第三部分阅读理解 (满分30分)
A
Some scientists say that animals in the ocean are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines.
Some scientists have proposed setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels (分贝) in oceans. They have observed that noises at the level can frighten and confuse (使困惑) whales.
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that loud noises could seriously injure some animals. They found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales’ ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died.
Some researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds object to (反对) a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research. Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists agree that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures (生物) in the ocean.
56. According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?
A. The man-made noises.
B. The noises made by themselves.
C. The sound of earthquakes.
D. The sound of ice-breaking.
57. Concerning the effect of noises on whales, which of the following is TRUE?
A. They are deaf to noises.
B. Noises at a certain level may hurt them.
C. Noises could kill them.
D. Noises will cause them to lose their eyesight.
58. Some scientists think that the noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels would _________.
A. prevent them doing their research work
B. benefit them a lot in their research work
C. do good to their health
D. increase the industrial output
59. According to the last paragraph, what will scientists most probably do in the future?
A. They will study the effect of different noises in the sea.
B. They will work hard to make no noise.
C. They will never do any scientific research in the sea.
D. They will protect sea animals from harmful noises.
Schools across the country are turning green. So-called green schools are built from recycled and environmentally friendly materials. They are designed to use less energy than traditional school buildings. In the next few years, Southern California alone plans to open 150 green schools. Studies have shown that there are good reasons to go green, including good air quality that cuts down on asthma(哮喘)attacks and airborne germs that can cause illnesses. Students learn better in classrooms that have natural light and ideal temperatures. Green schools have lower energy bills. Go On, Get Green
Here’s how to save energy and help the environment.
Light Savers
Turn off the lights in a room when it is not in use. This bright idea can produce big savings on energy costs. Some schools use sensors that automatically shut off the lights when there is no motion in a room.
Heat Smart
Your school’s thermostat(温度调节器)should be set to 78℃in warm weather and 68℃in cooler weather. The temperature can be even farther from the comfort zone at night and on weekends, when no one is using the school building.
Reuse, Recycle
Reuse paper, cans, bottles and batteries. Use both sides of notebook paper. Carry a lunch box rather than a paper bag. Recycle whatever you can reuse.
Don’t Drip(滴水)
Leaky taps can waste large amounts of water. A small, steady flow can add up to hundreds of gallons a year. Report drips if you see them.
73. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Green Schools. B. Reusing and Recycling. C. Light Savers. D. No Dripping.
74. Some schools are called green schools because ______.
A. they are built from new materials B. they are painted green
C. there are more trees in these schools D. they are built from recycled materials
75. All of the following are advantages of a green school EXCEPT __________.
A. the air quality of the school is great
B. the temperature is comfortable
C. the school has lower energy bills than a traditional school
D. it is more beautiful than a traditional school
76. In a green school, students will ________.
A. use both sides of their notebook paper B. not use lights at all
C. use paper bags to carry food D. get sick more easily
Banks view online banking as a powerful “value-added” tool to attract and keep new customers while helping to eliminate costly paper handling or teller（出纳员）interactions in an increasingly competitive banking environment .
Today , most large national banks , many local banks and credit unions offer some form of online banking , variously known as PC banking , home banking , electronic banking or Internet banking . Online banks are sometimes referred to as “brick-to-click” banks , both to tell them from “brick-to-mortar” banks that haven’t yet offered online banking , as well as from “virtual”（虚拟）banks that have no physical branches or tellers whatsoever .
The challenge（挑战）for the banking industry has been to design this new service channel in such a way that its customers will readily learn to use and trust it . Most of the large banks can now offer fully safe ,fully functional （功能的）online banking for free or for a small cost . As more banks succeed online and more customers use their sites , fully functional online banking will likely become as commonplace as automated teller machines (ATM).
Online banking has a lot of advantages . Unlike your corner bank , online banking sites never close; they’re at hand 24 hours a day , seven days a week , and they’re a mouse click away . If you’re out of state or even out of the country when a money problem appears , you can log on instantly to your online bank and take care of business . Online bank sites generally carry out and confirm （确认）deals at or quicker than ATM processing speeds . Many online banking sites now offer fashionable tools to help you manage all of your valuable items more effectively .
69．The word “eliminate” in the first paragraph probably means “ ”.
A．keep B．remove C．reduce D．improve
70．What is the challenge for the banking industry according to the text ?
A．To make online banking attractive . B．To open new services all over the world .
C．To offer online banking for free . D．To take care of business 24 hours a day .
71．From the text we can conclude that .
A．“brick-to-click” banks are in fact another kind of physical banks
B．the function of a “brick-to-click” bank is as common as that of an ATM
C．a “ brick-to-mortar” bank is no better than a virtual one
D．customers can deal with their banking by a mouse click
72．What would be the best title for this text ?
