I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought that I would never have that sort of career.
I wasn’t an excellent student because I didn’t do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn’t have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn’t the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn’t too hard at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she’d give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn’t often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification if I wanted to work with children. I didn’t think I would be accepted because I didn’t take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I have got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career even if you aren’t top of the class at school.
47. What is the author’s present job?
A. Working part-time in a college. B. Taking care of children in a family.
C. Helping children with their schoolwork. D. Looking after children at a kindergarten.
48. When staying with the two girls’ family, the author _______.
A. was paid for extra work B. often worked long hours
C. got much help from her boss D. took a day off every other week
49. What has the author learned from her own experiences?
A. Less successful students can still have a career.
B. Qualifications are necessary for a career.
C. Hard work makes an excellent student.
D. One must chose the job she likes.
50. What does the underlined sentence probably mean?
A. The boss didn’t go out to work very often.
B. The boss often failed to keep his agreement with the writer.
C. The writer couldn’t go out to find another job.
D. The writer seldom had any chance to work outside.
Anchors on China Central Television (CCTV) will need to do some fast talking to replace the popular English acronyms(首字母缩略词) they’re now banned from using. Shanghai Daily reports that “anchors at (CCTV) have been banned from saying the English acronyms NBA, CBA, GDP, and the like in their programs.”
The replacement for those handy acronyms? Chinese presenters must use the full Chinese name, standardized by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Although CCTV presenters must already have a score of at least 94 in their government-rated oral Mandarin proficiency exam, saying the full name of organizations like the CBA or WTO ― 10 and 6 character’s long separately ― is sure to challenge even the most skillful anchors. CCTV sports anchor Sun Zhengping tells Shanghai Daily, “A full Chinese explanation of the English initials must be followed if my tongue slips. It is a little trouble but a necessary one because not every audience member can understand the initials.”
Although the government isn’t giving any official explanation for the shift, it is believed to have to do with a proposal by Huang Youyi, director of the China International Publishing Group, at March’s NPC meeting. In his speech, Huang said, “With more and more publications mixing Chinese with English, measures and regulations should be adopted to avoid English invading Chinese. If we don’t pay attention and don’t take measures to stop the expansion of mixing Chinese with English, Chinese won’t be a pure language in a couple of years.”
Although China is far from the first country to take measures to protect local languages (the French and Québécois beat them to it by a long way), acronyms are more about saving time than they are about corrupting a language, we would think. Good luck to the CCTV anchors.
68. CCTV anchors have to “do some fast talking” because they can no longer ______.
A. speak as slowly as they like B. mix English into Chinese
C. use shortened Chinese expressions D. have so much time for their program
69. When Sun Zhengping said “if my tongue slips”, he meant “if I _____”.
A. habitually use an English acronym B. speak a little bit too fast
C. make a mistake in pronunciation D. say something impolite or improper
70. What’s Huang Youyi’s proposal?
A. Using full English names instead of short forms.
B. Translating Chinese terms into proper English.
C. Avoiding Chinese words mixing into English.
D. Keeping our mother tongue as a pure language.
71. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph？
A. China has fallen behind in the matter. B. The ban is not necessary.
C. Chinese shouldn’t be corrupted. D. CCTV anchors will have a hard time.
Munish Bansal has amassed(积累)8,500 digital images of daughter Suman, 12, and her brother Jay, 10, since the day they were born. He has enough pictures to fill 600 albums and shows them on a website named “delightful kids”.
Mr. Bansal, 36, an accountant from Gillingham, Kent: “It started when I took a picture of Suman on the day when she was born. I did the same the following day, and the day after, and the day after that. Before I knew it, she had turned one and I had 365 images. It seemed a shame to stop, so I kept going - and did the same when Jay came along.” Mr. Bansal, who lives with housewife Rita, 39, began the family album on the day Suman was born in 1996. With a digital camera, he takes the picture usually before school or during dinner.
The photographs capture her life from a baby and toddler, through to early school days and into her teens. They include important landmarks like walking, the day she spoke, her first words and the beginning of school. He did the same with her younger brother Jay who was born two years later.
