Laptop computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a ＄10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. however, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees—anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.
At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons. As one Westlake teacher said, “ Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we’re giving students a window on the world. They can see everything and do everything.”The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to _______.
| A．use for their schoolwork | B．access the Internet |
| C．work at home | D．connect them to libraries |
Why is the word “speak” in the second paragraph in quotation marks(引号)?
| A．They don’t really talk. | B．They use the computer language. |
| C．Laptops have speakers. | D．None of the above reasons is correct. |
Which of the following is true about Westlake College?
| A．All teachers use computers. | B．1500 students have laptops. |
| C．It is an old college in America. | D．Students there can do everything. |
A window on the world in the last paragraph means that students can _______.
| A．attend lectures on information technology |
| B．travel around the world |
| C．get information from around the world |
| D．have free laptops |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The program is successful. | B．The program is not workable. |
| C．The program is too expensive. | D．We don’t know the result yet. |
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For many businessmen online education has been a dream. Now it has come true. The investment (投资) in higher education, whether financial or in terms of time, has long been impossible for many of them. But well-known educational institutions have chosen to deliver an internet-based program, and these barriers have been lifted.
That is good news for people eager to improve themselves and is more attractive to employers. It is also a benefit to industry with better qualified candidates applying for jobs at every level.
Having the benefits of a higher qualification without going to the university campus is attractive to many students. Campus study means greater cost, while online programs are flexible and save time, whether at home or at work. Students can achieve their degrees without causing too much disruption to their career or home life.
In addition to affordable, flexible classes and greater convenience, students also have access to the online learning resources of many of the world's top educational institutions. They can also communicate with their tutors no matter what time it is or whether either party is away for any reason.
This has opened up the possibility of getting a qualification from a university or college that many students could only have dreamed of in the past. It also allows specialists to get the precise qualifications and focus on their studies. As well as seeing the increase of applicants from lower-incomes and housewives, studying online in the US is even becoming popular with younger people of college age.
Employers have become increasingly welcome and positive to online qualifications as more candidates earn them, especially if they're properly approved by the US Department of Education.
US institutions have led the way in online education provision. Many top US colleges and universities offer a range of online programs that are highly respected and in every way perfectly fit for adults who need to combine their studies with a working life.
63. According to Paragraph 1, many US colleges and universities____________
A. have begun to lift the barriers to financial investment
B. have begun to run an internet-based program
C. have had a dream of offering online education
D. have gained financial investment
64. Why do people choose online education?
A. They can find jobs more easily than on-campus graduates.
B. They can get qualifications from US Department of Education.
C. They can save money and arrange their time and courses freely.
D. They can invest money in different courses provided online.
65. The underlined word "disruption" in the third paragraph probably mean _____________.
A. dissatisfaction B. attention C. attraction D. interruption
66. Which would be a good title for the passage?
A. Adult Education Online
B. The Best of USA's Online Education
C. Top US Universities Offering Online Education
D. Online Education Taking the Place of Campus Education
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My House
My mother moved a lot when she was growing up on account of Grandpa being in the army. She hated having to adjust to new schools and make new friends. That's why I thought she was joking when she put forward the idea of moving. But she was completely serious. "For just the two of us," my mother said, "an apartment in the city will suit our needs much better." Personally, I think she's lost her mind. I guess I can understand why she would want to move, but what about me and what this house means to me?
I suppose if you looked at my house, you might think it was just another country house. But to me it is anything but standard. I moved into this house with my parents ten years ago. I can still remember that first day like it was yesterday. The first thing I noticed was the big front yard. To me it seemed like an ocean of grass—I couldn't wait to dive in. The backyard was full of gnarled (扭曲的，粗糙的) and scary trees that talk on windy nights. But I grew to like them and the shadows they cast in my room. My father and I even built a small tree house, where I often go to remember all the wonderful times we had before Father's death.
This house is special—maybe only to me—but special nevertheless. It's the little seemingly insignificant things that make this house so special to me: the ice-cold tile floors that make me tremble on midnight snack runs; the smell of my father's pipe that still exists; the towering bookcases of my mother; the view outside my bedroom window.
This house holds too many memories, memories which would be lost if we gave it up.
59. Why did the author's mother decide to move?
A. Because she hated the countryside.
B. Because Grandpa was on constant move.
C. Because Dad's death made her lose her mind.
D. Because she thought a city flat more fit for them.
60. What impressed the author when she first moved into the house?
A. The tree house. B. The big trees.
C. The cold floors. D. The green grass.
61. How did the author let us feel that the house was special to her?
A. By arguing whether the house was standard.
B. By explaining why the house suited their needs.
C. By describing the small things related to her house.
D. By comparing the differences between country and city life.
62. The author describes the house with
A. affectionB. responsibility C. commitmentD. enthusiasm
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第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，40分）
第一节：（共15小题；每小题2分，共30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Experience the Colorado River the Hualapai Way!
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GRAND CANYON!
Since 1973, Hualapai River Runners has been conducting whitewater rafting (漂流) journeys on the Colorado River. Our experienced guides expertly sail along the river and share the history of the Canyon and the Hualapai people with you.
Visitors experience the excitement of whitewater rapids and then stop to enjoy the impressive beauty of Travertine Falls and a tasty lunch. No charge for children 2 years and under.
