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第三部分:阅读理解 (共两节,满分40分)
第一节:(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30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。
One night about nine o’clock, Dr. Eyck, a surgeon, had a phone call from Dr. Haydon at the hospital in Clens Falls. The surgeon was asked to go there at once to operate on a very sick boy who shot himself while playing with a gun.
The doctor was soon on his way to Clens Falls. It was 60 miles away. And it was snowing heavily in the city. The surgeon thought he could get there before 12 o’clock.
A few minutes later, the doctor was stopped by a man in an old black coat. Gun in hand, the man ordered the doctor to get out. Then the man drove the car down the road, leaving the doctor in the falling snow.
It was after 2 o’clock in the morning when the doctor arrived at the hospital in Clens Falls. Dr. Haydon told him that the boy had died an hour before.
The two doctors walked by the door of the hospital waiting room. There sat the man in the old black coat with his head in his hands.
“Mr. Cuninghan,” said Dr. Haydon to the man, “This is Dr. Eyck. He is the surgeon who walked all the way from Albany to save your boy.”
56. Dr. Haydon asked Dr. Eyck to come to Clens Falls because _____.
A. Dr. Eyck knew the boy was wounded by a shot
B. The boy needed the help of a surgeon
C. Dr. Eyck was the boy’s father
D. Dr. Eyck was Haydon’s friend
57. The surgeon was late because ________.
A . his car was taken away B. the weather was rather terrible
C.Clens Falls was too far from Albany D. he was stopped by the police
58. Choose the right order of the following events given in the story. a. Dr. Eyck was asked to come to the hospital in Clens Falls.
b. Dr. Eyck arrived at the hospital.
c. The boy shot himself.
d. The boy died.
e. The man in an old coat reached the hospital.
f. Dr. Eyck was robbed of his car.
A. c, e, f, a, b, d B. a, c, f, d, b, e C. c, a, f, e, d, b D. a, c, f, e, d, b
59. The boy could have been saved if ______.
A. he had not been sent to the hospital B. his father hadn’t arrived in time
C. Dr.Eyck had arrived earlier than the man
D. Dr. Eyck had arrived there two hours earlier
Once there was a man who lied to eat mangoes. One day he decided to get the sweetest mango from the very top of the tree. Mangoes which are exposed to the sun the most are the sweetest.
So he climbed up to the top, where the branches were thin. He managed to pick up a few sweet reddish fruits, but, in an attempt to climb down, he slipped and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, he caught the branch as he was falling and remained helplessly hanging on the tree. Then he started to call nearby villagers for help. They immediately came with a ladder and sticks, but could do little to help him.
Then after some time one calm and thoughtful person arrived - a well-known sage who lived in a simple hut nearby. People were very curious to see what he would do, as he was famous in solving many people’s problems in the area and sometimes very complicated ones.
He was silent for a minute and then picked up a stone and threw it at the hanging man.
Everybody was surprised. The hanging mango lover started to shout: What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want me to break my neck?” The sage was silent. Then he took another stone and threw it at the man. The man was very angry: “If I could just come down, I would show you!”
That’s what everybody wanted - that he came down. But how? Now everybody was tense, as to what would happen next! Some wanted to chastise the sage, but they didn’t. The sage picked another stone and threw it again at the man, even more forcefully. Now the man on the tree was enraged and developed a great determination to come down and take revenge.(复仇)
He then used all his skill and strength and somehow reached the branches which were safe to start going down. And he made it! Everybody was amazed.
However, the rescued man found the sage gone. He stood there, realizing that the man really sed him because he induced(引诱)him to try his best and save himself.
“I should be thankful and not angry.” From the story we know that the sweetest mango must be the one.
A.on the very top of the a tree |
B.hidden in the middle of a tree |
C.on the tree for the longest time |
D.exposed to sunlight less often |
What happened after he had picked a few sweet reddish mangoes?
A.He slipped and fell to the ground suddenly. |
B.He was climbing down quickly but carefully. |
C.He remained hanging helplessly on the tree. |
D.He shouted loudly for help but no one helped. |
How did the man feel when the sage hit him with a stone?
A.He was nervous. | B.He kept silent. |
C.He felt surprised. | D.He was angry. |
What do you think motivated the man to climb down?
A.Courage. | B.Revenge. | C.Carefulness. | D.Assistance. |
What does the story imply?
A.Anger saves one’s life. | B.Wisdom does count. |
C.Skill and strength count. | D.Anger is the biggest enemy. |
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元)in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it, whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions, they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example: "The hand took hold of the ball"), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with even more information concerning how humans behave and interact (互动). Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物)for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does—well, perhaps you'll understand why.Mirror neurons can explain _________.
A.why we cry when we are hurt |
B.why we cough when we suffer from a cold |
C.why we smile when we see someone else smile |
D.why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late |
The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “_________”.
A.set off | B.cut off | C.built up | D.broken up |
We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons _________.