Mr. Bansal admits both Suman and Jay are “quite embarrassed” about the website - and their father. Suman, who turns 13 tomorrow, said: “It's interesting because when I look at the baby photos I don't recognize myself - but I'm not planning on letting Dad do this for ever.” Mr. Bansal has said he will continue until they are old enough to leave home. “As they get older, Sunam and Jay have become quite embarrassed about what I'm doing,” he said. “But I hope that one day both of them will appreciate what I’ve done, and look back on their childhoods with happy memories.”
64. People can see their pictures by ______.
A. looking at the 600 albums B. visiting a website named “delightful kids”
C. collecting all the 8,500 digital images D. using all their digital camera
65. When Mr. Bansal started to take the picture, he was ______.
A. 24 years old B. 26 years old. C. 28 years old D. 30 years old
66. How do Suman and Jay think of what their father has done?
A. They feel very pleased with what their father has done
B. They think highly of what their father has done
C. They feel uncomfortable with what their father has done
D. They are surprised at what their father has done
67. From the passage we can infer that ______.
A. Mr. Bansal is sorry for taking so many pictures.
B. Mr. Bansal will stop taking photos next year
C. Mr. Bansal wants his children to leave home now
D. Mr. Bansal love his children very much
Europeans should try to stay indoors if ash from Iceland's volcano starts settling, the World Health Organization warned Friday as small amounts fell in Iceland, Scotland and Norway.
WHO spokesman Daniel Epstein said the microscopic(微小的) ash is potentially dangerous for people when it starts to reach the Earth because inhaled(吸入) particles can enter the lungs and cause respiratory problems. And he also said Europeans who go outside might want to consider wearing a mask.
Other experts, however, weren't convinced the volcanic ash would have a major effect on peoples' health and said WHO's warnings were "hysterical." They said volcanic ash was much less dangerous than cigarette smoke or pollution. Volcanic ash is made of fine particles of fragmented volcanic rock. It is light gray to black and can be as fine as talcum powder. During a volcanic eruption, the ash can be breathed deep into the lungs and cause irritation even in healthy people. But once it falls from a greater distance — like from the cloud currently hovering above Europe — its health effects are often minimal, experts say.
"Not all particles are created equal," said Ken Donaldson, a professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, "In the great scheme of things, volcanic ash is not all that harmful." And he said most Europeans' exposure to volcanic ash would be negligible and that only those in the near districts of the Icelandic volcano would likely be at risk.
Dr. Stephen Spiro, a professor of respiratory medicine and deputy chair of the British Lung Foundation, said the further the particles travel, the less dangerous they will be. "The cloud has already passed over northern Scotland and we haven't heard of any ill effects there," he said. Spiro said to wear masks or stay indoors to avoid volcanic ash was "over the top" and "a bit hysterical."
60. The text is mainly about .
A. the effect of volcanic ash
B. the health risk of volcanic ash
C. the disadvantages of volcanic ash
D. the opinions on health risk of volcanic ash
61. Which one is true according to Paragraph3?
A. The volcanic ash’s effects on Europeans were little.
B. The ash caused irritation even in healthy people.
C. Other experts thought WTO’S warnings were useful.
D. The volcanic ash was more dangerous than cigarette smoke or pollution.
62. The underlined word “hysterical” in Paragraph4 most probably means .
A. amazing B. practical C. valuable D. overstated
63. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The volcanic ash wouldn’t be harmful to people.
B. All experts thought the volcanic ash did great harm to our health.
C. People close to the volcano would likely be at risk according to some experts.
D. Europeans should stay indoors because Iceland's volcano starts settling.
第三部分阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。
John Davis doesn’t use his GPS system in his car. Instead of guiding the direction, the Delaware farmer uses it to determine where and how much fertilizer to use on the crops on his 4,000-acre family-owned farm. Technological advances like that last year helped Davis and other Ohio farmers set a record for corn product. Ohio's corn crop in 2009 totaled 546 million bushels(蒲式耳), despite a cooler and wetter than normal spring, a dry summer and a delayed, wet harvest. Davis said. “I knew it would be a good crop, but it was much better than we expected.”
