Section B
Directions: Read the following passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four 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)
After a few days in Pittsburgh, I was happy to leave the city and enjoy the harmony of the countryside. I left my hotel early and drove south to the Bear Run Nature Reserve. As I arrived, I was immediately impressed by the charming Laurel Highlands and other natural sights. However, I was not there to enjoy beauty: I was there to see a house, one of the most famous houses in the world.
The house I had come to see is Fallingwater. It is called Fallingwater because it was built over a waterfall. As most houses are built on solid ground, this house’s location instantly made it famous. When you approach the house, surrounded by forest, streams and mountains, it looks as though the clear blue water were flowing through it, since the stream rushes out from under the ground floor of the building.
The house was designed by the architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, for businessman Edgar Kaufman and his family. As I toured the house, I learnt that it took Wright three years to build the place. The Kaufman family had asked him to design them a home in the middle of the countryside where they could enjoy the sights and sounds of the natural world. Though they lived in the city, they loved to come to the mountains to spend some time in the peace and quiet of nature, where they could go camping in the forest and play in the stream with their children. In fact, they loved the water so much that they asked Wright to design a house that would let them view the beautiful waterfall every day.
Many people have suggested that this incredible building is a work of art, and I would agree that this beautiful house is a masterpiece of design. It also demonstrates how important it is to live side-by-side with nature and to respect it rather than try to dominate it.
65. ______ impressed the author first as he arrived at the location of Fallingwater.
A. The beauty of nature B. The sight of the waterfall
C. The designer of the house D. The preservation of the environment
66. Fallingwater quickly became famous because ______.
A. a famous architect designed it B. it was built over waterfall
C. blue water flowed through it D. it was situated in a nature reserve
67. The Kaufman family had the house built there in order to ______.
A. move to the countryside B. live in a masterpiece
C. enjoy the harmony of nature D. create a new scenic spot
68. What is the best title of the passage?
A. A Talent Designer and His Masterpiece B. Human and Nature
C. A House over Waterfall D. Life in Fallingwater
Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment was at 10 am and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre(轮胎） of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please. I insist.” Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applications waiting to be interviewed. Jimmy still had some grease on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the applicants left the interviewer’s office with disappointed look on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed?” Jimmy’s heart sank. “With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?” he thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.
“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know you’d be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job.Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?
| A．He was out of work |
| B．He was bored with his job |
| C．He wanted a higher position |
| D．He hoped to find a better boss |
What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?
| A．A friend’s car had a flat tyre |
| B．a wild man was pushing a car |
| C．a terrible accident happened |
| D．an old man’s car broke down |
Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?
| A．He was also to be interviewed |
| B．He needed a traveling companion |
| C．He always helped people in need |
| D．He was thankful to Jimmy |
How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?
| A．He was sorry for the other applicants |
| B．There was no hope for him to get the job |
| C．He regretted helping the old man |
| D．The interviewer was very rude |
What can we learn from Jimmy’s experience？
| A．Where there is a will, there’s a way |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed |
| C．Good is rewarded with good. |
| D．Two heads are better than one |
Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can't talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.
Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator（猎食动物）gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the "hurt" adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.
Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.
Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don't make nests（鸟巢）. Instead, they get into other birds' nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.
Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner's hand and start fighting again.
Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don't hear them, and they don't need to share their food.
As children, many of us learn the saying "You can't fool Mother Nature." But maybe you can't trust her, either.
A plover protects its young from a predator by______.
| A．getting closer to its young |
| B．driving away the adult predator |
| C．leaving its young in another nest |
| D．pretending to be injured |
By "Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky" (paragraph 5), the author means______.
| A．chimps are ready to attack others |
| B．chimps are sometimes dishonest |
| C．chimps are jealous of the winners |
| D．chimps can be selfish too |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Some chimps lower their cry to keep food away from others. |
| B．The losing chimp won the fight by taking the winner's hand. |
| C．Cuckoos fool their adoptive parents by making no nests. |
| D．Some clever scrub jays often steal their food back. |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Do animals lie? |
| B．Does Mother Nature fool animals? |
| C．How do animals learn to lie? |
| D．How does honesty help animals survive? |
The Cambridge Science Festival Curiosity Challenge
Dare to Take the Curiosity Challenge!
