PART THREE: READING COMPREHENSION (30分)
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
A
The Wuhan to Guangzhou MU(动车组) Train route will start to operate on the 26th of this month. The train is the fastest in the world. All the construction and preparations for the route's operation are in the final stages. Our reporter Li Dong has the details.
In a trial operation, the speed of the MU Train reached 394 kilometers per hour, the highest in the world. Though the speed during normal operation may be at 350 kilometers per hour, but this newly built high speed railway may still reduce the travel time of Wuhan to Guangzhou from more than 10 to 3 hours.
The total length of Wuhan—Guangzhou high speed railway is more than 1068 kilometers. The railway connects Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong. The total investment is more than 116 billion yuan.
Protection facilities like bars and surveillance cameras are installed along the whole railway. Zhang Shuguang, director of transport bureau of the Ministry of Railway says the safety system of the train and the route is also state of the art.
"The break distance of the train is 5 kilometers. But the MU Train can respond to any emergency situations within 32 kilometers. It's very safe."
The shortened travel distance is good news for many people. However some passengers also hope the service can be upgraded.
"The dinning and entertainment service can be better. I hope I can watch TV on the train."
"The weariness during travel can be eased if I can use internet on the train. I can feel more comfortable."
Jing Libin is the MU Train driver of the Wuhan—Guangzhou high speed railway. As a MU Train engineer who witnessed China's high speed railway development. Jing Libin says: It's a way faster!
"The development of China's railway is so fast. In the beginning of the year, the speed is only 160 kilometers per hour. Soon, the speed reached 250 kilometers. And now, it's 350 kilometers! As a driver, I am very impressed."
China plans to increase the railway operation length from the current 80 thousand kilometers to 110 thousand kilometers, which includes 18 thousand kilometers of high speed passenger railways by 2012.
Within 3 years, China plans to build an "8 Hour, High Speed Transportation Circle", which means, passengers may reach nearly all the provincial capital cities in China in about 8 hours by high speed railway. With the development of the railway, China’s economy will also continue her highest development. In the near future, China will be really powerful in the world.
56. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Fastest Train in the World
C. High Speed Railway Construction
B. Trial Operation of the MU Train
D. Newly Typed Train in the World.
57. Surveillance cameras are used for________.
A. art B. speed C. safety D. research
58. How much time would be needed from Wuhan to Guangzhou if the train travelled at its top speed?
A. a little more than three hours C. more than four hours
B. less than three hours D. less than seven hours
59. What can we learn from the passage?
A. There will be no problems on the new train.
B. Passengers are completely satisfied with the new train.
C. Jing Libin is very proud of the development of China’s railway.
D. China has 110 thousand kilometers ofthe railway operation length now.
60. What can we infer according to the author?
A. Nobody expected China would have such a fast train.
B. China will build more high speed railways.
C. The service of the train is hard to be improved.
D. China’s economy would slow down if her transport couldn’t be improved.
One Canada, Two Languages
Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages: English and French. There are 10 provinces in the country but only one of these—Quebec is known as “French Canada”. This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest.
Canada left the British empire(帝国) in 1867 to become an independent country and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since.
Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country. Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is very rare.
The same goes for traffic signs and menus, for example, outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you’ll see traffic signs in French. In restaurants, it’s almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland (中心地带) of French Canada. However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels (标签) and instructions in both languages.
In Canada’s English speaking provinces, official bilingualism (双语) means that students can choose to complete a special French language course. Under this program, they are taught most of their subjects in French.
If a student begins the course in kindergarten (幼儿园) or Grade One, it is likely that all their lessons will be in French. However, if they start at junior high school, 25 percent of the teaching will continue to be in English.
59. How many provinces are there in Canada?
A. Ten. B. Nine. C. Eleven. D. Two.
60. Which country controlled Canada before its independence?
A. France. B. Britain. C. America. D. Germany
61. Where can you watch French television programs?
A. Only in Quebec.
B. In Quebec and a few other places.
C. From the two national television networks.
D. All over Canada
62. What do we know about the education in Canada?
A. In English speaking provinces only English courses are offered.
B. If you choose a special French language course, most of the subjects are taught in French.
C. The courses in primary school are all taught in English.
D. Most of the courses in junior high schools are taught in English.
Shane Thomas is a 10-year-old pianist from England. He’s being called the next Mozart because of his amazing abilities.
He has only been having piano lessons for four months, and practices four hours a week, but he has already played difficult classical pieces. He was just seven when he sat down at the piano, and could play at once. He also says he never gets nervous.
When Shane was three years old, he said that he could play the piano, but nobody took him seriously. At school, he could listen to the teacher and do his work while composing (作曲) in his head. Shame remembers all the melodies（旋律）,and when he gets home he plays them on the piano, while his father records them. Shane loves playing the piano, and when he grows up he wants to be a composer.
His tutor, Richard Goffin-Lecar, says he is like Amadeus Mozart, who lived during the 18th century in Salzburg, Austria, and was one of the most famous composers ever. Mr. Goffin-lecar says, “I don’t teach Shane very much. I just give him directions, then sit back and watch.”
His father, a single parent with two other children, says that although he has little money, he wants to send Shane to a good music school. “I’m a single father, but I have this gifted child. I don’t have much money, but I want to give him the best teachers, and also take him into a studio to record.”
