C
Some experts feel that cars are certain to fall into disuse. They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all cars will be deserted and made useless. Other experts, however, think the car is here to stay. They hold that the car will remain a leading means of city travel in the foreseeable future.
The car will undoubtedly change greatly over the next 30 years. It should become smaller, safer, and more practical, and should not be powered by the gas engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.
Unless changes take place in the power system, the car in the future will still be the main problem in city traffic jams. One suggested solution to this essential problem is the automated (自动的) system, which seems to hold water.
When the car enters the highway system, a small arm will drop from the car and connect with a rail, which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically. Once joined to the rail, the car will become electrically powered from the system, and control of the car will pass to a central computer. The computer will then monitor all the car’s movements. The driver will use the telephone to dial instructions about his position and the place he heads for into the system. The computer will find the best way and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway. The driver will be free to relax and wait for the call that will warm him of his coming exit. It is believed that an automated highway will be able to deal with 10,000 cars per hour, compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 cars that can be carried by a present-day highway.
48. What is the main concern of the author of the passage?
A. How to make cars pollution-free. B. How to make cars smaller and safer.
C. How to solve the problem of train jam. D. How to develop an automated subway system.
49. We can infer from this passage that __________.
A. the car connected to the rail on the highway will be powered by electricity.
B. The lack of oil is forcing people to find new means to power automobiles.
C. The driver under the system will be told where to get out of the highway.
D. The future car will become larger, faster, prettier and less expensive.
50. What provides cars with electric power in an automated highway system?
A. An engine. B.A rail. C. A computer controller. D. A small arm.
51. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The driver puts his information in the system by email.
B. The new system can deal with 10 times as many cars as the present one.
C. After entering the automated system, the driver needs to do nothing but relax.
D. Some experts are not confident of the future, while the view of the author is hopeful.
The United States will introduce a new exam system for students who seek to study in the USA and other English-speaking countries, Xinhua News Agency reported from New York．
The exam, which means a great change from the current English level test, was introduced by Theresa Jen, associate director of the International Service of the USA College Board, America's leading educational organization．
"The Advanced Placement International English Language （APIEL） will be offered for the first time all over the world on May 10, 2012," said Jen．
However, the APIEL is a strange title to most Chinese students, and it is unlikely to soon gain the similarity of other already existing exams, such as the TOEFL （Test of English as a Foreign Language）, the GRE （Graduate Record Examination）, or the IELTS （International English Language Testing System）．
"I have never heard of such a test and I would prefer the IELTS if I need another exam," said Xu Jingyan, a graduating student from Beijing University, who wants to study in England and has already taken the TOEFL．
Most of Xu's classmates have never heard of the APIEL．"The APIEL is made for international students who wish to get university studies in English-speaking countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia．" Jen said．
"The APIEL will be used," said Jen, "because the TOEFL can no longer perfectly show the students' abilities of using English．" Xinhua reported that a large number of foreign students who had high scores in TOEFL exam turned out to be very ordinary educational performers after being admitted．
"Compared with the TOEFL, the APIEL measures a student's ability to read, write, speak and understand 'English through testing his or her skills in listening comprehension, speaking with fluency, and writing in an organized way．" Jen said．
1．The underlined word "current" in the second paragraph means____．
A．high B．present C．low D．formal
2．We can learn from the passage that____．
A．the TOEFL is more popular with the Chinese than the IELTS
B．it will take quite a period of time for people to accept the APIEL
C．Chinese students will prefer the IELTS rather than the APIEL even in the future
D．a student will have to take the APIEL if he/ she wants to study in English-speaking countries from 2012
3．The APIEL is designed for students who want to study in English-speaking countries, such as____．
A．the United States and Canada B．Canada and Ireland
C．Australia and India D．Britain and France
4．According to the passage, the United States will introduce a new exam because____．
A．it will bring the US government quite a lot of money
B．more and more students want to get further education in the USA
C．the existing exam systems can no longer perfectly show the students' abilities
D．the Chinese pay special attention to English studies with China's entry into the WTO
5．Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A．A New Exam Designed for Students
B．The Four Skills in Learning English
C．The Key to English-speaking Countries
D．TOEFL, IELTS and GRE to Be out of Date
Diary of a Do-It-Yourself Book
This book based on Greg Hefley's own "diary" lets kids express themselves in an exciting way．In the book, kids will be asked: What was the best dream you have ever had? The worst thing you have ever eaten? The best secret you have ever heard? This Do-It-Yourself Book is unique and special because it has blank pages for readers to write their own stories and keep their own diaries．
Author: Jeff Kinney
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Train to Somewhere
Marianne, heading west with fourteen other children on a train, is sure her mother will show up at one of the stations along the way. Stop after stop goes by, and there is no sign of her mother in the crowds that come to look over the children. No one shows any interest in adopting shy Marianne, either. But th at is all right. She has to he free for her mother to claim her. Then the train stopped at its final stop, a town called Somewhere…
Author: Eve Bunting
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Chinese Children's Favorite Stories
This volume of beloved Chinese stories contains a delightful selection from the store of Chinese legend. Discover many delightful animal characters as well as Change and Guan Yin. Retold for an international audience, the stories with beautiful pictures will give children aged ix to ten in other countries a chance to learn about both the tradition and culture of China.
