B
Ed Viesturs grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where the tallest thing on the horizon was the water tower. But on Thursday, Viesturs became the only American to climb to the top of the world’s 14 highest mountains.
His last hike was up Mount Annapurna, in Asia’s snow-capped Himalayas. At 26, 545 feet, its peak is the 10th highest in the world. It is the mountain that inspired him to start climbing.
“It tends to be the trickiest, the most dangerous, ” said Viesturs, “There’s no simple way to climb it. There are threatening avalanches (雪崩) and ice falls that protect the mountain.”
In high school, Viesturs read French climber Maurice Herzog’s tale of climbing the icy Annapurna. Herzog’s story was of a lot of difficulty and near-death experiences. Viesturs was hooked right away.
Viesturs got his start on Washington’s Mount Rainier in 1977, guiding hikes in the summer. Fifteen years ago, he set out to walk up to the world’s highest peaks. Finally, he’s done.
The pioneering climber talks about mountains as if they were living creatures that should be treated with respect. “You have to use all of your senses, all of your abilities to see if the mountain will let you climb it,” said Viesturs. “If we have the patience and the respect, and if we’re here at the right time, under the right circumstances (情况), they allow us to go up, and allow us to come down. ”
What’s next for a man who can’t stop climbing? “I’m going to hug my wife and kids and kind of kick back and enjoy the summer. ” says Viesturs. But for a man who’s climbed the world’s 14 tallest mountains, he will probably soon set off on yet another adventure.
59. What record has Ed Viesturs set?
A. He has succeeded in climbing to the top of the world’s 14th highest mountain.
B. He has become the first American to climb to the top of the world’s 14 highest mountains.
C. He has become the first to climb to the height of 26, 545 feet.
D. He has become the first man to climb to the top of 14 highest mountains in the world.
60. The underlined word “hooked” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “__________”.
A. frightened B. discouraged C. interested D. upset
61. The author used Viestures’ words in Paragraph 6 to support a view that __________.
A. mountain climbing is a dangerous sport
B. mountains should be regarded as living creatures
C. mountain climbing needs more strength than skills
D. those who like mountain climbing won’t stop climbing
62. What’s the next probable plan of Viestures?
A. Stopping climbing and staying with his family.
B. Climbing to the top of the world’s 14 tallest mountains again.
C. Meeting other challenges.
D. Writing down the experiences about his adventure.
Understand the Economic Concept of a Budget Line
The term "budget line" has several related meanings， including a couple that are self﹣evident and a third that is not．
The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding
The budget line is an elementary concept that most consumers understand intuitively without a need for graphs and equations it's the household budget， for example．
Taken informally， the budget line describes the boundary of affordability for a given budget and specific goods．
Given a limited amount of money， a consumer can only spend that same amount buying goods． If the consumer has X amount of money and wants to buy two goods A and B， she can only purchase goods totaling X． If the consumer needs an amount of A costing 0.75 X， she can then spend only 0.25 X， the amount remaining， on her purchase of B．
This seems almost too obvious to bother writing or reading about． As it turns out， however， this same concept one that most consumers make many times each day with reflecting on it is the basis of the more formal budget line concept in economics， which is explained below．
Lines in a Budget
Before turning to the economics definition of "budget line"， consider another concept： the line﹣item budget． This is effectively a map of future expenditures， with all the constituent expenditures individually noted and quantified． There's nothing very complicated about this： in this usage， a budget line is one of the lines in the budget， with the service or good to be purchased named and the cost quantified．
The Budget Line as an Economics Concept
One of the interesting ways the study of economics relates to human behavior generally is that a lot of economic theory is the formalization of the kind of simple concept outlined above a consumer's informal understanding of the amount she has to spend and what that amount will buy．
In the process of formalization， the concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation that can be applied generally．
A Simple Budget Line Graph
To understand this， think of a graph where the vertical lines quantify how many movie tickets you can buy and where the horizontal lines do the same for crime novels． You like going to the movies and reading crime novels and you have ＄150 to spend． In the example below， assume that each movie costs ＄10 and each crime novel costs ＄15． The more formal economics term for these two items is budget set．
