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第三部分:阅读理解
What happens to old school buses when they can no longer safely carry kids to school? Most go to waste factories to be changed into pieces of metal. But a few of the old vehicles (车辆) find new lives in the center of Africa. Most of those buses end up on the streets of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Kinshasa buses are that yellow color, which makes them stand out (突出) in the city’s heavy traffic, but the buses don’t look at all as they did in the United States. In Kinshasa their taillights(尾灯) are almost all missing or broken. They don’t obey traffic rules and often race around the city very fast. The buses compete with motorcycles, cars, trucks, and other vehicles for space on the road. They make loud sounds when moving, and they are packed with people carrying loads of goods, such as fish, milk, beans and onions.
However, Kinshasa business people love the old, yellow buses, which they buy from American companies, because the vehicles are strong, reliable (可依靠的) and inexpensive. A used bus sells for about $2,000 in Congo. A new bus is more expensive. In the United States, a new school bus with all its lights working costs about $80,000.
The fare (票价) to travel across the city is usually about 30 US cents. “Transport is a big problem in Kinshasa,” says passenger Bruce Kingambo. “But the yellow buses help people here get around.”
56．The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means “In the center of Africa some old US school buses can be_________.”
A．useful B．expensive C．free D．new
57．Before the school buses leave America for Congo, they_________
A．have broken taillights
B．don’t obey the traffic rules and move at full speed
C．carry many people and goods
D．don’t compete with other vehicles
58．How many used buses can you buy in Congo for the price of a completely new school bus in the USA?
A．10. B．20. C．30. D．40.
59．The passage mainly tells us _________
A．how to use old school buses
B．about new lives for old school buses
C．to try to take old school buses
D．how to drive old school buses
In America,drivers’ education is part of the regular high school curriculum(课程). Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in driver’s education. However, unlike other courses,it is not given during the regular school year.Instead it is a summer course.
The course is divided up into two parts:class time for learning laws and regulations, and driving time to practise driving.Class time is not unlike any other class. The students study the basic traffic laws from a text to pass the written driving test that is given to anyone who wants to get a driver’s license.
Driving time is a chance for the students to get behind the wheel (steering wheel) and practise starting steering,backing up,parking,switching lanes,turning corners,and all the other maneuvers (操作) required to drive a car.Each student is required to drive a total of six hours.The students are divided up into groups of four.The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time.Thus,each student gets half an hour driving time per outing.The instructor and “driver” sit in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back.
After the student has passed the driver’s education course and reached the appropriate age to drive(this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old),they can go to a designated(指定的) state office to take their driver’s test,which is made up of an eye examination,a written test,and a road test.The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a driver’s license.If the person did well in his or her driver’s education class,he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a driver’s license.
.In America,the driver’s course mentioned above .
| A．is considered as part of the advanced education |
| B．is given to anyone wanting to get a driver’s license |
| C．is carried on at the same time as other courses |
| D．is offered to all the students of Grade 2 in high schools |
We can infer that the students are required to_________in their whole driving practice.
| A．spend at least six hours driving | B．get half an hour driving |
| C．drive for two hour blocks of time | D．go out driving for tweleve times |
Which of the following is Not True for the students wanting to get their driver’s license?
| A．They must have their eyes examined. |
| B．They must be 16 years of age. |
| C．They should go to have their driver’s test. |
| D．They ought to do well in their driver’s course. |
In the last sentence,“with flying colors” means .
| A．happily | B．quickly | C．colorfully | D．successfully |
Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind.They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.
Some kidults collect toys they once played with. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion (坐垫)on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory (挂件).
Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!
"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韩国外国语大学). He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.
Tim Greenhalgh, a professor, explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.
Why did Bloomsbury publish the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover?
| A．Bloomsbury knows some kidults don't want people to know that they are kidults |
| B．Bloomsbury thinks it can attract more readers |
| C．Bloomsbury knows kidults prefer to chose books for adults in nature |
| D．Bloomsbury thinks the cover with an adult is better |
Being a kidult is good in some way EXCEPT that _______.
| A．it is helpful to solve some social problems |
| B．it can make people listen to their parents |
| C．it can improve the relationship between parents and their kids |
| D．it can help kidults feel relaxed |
According to the writer, _______.
| A．our society is very dull |
| B．kidults have mental problems |
| C．being a kidult is nothing wrong |
| D．some people can never grow up |
Hawaii has planned to be the first U.S. state to roll out（正式推出）electric car stations statewide --- a move towards weaning the islands off oil.
Hawaii, which is far away from the U.S. mainland, imports foreign oil for almost 90 percent of its energy needs. One–third of that oil is used to power cars and buses on island streets. This move will help Hawaii meet its goal of reducing fossil fuel use by 70 percent by 2030.