The Cambridge Science Festival (CSF) is pleased to inform you of the sixth annual Curiosity Challenge. The challenge invites , even dares school students between the ages of 5 and 14 to create artwork or a piece of writing that shows their curiosity how it inspires them to explore their world.
Students are being dared to draw a picture, write an article, take a photo or write a poem that shows what they are curious about. To enter the challenge, all artwork or pieces of writing should be sent to the Cambridge Science Festival, MIT Museum, 265 Mass Avenue,
Students who enter the Curiosity Challenge and are selected as winners will be honor at a special ceremony during the CSF on Sunday, April 21st. Guest speakers will also present prizes to the students. Winning entries will be published in a book. Student entries will exhibited and prizes will be given. Families of those who take part will be included in celebration and brunch will be served.
Between March 10th and March 15h, each winner will be given the specifics of the closing ceremony and the Curiosity Challenge celebration. The program guidelines and other related information are available at :http:// cambridgesciencefestival.org.Who can take part in the Curiosity Challenge?
| A．Cambridge locals. | B．School students. |
| C．CSF winners. | D．MIT artists. |
When will the prize-giving ceremony be held?
| A．On February 8th. | B．On March 10th. |
| C．On March 15th | D．On April 21st. |
What type of writing is this text?
| A．An exhibition guide. | B．An art show review. |
| C．An announcement. | D．An official report. |
Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too. It takes the most cool-headed and good-tempered drivers to resist the temptation to take revenge (报复) on uncivilized behavior. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the tensions of driving. A friendly nod or a wave of appreciation in response to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of goodwill and tolerance so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such appreciation of politeness is too rare today. Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.
However, misplaced politeness can be dangerous. Typical example are the drivers who brakes violently to allow a car to came out of a side street at some danger to following traffic; or the man who wave a child across a zebra crossing into the path of oncoming vehicles that may be unable to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they like to.
An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if motorists learnt to move correctly into traffic streams one at a time without causing the total blockages that give rise to bad temper. Unfortunately, modern motorists can’t even learn to drive, let alone master the less obvious points of driving perfectly. Years ago the experts warned us that an explosion in car-ownership would demand a lot more give and take from all road users. It’s high time for all of us to take this message to heart. According to the passage, the role of politeness can _______.
| A．help us learn about traffic rules |
| B．reduce the pleasure of driving |
| C．make our life happier than others’ |
| D．resist the temptation to take revenge on uncivilized behavior |
By “good sense” in the first paragraph, the writer means ________.
| A．the driver’s ability to understand politeness and react reasonably |
| B．the driver’s immediate response to terrible road conditions |
| C．the driver’s skill of controlling his or her car in extreme situations |
| D．the driver’s ability of driving safely in traffic jams |
Which of the following is NOT misplaced politeness?
| A．The driver lets old ladies cross the road when they want to. |
| B．The driver responses to an act of politeness in a friendly way. |
| C．The driver suddenly stops to permit a car to come from a side street. |
| D．The driver waves a child across a zebra crossing into the path of dangerous |
oncoming vehicles.In the writer’s opinion, ___________.
| A．strict traffic regulations are badly needed |
| B．drivers should apply road politeness properly |
| C．rude drivers should be punished |
| D．drivers should avoid traffic jams |
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 afterwards, 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’ve always hearing about people who don’t file their incomes 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 cheated 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 better grade, most kids will try for the latter. That may sound wrong, but we didn’t make the rules, we’re just trying to get by.What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Everyone can fight a cheat! |
| B．Everyone likes to cheat! |
| C．Cheating is reasonable! |
| D．No one wants to cheat! |
The author owes children’s cheat to the following EXPECT __________.
| A．parents | B．children | C．teacher | D．examinations |
In the fifth paragraph, the author mainly wants to say ____________.
| A．some adults can not live up to the standards they set for the children |
| B．kids are always supposed to be perfect |
| C．his father always cheats in his life |
| D．children shouldn’t learn from successful adults |
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 the tests in school. |
| C．The author thinks it wrong to cheat in school. |
| D．The author shows a positive attitude towards a surprise quiz in school. |