Beauty has always been regarded as something admirable .Almost everyone thinks that attractive people are happier and healthier; they have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal consultants（顾问）give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive persons. But in the executive circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive thing for a man’s rise, it is harmful to a woman’s .Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to be the reasons for their success .Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is thought to be more feminine（女性的）and an attractive man more masculine（男性的）than the less attractive ones. Thus , an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the “masculine”qualities required.
This is true even in politics. Anne Bowman recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates（候选人）.She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women ,in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men , but the woman who had been ranked most attractive always received the fewest votes.In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness __________________ .
| A．strengthens the feminine qualities required |
| B．makes women look more honest and capable |
| C．is of great importance to women |
| D．often enables women to succeed quickly |
Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness _____________________.
| A．turns out to be an obstacle to men |
| B．affects men and women alike |
| C．has as little effect on men as on women |
| D．is more of an obstacle than a benefit to women |
It can be inferred from the passage that people’s views on beauty are often ____________ .
| A．practical | B．old-fashioned | C．prejudiced（偏见的） | D．serious |
The author writes this passage to_______________________ .
| A．discuss the negative aspects of being attractive |
| B．give advice to job-seekers who are attractive |
| C．demand equal rights for women |
| D．emphasize the importance of appearance |
Sitting and eating quietly on his father’s lap, the 18-month-old was oblivious to the infection in his veins(血管).But his father a strong farmer, knew only too well. It was the same one that killed his wife four month ago, leaving him alone with four children. The man started to cry.
“When my wife died, I thought ,well, it is from God, but at least I have him.” he said. “Then I learned he is sick, too. I asked if there was medicine and the doctors said no.
HIV and AIDS have quietly arrived in this land. They remain almost completely underground, hidden in ignorance（无知）and shame.
The father of the infected 18-month-old said his village teacher had never talked about AIDS. Nearly a year of tests on the father have found no HIV, and the old children are clear, but his smallest child tested positive（阳性）at ten months.
Six years earlier, his wife lost a baby and have several transfusions in Pakistan. After she became sick and was found to be infected, “I told the family her blood was not good and to avoid eating with her.” he said. “And I told them not to kiss his son, he burst into tears.
“I don’t know what to do,” he said; “I have sacrificed so much since my marriage.. I mortgaged (抵押)half my land to pay for her medical care.”
The father can do little for his son but keep his secret. There are no AIDS treatment centers in Afghanistan, only a single secret clinic in the capital that just monitors the disease, and no drugs are available.The underlined part “was oblivious to” in Paragraph 1 can best be replaced by______.
| A． was shocked by |
| B． was afraid of |
| C． was curious about |
| D． was unaware of |
What happened to the man?
| A． He was diagnosed with AIDS just now |
| B． He has no money to support the family |
| C． His wife died of AIDS four weeks ago |
| D． His youngest son was infected with AIDS |
It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that______
| A． the wife had several blood transfusions |
| B． the family knew how to avoid AIDS |
| C． the farmer had little knowledge about AIDS |
| D． the family loved the youngest son most |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A． There are several AIDS treatment centers in Afghanistan |
| B． The farmer will keep his son’s disease unknown to others |
| C． The farmer sold his house to pay for his wife’s medial care |
| D． Afghanistian’s medical conditions have been greatly improved. |
Each high school has its own policy. One good example is that some high schools require all students to wear uniforms, while others do not. I have been to both types of schools, and if I have to decide which one is better, I will pick the former.
Perhaps every student has this experience: once you are in your school uniforms, you will care more about your own behavior. Uniforms give you an identity that always reminds that you belong to a group. What you do will not only represent yourself, but also the group you belong to, as well as the people with you. In other words, you carry the responsibility to maintain the honor of the group. When you are in your own clothes, it doesn’t matter for you to behave badly in public, but when in your uniform, it does. For high school students, who are not adults yet, this is a good way to shape their behavior.
Moreover, uniforms create an atmosphere of equality. While permitted to wear their won clothes, students may pay much attention to what they wear, in order to show how rich their families are. While in uniforms, all students, rich or poor, look the same, and will be treated equally.
