 2004 a special year? Because it is a Leap Year(閏年.!What’s so special about that? Well, Leap Year happens only once every four years. And it has 366 days instead of the usual 365. In a Leap Year, we have 29 days in February, while in a usual year we have only 28 days.

　　Why do we have a Leap Year? We have a Leap Year so we can keep the calendar(日歷. in step with the seasons. The calendar is a kind of clock for the whole year. But how long is a year? A calendar year is 365 days. However, a true year is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds long. That’s the time it takes the earth to travel around the sun. So every four years we have one more day, and we put it at the end of February, the shortest month of a year. Then we have a Leap Year.

　　1. How often can we have a Leap Year?

　　A. Every year. B. Every February C. Every other year D. Every four years

　　2. What is a calendar? It is a kind of clock .

　　A. for the whole year B. only for Leap Year

　　C. for the usual year D. for the unusual year

　　3. How long does it take the earth to travel around the sun? It takes the earth to travel around the sun.

　　A. a day B. a little longer than 365 days

　　C. a year D. a month

　　4. Mrs. Green was born on February 29, 1972. Now she is 32. How many birthdays has she had?

　　A. 32. B. 16. C. 8. D. 4.

　　5. While of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A. People who were born on February 29th are very lucky because they can have more birthdays than others.

　　B. Usually we have 365 days in a year.

　　C. There were 29 days in February, 1992.

　　D. The next Leap Year will be the year 2008.

　　2

　　There are 365 days in a year. We sleep 8 hours a day, so we have 122 days for sleeping. Then our work time has 243 days left. But there are 52 weekends in a year. Each weekend is two days. We lose another 104 days a year for work. It takes us about one hour to have breakfast and supper. This comes to 15 days over a year. But we can’t work all that time —we need a holiday. Let’s say we have three weeks’ holiday. We don’t work all day. Four free hours each evening takes up 61 days. We have to remember that we get 2 days’ holiday at Easter, 3 at Christmas and 1 at the New Year. There are also 4 Bank holidays. Take those 10 days away and we have 32 days for work. But then we have one and a half hours’ lunch every day, and half an hour’s coffee break. That comes to 30 days a year. This means that we have only a few days left for work every year!

　　6. How many days do we sleep in a year? days.

　　A. 365 B. 122 C. 8 D. 52

　　7. We spend 15 days on .

　　A. rest B. coffee break C. lunch D. breakfast and supper

　　8. Which of the following is true?

　　A. Each weekend is one day. B. We have 61 days for free time.

　　C. We get 3 days’ holiday at Easter. D. Coffee break takes us one hour.

　　9. According to the passage, we know that we don’t have time to work every year.

　　A. much too B. so many C. too much D. too many

　　10. The writer means

　　A. we should know the numbers. B. time is important and we’d better not waste it.

　　C. we need more holidays. D. a few days for work is enough

　　3

　　My brother, Bob, has a very good job at a bank. Last week, to my surprise, he told me that he had decided to give it up. I tried hard to make him change his mind, but Bob wouldn’t listen to me. Here is the dialogue between us.

　　--You should think it over. You’ve already spent five years there and you might become a bank manager by the time you’re thirty.

　　--I know. I’m satisfied with the bank. It’s a nice job at a nice place.

　　--Then why do you want to leave?

　　--It’s the money.

　　--But you are well paid.

　　--I don’t mean that. My job is to count money, you know. I feel unhappy when I do that.

　　--But why?

　　--I enjoy counting my own money, but I hate counting other people’s.

　　11. What did Bob tell the writer last week?

　　A. He would be thirty years old soon.

　　B. He would be a manager of the bank.

　　C. He wouldn’t work at the bank.

　　D. He would enjoy counting other people’s money.

　　12. What did the writer do after he heard Bob’s decision?

　　A. He said nothing.

　　B. He agreed with Bob.

　　C. He was glad to hear that.

　　D. He did his best to make Bob change his mind.

　　13. What does Bob think of his job and the bank?

　　A. He hates working in the bank. B. He thinks he is poorly paid.

　　C. He likes his job and the bank. D. He doesn’t like his manager at all.

　　14. If Bob went on working at the bank, he might .

　　A. give the writer a lot of money B. become a bank manager

　　C. make many friends at the bank D. listen to the writer

　　15. The real reason for Bob to leave the bank is that .

　　A. he likes to do something else B. he doesn’t think the bank is a nice one

　　C. he hates his manager D. he hates counting other people’s money