Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.
Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, that is the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive（印象深刻的）as the building itself.
First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial（纪念物） to celebrate their love.
When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife’s death, his people were shocked to see that his coal-black hair had turned snow-white.
Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out. More than 20,000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains in the center under the building.
And then, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Hehan lived the rest of his days－eight years, to be exact － imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it－until he was buried next to his wife.
Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange, sad story, those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired（激发……的灵感） its construction.
59．The first two paragraphs were written to show that _____.
A.the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building
B. ancient Indian emperors were cruel
C. construction workers led a hard life in ancient India
D. India has some of the most famous buildings in the world
60．The Taj Mahal was first built as _____.
A. a prison B. a gift to Mumtaz
C. a memorial building D. a tourist attraction
61．We learn from the text that Mumtaz probably died in _____.
A. 1626 B. 1632 C. 1634 D. 1653
62．The underlined word “happiness” in the last sentence refers to _____.
A. the married happiness of the emperor and his wife
B. the great pleasure Jehan once found in exercising his power
C. the happiness Jehan felt on completing the Taj Mahal
D. the pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahal
They say that the real marathon begins at 35 kilometers — the rest is just a warm up. And sure enough, in 2009, at around the 36 kilometer point of the Beijing Marathon I experienced what runners call “hitting the wall”. I had been doing well until that point, but suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my leg. My pace slowed down dramatically and every brain cell in my head seemed to be screaming “stop!!!”
The last 5 kilometers were not fun; in fact, they were really hard work. Keeping motivated to run those last few kilometers was one of the hardest things I had ever done. But that is what makes running a marathon such a rewarding experience — if it were easy everyone would do it.
I have to admit it is sometimes not even easy to find the motivation to get out of bed, pull on your running shoes and head out into the morning to go for another run. These last two weeks of training for the Muztagata climb have been a little tough. I have been following my training plan for about three months but now I find that my original enthusiasm (热情) has all been used up. Day after day of going to the gym is beginning to wear me down and there still seems so much longer to keep this up. I have begun to doubt that I am actually making any progress or getting any fitter and even thought that I might be going backwards!
These are all very common experiences for people who are working towards challenging, longer term goals and I have learned to recognize these “highs” and “lows” in my energy and enthusiasm. Over the years I have learned a number of tricks that help me to deal with the days when my early motivation seems to have abandoned me for good.Many runners say that the real marathon begins at 35 kilometers because it is at this point that __________.
| A．runners begin to enjoy running the marathon race |
| B．runners are worn out as if they are breaking down |
| C．the rest part is just the preparation for the race |
| D．the race is a rewarding experience for runners |
When people are working extremely hard towards challenging, _________.
| A．they can keep themselves motivated all the time |
| B．they will never hesitate to continue carrying out their plan |
| C．they sometimes feel as if they stop making progress |
| D．they will fail to keep their spirits up |
What is the author going to talk about in the following passage?
| A．How to get trained. |
| B．Tips for becoming a marathon runner. |
| C．How to meet challenges. |
| D．Tips for keeping motivation high. |
Air pollution is one of the hottest topics at present because poor air quality is an important factor in both the incidence and cause of respiratory(呼吸道) diseases.
Zhong Nanshan, a deputy to the NPC and a member of the CAE, said recently when the concentration of PM2.5 rises by 10 micrograms per cubic meter, hospitalization may rise by as much as 3.1 percent. Meanwhile, when the concentration of PM2.5 rises from 25 mgs per cubic meter to 200, the average daily death rate may rise to 11 percent.
Zhi Xiuyi, a leading expert in lung cancer treatment and also vice-president of the CATS, said medical authorities used to focus on tobacco control as a primary means of preventing lung cancer. "But in fact, air pollution is no less harmful than smoking and our research team released a report earlier this year showing that the cancer rate in Beijing is closely related to industrialization," he said.
The report, conducted by the Beijing Institute of Cancer Research, shows that the number of cancer patients in China has increased markedly during the past ten years. Chaoyang District, the city's main area of industrialization, has the highest incidence of cancer, almost double that of Yanqing, an area on the outskirts of the city. About four out of 1000 Chaoyang residents have some form of the disease, with lung cancer at the top of the list.