If movies cost ＄10 each， then the maximum number of movies you can see with the money available is 15． To note this you make a dot at the number 15 （for total movie tickets） at the extreme left﹣hand side of the chart． This same dot appears at the extreme left above "0" on the horizontal axis because you have no money left for books the number of books available in this example is 0．
You can also graph the other extreme all crime novels and no movies． Since crime novels in the example cost ＄15 and you have ＄150 available， if you spend all the available money crime novels， you can buy 10． So you put a dot on the horizontal axis at the number 10．
You'll place the dot at the bottom of the vertical axis because in this instance you have ＄0 available for movie tickets．
If you now draw a line from the highest， leftmost dot to the lowest， rightmost dot you'll have created a budget line． Any combination of movies and crime novels that falls below the budget line is affordable． Any combination above it is not．
（1）Which sentence about the budget line is NOT TRUE？
| A． |
It is a limitation of affordability for a given budget and specific goods． |
| B． |
Most costumers will be confused with this concept because of its complex． |
| C． |
It is the effectively a map of future expenditures． |
| D． |
It can be expressed as a mathematical equation． |
（2）What is the purpose of the passage？
| A． |
To tell us any concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation． |
| B． |
To help us figure out the meaning Budget Line． |
| C． |
To tell us we should budget before we buy goods． |
| D． |
To give an instruction of drawing a budget Line． |
（3）Assume that each movie costs ＄10 and each crime novel costs ＄15， you have ＄150． Which is RIGHT according to this passage？
| A． |
The maximum number of movies you can see is 10． |
| B． |
The maximum number of crime novels you can buy is 15． |
| C． |
You can buy 7 crime novels and see 5 movies． |
| D． |
You can buy 7 crime novels and see 4 movies． |
（4）What is the best title of this passage？
| A． |
Do we really know the economic concept of a budget line？ |
| B． |
The Budget Line as an Economics Concept |
| C． |
The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding |
| D． |
The Complex Concept Budget Line |
Moving a Giant
The logistics of excavating （挖掘） and relocating a town's century﹣old， living sequoia （红杉） tree． Inhabitants of Boise， Idaho， watched with trepidation earlier this year as the city's oldest， tallest resident moved two blocks． The 105﹣year﹣old sequoia tree serves as a local landmark， not only for its longevity but also because renowned naturalist and Sierra Club cofounder John Muir provided the original seedling． So， when Saint Luke's Health System found that the 10﹣story﹣tall conifer （针叶树） stood in the way ofits planned hospital expansion， officials called tree﹣moving firm Environmental Design．
The Texas﹣based company has developed and patented scooping and lifting technology to move missive trees． Weighing in at more than 800，000 pounds， the Boise sequoia is its largest undertaking yet． "I（had） lost enough sleep over this，" says David Cox， the company's Western region vice president and that was before the hospital mentioned the tree's distinguished origin． Before the heavy lifting began， the team assessed the root system and dug a five﹣foot﹣deep cylinder， measuring 40 feet in diameter， around the trunk to protect all essential roots． After encapsulating the root ball in wire mesh， the movers allowed the tree to adapt to its new situation for seven months before relocating it． The illustration details what followed．﹣﹣Leslie Nemo
1． Mark A． Merit and his team at Environmental Design installed underneath the root ball a platform of seven﹣inch﹣diameter， 44﹣foot﹣long steelbars and， just below the rods， a first set of uninflated airbags （shown in gray）． The team also dug a shallow ramp．
2． In roughly 15 minutes， the movers inflated the airbags to about three feet in diameter to raise the root ball to the surface of the hole．
3． By underinflating the front bags， the team allowed the platform carrying the tree to roll up the ramp and out of the hole while staying level． A trailer hauled the tree along as team members removed the airbags from the back of the platform and replaced them in the front． They repeated the process until the tree arrived at the edge of its new home．
4． There a second set of partially inflated bags （shown in white） waited inside the hole． Soil surrounding the sequoia in its original location was relocated as well， because trees are more likely to survive a transplant when they move with their original soil．
5． Using the first set of airbags， the movers rolled the platform into the new hole．
6． The bags waiting there were then inflated further to take the weight of the sequoia while the transportation bags were deflated and removed from under the tree．
7． The white bags were then deflated in about half an hour to lower the sequoia's root ball to the bottom of its hole． The bags were removed， but the metal bars were left with the tree because they rust and degrade over a number of years．
