B
ON March 17 there will be an explosion of green across the World in celebration of St Patrick’s Day．The Irish traditionally wear green on this day, as the color is associated with Ireland．
But there are others, non-Irish，who use the occasion to make jokes about the Irish．They use the stereotype(成见)of the Irish as hot-tempered(脾气暴躁的)drinkers，who love to fight and will do anything to avoid a day's work．
However, today the Irish are more often admired for their musical talent and many other abilities．It’s no accident that many of today's most popular music groups，such as singer Enya and rock band U2，are Irish born and bred．Lonely Planet readers even ranked Ireland in 2007 as the friendliest country in the world．
So where did the negative Irish stereotype come from? From the 19th century when it was a bad time to be Irish．
Ireland then was poverty-stricken and starving．Many Irish moved to the United States to escape famine, but there they had to compete---occasionally with their fists for jobs and housing with other immigrant groups，such as the Italians．It was on the US’ streets that the Irish earned their reputation for street fighting．
The stereotype of the Irish as big drinkers may be unfair, but Ireland can boast(为……自豪) its fair share of famous drinks．It was the Irish after all who created one of the world’s best-loved beers，Guinness．
65．What is the story mainly about?
A．How the Irish earned their reputation．
B．The festival-St Patrick’s Day．
C．Jokes about the Irish people．
D．Famous Irish stereotype and the truth．
66．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A．St Palrick’s Day is celebrated nowhere else but Ireland．
B．Modern Irish show no interest in drinking alcohol．
C．Part of the stereotype about the Irish is that they are lazy．
D．Irish people usually get hot-tempered when laughed at．
67．Where did the negative Irish stereotype come from?
A．From their everyday behavior toward other people．
B．From the behavior of Irish immigrants to America in the 19th century．
C．From the historical record of 19th century Ireland．
D．From most people’s impression of Irish people
When introducing American universities, some of the first institutions to mention are the Ivy League schools. Originally, the Ivy League was an athletic conference made up of 8 private institutes of higher learning in northeastern United States. However, as time went on, these schools also became known for their excellence in academics besides athletics. Included in the Ivy League schools are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and Harvard University. These 8 schools have been recognized as some of the best colleges and universities in the United States.
Harvard University is a private institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The university includes a number of graduate and professional schools, as well as a college for undergraduates. In 2012, Harvard ranked number one in US News’ ranking of national universities again. Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institute of higher education in the United States. It can be said that first there was Harvard, then the United States of America. Also, Harvard’s library contains the oldest collection of books in the United States as well as the largest private collection in the world. Harvard has also been described by Forbes Magazine as one of the “billionaire universities” as of their recent list of 469 billionaires, 50 received a degree from Harvard.
Harvard College (the institute for undergraduate students) is one of the most famous schools in the United States. It offers over 40 undergraduate fields of study, including astrophysics, mathematics, neurobiology(神经生物学), etc. And the financial aid program there is amazing. Even though the tuition is about 37,576, and there are other expenses throughout the year, about 70% of undergraduate students received financial aid. Out of those students, over 90% of them had their full need met. And the policies for international students are the same for U.S. citizens.
Harvard College is very selective, as it only admits about 6% of their applicants. For admission into Harvard College, it is required that students take the SAT or the ACT, as well as 2 SAT Subject Tests. Harvard will also look at other factors during admission such as your application essay, high school transcript, work experience, GPA (Grade Point Average), your interview, recommendations, and most importantly, your character and personal qualities.
What are the Ivy League schools famous for?
| A．Athletics and location. |
| B．Academics and history. |
| C．Financial aid and training. |
| D．Athletics and academics. |
Harvard University includes .
| A．a number of colleges for undergraduates |
| B．a kindergarten, a middle school and a college |
| C．many graduate and professional schools and a college for undergraduates |
| D．only one college |
Why is Harvard called one of the “billionaire universities”?
| A．Because nearly one ninth of the billionaires once studied in Harvard. |
| B．Because there are 50 billionaires in Harvard. |
| C．Because people can get a lot of money from Harvard. |
| D．Because 469 billionaires sponsor Harvard. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．90% students in Harvard have their full need met. |
| B．About 70% of undergraduate students received financial aid. |
| C．Harvard College is the institute for graduate students. |
| D．The policies for international students are different for U.S. citizens. |
To be admitted by Harvard, you need _________.
