TristandaCunha,a38squaremileis-优题课

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
第一节：(共15小题，满分30分)
Police in the Russian city of St. Petersburg were today searching for a rare missing leopard which was stolen yesterday when thieves attacked a TV producer and drove off in his luxury Mercedes 4×4.
The amur leopard, which was in the boot, is one of the world’s most highly endangered species, with fewer than 45 left in the wild in Russia’s remote far east. About 300 others are captive in zoos around the world.
According to its owner, Mikhail Barakin, the thieves were wearing masks. They attacked him and his driver, throwing both of them out of the vehicle, shortly after they drove to St. Petersburg with leopard from Moscow.
“She’s a female leopard cub and she’s incredibly tame,” Barakin told the Guardian this morning. “She’s just over a month old. The leopard was brought up in captivity.”
He went on, “We had been driving all night with the leopard in a travel cage. The plan was to take her to the vet. My driver and I were in the process of setting the leopard in the trunk of my Mercedes…when three masked assailants attacked us. They managed to get away with the car. My suspicion is the theft was done to order.”
Barakin said the leopard, a present from a Moscow businessman, was far more valuable than the stolen Mercedes. He has offered a ￡85,400 reward for its safe return, and says he is prepared to drop all charges if the thieves bring the animal back.
The leopard was to have been housed in a purpose-built enclosure on a country estate outside St. Petersburg, he added. Barakin said he had hired a specialist to look after it, and was planning to use the cub in TV commercials.
36. We can infer from the passage that the three assailants ______.
A. probably came for the leopard B. would return the leopard safely
C. didn’t know there was a leopard in the car D. were known to Mikhail Barakin
37. The leopard was believed to be more valuable because ______.
A. it was already tamed B. it could be kept as a pet
C. it would be used in TV commercials D. it was an endangered species
38. Mikhail Barakin drove the leopard to ______.
A. put her in a bigger place B. use it in TV commercials
C. put her in better care D. keep her in the zoo
39. If the thieves brought the leopard back, Mikhail Barakin would ______.
A. send them to prison B. give them a reward
C. give them the car as a reward D. not charge them
40. The underlined word “boot” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to ______.
A. a special cage B. a type of shoe
C. the trunk of a car D. a kind of camera

Given Australia’s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous (同种的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous（繁荣的） and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.
However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the country people. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have “ridden on the sheep’s back”, a reference to wool being the country’s main money-earner. However, the wool industry is no longer dominant. Much of Australia’s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the whole, Australia is a society without hierarchies (等级制度), an attitude generally held to stem from its prisoner beginnings.
Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia’s liberal postwar immigration policies led to an influx of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.
51. What does the writer mean by saying “It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.” in the first paragraph?
A. Australians speak Standard English with no local accents whatsoever.
B. You have to practice a lot to learn to understand the different accents.
C. The Australian regional accents are very difficult to understand indeed.
D. There is not much difference between the accents in different areas of Australia.
52. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Most Australians have ancestors who were prisoners.
B. The Australian economy is dependent on sheep exports.
C. The majority of people living in Australia come from Europe.
D. The pace of life is different in the city and in the country.
53. The underlined pronoun ‘it’ in the final paragraph refers to “_______”.
A. community B. racism C. blend of Nations D. Southeast Asia
54. We can infer from the passage that _____.
A. there are no signs of Australia’s colonial past in its modern cities
B. Australia’s recent immigration policy encourages immigrants from Southeast Asia
C. immigrants from Southeast Asia have brought racial problems
D. “riding on sheep’s back” resulted in slow development in rural communities
55. This passage mainly focuses on Australia’s ______.
A. society B. economy C. racial problems D. history