One-Day Trip
Retail $249.00 + $79.00 (helicopter and round-trip ground transportation)
Whitewater rafting tours begin in Peach Springs. Hualapai River Runners transports you to Diamond Creek, which is the starting point for the 37 mile rafting tour. Lunch is included and upon arrival at the rafting tour termination point, fly out of the Grand Canyon by helicopter to Grand Canyon West.
Two-Day Trip
Retail $549.00 + $79.00 (helicopter and round-trip ground transportation)
Two-day rafting trips with one night on the Colorado River. All supplies and meals are included. Two days in the Grand Canyon, on the Colorado River, allows more time to explore one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Tours Include:
·Round-trip transportation from Peach Springs to the starting point and from the termination point back to Peach Springs.
·Snack, drinks and lunch (vegetarian meals available upon request)
·Waterproof dry bags for storing your cameras, sunscreen, dry clothes, etc.
The helicopter part of transportation is weather permitting. If the helicopter transportation is cancelled because of bad weather, the raft will continue an additional two hours to South Cove and a maximum $20.00 per customer will be given back.
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56. Where do whitewater rafting tours start?
A. Travertine Falls. B. Peach Springs.
C. Diamond Creek. D. Grand Canyon West.
57. We learn from the passage that ________________________.
A. Hualapai River Runners provides dry clothes
B. you will get $20 back if you are dissatisfied
C. the trip is free of charge for children under 2
D. online booking has a better offer all year round
58. What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To attract people to the sights.
B. To explore the Hualapai culture.
C. To explain how to make a rafting trip.
D. To introduce the history of the Colorado River.
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It is often difficult for visitors to understand Americans lack of desire for privacy(隐私) . They are not a nation of walled gardens and closed gates. Their yards normally run into one another without fences, they often visit one another’s homes without being invited or telephoning first, they leave their office doors open while they work.
Their lack of desire for privacy probable results from their history as a nation. America is a big country. There have never been walled cities in the United States, nor was there the need for Americans to protect themselves from neighboring states. During the early years, America had so few settlers that neighbors were very important, they were not to be shut out by doors and fences. Neighbors offered protection and helped in the hard work of settling the land. They depended upon each other.
From the nation’s early history has come the desire for openness rather than privacy. Visitors will notice this desire in a number of small ways, there may be rooms in American homes that do not have doors or that have glass walls. If you notice that people forget to close your door when they leave your room, do not think that this is rude, help them to learn that you would like it to be closed, or else become used to new ways. In either case, be patient with the differences.
72. According to the passage, visitors to America sometimes have difficulty
understanding ___________.
A .Americans’ openness
B. American’s lack of desire for privacy
C. Americans’ way of home
D. American’s style of life
73. During the early years, people were never shut out by doors because _________.
A. they were neighbors
B. they were friends
C. they depended on each other
D. they got used to that
74. Visitors will notice American’s desire for openness in a way ___________.
A .they walled their houses with glass
B. they leave the office doors open while working
C. they never have fence
D. they depended upon each other
75. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A .No Walled Cities.
B. The Early Settlers
C. Americans’ Lack of Desire for Privacy
D. be Patient with Differences
.
Global warming is the process of earth’s atmosphere heating up. Over the last 100 years, the average temperature of earth’s atmosphere has gone up 1 Fahrenheit. The weather has not changed exactly the same way in every area of the planet. But scientists think that the rise in average temperature is already affecting the earth’s climate.
Many scientists now believe that global warming is caused by cutting down trees, producing more trash, and polluting the environment are some of the reasons that the temperature has gone up. Many scientists believe that the biggest causes of global warming are new human technologies that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The greenhouse effect is not new. Certain gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, prevent heat energy from escaping back into space. In the past, the climate didn’t change much because nature produced just the right amount of greenhouse gases to deal with it.
Today, most scientists are pretty sure that the rising temperature can’t be blamed on nature. Ever since the industrial revolution in the 1700s, humans have relied on machines for daily life. And many of those machines give off a lot of greenhouse gases. An increase in the release of greenhouse gases from human activities is throwing nature off balance.
The climate is a very complicated thing, but many scientists agree that the rising atmospheric temperature has already damaged the environment. Sheets of ice, called glaciers, are melting in Antarctica and other parts of the globe. As glaciers break off and melt into the oceans, they are adding warm water to the oceans and causing the sea level to rise.
Over the past last 100years, the sea level has risen 6-8 inches around the world. That means land along the coasts is beginning to disappear under water. Bigger and warmer oceans are also adding to other weather problems caused by pollution in the atmosphere. Some places have received more rain, others have had bigger storms and a few areas in the world have experienced unusual droughts.
68. What is mainly talked about in this passage?
A. The melting of glaciers.B. Global warming.
C. The world’s weather. D. The earth’s temperature.
69. What causes global warming according to scientists?
A. Human activities. B. The nature itself.
C. The earth’s atmosphere.D. New discoveries
70. How can greenhouse gases make the globe warm?
A. They keep heat in the atmosphere
B. They let the heat go out into space.
C. They release heat into the air.
D. They can make the other gases warm.
71. From the passage we can see that global warming will bring about _________.
A. the pollution in the atmosphere B. natural disasters
C. population pollution D. the rise of glaciers