Ben Southall, from Britain, got the world’s best job, as an island caretaker on Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia. Towards the end of his six-month contract, he had an incident. Please read his blog issued on Dec. 29, 2009 to find out more about the incident.
Now I’ve spent nearly six months here in Queensland and so far I thought I’d done particularly well at avoiding any contact with any of the dangerous critters that consider this part of the world their home. I’ve avoided being boxed by a kangaroo, nibbled by a shark and bitten by a spider or a snake—but then in my final few days on Hamilton Island I seemed to be punished by a little creature known as an Irukandji.
Irukandji jellyfish are tiny and extremely poisonous jellyfish that are in the tropical waters of the Queensland coast between early October and May, and which cause symptoms collectively known as Irukandji syndrome(综合症). Its size is roughly no larger than a fingernail of an adult’s little finger.
I was enjoying a post Christmas jetski session with some friends at a quiet beach on Hamilton Island. As I climbed off the back of the ski and onto the beach I felt a small bee-like sting on my forearm. I didn’t think too much of it at the time at it disappeared very quickly and left the beach to head to a sports massage appointment I had. As I arrived I noticed that my feet and hands were tingling(刺痛) slightly. The member of staff immediately suggested that I get the symptoms checked out and within minutes had the security there to escort(陪同) me to the doctor’s room, only a few hundred metres away.
I was feeling pretty hot and sweaty, had a headache and felt pretty sick too, together with pain in my lower back and a tightness in the chest and really high blood pressure all classic symptoms of Irukandji syndrome! This was not what I’d wanted at all and had caught me a little off guard to say the least--I’m supposed to be relaxing in my last few days on Hamilton Island.
The doctor knew instantly what it was and straight away started the course of treatment to get me on the mend. I had a couple of injections which immediately took away the uncomfortable pain I was feeling and I slipped into a comfortable sleep after an hour or so, waking to say hello to a couple of friends who came to see if I was OK! Bre was there the entire time tending to me like a little Florence Nightingale!
Once I’d recovered sufficiently I was discharged that evening and allowed to go home to sleep the effects off and only really knew what had happened when Bre told the full story the next morning--I had been very lucky.
I’d had a minor brush with what can be a very serious jellyfish and has led to people being hospitalized for a number of days, my slight knock was enough to tell me that it’s not something to be messed around with and I really should have been wearing a full stinger suit, as it recommended at all beaches here at this time of year.., even if you’re in the water for just a couple of seconds as I was!
66. We now know that people who suffer from Irukandji syndrome usually ___________.
A. have headache, backache, chest pain, sweat heavily and feel sick
B. have headache, backache, chest pain, breathe quickly and cough a lot
C. is not very painful in the beginning, but can be very painful the next day
D. play with these beautiful jellyfish while swimming in the sea
67. What have we learnt from Ben’s blog EXCEPT that _______________?
A. Ben Southall knows how to take care of himself
B. Ben Southall doesn’t look after himself well enough
C. Ben Southall has been in hospital for some days
D. Ben Southall’s friend, Bre tends to him well
68. What lesson can we learn from Ben’s incident?
A. All rules must be strictly obeyed all the time.
B. All recommendations should be seriously taken into consideration.
C. Always have yourselves covered when you are in the sea.
D. Never play with creatures in the sea.
69. Which of the following is the correct order of the events?
a. Keep an appointment b. See a doctor c. Go jetskiing d. Get home
A. a,c,d,b B. c,a,b,d C. c,b,a,d D. d,b,a,c
70. How do islanders deal with Ben Southall’s incident?
A. Politely, certainly and successfully. B. Nicely, slowly and carefully.
C. Hopefully, carefully and skillfully. D. Kindly, quickly and efficiently.
阅读（共两节，满分40分）
阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A , B , C , 和 D中，选出最佳选项。
Tony Bennett, the American singer recenlty touring Britain, can’t remember how many times he has sung his standard hit “I left My Heart in San Fransisco”. He sang it again to his audience at the London Palladium last night.
“I never get tired of singing it.” He said. “I like ti too much . It’s a great city and it’s a good song.”
Bennet is to record a TV special with American singer Lens Home while he is here. And a new LP recorded by him in London for Philips titled Listen Easy”will be published in June.”I like it here.” He added quietly over whiskey. “I would like to live here so many months of the year.”
He already keeps a large flat in Grosenor Square, where he is staying with his actress wife Sandie Grant and their three-year-old daughter Joanna. It has a studio where he likes to paint. Tony plans to have his first exhibition later in the year and he has already sold one picture for $4000. At the end of the year Tony is to star in a musical film , which has been specially written for him called “Two Bits”, an informal expresson for 50 cents. It’s about an Italian immigrant who goes to America ,but he becomes a failure.
“In many ways it’s very close to my life the way the story has been written,” said Bennett. “My father, an Italian ,was ill and died when I was nine.He always wanted me to sing, but he never lived long enough to be a part of my success.