A farmer can map his fields on GPS, spotting where soil turned out to be least fertile（肥沃的） and using more fertilizer the next year in those areas where corn didn’t grow as well.
Although Ohio farmers produced more corn, it was grown on less land than in past years. Total area used for corn in Ohio was 3.35 million acres, about the same as in 2008 but down from 3.85 million acres in 2007, said Dwayne Siekman, director of the Ohio Corn Growers Association. “When you look at the total number of acres in Ohio used for corn, it’s clear that farmers are able to do more with less,” he said. “American farmers can grow five times more corn on 20 percent less land than they did in the 1930s, saying that modern farming techniques are necessary for a growing demand in the world today.” That technology includes using improved seeds that can withstand(忍受) greater temperature extremes and pests, Siekman said.
Farmers aren't the only ones who benefit. Consumers(消费者) do, too, as food costs reduce in the face of “enough supplies of corn,” said Fred Yoder, who runs a 1,500-acre corn, soybean and wheat farm in Plain City. “This is the best, highest-producing corn crop that I've raised in 30 years,” he said.
56. Most people usually use the GPS system for ______.
A. driving their cars B. telling the position C. mending the car D. supplying the sunshine
57. The farmers in Ohio use GPS to ______.
A. check if the soil is fertile in some areas B. control the rain of the place
C. water the crops if the weather is dry D. draw the map of all the crops
58. Why did Ohio farmers produce more corn?
A. Because they expanded more land to grow corn
B. Because they turned to technological advances
C. Because they used more and more fertilizer.
D. Because they supplies themselves with more money.
59. From the passage, we can know _____.
A. John Davis hadn’t expected a good harvest.
B. farmers grew less land than in the 1930s
C. improved seeds cost much more money
D. the output of corn in the same field is increased.
More perhaps than any other European nation, the Swiss have got used to looking after foreign travelers. As early as the 18th century, wealthy French, Germans and Italians were treating the country as an amusement center while, in the 19th century, it became the major holiday playground for the British nobles. Today, it attracts visitors from all over the world.
The Swiss are clear about the importance of tourism to their economy, which makes up about eight percent of the Gross Domestic Product, and helps industry greatly. Managers of hotels from all over the world go to Switzerland to learn how to do the job, and a high standard can be expected from the great majority of the country’s hotels, most of which are small and pride themselves on personalized service. Public transport is the best in Europe. Both the Swiss Federal railways and the private railways are fully electric-powered, and the total network consists of about 5,000 kilometers of track.
Under the Fly Baggage system passengers can check luggage in at 116 railway stations and have it automatically transferred to their flight. The national highway system is equally well planned, and the mountain roads offer views of some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery. Also serving the mountains is an effective system of railways and cable ways, while more than 160 passenger cars cross the lakes and rivers. Hiking in the mountains is equally popular with Swiss nationals and foreign visitors. For those who want to view the country from a great height without having to climb the mountain themselves, it is always possible to take in the view from a balloon.
６１. Compared with other European countries, Switzerland ________.
A. places more importance on entertainment
B. thinks more about foreign travelers
C. has more convenient public transport
D. has more five-star hotels
6２. According to the passage, Switzerland is now visited by ________.
A. wealthy French people
B. rich Germans and Italians
C. British nobles
D. people from various countries
６３. According to the passage we learn that ________.
A. most of the hotels in Switzerland are big
B. all the hotels in Switzerland offer exactly the same service
C. most of the hotels in Switzerland offer first class service
D. the hotels in Switzerland are accustomed to learning from the rest of the world
６４. The Fly Rail Baggage system is a service to transport your luggage between the railway station and ________.
A. the airport B. the hotel
C. the motorway station D. the cable ways
６５. The passage mainly tells us about ________.
A. scenery in Switzerland
B. the life in Switzerland
C. tourism in Switzerland
D. the transportation in Switzerland