"The risk of having cancer largely depends on the length of exposure and the concentration of noxious gases(有毒气体的浓度)," said Zhi. In response to the doubt whether seven years' exposure to poor air quality will almost result in cancer, Zhi said the time scale was taken from research overseas that suggested the rate of incidence generally peaked in the seventh year of exposure to a heavily polluted environment. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Medical researches on environment. |
| B．The disadvantages in big cities. |
| C．The only reason for the lung cancer. |
| D．Poor air quality contributing to lung cancer. |
What can you conclude from the 3rd paragraph?
| A．Compared with smoking, air pollution is more harmful. |
| B．Air pollution is as harmful as smoking. |
| C．It is very important to prevent people from smoking. |
| D．People realize the importance of keeping healthy. |
If there were 3,000,000 people in Chaoyang District, how many would have respiratory diseases?
| A．16000 | B．12000 | C．8000 | D．7500 |
What can you infer from the passage?
| A．Industrialization has its weakness as well as strengths. |
| B．The average death rate rises with different ages and places. |
| C．The air in Beijing is much more polluted than that in the other cities. |
| D．The more heavily-polluted air you breathe in, the sooner you’ll have cancer. |
Exercise is one of the few factors with a positive role in long-term control of body weight. Unfortunately, that message has not gotten through to the average American, who would rather try switching to "light" beer and low-calorie bread than increase physical efforts. The Centers for Disease Control, for example, found that fewer than one-fourth of overweight adults who were trying to lose weight said they were combining exercise with their diet.
In rejecting exercise, some people may be discouraged too much by caloric-expenditure（热量消耗）charts; for example, one would have to quickly walk hard three miles just to work off the 275 calories in one delicious Danish pastry(小甜饼). Even exercise professionals accept half a point here. "Exercise by itself is a very tough way to lose weight," says York Onnen, program director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Still, exercise's supporting role in weight reduction is vital. A study at the Boston University Medical Center of overweight police officers and other public employees confirmed that those who dieted without exercise regained almost all their old weight, while those who worked exercise into their daily routine maintained their new weight.
If you have been sedentary (极少活动的) and decide to start walking one mile a day, the added exercise could burn an extra 100 calories daily. In a year's time, assuming no increase in food intake, you could lose ten pounds. By increasing the distance of your walks gradually and making other dietary adjustments, you may lose even more weight. What is said about the average American in the passage?
| A．They tend to hate "light" beer and low-calorie bread. |
| B．They usually ignore the effect of exercise on losing weight. |
| C．Most of them were combining exercise with their diet. |
| D．They know the actors that play a positive role in keeping down body weight. |
"Even exercise professionals accept half a point here" means "They ".
| A．agree that the calories in a small piece of pastry can be easy to work off by exercise |
| B．partially believe diet plays a supporting role in weight reduction |
| C．are not fully convinced that dieting can help maintain one's new weight |
| D．are not sufficiently informed of the positive role of exercise in losing weight |
What was confirmed by the Boston University Medical Center's study?
| A．Controlling one's calorie intake is more important than doing exercise. |
| B．Even occasional exercise can help reduce weight. |
| C．Weight reduction is impossible without exercise. |
| D．One could lose ten pounds in a year's time if there's no increase in food intake. |
What is the author's purpose in writing this article?
| A．To stress the importance of maintaining proper weight. |
| B．To support the statement made by York Onnen. |
| C．To show the most effective way to lose weight. |
| D．To introduce the study of the Boston University Medical Center. |
Mothers and daughters go through so much—yet when was the last time a mother and daughter sat down to write a book together about it all? Perri Klass and her mother, Sheila Solomon Klass, both gifted professional writers, prove to be ideal co-writers as they examine their decades of motherhood, daughterhood, and the wonderful ways their lives have overlapped (重叠).
Perri notes with amazement how closely her own life has mirrored her mother’s: both have full-time careers; both have published books, articles, and stories; each has three children; they both love to read. They also love to travel—in fact, they often take trips together. But in truth, the harder they look at their lives, the more they acknowledge their big differences in circumstance and basic nature.
