第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分 40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
A university math tutor has discovered the science behind “singledom”, finding that our chances of finding the perfect partner are just 1 in 285,000. Peter Backus, a tutor at the University of Warwick, published his “Why I Don’t Have a Girlfriend” paper after a three-year love drought.
His unconventional study uses a famous math formula called The Drake Equation(德雷克等式), which was first used to estimate the existence of extra-terrestrial(地球以外) life.
The results don't look promising for British singles. 30-year-old Mr. Backus found that out of the 30 million women in the UK, only 26 would be suitable girlfriends for him.
The dull equation takes into account the number of women aged 24 to 34, living in his home city of London, and who are single, meaning his chances of meeting his dream woman on a night out are slim.
The economics expert said: “There are 26 women in London with whom I might have a wonderful relationship. So, on a given night out in London there is a 0.0000034% chance of meeting one of these special people. That’s a 1 in 285,000 chance, so it’s not great.”
The puzzling Drake equation reads: N =" R*" x Fp x Ne x Fi x Fc x L, and helped pioneering scientist Professor Drake to predict that there could be 10,000 civilizations in our galaxy.
Mr. Backus simply replaced the original equation with his own criteria for a dream date, which included the percentage of women likely to find him attractive, and the number of girls aged 24-34 in London. He said: “The research may sound depressing to people looking for love, but the good news for singles is, it’s probably not your fault!”
56. Mr. Backus’ discovery in this passage is mainly concerned about ______.
A. whether there exists life out of our planet
B. the possibility of his being able to find love
C. how to get rid of singledom
D. what math can do to serve our daily life
57.
What does Mr. Backus think of the result of his research?
A. Optimistic. B. Depressing. C. Unrealistic. D. Exciting.
58. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Mr. Backus’ major research field is “singledom”.
B. Mr. Backus found a girlfriend three years ago.
C. Mr. Backus’ new thesis will surely be well received.
D. Mr. Backus has been searching for love for long.
59. By “the good news for singles” in the last sentence, Mr. Backus probably mean _____.
A. you don’t have to blame yourself for remaining single
B. maybe the discovery is not reliable at all
C. the result was based on his own criteria
D. there might be more dream date out of London
60. Which of
the following statements is true?
A. This passage could be published in a scientific magazine.
B. The passage intends to prove there are other civilizations.
C. The passage writer doesn’t really understand the Drake equation.
D. Most women in London are not suitable for university teachers.
Do you ever find yourself longing for (渴望) some time for yourself? Many of us are so busy with work and school and there is little time left to do something that we enjoy. What follows are some ways to find to slow down and enjoy life.
1. Evenings with Yourself. Try to save certain weeknights just for you. If others ask you to do something else, just tell them your plans. Use the time for gardening, reading or doing exercise.
2. Monthly Treat. Schedule a treat for yourself once a month. Maybe you can go to see a movie, have a haircut, play golf or whatever treat you’re always thinking about but rarely get to.
3. Buy Tickets in Advance. Sports, theater, concerts or any other event you would enjoy. Schedule the plans with a friend later. Having the tickets already in hand will force you to make it happen!
4. Join a Group. Here are some ideas of groups that can allow you some time away from work and study: singing group, book club, biking/walking/running/etc clubs, ski club, etc. What are you interested in? Look up a club in your area today and join! If you can’t find a club, consider starting one by yourself!
5. Exercise. For busy people it can be difficult to make time for this. All you have to do is decide today and then make it a reality tomorrow. A new habit is started with just one step. Take that first step tomorrow. Walk for 20 minutes in the morning. Then build on that success daily.
64. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Do more Exercise B. How to Keep Fit
C. Find Time for Yourself D. Spend Time with Your Friends
65. What are the main reasons why people have almost no time for relaxation?
A. Because people are eager to achieve success in life.
B. Because people are busy with their jobs and study.
C. Because people find it difficult to make their dreams come true.
D. Because people are too tired of life.
66. According to the passage, which of the following can NOT help you relax?
A. Do some exercise regularly, at least start to do some exercise.
B. Take part in some groups or build up a circle of your own.
C. Schedule certain evenings for yourself and enjoy them.
D. Stay late at your office and spend evenings with your colleagues.
67. According to the author, what is the most important step for an extremely busy man to do some exercise?
A. Buying some sports equipment. B. Just doing it first.
C. Making a long-term plan. D. Joining a health club.
The Internet has become part of teenage life.There’s report on 3375 students aged from 10 to 18 in seven Chinese cities.It says that 38 percent of them believe they use the Internet often.While most of them get useful information and use the Internet to help in their studies, some are not using it in a good way.Many are playing online games too much.A few even visit Web sites they should not look at.Bad things can happen if young people spend too much time on the Internet.