41. The underlined phrase “standard hit” most nearly means______
A. Bennett’s favourite song but is’s not very popular. B. a song that is always popular
C. a song which makes hm standard D. a song which is like a heavy blow to his audience
42. What does tony Bennett want to do?
A. Buy a house and live in England. B. Stay with his wife and daughter in England.
C. Live part of each year in England D. Leave American and setle in England
43. What’s Tonny’s hobby?
A. Singing B. Drinking C. Playing D. Painting
44. What can we learn about Tony’s father from this passage?
A. He liked his son’s singing.
B. He was born in Italy and died when Tonny Bennett was a small boy
C. He was a part of Bennett’s achievement
D. He was glad that his son became famous.
45. What kind of man is Tonny Bennett
A. hardworking and humours B. family-centered and hardworking
C. enthusiastic and kindly D. ambitious and trustworthy
I've cheated in school when I thought that I could get away with it. I'm not proud of it and I don't usually feel very good about myself afterward, but sometimes it's the only way possible to survive in a pressure cooker. My parents are really set on my getting good grades. They study my report card the same way they examine the newspaper's stock market page. And they make me feel that I've got to live up to their expectations.
But often it's like each teacher acts as if his is the only subject we have. They think nothing of piling on our homework or giving surprise quizzes. Sometimes we have to take two or three tests in different subjects on the same day. I'd like to see a lot of adults I know preparing for that.
When the pressure becomes too high, some kids may resort to(诉诸于) cheating. If you have three or four subjects to study for, you're not going to be able to devote enough time to each subject in order to be well prepared for each class. Besides, it may be the only way left to live up to your parents' expectations and compete with the top students in the class.
Everybody knows that if you cheat, it's important not to get caught. Few things can cause more of chaos. Once, my elder brother got caught cheating on a math final. My parents acted as though he'd committed a federal crime. The assistant principal called them to school, but although the incident caused several conferences, I don't think that anybody ever really understood what my brother was going through. We're just supposed to perform outstandingly as well as always act honestly, but how many adults can actually live up to the standards they set for us?
My father has gotten countless traffic tickets for parking in no parking zones or for not coming to a full stop at stop signs.And you're always hearing about people who don't file their income tax honestly.How about all the corruption in government?Successful adults often accept dishonesty in order to achieve their business goals.Are kids the only ones who are supposed to be perfect?
Most of my friends have cheated on tests in school at one time or another. The kids who never cheat are usually either afraid of getting caught or just don't know how to do it safely. Nobody wants to cheat. But if it's a choice of being honest or of getting a grade, most kids will try for the A. That may sound wrong, but we didn't make the rules, we're just trying to get by.
77. What is the best title of this passage?
A. No one wants to cheat B. Everyone likes to cheat
C. No one can survive a cheat D. Everyone can fight a cheat
78. The author owes children's cheat to the following EXCEPT________.
A. parents B. teachers C. children D. examinations
79. In the fifth paragraph, the author mainly wants to say________.
A. his father always cheats in his life
B. kids are always supposed to be perfect
C. all the adults can not live up to the standards they set for children
D. children shouldn't learn from successful adults
80. Which of the following is true according to this passage?
A. The author thinks it is children's right to cheat in school.
B. Most of the author's friends like cheating on tests in school.
C. The author shows a positive attitude towards a surprise quiz in school.
D. The author thinks it wrong to cheat in school.
He's definitely NOT James Bond—nor even Austin Powers.And now the world's worst spy, codenamed Piglet,is facing 14 years in prison after bungling (办槽)an attempt to sell secrets to the Russians.
Aircraft engineer Ian Parr,46,tried to pass on secrets of seven sensitive projects for￡l30. 000 to a man he thought was a Russian agent called Aleksey.
But it turned out that Parr—once nicknamed "Hazard" by colleagues-actually handed over the secrets to all M15(军情五处)agent. As the father-of-two sat in the pub drinking a pint of lager to celebrate the￡25,000 he had just been given,police swooped and arrested him for spying.
But his troubles were not over. While in Belmar's Prison,he,who had given himself the codename Piglet,tried to kill himself.He wired his spectacles to the mains to try to electrocute himself-but he only succeeded in leaving an outline of his glasses bummed on to his face.
Parr had a reputation for being a bungler long before his spying exempt.
As a teenage he joined the Army,where he earned his nickname"Hazard".
An excolleague said."If you wanted a job doing,Hazard would do it badly.He blew up the barracks washing machine by overloading it."
"He was forever injuring himself when loading shells(炮弹)into the gun turret(炮塔)of the tank. I lost count of the number of times I saw him with bandages and plasters on his fingers."
"You'd hear him clanging around and there'd be a yelp and he'd squeal,'Oh,my bloody fingers.'He's very lucky to have all his fingers left."
