V.阅读理解 (共两节,满分30)
第一节(共10小题,每小题2分,满分20分)
Even if you are a good high-jumper, you can jump only about seven feet off the ground. You cannot jump any higher because the earth pulls you hard. The pull of the earth is called gravity.
You can easily find out the pull of the earth. If you weigh yourself, you will know how much gravity is pulling you.
Since there is gravity, water runs down hill. When you throw a ball into the air, it falls back down. Because of gravity, you do not fall off the earth as it whirls (旋转) around.
Then, can we get away from the earth and go far out into space? Now you can do it, because spaceships have been invented. Then spaceship will go so fast that it can escape (逃出) the earth’s gravity and carry you into space.
31. In this passage, the word “gravity” means_______.
A. the pull of everything. B. the force of attraction(吸引) among objects.
C. the force which attracts objects towards the centre of the earth
D. the force which attracts the earth towards the sun.
32. When you slip(滑) you always fall to the ground because________
A. the earth always turns round. B. the earth has gravity
C. the earth’s gravity is greater than your weight. D. you are careless.
33. Gravity is strong that_______
A. it can throw a ball into the air. B. it makes you jump only seven feet.
C. it can let you fly away from the earth. D. it can keep everything on earth.
34. Because of gravity,________
A. water flows everything. B. we can go everywhere by ship.
C. water always flows downwards. D. fish can live in water.
35. We can get away from the earth by spaceship because________
A. the spaceship goes very fast. B. the earth can’t pull the spaceship.
C. the spaceship has a strong force. D. the spaceship can jump higher than others.
Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people – society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course.We were brainwashed.We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us.As Oscar Wilde puts it,“Most people are other people.Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions,their lives a mimicry(模仿),their passions a quotation.”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are,it makes us feel good.We long for this good feeling like a drug—we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can.Therefore,we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives,failing to do the things we really want to.Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting theirfix(一剂毒品),we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.
But just as with any drug,there is a price to pay.The price of the approval drug is freedom--the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think.People have their own agenda,and they come with their own baggage and,in the end,they’re more interested in themselves than in you.Furthermore,if we try to live by the opinions of others,we will build our life on sinking sand.Everyone has a different way of thinking,and people change their opinions all the time.The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process.
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way--make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think.We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values—not values imposed from the outside by others,but innate values which come from within.If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others,we will live a more authentic,effective,purposeful and happy life.
67.What Oscar Wilde says implies that________.
A.we have thoughts similar to those of others
B.most people have a variety of thoughts
C.other people’s thoughts are more important
D.most people’s thoughts are controlled by others
68.What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph?
A.Changing opinions may cost us our freedom.
B.We may lose ourselves to please others.
C.We need to pay for what we want to get.
D.The price of taking the drug is freedom.
69.It can be concluded from the passage that________.
A. it’s better to do what we like
B.we shouldn’t care what others think
C.we shouldn’t change our own opinions
D.it's important to accept others’ opinions
70.The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his arguments mainly by________.
A.analyzing causes and effects
B.providing examples and facts
C.discussing questions
D.making suggestions
An Australian company, Smart Car Technologies, has developed a system that lets drivers know when they're speeding. When the technology becomes commercially available, it could help lead-footed drivers avoid tickets and also save lives. The company that developed the product hopes to convince Australian government agencies to put the technology into use in their automobile fleets.
The product, called Speed Alert, links real-time location data and speed obtained with the help of GPS to a database of posted speed limits stored in a driver's PDA or programmable mobile phone. The setup of the product does not need to be hooked up to a car's speedometer. In fact, it is entirely portable. It will also work with newer phones and PDAs that have built-in GPS receivers. If a driver exceeds the speed limit, the speed is shown and an alert sounds.
Michael Paine, an Australian vehicle design engineer and traffic safety consultant, was hired to analyze the product. He told Live Science that his colleagues in the road safety field are “very enthusiastic” about what they're now calling “intelligent speed alert.” Other research, according to Paine, shows that 40 percent of all traffic deaths involve speeding. There is also a potentially controversial future use: “Since the system is so portable, it would be easy to make it a requirement for teenage drivers to always use a speed alert device when driving,” Paine said. “The system even has the capability to record speeding violations, so parents can monitor their teenage drivers.”The product will soon go on sale in Sydney.
63.What's the purpose of the new product?
A.To introduce some improvement in cars.
B.To inform us of the new car system.
C.To popularize the built-in car system.
D.To limit certain drivers to safe driving.
64.“Lead-footed” in the first paragraph probably refer to the ones ________.
A.who drive too carelessly B.that drive too slowly
C.who are partly disabled D.that drive extremely fast
65.The second paragraph mainly talks about ________.