A.relate to human behavior and interaction |
B.control human physical actions and feelings |
C.result in bad behavior and social disorders |
D.determine our knowledge and language abilities |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Ways to find mirror neurons. | B.Problems of mirror neurons. |
C.Existence of mirror neurons. | D.Functions of mirror neurons. |
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Fastest Time to Run 100 Miles on a Treadmill (跑步机) |
BROKEN |
The fastest time to run 100 miles on a treadmill by a team (of 12) is claimed at 9hr 5 min 17 sec by a team consisting of staff and prisoners at the Young Offenders Institute in Wigan to raise money for Children in Need. |
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Largest Game of Chinese Whispers |
UNBROKEN |
Sadly, the record attempt for the largest game of Chinese Whispers was unsuccessful on 13 November 2008. The existing record of 1330 children still remains. |
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Fastest Mile with an Egg/Spoon in both hands |
BROKEN |
The fastest mile egg and spoon race with both hands is 8 min 25 sec and was achieved by Ashrita Furman (USA) in an attempt broadcast by ESPN 260, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, in Orlando, Florida, USA, on 13 November 2008. |
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Longest Mexican Wave |
UNBROKEN |
The record for the Longest Mexican Wave was attempted by 250,000 people on the streets of Adelaide on 8 November 2008 – sadly, the wave was not completed by all participants and the attempt was unsuccessful. The current record of 157, 574 remains. |
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Largest Kebab (烤肉串) |
BROKEN |
The longest kebab measures 2047.47 m (1.27 miles) and was achieved by the ArcelorMittal Newcastle Works on occasion of the company’s annual Community Day, in Newcastle, South Africa. |
The above information is _________.
A.a series of sports events |
B.a list of broken and unbroken records |
C.a report of funny sports items |
D.a description of challenging human limits |
Which of the following can NOT be found in the information?
A.The countries where the attempts were made. |
B.The persons who made the attempts. |
C.The reasons why some attempts failed. |
D.The present record for each item. |
Which item was attempted individually?
A.Fastest Time to Run 100 Miles on a Treadmill |
B.Largest Game of Chinese Whispers |
C.Fastest Mile with an Egg/Spoon in both hands |
D.Longest Mexican Wave |
A major new development in system of work in Britain is taking place. Flexible working hours, or “Flextime”, are catching on fast, and trend is continuing. In 1973, over 500 organizations had adopted the idea, and by 1974, this number had risen to over 200,000.
Flexible working hours were invented in Germany in the late 1960’s, but reached Britain only in 1972. The system allows workers to start and finish work whenever they want, with only two requirements. These are, firstly, that all workers must present for certain “key” times in the day, and secondly, that all workers must work an agreed total number of hours per week.
The system had proved a total success wherever it has been tried. A survey of 700 workers on flexible hours showed three main advantages: a better balance between working and private life, avoidance of the need to travel during rush hours and the ability to finish a certain task before leaving.
From the employer’s point of view, the system tends to increase productivity, reduce labour turnover and give workers a greater sense of duty. At first, “Flexible” was mainly confined to white-collar workers, but it is now being applied to manual workers too.According to “Flextime” system, workers need not _________.
A.work at the same time | B.work all the weekdays |
C.work hard | D.ask for leave when being absent |
“Key” time is a period when _________.
A.visitors come to the plants |
B.all workers must be at work |
C.employers go round in the workshop |
D.rush hours are over |
No matter where it is used, this system has proved _________.
A.entirely effective | B.totally correct |
C.a complete failure | D.quite difficult |
One of the great advantages of “Flextime” for workers is that they _________.
A.have a great sense of duty | B.can avoid busy traffic |
C.can get higher pay | D.can avoid working hard |
根据短文内容,从下框A~F选项中选出能概括每段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项。
A. A sense of humour is not an inborn ability. B. A sense of humour can be developed in our life. C. A sense of humour helps us from several aspects. D. A sense of humour means more than telling jokes. E. A sense of humour can be expressed in many ways. F. A sense of humour helps people to better enjoy life. |
As awareness of the benefits of humour increases, most of us want to get all the laughs we can. It seems that almost every day there is another new discovery about the power of humour to help us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Every system of the body responds to laughter in some important or positive way.
Many people mistakenly believe that we are born with a sense of humour. They think that when it comes to a sense of humour. “Either you have got it or you don’t.” This is
false! What is true, however, is that the ability to laugh and smile is actually something we are born with. For example, we laugh when we are tickled under the arm, even without thinking about how to react.The parts of the brain and central nervous system that control laughing and smiling are mature at birth in human infants, but that is not the same thing as having a sense of humour. (After all, when a baby laughs in his small bed we don’t rush over and say, “That kid has a great sense of humour!”) Your sense of humour is something you can develop over a lifetime. Don’t be nervous before others and try to laugh at yourself-then you will make them laugh too.
Humour includes a lot more than laughing and joke telling. Many people worry needlessly that they do not have a good sense of humour because they are not good joke tellers. More than jokes, a sense of humour requires being willing and able to see the funny side of life’s situations as they happen. In fact, one of the best definitions(定义)of a sense of humour is “the ability to see the nonserious element in a situation.”
There may be a thousand different ways to express your sense of humour, but joke telling is only one of those ways. As more is discovered about how humour benefits our life, more people will be able to see and enjoy the humour when they are in a difficult situation. Life depends on air, food and water, but it is made easier to live with a good sense of humour.