In order to help young people use the Internet in a good way, a textbook on good Internet behavior has started to be used in some Shanghai middle schools this term.It uses real examples to teach students all about good ways of using the Internet.It gives useful advice such as its good to read news or find helpful information to study.Some students also make online friends.But if you are meeting a friend offline, let your parents know.
Teachers and parents all think the book is a very good idea.It will teach students how to be a good person in the online world.It will be a guide for teens to use the Internet and keep students away from bad sites.
60.The underlined word“it”means.
A.the book B.report C.the Internet D.useful information
61.From the report,about students between 10~18 years old in the seven cities use the Internet often.
A.3 375 B.1 280 C.2 100 D.3 000
62.What do most of the students do on the Internet?
A.To make online friends.
B.To play online games.
C.To get useful information to help in their studies.
D.To visit Web sites they should not look at.
63.Why do teachers and parents think the book is a good idea?
A.Because it helps with the students’ studies.
B.Because it gives useful information for studying.
C.Because it is used in Shanghai middle schools.
D.Because it teaches students how to be a good person in the online world.
A good way to pass an exam is to work hard every day in a year.You may fail in an exam if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the exam.If you want to be good at English, you have to read stories in English and speak English as much as possible.A few days before the exam you should go to bed early.Do not go to bed late at night studying. Before you start the exam, read carefully over the question papers.Try to understand the exact meaning of each question.When you have finished your exam, read over your answers.Correct the mistakes if there are any and be sure that you have not missed anything out.
56.If people want to do well in an exam.they have to work hard.
A.every day in a year. B.for most of the month
C.for only a few days D.late at night
57.If people want to learn English well, they .
A.only need to learn grammar B.must often practise English
C.have to go to England D.should go to bed early
58.It’s important to a few days before the exam.
A.play too much B.have a good sleep
C.read the question papers D.have a good drink
59.The best title for the passage is
A.An Important Exam B.An Easy Exam
C.Get Ready for an Exam D.How to Pass an Exam
Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely clever act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat(诈骗).Either way, it could be a perfect crime(犯罪), because the criminals are birds----homing pigeons.
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay some money. Then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind---- one that avoids(避免) not only collecting money but going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car owner to place an ad in the newspaper asking for help.
The theory is supportd by the fact that, so far,none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded----under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars-----seems too little for a car worth many times more.
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,”he said.
( 66.After the car owner received a phone call, he ___________.
went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried
gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park
sent some money to the thief by mail
told the press about it
( )67. The “lazier and more inventive”criminal refers to ________.
the car thief who stays at home B.one of those who put the ads in the paper
one of the policemen in Changwa D. the owner of the pigeons
( )68.The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show ____________.
how easily people get fooled by criminals B.what Chen thinks might be correct.
C. the thief is extremely clever. D.the money paid is too little.
( )69. The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A.criminals B. pigeons C. the stolen cars D.demands for money
( )70. We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because ____________.
he reads the ads in the newspaper
he lives in the same neighborhood
he has seen the car owners in the park
D.he has trained the pigeons to follow them
There is an English saying :“laughter is best medicine .”Until recently ,few people took the saying seriously .Now however ,doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body .They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health .
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body .People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts ,blood pressure ,breathing and muscles .It was found that laughter had similar effects to physical exercise .It increases blood pressure ,the heart beating and breathing ; it also works several groups of muscles in the face ,the stomach ,and even the feet .If laughter exercises the body ,it must be beneficial .
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body .In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes .The group that tolerated(忍耐)the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny programme .The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain .
As a result of these discoveries ,some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics ,in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh .They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing ,making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter .
( )61.Doctors have proved the following EXCEPT that .
A.smiling does good to health
B.laughter can be tolerated
C.there is a way to reduce pain
D.laughter can work the muscles in the feet
( )62.The main idea of the passage is .
A.laughter and physical exercise have similar effects on the human body
B.smile can produce the same effects as laughter
C.pain can be reduced by laughter
D.laughter is the best medicine
( )63.The students who tolerated the pain for the longest time .
A. listened to different radio programmes
B. could produce a kind of chemical
C. don’t have stress of pain
D. listened to a funny programme
( )64.The underlined word “diminish” is similar to .
A. test B. stop C. reduce D. increase
( )65.Doctors hold laughter clinics _________.
A. to give better condition to their patients
B.in order to improve patients’ health
C.to make patients smile
D.to prove smile and laughter have the same effect