①high school transcript
②a good application essay
③living permit
④to take the SAT or the ACT
⑤health certificate
⑥good personal qualities
| A．①②③ | B．④⑤⑥ | C．①③⑤ | D．②④⑥ |
I had been looking forward to my sister Patti’s visit for weeks. I had the whole thing planned. It would be one of our usual short-but-sweet get-togethers: a nice meal, some shopping, an outing with our kids.
When Patti arrived, lunch was cooking on the stove. Everything was perfect. Then, a few minutes later, a terrific clap of thunder rattled the window. A storm had sped in out of nowhere. The lights went out — for the next 12hours.
It seemed like a disaster. Our long-awaited plans! My homemade lunch! Seeing the unfinished pork, we had to eat cold food. We didn’t know what we can do next. The children asked, “Can we watch TV?” “The TV isn’t working.” I explained. So they begged, “Well, how about a video, then?” “How about computer games?” “Can’t you just microwave some popcorn?” I quickly realized just how much we all took electricity for granted.
But as the evening wore on, I also realized I had been taking something else for granted: the power of relationships. The point of my sister’s visit was not that we could go shopping. It didn’t matter whether we took our kids to the zoo. What counted were the people, not the plans.
We all sang old camp songs and put on shadow plays. After the kids eagerly went to bed with their own flashlights, Patti and I brought chairs onto my small front porch (门廊). At first we talked about our ruined plans. Then we sat back silently, listening to the rain dropping through the trees. I hadn’t sat out there in ages, and night air felt cool. We began to talk about our friends. We planned our parents’ upcoming anniversary party. Our conversation went to places it hadn’t gone in years.
I realized that what Patti and I had been looking forward to most was each other — something that often seemed vague on past short visits. Those get-togethers have always been enjoyable, but I must admit that they tend to melt together in my memory. That night the lights went out, on the other hand, they will burn brightly for a long time.
The author planned to do something for her sister’s visit except __________.
| A．seeing a film | B．doing some shopping |
| C．cooking a nice meal | D．going out with their kids |
Why did the lights go out?
| A．Because thunder rattled the window. |
| B．Because a storm came. |
| C．Because someone played a trick on them. |
| D．Because they planned so. |
It can be inferred from the passage that__________.
| A．their get-togethers were usually long |
| B．the author prepared a party for Patti’s visit |
| C．the author and Patti talked a lot this time |
| D．the lunch was ready when Patti arrived |
On the night without power, the author was at last.
| A．mad | B．grateful | C．sad | D．awful |
What did the author try to convey through this passage?
| A．A lot of things can be done when the electricity is cut off. |
| B．The plan should be more careful. |
| C．We should always turn off the lights. |
| D．What counts are the people, not the plans. |
Since Henry Ford turned it into a mass-market product a century ago, the car has delivered many benefits. It has promoted economic growth, increased social mobility and given people a lot of fun. But the car has also brought many problems. It pollutes the air, creates traffic jams and kills people. An astonishing 1.24 million people die, and as many as 50 million are hurt, in road accidents each year.
Drivers and passengers waste around 90 billion hours in traffic jams each year. In some car-choked cities as much as a third of the petrol used is burned by people looking for a space to park.
Fortunately, a new technology promises to make motoring safer, less polluting and less tendency to hold-ups. “Connected cars”--which may eventually develop into driverless cars but for the foreseeable future will still have a human at the wheel-can communicate wirelessly with each other and with traffic-management systems, avoid walkers and other vehicles and find open parking spots.
Some parts of the transformation are already in place. Many new cars are already being fitted with equipment that lets them keep their distance and stay in a motorway automatically at a range of speeds. Soon, all new cars in Europe will have to be able to warn the emergency services if their on-board sensors(传感器) discover a crash. Singapore has led the way with using variable tolls(道路通行费) to smooth traffic flows during rush-hours; Britain is pioneering “smart motorways”, whose speed limits vary constantly to achieve a similar effect. Combined, these new inventions could create a much more highly effective system in which cars and their drivers are constantly warned of dangers and showed the ways, traffic always flows at the proper speed and vehicles can travel closer together, yet with less risk of crashing.
In the past, more people driving meant more roads, more jams, more death and more pollution. In future, the connected car could offer mankind the pleasures of the road with rather less of the pain.According to Paragraph 2, the problem of parking has resulted in ______.
| A．more time on the road |
| B．a great waste of fuel |
| C．even heavier traffic jams |
| D．increased death and injuries |
What does “a similar effect” in the Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．Reducing traffic jams. |
| B．Building smart motorways. |
| C．Setting proper speed limits. |
| D．Keeping steady traffic flows. |
What is the author’s attitude towards connected cars?
| A．Curious. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Disappointed. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
| A．The Future of Cars: Wireless Wheels |
| B．The Future Traffic Management System |
| C．The Benefits and Problems of Cars |
| D．The Promising Future of Car Production |
I love sleeping. It’s something I’m good at. There’s nothing better than nodding off on the sofa in front of the TV and when my head hits the pillow at night, I have no problem falling into a deep sleep within minutes. There is one place where I never nap (打盹) and that’s at work--but new research suggests I should!