Besides, free from the desires to gain what is new in the shopping mall, wearing uniforms helps students to concentrate on their study.
For all the reasons above, I believe that it is a better choice for high school students to wear uniforms. They can wear them after school or on weekends. According to the author, high schools that require students to wear uniforms______.
| A．are more attractive to students |
| B． are more strict with students |
| C． carry out a better policy |
| D． admit more excellent students. |
How many reasons does the author give to support his or her ideas?
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
According to Paragraph 2, wearing uniforms helps students_______.
| A．focus on their study |
| B．become responsible |
| C．build up their confidence |
| D．find the group they belong to |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A wise choice, to wear school uniform |
| B．An honor, to wear your school uniform |
| C．A difficult choice, in school uniform or not? |
| D．A difficult choice, which school should we pick? |
Foulsham House is a fine, large house of the 1790s．It stands high above the River Byer, in twenty—five hectares(公顷)of the best farmland in the southwest．
The house was built by Smithson, and the story that George, the son of King of Whales, who fell in love with the beautiful Lady Kitty, at one of the first Foulsham’s wild woods(野外)parties．Many years ago many great men rode on the hills about Foulsham.
House, and many fine girls took tea in the Green Room．
The house has eight bedrooms, three bathrooms(浴室), two living—rooms, and a dining—room with a real Adam fireplace．Its library has a good view over the park and the river．All rooms are light and airy, with good, high windows, and wood floors．
At the back of the house there is room for four cars．The third Foulsham once kept there．In many other ways, this house of the 1790s meets the needs of the 1990s．
If you wish to know more about Foulsham House, write to： Harvey．Platt, Longford ＆Son 6, Castle Green, Gilham, Byreside．Foulsham House_____
| A．is an old farmhouse |
| B．stands 25 hectares high above the River Byer |
| C．is an old, stone house, standing in very fine farmland |
| D．is twenty-five years old, and is of fine stone |
People say that _____
| A．Smithson built the house for Lord Foulsham's wild parties |
| B．Prince George fell in love with KItty Wake at Foulsham House |
| C．Prince George and KItty Wake fell in love with the Green House |
| D．Lord Foulsham fell in love with a lady wales |
Foulsham House_____
| A．is an old house that meets many new needs |
| B．though seventy-nine years old, meets new needs |
| C．is a new house that meets many old needs |
| D．is a house of the 1970s as good as new |
The flag, the most common symbol(象征) of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的)artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years' development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers .People's food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe ,where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag. The best title for the passage would be______.
| A．Power of the National Flag | B．Uses of Flag |
| C．Types of Flags | D．Development of the National Flag |
The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means_____
| A．impossible to make sure of | B．difficult to find |
| C．likely to be protected | D．easy to damage |
The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because______
| A．they were believed to stand for natural forces |
| B．they could bring good luck to fighters |
| C．they were handed down by the ancestors |
| D．they could tell wind direction |
What does the author know of the first national flag?
| A．He thinks it came from | B．He believes it was made in Egypt |
| C．He doubts where it started. | D．He knows when it was sent to Europe |
What was the author most probably talk about next?
| A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag. |
| B．The second ancestor of the national flag. |
| C．The use of modern flags in Europe |
| D．The importance of modern flags |
When building houses, people used to think about not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat.
Now, houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock（家畜）.During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live. By sharing their houses with their livestock, people gain a source of heat.
People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun’s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy saving.
House building becomes a great challenge（挑战）to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy saving houses. What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?
| A．The climate of their areas. |
| B．The energy for their houses. |
| C．The fashions for their houses. |
| D．The building materials for their houses. |
People in some areas gain a source of heat by _________.
| A．keeping their livestock downstairs |
| B．protecting their livestock from the cold |
| C．sharing their houses only with their cows |
| D．living on the second floor with their livestock |
The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that ________.
| A．heat raises the temperature in the houses |
| B．heat goes in the upward direction |
| C．heat goes up if temperature is raised |
| D．heat increases the temperature of rocks |
From the passage, we can conclude that __________.
| A．people will no longer consider building materials in the future |
| B．energy saving buildings will become more popular in the future |
| C．almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks |
| D．energy engineers will devote themselves only to modern technology. |