Author: Mingmei Yip
List Price: $18．95
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The Way Science Works
The perfect introduction to show how science explains the world around us! Eye-opening experiments and extraordinary photography bring science to life．Discover science in action from the principles that explain everyday facts to the theories behind the technology in today's fast-moving world. Full of facts about famous scientists, technology news and more．
Author: Robin Kerrod
List Price: $24．99
Price: $16．49 Buy it on Amazon．com．
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1．Diary of a Do – It – Yourself Book is different from other books because you can .
A．ask the author questionsB．write your own stories in the book
C．have a chance to see beautiful photos D．read many interesting stories about the author
2．Amazon．com gives no discount on .
A．Diary of a Do-It-Yourself Book B．Train to Somewhere
C．Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories D．The Way Science Works
3．Based on Train to Somewhere, how many children head west on the train．
A．15. B．14. C．13. D．16.
4．Chinese Children's Favorite Stories is written for____
A．Chinese children aged 6 to 10 B．teenagers in other countries
C．junior students in other countries D．foreign children aged 6 to 10
5．Whose book would you like to read if you are interested in science and technology?
A．Jeff Kinney’s．B．Eve Bunting's．
C．Mingmei Yip’s．D．Robin Kerrod’s．
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。
Bend over, take a deep breath and drink some water! This is just one of hundreds of tips you might get if you have the hiccups （打嗝）．Hiccups are so mysterious．We really don't know why they start and why they stop．
Everyone has a favorite cure for a case of the hiccups．Some people think that a good scare is necessary to get well．Others eat a teaspoon of sugar．Still others drink a glass of water with a knife in it．
An American man named Jack O'Leary said he had hiccupped 160 million times over a period of eight years．He tried 60,000 cures, but none of them worked．At last he prayed to Saint Jude, the saint of Hopeless cases, and his hiccupping stopped immediately.
It took a British plumber eight months to cure his hiccups．People from all over the world wrote him letters with suggestions for getting well．He tried them all, but the hiccups continued．Finally, he drank a "secret" mixture someone had sent him．By that evening his hiccups were gone．
Why did these cures work for these two men? No one really knows．But people who have studied many cases of hiccups have an idea—hiccups usually go away if you believe in the cure．
1．How did Jack O'Leary stop his hiccups?
A．He took a deep breath．B．He prayed to Saint Jude．
C．He ate a teaspoon of sugar． D．He drank a "secret" mixture．
2．The British plumber spent _ ___in stopping his hiccups．
A．4 hours B．2 days C．8 months D．8 years
3． might be the best cure for hiccups according to the passage．
A．Cold water B．A spoonful of salt
C．Special pills D．What you believe in
4．From this passage, we can learn ____．
A．Saint Jude is an expert in curing the hiccups
B．the reason why the hiccups start and why the hiccups stop
C．some people think that a good scare is a cure for a case of hiccups
D．the British plumber drank a "secret" mixture given by an experienced doctor and then became well
5．What is the main idea of this passage?
A．Different ways to stop hiccups． B．What makes hiccups happen．
C．How to get hiccups．D．Jack O'Leary's hiccups．
A proverb(谚语) is a short 、well-known saying that expresses a common truth or belief. Proverbs are popular around the world. Many proverbs give advice on how to live. Some proverbs are hundreds of years old, but they are still used today.