The idea of you and your colleagues heading off for a lie down in the afternoon may seem strange, but some companies such as Google and Facebook actually encourage it. Because it’s thought that a power-nap makes them more refreshed and more focused, and this in turn makes them more productive.
An Australian health writer called Victoria is a founder of a campaign called Nap Now which is trying to make sleeping at work more acceptable. She calls herself a “naptivist”! She says: “I think that our culture is a bit crazy not to accept it… It’s time to end the common work principle which is all about working longer and harder.”
So should we all be taking a sleeping bag and pillow to work with us? A few years ago, research by the East of England Development Agency found 30% of people have their best ideas in bed compared to just 11% who have them at their desk. That suggests people are more creative when they are relaxed--and the agency has called for companies to put beds in the workplace.
A nap in the afternoon is nothing new. In certain hot countries, such as Spain, a short rest or sleep in the afternoon-called a siesta-is perfectly normal. So maybe we should break from the traditional nine-to-five work culture and take up the siesta. The UK’s Sleep Council claims the nine-to-five working day does not fit into the natural sleeping pattern of the human race and says that bosses need to introduce a more sleep-friendly working day.Why are the employees of Google allowed to nap in the workplace?
| A．They are expected to work better. |
| B．They can’t focus their attention on the work. |
| C．They are running the Nap Now campaign. |
| D．They have difficulty in falling sleep at night. |
The underlined word “naptivist” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to someone who ______.
| A．takes no nap at work |
| B．enjoys napping at work |
| C．studies sleeping at work |
| D．fights against working long hours |
According to the passage, what can we learn about siesta?
| A．It is a newly practiced pattern. |
| B．It has been taken up in Finland. |
| C．It is sort of traditional work culture. |
| D．It fits into the natural sleeping pattern. |
What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To explain how to nap at work. |
| B．To show how the new study was carried out. |
| C．To tell us the importance of sleeping at work. |
| D．To call for the more sleep-friendly work culture. |
A British shopper, Emma Mumford, who was named “the Coupon(优惠券) Queen” has spent just £350 on a luxury(奢侈) Christmas for her and her family-but got £2,500 worth of food, drink and presents thanks to coupons and offers.
Ms Mumford is a so-called “extreme couponer” and spends hours hunting out the best deals and bargains. She has been preparing for this Christmas since the end of the last one. Ms Mumford made the huge savings by checking price comparison websites and as a result collected more presents than she needed for Christmas. After sorting out gifts for all of her family, she has even been able to donate £1,000 worth of presents to her local hospital.
“It has been so nice to have Christmas sorted and not having to worry about breaking the bank. I wanted to get high quality presents for my family and show that you can do it without spending a fortune. There is a misconception that everyone who does couponing only gets value products but through my careful shopping I have managed to purchase designer perfumes(香水), a high-end coffee machine.” she explained.
She said “What started as a hobby to help me save money has turned into my life and I am able to run a business helping people save money. I know what it feels like to struggle as my ex-partner had a lot of debt which I took on for him. We were in a poor situation where every penny counted. That’s what really inspired me.”
She has now turned her bargain-hunting addiction into a business where she searches for the best deals and offer tips to the general public through video blogging and her Facebook Page.
“I try and show people that it is just a little bit of work in the beginning but it will eventually pay off. One of the best things to do is just to be a bit forward thinking and save throughout the year.”
How did Emma make the huge savings?
She compared prices through websites.
She hunted out bargains in real shops.
She used coupons and offers worth £2,500.
She collected more Christmas presents than needed.What does “breaking the bank” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Buying presents of low quality. |
| B．Spending more money than you have. |
| C．Breaking into the bank. |
| D．Taking out money from the bank. |
What really inspired Emma to help people save money?
| A．Her addiction to bargain-hunting. |
| B．The financial difficulties she shared with her ex-partner. |
| C．The poor situation people around her were going through. |
| D．Her experience of running an unsuccessful business. |
Which of the following can best describe Emma?
| A．Ambitious and creative. |
| B．Sensitive and determined. |
| C．Brave and lucky. |
| D．Careful and caring. |