Better Place, a Palo Alto, California-based company, will build the car recharging stations and provide recharged batteries for electric cars. The company will purchase renewable energy --- such as wind power --- from Hawaiian Electric Co.
Better Place picked Hawaii for the first statewide rollout in part because the islands are a contained environment, with few vehicles (车辆) coming in and out. Better Place would need to build a bigger network across several states to serve some mainland markets. Hawaii also has rich renewable energy resources, including wind, solar and wave power. This is important because Better Place won’t use oil. Better Place plans to recharge its batteries at night with power from Hawaii’s wind farms. That power normally goes unused because of Hawaii’s low nighttime energy needs.
Hawaii is an ideal place to show off Better Place technology because the state welcomes over five million tourists each year from the U.S. mainland, Japan, Canada and the rest of the world. “If we can get them into electric cars when they rent, we do two great things,” Shai Agassi, Better Place’s founder and chief executive officer, said. “One, we avoid emissions （排放物）; two, we use the opportunity to educate them, to teach them in Hawaii how it needs to be done in the rest of the world.”
However, Hawaii doesn’t expect to spend any money to improve the network. Maybe it needs to offer tax breaks or other ways to encourage people to buy electric vehicles when they are first offered.
The underlined part “weaning the islands off oil” (in Para 1) probably means _________.
| A．exploring the islands for oil |
| B．stopping Hawaii’s dependence on oil gradually |
| C．importing more oil from other islands |
| D．increasing the amount of oil used there |
Why is Hawaii chosen to be the first state where car recharging stations will be built statewide? _________
①There are few cars in Hawaii.
②Hawaii can provide environmentally friendly energy.
③Plenty of oil has been found in Hawaii.
④Hawaii is separated from the mainland with few vehicles coming in and out.
| A．①, ③ | B．②, ③ | C．②, ④ | D．①, ④ |
When visitors to Hawaii rent electric cars, they _________.
| A．will be taught it is necessary to do as Hawaiians do to protect the earth |
| B．will be offered tax breaks |
| C．need to be told what should be done before travelling |
| D．should be given the chance to try two things before driving |
We can infer f
rom the passage that _________.
| A．Better Place is a company producing electric cars |
| B．people are not encouraged to buy electric cars |
| C．electric cars will be recharged with power from renewable resources |
| D．Hawaii now has reduced the use oil by 90 percent |
We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had brought me to this spot in a small town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered why.
"Look down, Elsa," Father said. I gathered all my courage and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形) of twisting, turning streets leading to the square. "See, my dear," Father said gently. "There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can't get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another."
Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the awful lunches that were served at school. But she refused because she could not believe the lunches w
ere as bad as I said.
When I turned to Father for help, he would not help. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a plan.
At school the next day, I secretly poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked our cook to serve it to Mother at dinner. The plan worked perfectly. She swallowed one spoonful and sputtered, "The cook must have gone mad! "Quickly I told what I had done, and Mother said firmly that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day!
In the years that followed I often remembered the lesson Father taught me. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn't stop working until I tried every possible means to my goal, Father's wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square.
What did the author want her mother to do earlier that day? _______
| A．Do something delicious for lunch. |
| B．Ask the father to taste her awful lunch. |
| C．Dismiss the mad cook. |
| D．Speak to the school about lunch. |
The underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph means ______ .
| A．the cook agreed to serve the soup to Father |
| B．the matter of lunch hasn’t been settled |
| C．her father persuaded her mother successfully |
D．the method the author thought of was e ffective |
By sharing her own experiences, the author tries to tell us________.
| A．when one road is blocked, try another |
| B．how bad the lunch of her school is |
| C．how wise her father is |
| D．about the church rower' near her home |
Remembering names is an important social skill．Here are some ways to master it．
◆Recite and repeat in conversation．
When you hear a person’s name，repeat it．Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips．You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial．
◆Ask the other person to recite and repeat．
You can let other people help you remember their names．After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name mad pronounce it correctly for you．Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names．
◆Admit you don’t know．
Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed．Most of them will feel sympathy if you say，“I’m working to remember names better．Yours is right on the tip of my tongue．What is it again?”
◆Use associations．
Link each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual．For example，you could make a mental note: “Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair.” To reinforce（加强）your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.
◆Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.
When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering everyone. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.
◆Go early.
Consider going early to conferences, parties an
d classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others -- an automatic review for you.
How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names? _________
| A．They will be angry. |
| B．They will be guilty |
| C．They will be delighted. |
| D．They will be discouraged. |
If you can't remember someone's name, you may _________.
| A．telephone others to help you | B．tell him a white lie |
| C．ask him for another name card | D．tell him the truth |