8． For the next five years the local park service will monitor and maintain the tree in its new home．
（1）Which of the following words can be used to replace the words underlined "stood in the way of"？
| A． |
Resisted． |
| B． |
Balanced． |
| C． |
Blocked． |
| D． |
Promoted． |
（2）What is the reason for the relocation of Sequoia trees？
| A． |
Because the Scooping and lifting technology should be put into use． |
| B． |
Because it blocks local hospital expansion plans． |
| C． |
Because it corresponds to government's plan of Environmental Design． |
| D． |
Because sequoia trees are over a hundred years old． |
（3）How will the migrated sequoia trees be dealt with？
| A． |
They will be given new soil in the new living environment． |
| B． |
Metal rods used to move sequoia trees will not be left on the trees． |
| C． |
They will be kept in transport bags all the time． |
| D． |
They will be managed by specialists in the next five years． |
Bitcoin and other so﹣called cryptocurrenciest （加密货币） have been all over the news lately． Apparently， the idea of money that's not tied to a specific bank or a specific country is appealing to many． But it's worth remembering that the banking system that we now all live with is just that： A modern invention． Not so long ago， money was almost always created and used locally， and bartering was common． （In fact， it still is common among many online local networks， like the Buy Nothing Project．）．
In the past， money's makeup varied from place to place， depending on what was considered valuable there． So while some of the world's first coins were made from a naturally occurring hybrid of gold and silver called electrum （金银矿）， objects other than coins have served as currency， including beads， ivory， livestock， and cowrie shells． In West Africa， bracelets of bronze or copper were used as cash， especially if the transaction was associated with the slave trade there． Throughout the colonial period， tobacco was used to replace coins or paper bills in Virginia， Maryland and North Carolina， even though it was used elsewhere in the colonies and extensively throughout Europe and the U． K．
Today， on an island in the Pacific， a specific type of shell still serves as currency and some people there are even hoarding （储存） it， just like Bitcoin moguls， convinced that one day， it will make them wealthy beyond imagination． On Malaita， the most﹣populated island that's part of the Solomon Islands， shells are accepted at most places in exchange for goods．
"How much tuna （金枪鱼） you can get for your shells depends on their color and shape，" Mary Bruno， a shop owner from the small town of Auki， on Malaita， told Vice． "One strip of darker shells might get you about two cans of smaller tuna， but the red ones are worth more． For the red ones， one strip might get enough tuna to feed a big family for a long time．"
Just like a mintthat creates coins， there's only one place on the island where the shells， which are polished and strung together to form 3﹣foot﹣long ropes， are made． The strips of red， white， and black shells all come from Langa Langa Lagoon， where artificial islands were long﹣ago built by locals to escape from the island﹣dwelling cannibals． Once marooned （困住） out on their islands， locals needed a currency to use among themselves， and so the shell currency was born．
Using shells for money was common throughout the Pacific islands as late as the early 1900s， but Malaita is unique in that they are still used today． And just like cryptocurencies， there are those who think the islanders are smart to invest in this type of money， which is reported to have risen in value over the last three decades． It might seem strange to hoard a bunch of processed， strung﹣together shells， but what is a pile of dollars？ Just a specially printed piece of paper and hemp that we've assigned value to and probably less durable over time than those shells．
（1）According to the passage， which of the following is TRUE？
| A． |
Money was created and was widely used in the world． |
| B． |
Tobacco was used as coins or paper bills in American in the past． |
| C． |
The ingredients of world's first coins may be the combination of gold and silver． |
| D． |
Using shells for money has been out of date in the world． |
（2）The word "mint" in paragraph 5 is closest in the meaning to " "．
| A． |
a kind of money that can exchange |
| B． |
the leaves of a mint plant used fresh or candied |
| C． |
a place to produce and polish shells |
| D． |
a factory that produces currency |
（3）What's opinion of the author towards shells for money？
| A． |
Reasonable． |
| B． |
Imaginary． |
| C． |
Convenient． |
| D． |
Inventive |
（4）Which of the following might be the best title of the passage？
| A． |
The History of Biteoin |
| B． |
Shells Still Money |
| C． |
The Currency Is of Great Use |
| D． |
Some Shells |
There are classes for the mothers of babies， but there's no helping with your mum and dad growing old．