For several days I saw little of Mr. Rochester. In the morning he seemed very busy with business，and in the afternoon gentlemen from the neighborhood called and sometimes stayed to dine with him. When his foot was well enough, he rode out a great deal.
During this time, all my knowledge of him was limited to occasional meetings about the house, when he would sometimes pass me coldly, and sometimes bow and smile. His changes of manner did not offend me, because I saw that I had nothing to do with the cause of them.
One evening, several days later, I was invited to talk to Mr. Rochester after dinner. He was sitting in his armchair, and looked not quite so severe, and much less gloomy. There was a smile on his lips, and his eyes were bright, probably with wine. As I was looking at him, he suddenly turned and asked me, “Do you think I am handsome, Miss Eyre?”
The answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I realized it: “No, sir.” “Ah，you really are unusual! You are a quiet, serious little person, but you can be almost rude.” “Sir，I'm sorry. I should have said that beauty doesn't matter，or something like that.” “No，you shouldn't! I see，you criticize my appearance，and then you stab (刺) me in the back! You have honesty and feeling. There are not many girls like you. But perhaps I go too fast. Perhaps you have awful faults to counterbalance (抵消) your few good points.”
I thought to myself that he might have too. He seemed to read my mind，and said quickly，“Yes, you're right. I have plenty of faults. I went the wrong way when I was twenty-one，and have never found the right path again. I might have been very different. I might have been as good as you, and perhaps wiser. I am not a bad man，take my word for it，but I have done wrong. It wasn't my character，but circumstances that were to blame. Why do I tell you all this? Because you're the sort of person people tell their problems and secrets to, because you're sympathetic and give them hope.”
It seemed he had quite a lot to talk to me. He didn't seem to like to finish the talk quickly，as was the case for the first time.
“Don't be afraid of me, Miss. Eyre，”he continued. “You don't relax or laugh very much，perhaps because of the effect Lowood school has had on you. But in time you will be more natural with me，and laugh，and speak freely. You're like a bird in a cage. When you get out of the cage, you'll fly very high. Good night.”
46. At the beginning Miss Eyre's impressions of Mr. Rochester were all except_____.
A. busy B. sociable C. dull D. changeable
47. The underlined sentence means_________ .
A. Only by meeting him around the house sometimes did I know a little about him.
B. Only by coming to the house could I know about him.
C. I occasionally met him but my knowledge about him was poor.
D. What I knew about him was limited in the house.
48. From what Mr. Rochester told Miss Eyre, we can conclude that he wanted to _________________.
A. tell her all his troublesB. tell her his life experience
C. blame her for misunderstanding him D. change his circumstances
49. At the end of the passage，Mr. Rochester sounded ___________ .
A. rude B. cold C. polite D. encouraging
50. According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A. Miss Eyre was at Lowood School before she came to Mr. Rochester’s house.
B. Miss Eyre didn’t see Mr. Rochester often.
C. Miss Eyre was honest, brave and confident.
D. Miss Eyre was brave, polite and warm-hearted.

第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Songs that make our hearts happy can make them stronger too, US researchers reported on Tuesday.
They found when people listened to their favorite music, their blood vessels (血管) dilated in much the same way as when they are laughing, or taking blood medications.
"We have a pretty impressive effect," said Dr Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology (心脏病学) at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
"Blood vessel diameter improved," he said. "The vessel opened up pretty significantly. You can see the vessels opening up with other activities such as exercise." A similar effect is seen with drugs such as statins.
When blood vessels open up more, blood flows more smoothly and is less likely to form the clots (凝块) that cause heart attacks and strokes. "We are not saying to stop your statins or not to exercise but rather to add this to an overall program of heart health," said Miller, who presented his findings to a meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.
Miller's team tested 10 healthy, non-smoking men and women, who were told to bring their favorite music. They spent half an hour listening to the recordings and half an hour listening to music they said made them feel anxious while the researchers did ultrasound tests designed to show blood vessel function.
Compared to their normal baseline measurements, blood vessel diameter increased 26 percent on average when the volunteers heard their joyful music. Listening to music they disliked — in most cases in this group heavy metal — blood vessels narrowed by six percent, Miller said.
Miller said he came up with the idea after discovering that laughter caused blood to literally flow more smoothly. "I asked myself what other things make us feel real good, besides calories from dark chocolate of course. Music came to mind. ... It makes me feel really good," he said.
Most of the volunteers chose country music but Miller said the style is not so important rather than what pleases each individual.
41. The underlined word dilate (in paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A. widen B. move C. change D. increase
42. According to the passage, which of the following will NOT cause blood vessels to open up?
A. Taking exercise. B. Listening to unpleasant music.
C. Bursting into laughter. D. Taking drugs like statins.
43. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A. blood clots are caused by heart attacks and strokes
B. music is better than chocolate for your health
C. the style of music has different effects on different people
D. a person’s overall health is more influenced by how much exercise he gets
44. What is the passage possibly taken out from?
A. A scientific journal. B. A school textbook.
C. A medical brochure.D. A local newspaper.
45. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Pleasant Music Cures B. Research into Blood Vessel
C. Music and Heart Attack D. Music and Happiness

Geniuses amaze us, impress us and make us all a little jealous．How do they differ from the average person? Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer．Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.
When Marc Yu was only two years old, he began to play the piano．After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven．Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight．He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears．He seems to be specially designed for music．In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies (神童) to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.
Genius didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh．His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain．After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and pictures．So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art．Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine．Sufferers of autism and brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease．Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.
Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no signs of extraordinary intelligence．Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately．As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards．Make Me a Genius examines what it takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.
If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be one．Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky．Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.
51．My Brilliant Brains is most probably from _______.
A．a website B．the radio C．a magazine D．a newspaper
52．The author takes Marc Yu as an example to show that a child prodigy is .
A．a person who learns something easily
B．a child who is eager to learn new things
C．a student who practices an instrument a lot
D．a kid who works hard to do well in school
53．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．New things about the brain are still being discovered.
B．People without natural abilities can learn to do things well.
C．Some people naturally have more active brains.
D．People are usually smarter when they recover from brain injury.
54．From the passage, we know that ___________
A．scientists completely understand the brain
B．people can only be born as geniuses
C．there’s no such thing as a true genius
D．there are many factors in being a genius
55．The author develops the passage mainly by ___________.
A．providing typical examples
B．following the natural time order
C．presenting a cause and analyzing its effects
D．comparing opinions from different scientists