A．Banking of Various Forms B．Improvement of Banking Industry
C．Development of Online Banking D．Functions of the “Brick-to-Click” Bank
A lot of grown-ups worry that spending too much time playing video games isn’t good for a kid’s health. Now some doctors have noticed that kids who bring their hand-held game players to the hospital seem less worried about being there. These patients also seem to experience less pain when they are concentrating on a superhero adventure or a car race. At the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Maryland, young patients are finding hospital visits easier to deal with, thanks to a test program called the Hospital-based On-line Pediatric Environment (HOPE). Patients in HOPE have a life-threatening condition where their kidneys(肾脏)no longer filter(过滤)wastes from their blood. To get their blood cleaned, these kids must be hooked up to dialysis(透析) machines at the hospital three times a week, for at least three hours each time. HOPE allows kids to play online sports, racing, and adventure games with each other. Eventually they will be able to connect with kids in other hospitals who are suffering from the same problem. "We want to use the power of the Internet to bring together kids who feel that they are separated by their illness, and let them know that they are not alone," said Arun Mathews, the doctor who heads the program. He loves video games himself and got the idea to connect kids all over the country. Many researchers elsewhere are testing video game programs that might help young patients. For example, nine-year-old Ben Duskin of San Francisco, who was struggling with cancer helped to design a video game where players get rid of cancer cells. That’s all great news, because doctors already know that reducing pain and worry helps patients heal faster.
64. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Playing video games too much is bad for kids’health.
B. Playing video games seems to be beneficial to young patients’ recovery.
C. Doctors find that reducing pain helps patients recover faster.
D. Doctors invent a game to help kids in hospitals.
65. How long will it take a patient to get his blood cleaned in a week?
A. About 3 hours. B. About 6 hours. C. About 9 hours. D. About 21 hours.
66. According to Arun Mathews, the main purpose of HOPE is to _________.
A. encourage kids to play online games
B. teach kids how to design video games
C. help kids who are suffering from illness connect with each other
D. make parents worry less about their kids playing video games too much
67. Which of the following plays the most important role in the HOPE project?
A. Music. B. The Internet. C. Novels. D. Films.
68. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Nine-year-old Ben Duskin, who has a cancer, is very brave and clever.
B. Many parents want their children to play video games because it’s good for their health.
C. Doctors are not sure whether reducing pain and worry can help the patients recover faster.
D. HOPE allows kids to play online games only with the kids in the same hospital.
Ⅳ.阅读理解（第一节共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分；第二节共5小题，每小题1分，满分5分。两节满分共35分）
Just because you are in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the competitiveness(竞争) —the all-around fun —that playing sports offers you. More and more wheelchair users are playing sports every day —some even on a professional level. The following are just a few examples of the different choices you have.
Wheelchair basketball is a very common wheelchair sport. It was started over forty years ago as part of a medical recovery(康复) program. Over the years it has grown rapidly. Today wheelchair basketball is a professional sport that has more than 180 teams across the United States. In order to play wheelchair basketball, it is essential to have a lightweight wheelchair. Several different kinds of sports wheelchairs are on the market today just for sports fans.
Another wheelchair sport, quad rugby(橄榄球), was specifically designed for people who can’t move their arms or legs and are unable to play wheelchair basketball. It is a mixture of wheelchair basketball and ice hockey. To play the game you must have two teams of four players each.
Power soccer is another fun wheelchair sport that can be very fun and exciting. Players in power soccer must have an electric wheelchair. Two teams have two 30-minute halves to push the soccer ball over the other team’s goal line. The first team to reach the other team’s goal line most frequently wins.
Based on the sport you choose to take part in, there are several things you can buy for your wheelchair, including belts, gloves, bags for carrying things, drink holders and special back supports.
1. In which part of the newspaper will you read this passage?
A. Technology. B. Society. C. Culture. D. Health.
2 In the beginning, wheelchair basketball was started for the purpose of ______.
A. holding professional games around the US
B. spreading the sport all over the US
C. helping patients return to a normal life
D. making people want to play sports
3. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. To introduce some possible sports to wheelchair users.
B. To introduce some products to the wheelchair users.
C. To encourage wheelchair users to compete with each other.
D. To talk about the differences between these sports.
President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to an important truth today — that business institutions have more prestige (威望) in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society. Since competition is seen as the major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected. Competition is not only good in itself, it is the means by which other basic American values such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the freedom of the individual by ensuring that there is no monopoly (垄断) of power. In contrast to one all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for profits. Theoretically, if one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Where many businesses compete for the customers’ dollar, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors or slaves.
A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not. Many Americans believe, then, that competition is as important, or even more important, than democracy in preserving freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American alternative to social rank based on family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity rather than the aristocratic (贵族的) idea of inherited privilege.
1. The statement “The business of America is business” probably means______.
A. America is a great power in world business
B. Business is of primary concern to Americans
C. The business institutions in America are concerned with commerce
D. Business problems are of great importance to the American government
2. Americans believe that they can realize their personal values only ______.
A. by protecting their individual freedom
B. when given equality of opportunity
C. by way of competition
D. through doing business
3. Who can benefit from business competition?
A. People with ideals of equality and freedom.
B. Both business institutions and government.
C. Honest businessmen.
D. Both businessmen and their customers.
4. Government is believed to differ strikingly from business in that government is characterized by ______.
A. its role in protecting basic American values
B. its absolute control of power
C. its democratic way of exercising leadership
D. its function in preserving personal freedom
5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes ______.
A. in many countries success often depends on one’s social status
B. businesses in other countries are not as competitive as those in America
C. American businesses are more democratic than those in other countries
D. Americans are more ambitious than people in other countries