Old people's wards are hell for old people． Geriatric wards are bedlam and bonkers． A toothless woman screaming when left alone， a cry that reaches the high hospital ceiling． A woman effing and blinding ﹣ the polite curtain will not protect her from the indignity of a happy change． A woman who lives the same moment in repeat， dressed up for going home in a bright red， over the dressing grown， asking for the key to her house， saying over and over： "Am I going home today？"
And though my mum， by the time she was released， knew that her life was charmed compared with the lives of the world's refugees． It seems to me as if the plight （困境） of old people， while not as horrible as the plight of refugees， shares some of the horror． Just as we live in a society that hasn't caught up with technology， the kind of moral choices it gives people， we also live in a world that hasn't kept up with its ageing population． We have the advances in medical science and technology that have kept people alive longer， but not the advances in how to treat our ageing population． Society is lagging behind the old， failing and falling．
There are certain small but piercing similarities between the treatment of the old and the treatment of refugees． The old are often displaced from their homes， moved out against their will； decisions are often made for them that they have no say over． Often， they are treated as fools or halfwits， crowded together in one place， given clothes that don't belong to them， treated as a fallen tribe， incapable of any individuality． Nobody imagined my mother was a secretary of the Scottish peace movement， a primary teacher， a lifelong socialist， a witty woman． Out of hospital， my 85﹣year﹣old mum said： "going into hospital at my age puts years on you． God save from old people's wards． You never think of yourself as old． You look across the ward and think， am I like that？"
（1）The treatment of the old is compared of that of the refugees in order to ．
| A． |
prove they have a lot in common |
| B． |
show the terrible status of the old |
| C． |
display their similarities and differences |
| D． |
indicate that old people have to leave their home |
（2）What can be inferred from the passage？
| A． |
Refugees lead a better life than old male patients． |
| B． |
Old people are ill﹣treated due to their loss of individuality． |
| C． |
The author's mom is capable of teaching and being a socialist in the meanwhile． |
| D． |
The treatment of the ageing population doesn't develop as science advances． |
（3）The author's mom felt that life in the hospital ．
| A． |
made her much older． |
| B． |
created her a mature woman． |
| C． |
enable her to look back at life． |
| D． |
let her full of gratitude to children． |
（4）The passage mainly discussed ．
| A． |
the life of refugees and old people． |
| B． |
social responsibility to old women． |
| C． |
improper treatment of old people． |
| D． |
preparing for ageing parents． |
American Airlines
Date of Issue： 233 JAN 10
Ping Luo：
Thank you for choosing American Airlines/American Eagle， a member of the one world TMAlliance． Below is your journey plan for the ticket（s） purchased． Please print and keep possession of this document for use throughout your trip．
Record locator： HPMDLH
You may check in and obtain your boarding pass for U．S． domestic electronic tickets within 24 hours of your flight time online at AA． Come by using www．aa．com/ checkin or at a Self﹣Service Check﹣In machine at the airport． For faster check﹣in at the airport， scan the barcode at any AA Self﹣Service machine．
Effective February 1， American Airlines will be cashless onboard all flights． For in﹣flight purchases， we will accept Citi®/A Advantage®MasterCard® and other major credit or debit cards only． Cashless cabins will not be implemented onboard American Eagle and American Connection flights …only cash will continue to be accepted onboard those flights．
e Ticket
|
Carrier |
Flight number |
Departing |
Arriving |
Booking Code |
|||||
|
City |
Date & time |
City |
Time |
||||||
|
American Airlines |
4290 |
NASHVILLE |
SUN， 31 JAN 11：05 AM |
CHICAGO OHARE |
12：40 PM |
Q |
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|
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE |
|||||||||
|
Ping Luo |
Economy |
Seats 9C |
Food for Purchase |
||||||
|
American Airline |
4131 |
CHICAGO OHARE |
SUN 31 JAN 2：40 TM |
MADISON |
3：25 PM |
Q |
|||
|
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE |
|||||||||
|
Ping Luo |
Economy |
Seats 17C |
Food for Purchase |
||||||
（1）The above document serves as ．
| A． |
evidence of booked tickets． |
| B． |
explanations of check﹣in policies． |
| C． |
a reminder of airline regulations． |
| D． |
an airline ticket and its confirmation． |
（2）During his journey， Ping Luo will ．
| A． |
fly non﹣stop to his destination． |
| B． |
arrive in Chicago in the late afternoon of the same day． |
| C． |
have to stay at CHICAGO OHARE airport for two hours． |
| D． |
reach his final destination on the next day． |
（3）According to the document， in order to check in at the airport faster， a passenger may ．
| A． |
arrive at the airport far ahead of time． |
| B． |
choose the seat in advance． |
| C． |
use a self﹣service machine． |
| D． |
contact the record locator online． |