For example, my son is just like his father in many ways. We often say the two of them prove the proverb that the apple does not fall far from the tree.
My daughter is very short. She would like to be taller. But I tell her that good things come in small packages. Some valuable things are very small, like diamonds and other jewels. But I also tell my children that all that glitters is not gold. Something may look valuable, but may not really be valuable. Also, I tell them do not judge a book by its cover. You should not judge something only by its appearance.
Sometimes I tell my children to cooperate to solve a problem. After all, two heads are better than one. But another proverb says too many cooks spoil （弄坏） the soup. If too many people try to do something, then the job will not be done well.
I also tell my children that two wrongs do not make a right. You should not do something bad just because someone did the same to you.
Some people are pessimists while other people are optimists（乐观派）. Pessimists always think about how bad things are or will be; optimists might say that every cloud has a silver lining（衬里） and they always look on the bright side. Other people are both pessimists and optimists. They hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Some people often worry about what they will do in a situation that might happen in the future. We could tell them do not cross that bridge until you come to it.
It is usually much better to prevent a problem from happening than to find ways to solve it. So we say an ounce（盎司） of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
1. The author often comforts（安慰） her daughter with the proverb that ____.
A. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
B. Good things come in small packages
C. Too many cooks spoil the soup
D. Two heads are better than one
2. If someone says “two heads are better than one”, he means____.
A. jobs will be done better if two work together
B. a problem will be solved easily by many people
C. jobs won’t be done well if there are too many people
D. you can’t do something bad even if someone else does it
3. The underlined word “pessimists” in the sixth paragraph refers to those people_____.
A. who always look on the bright side
B. who always expect bad things to happen
C. who are always full of hope for the future
D. who always make preparations for the worst
4. Which of the following are optimists likely to say?
A. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
B. We hope for the best and prepare for the worst
C. Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
D. Every cloud has a silver lining
The following are the world-renewed attractions（迷人地方） in London, so don’t miss them while touring there.
Shakespeare’s Globe
Shakespeare’s Globe, which officially opened in 1997, is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, built in 1599, and brings Shakespeare’s world to life. As a visitor to the exhibition you’ll discover how shows were produced in the theatres during Shakespeare’s time. The guide-storytellers take you on a fascinating half-hour tour.
Price: Adult ￡9.00；Child(5-15) ￡6.50; Student ￡7.50; Under 5 FREE.
The Tower of London
The tower, nearly 100 feet high, with walls 15 feet thick, was built in the early 1080s. King Henry Ⅲ made this tower his home. King Edward V and his
younger brother were murdered inside by their uncle. Queen Elizabeth I was shut up in the tower for two months by her half sister Mary who felt that her throne(王位)was being threatened(威胁). In 1603, part of the tower became a museum.
Price: Adult ￡16.50; Child (5-15) ￡9.50; Under 5 FREE; Student ￡13.50; Family (two adults with three children) ￡46.00.
Banqueting(宴会) House
Banqueting House is the remains of Whitehall Palace which was built in 1529 and was home to the English kings. It was destroyed by fire. Famous for its architecture and painting, the building is also known for being the scene(地点) of Charles I’s execution(处决)。
Price: Adult ￡4.50; Child ￡2.25; Student (with ID) and senior citizen (60+) ￡3.00; Under 5 FREE.
Tower Bridge Exhibition
Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognizable bridges in the world. At the Tower Bridge Exhibition you can enjoy breath-taking views from the high-level walkways and learn about the history of the bridge and how it was built. You can then visit the Victorian engine rooms, home to the original steam engines that used to power the bridge.
Price: Adult￡6.00; Child (5-15) ￡3.00; Under 5 FREE; Senior citizen(60+) ￡4.50; Student￡4.50.
1. Which of the following places has the longest history?
A. Whitehall Palace. B. The Globe Theatre.
C. The Tower of London. D. Tower Bridge.
2. If two parents with their 4-year-old son visit the Tower of London, they should pay .
A. ￡33 B. ￡43 C. ￡46 D. ￡52
3. Queen Elizabeth I was shut up in the tower for two months by Mary mainly because .
A. Mary didn’t like her ]
B. she tried to steal Mary’s treasure
C. Mary feared she would become the Queen
D. she intended to murder Mary
4. How many places used as a king’s home are mentioned in this passage?
A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.