Parr eared ￡25,000 a year at BAE(bachelor of aeronautical engineering(航空工程学士) Systems.It is thought that he tried to make money from spying because of worries about being dismissed at the firm.
73. According to the passage,the world's worst spy Is________.
A. James Bond B. Austin Powers C. lan Parr D. Aleksei
74. Piglet actually passed the secrets on to________.
A. Aleksei,the Russian agent B. an agent
C. nobody D. somebody whose nickname was"Hazard"
75. The underlined word"swooped"in paragraph 4 most probably means________.
A. attacked suddenly and unexpectedly B. at tack evincing crowds
C. cameos planned D. walked slowly and secretly
76. If he had succeeded in selling the secrets,he would have earned________.
A. ￡25,000 B. ￡155,000 C. ￡130,000 D. ￡105,000
When do people decide whether or not they want to become friends? During their first four minutes together, according to a book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. "Every time you meet someone in a social situation, give him your undivided attention for four minutes. A lot of people's whole lives would change if they did just that."
When we are introduced to new people, we should try to appear friendly and self-confident. In general, he says, "People like people who like themselves." On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of ourselves.
Hearing such advice, one might say, "But I'm not a friendly, self-confident person. That's not my nature. It would be dishonest for me to act that way." In reply, Dr. Zunin would claim that a little practice can help us feel comfortable about changing our social habits. We can become accustomed to any changes we choose to make in our personality. "It's like getting used to a new car. It may be unfamiliar at first, but it goes much better than the old one."
But isn't it dishonest to give the appearance of friendly self-confidence when we don't actually feel that way? Perhaps, but according to Dr. Zunin, "total honesty" is not always good for social relationships, especially during the first few minutes of contact. There is a time for everything, and a certain amount of play-acting may be best for the first few minutes of contact with a stranger. That is not the time to complain about one's health or to mention faults one finds in other people. It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one's opinions and impressions.
The author also declares that interpersonal relations should be taught as a required course in every school, along with reading, writing, and mathematics. In his opinion, success in life depends mainly on how we get along with other people. That is at least as important as how much we know.
69. When first introduced to new people, we should________.
A. be friendly and sure of ourselves regardless of the other people's feeling
B. always tell the whole truth even if it hurts
C. appear friendly and self-confident at least for the first few minutes
D. mention faults we find in the other people
70. According to the author's advice, interpersonal relations________.
A. should be set as a required course in schools
B. are more important than other courses in school
C. are less important than reading, writing and mathematics
D. is the only key to one's success in life
71. The underlined word 'play-acting' in the fourth paragraph means________.
A. being totally honest B. being a little dishonest
C. acting out what one feels D. acting in a play
72. The best title for the passage could be________.
A. The Key to Success B. Best Ways to Make Friends
C. Personal Relations D. The First Four Minutes
Congratulations! You are the Time magazine "Person of the Year".
The annual honor for 2006 went to anyone that uses or creates content on the Internet. The magazine designed special cover－a white keyboard with a mirror for a computer screen where buyers can see their reflection- for the issue, reflecting the importance of user-generated(使用者自创) Internet content as a driving force in the modem world.
User-generated content on websites such as YouTube has proved the latest twist(转折) in the Internet revolution. YouTube has attracted millions of users and earned its founders $ US1.65 billion when it was bought by Google earlier this year.
Normally, the magazine describes its person of the year not necessarily as an honor, but as "the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and represented what was important about the year". Mr. Stengel said in an interview that to select the "Person of the Year" is to look for someone who's a symbol.
The magazine did cite(提名) 26 "People Who Mattered," from Chinese President Hu Jintao to a group of three persons that included: U.S. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield.
It was not the first time that the magazine went away from naming an actual person for its
"Person of the Year". In 1966, the 25-and-under generation was cited; in 1975, American women were named; and in 1982, the computer was chosen.
In 2005, the winners were Bill and Melinda Gates and rock star Bono, who were cited for their charitable(慈善的) work aimed at reducing global poverty and improving world health.
65. "You", the Time magazine 'Person of the Year 2006', refers to________.
A. anyone who reads this magazine B. anyone who surfs the Internet
C. anyone who knows the result of the selection D. anyone who reads the passage
66. The fashionable character of the Internet revolution is________.
A. to search information on the Internet B. to use the Internet to make money
C. to be cited for "Person of the Year" D. to create content onto the Internet
67. The usual qualification of "Person of the Year" is that a person or persons must________.
A. do the most good to the world in the year B. not live up to the expectation of the world
C. really affect the world the most in the year D. help the world move ahead in the year
68. Which of the following is true?
A. U.S. President Bush was cited for "Person of the Year 2006".
B. Chinese President Hu Jintao was cited for "Person of the Year 2006".
C. 'Person of the Year' must be a person or persons.
D. A rock star is unlikely to be cited for the "Person of the Year".