A child of the Depression (大萧条), Sheila was raised in Brooklyn by parents who considered education a luxury for girls. Starting with her college education, she has fought for everything she’s ever accomplished. Perri, on the other hand, grew up privileged in the New Jersey suburbs of the 1960s and 1970s. For Sheila, wasting time or money is a crime, and luxury is unthinkable while Perri enjoys the occasional small luxury, but has not been successful in trying to persuade her mother into enjoying even the tiniest thing she likes.
Each writing in her own unmistakable voice, Perri and Sheila take turns exploring the joys and pains, the love and bitterness, the minor troubles and lasting respect that have always bonded them together. Sheila describes the adventure of giving birth to Perri in a tiny town in Trinidad where her husband was doing research fieldwork. Perri admits that she can’t sort out all the mess in the households, even though she knows it drives her mother crazy. Together they compare thoughts on bringing up children and working, admit long-hidden sorrows, and enjoy precious memories.
Looking deep into the lives they have lived separately and together, Perri and Sheila tell their mother-daughter story with honesty, humor, enthusiasm, and admiration for each other. A written account in two voices, Every Mother Is a Daughter is a duet (二重奏) that produces a deep, strong sound with the experiences that all mothers and daughters will recognize.Why does Perri think that her own life has mirrored her mother’s?
| A．They both have gone through difficult times. |
| B．They have strong emotional ties with each other. |
| C．They have the same joys and pains, and love and bitterness. |
| D．They both have experiences as daughter, mother and writer. |
The word “luxury” in Paragraph 3 means ______.
| A．something rare but not pleasant |
| B．something that cannot be imagined |
| C．something expensive but not necessary |
| D．something that can only be enjoyed by boys |
What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
| A．The content of the book. | B．The purpose of the book. |
| C．The influence of the book. | D．The writing style of the book. |
How are women’s lives explored in this book?
| A．In a musical form. | B．Through field research. |
| C．With unique writing skills. | D．From different points of view. |
阅读下列表格内容及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题纸上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。
请先阅读几所大学所提供的健康医疗教育项目：
| A. |
 |
Argosy University Our postgraduate degree level education provides the knowledge and tools to create successful and meaningful careers. |
| B. |
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Kaplan University Our university offers comprehensive training in health care to prepare you for a career in the health sciences, corrections, or private security. |
| C. |
 |
Everest College Through our online degree program, you can gain the necessary skills to join the health care industry. It is designed to prepare you for a career in the health sciences. |
| D. |
 |
Sanford-Brown College SBC is dedicated to providing innovative programs that enable students the opportunity to gain professional skills by practicing in our health care center before they work. |
| E. |
 |
Rasmussen College The Healthcare Management Bachelor of Science degree at our College will give students the education and practical experience they need to work as administrators.(管理人员) |
| F. |
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Brown Mackie University The Health & nursing programs are designed to provide students with the education needed to enter health and nursing careers. |
下面是几位需要医学教育的学生，请为他们选择适合他们就读的大学：My family immigrated when I was still studying my healthcare courses in a local medical college. So I had to give up my bachelor degree and moved with them. Now I hope to find a college that offers the degree education on the Internet and realize my dream of being a doctor.
When I looked after my mother in the hospital ten years ago, I was moved by what the nurses did. They devoted themselves into helping every patient get through the hard time. Since then, I have been determined to take up nursing career, and now, the time is coming.
When studying in the university, my professor often told me that it was impossible for me to get every problem solved just with the knowledge in textbooks. It makes me realize I should look for a health care center where I can learn practical skills and gain more experience.
After graduating from a medical college and get my bachelor degree five years ago, I became a doctor in a big local health care center. However, I find modern medical research developing fairly rapidly, so I hope to start my postgraduate degree study in a university and serve the people here better.
Being a retired doctor, my father always hopes that I can continue his career. I know a doctor can help lots of people, but in fact, my favorite job is managing, no matter in a company, an institution or an organization. So maybe learning how to manage a hospital can satisfy both of us.