56. When did Shane tell others that he could play the piano?
A. At age three. B. At age ten. C. At age seven. D. At age four.
57. Which of the following is TRUE about Shane?
A. He feels nervous while playing the piano
B. He can compose in his head while doing his work.
C. He wants to be a piano tutor when he grows up.
D. He doesn’t like to listen to the teacher at school.
58. What do we learn about Shane’s father?
A. He also plays the piano well.
B. He’s a single father with two children.
C. He believes in Shane’s talent for music and will support him.
D. Not having enough money, he will ask the teachers for help
Driving while talking on a hand-held mobile phone has long been considered a danger. But even drivers who use hands free devices are a nuisance – because they are slowing everyone else down, according to a study.
David Strayer, a psychology professor in Utah University’s traffic lab, conducted a study involving 36 university students driving on motorways. Each used a hands free phone for half the trip but not for the other half. The students were told to obey posted speed limits and use turn signals but the rest of the driving decisions were up to them . What Strayer found is that when the drivers were distracted（使分心）by a phone conversation , they made fewer lane（车道） changes, drove slower and took longer to get where they were going. Fellow researcher Professor Peter Martin, who teaches civil and environmental engineering at Utat University, said,“Ordinarily a slower driver should be safer ， but that’s not the case when people are talking on a cell phone.”
In general , drivers who used mobile phones while driving took three percent longer to drive along the same high-density route than drivers who didn’t. When stuck behind a dawdling(磨蹭的) driver , it took them between 25 and 50 seconds longer to switch to an open lane to overtake. Those delays can add up when you consider studies that suggest as many as 10 percent of US drivers are using a cell phone at any one time. And delays in traffic streams of very small amounts can grow into massively when drivers are crossing a highway.” Our next step is to use computer models to determine just how much those delays are costing drivers in time and in extra fuel costs,” Martrin said.
63. What does the underlined word in the first paragraph mean?
A. A person who is a volunteer. B. A person who breaks the traffic law
C. A person who is annoyed by others. D. A person who causes trouble
64. Which of the following is TRUE , according to Martin?
A. The more slowly a person drove, the safer he was.
B. Measures should be taken to stop using mobile phones.
C. Drivers using hand-held phones had less effect on traffic than those using hands free phones
D. Driving while using mobile phones could cost drivers time and money.
65. The passage is mainly about .
A. traffic conditions in rush hours
B. the use of mobile phones in the USA
C. using hands free devices behind the wheel
D. a comparison between hand-held phones and hands free ones
There are robots all around us. Some do very complicated jobs like flying airplanes and driving subway trains. And some do one simple job. When an automatic washing machine is switched on , water pours in. The machine waits until the water is warm enough for washing clothes. It does this by “feedback(反馈)” . Information about what is happening is feedback into the robot to tell what to do next. Our eyes, ears and other senses are our feedback. They tell us what is going on around us . So robots are like human beings in two ways.
They work and they have feedback.
In some ways robots are better than human beings. They work quickly and do not make mistakes. They do not get bored doing the same job over and over again. And they never get tired. So robots are very useful in factories. They can be taught to do many different jobs. First their electronic brain must be shown how the job is done, A person moves the robot’s “arms” and “hands” through each part of the job.
The most intelligent robots can move and see. Their eyes are cameras. Their fingers can feel shapes and sizes of the objects. These robots have computer brains linked to their eyes and fingers, which control their actions. The expensive robots are used in scientific research. They do such jobs as handling radioactive materials.
59. In this passage the author tells us that.
A. robots are very popular B. there are various kinds of robots
C. we see robots only at certain times D. robots can be easily controlled
60. What does the author seem to inform you about robots?
A. They should be greatly improved
B. They will probably take over in the future
C. They are very hopeful and useful to humans
D. They are machines that break down a lot
61. The author says that in industry.
A. robots break down a lot B. robots can do many jobs
C. robots only get in the wayD. robots sometimes cause troubles
62. The fact that a robot never gets bored doing the same job means that .
A. it is very much like human beings B. it can do boring jobs for people
C. it will never bore people D. it will work much better than human beings
I was born in Mississippi in the 1960s. My disabilities were caused by lack of oxygen to my brain when I was a five-year-old boy. I grew up knowing I was different. The first time I felt hurt and left out was in Grade Five. The other fourth and fifth graders played together in gym class, while I was put in the second grade gym class. One day, a famous football player visited the fourth and fifth grade P.E. class. All the kids got his autograph except me because I was with the second graders playing games. Mom called the school to tell them it wasn’t fair, but the school scolded me for complaining too much.
In the 1980s, when my mom was giving birth to my sister, she had made a major stroke（中风）and died. My dad became even more distant. I was very sad and began using alcohol to ease the pain.
Dad got remarried in 1985. Everyone went to his wedding except me; he told me to stay at home and watch the house. When my high school ball came around, I wanted to go but wasn’t allowed. When I graduated, my dad and step-mom refused to hold a party for me. They put me in a group home after graduation.
My life changed when I became a local leader of the National Self-advocacy（自我辩护）Group. At first, I thought the group wasn’t for me, until I found out it was all about empowerment（授权）! My goal is to be the voice for people who haven’t been heard and to empower them. Many families, like mine, don’t believe their disabled families have a voice or mind of their own.
Looking back over my 16 years of leadership experience, I ’m proud that I ’ve helped disabled people. They should be encouraged to never give up and to follow their own path.
56. When the writer was in the fifth grade, he.
A. was hurt by his classmates in school
B. felt left out for the first time in his life
C. studied with the second graders
D. often complained about the school
57. According to the passage, the writer .
A. was born disabled B. didn’t study well at school
C. was happy in his childhood D. didn’t get along well with his father
58. From the passage we can know that the National Self-advocacy Group is .
A. an organization that gives disabled people help
B. a club organized completely by disabled people
C. a hospital which only treats people with disabilities
D. a school that teaches parents how to deal with their disabled kids