A.how the product is programmed B.why the system becomes popular
C.the functions of GPS in cars D.the project of the built-in product
66.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Future Speed Alert B.New In – Car Device Against Speeding
C.Warning for Adventurous Drivers D.Progress in Car – making Science
In February 2010, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada. The sound of children shouting made her turn around. To her horror, Lydia saw a 700 – pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son.Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away.She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could.A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear.But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children's lives.A local policeman described it this way: "I guess when your back is up against the wall, we come up with super-human strength."
Where does this "super-human strength" , courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action.These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it.
When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects.Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful.In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel.Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline (肾上腺素)which in turn increases our energy and excitement.The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more.This is why some people say they work better under a deadline.Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to be bored and lazy. So some stress actually increases and strengthens our abilities instead of weakening them. We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit.Stress can also make us more confident.Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future.Who knows? Today's stress may even prepare us for the next polar bear that comes along!
60.The author mentions the story of the mother and her children mainly to ___________.
A.tell people females also have enough strength to fight with a bear
B.show us how much the mother loves her children
C.set an example to us about how to deal with danger
D.illustrate to us stressful situations can make us stronger
61.What does the word “it” underlined in the second paragraph refer to?
A.released chemical B.the body C.stress D.strength
62.What will the author probably continue to write in the paragraph that follows?
A.How to deal with a bear when you meet with it unfortunately.
B.Why we need small stress in life.
C.Tips for a person to develop his ability of dealing with stress.
D.When the brain releases adrenaline.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,满分40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。
You get all sorts of demands, and the mark of a good hotel is to supply whatever is asked for without sounding surprise. If a guest asks for rubber gloves. You don't ask why. You say, “No problem. What colour do you want?”
There have been some demands which, much as I would have liked to fill, I couldn't. A Japanese businessman, for example, thought the manager of a hotel was like the captain of a ship so he asked me to marry him and the woman he loved. There was one time, however, we did help out. A young man thought that if he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the Ritz she would say yes. He asked us to put the ring in a cake, and she accepted.
Top hotels are used more and more to impress. They are used for doing business. If you've got something to sell, take your clients(客户) to the best hotel where the surroundings are quite helpful. A friend of mine working at Savoy Hotel tells story about a man who gave him 5 pounds to say “Good morning, Mr. Smith” when he walked through the door with two other men. This he did, and could hear Mr. Smith saying, “I do wish they would leave me alone at this place.”
According to Julian Payne, the most powerful people in any hotel are the porters, who carry bags for hotel guests. “Porters can do almost anything. They can get you tables at the best restaurants or tickets for a popular concert. Don't ask me how they do it or what their deal is because I don't know. Most of them have been there for years. They know more about the history of the hotel and the guests than anyone else. They are invaluable. A head porter will come in even on his day off so he can say hello to someone he remembers visiting the hotel years ago.”
56.When guests ask for something strange,the manager of a good hotel would think ______.
A.how he can meet their needs
B.why they have such demands
C.what problems the hotel has
D.who is the best person to go to
57.Which of the following examples explains “we did help out?”
A.The hotel bought a ring for a young lady.
B.A Japanese married the woman he loved.
C.The manager once acted as a captain.
D.A young lady agreed to marry her boyfriend.
58.Which of the following statements is true about the porters in expensive hotels?
A.They sell tickets for concerts.
B.They know how to make a good deal.
C.They know a lot about the hotels and the guests.
D.The come to work even on their days off.
59.By saying “I do wish they would leave me alone at this place”, Mr. Smith ______.
A.showed that he disliked such people at the hotel
B.gave the impression that he was a constant guest
C.tried to make his clients feel sorry for him
D.sounded as if he was tired of such greetings
Our brains work in complex and strange ways.There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years, but who cannot add two plus two.Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once, but they cannot read or write.
Dr.J.Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887.He called these people idiot savants.An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental impairment (损伤) , such as in autism ( 孤独症,自闭症) or retardation.At the same time, the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills, which are unusual for most people.The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics, or having a photographic memory.
One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr.Benjamin Rush, an American doctor.His patient, Thomas Fuller, was brought to Virginia as a slave in1724.It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds.Despite this ability, he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write.
Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s.Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words, but he played 5 ,000 musical pieces beautifully.
In the excellent movie Rain Man, made in 1988 and available on video cassette, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise, with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly.
Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment.Yet not all brain impairment leads to savant skills.Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills.However few people wish to participate in such experiments.There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one's brain.The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate.Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Idiot savants have areas of outstanding abilities. |
B.Human Beings have complicated thinking process. |
C.The brains of the idiot savants are partly impaired. |
D.The reasons why people have wonderful skills vary. |
Which of the following can be done by Rain Man?
A.He can play wonderful pieces of classical music. |
B.He can guess out exactly the length of a man's life. |
C.He can memorize the contents of the pictures fast. |
D.He can count matches dropped on the floor quickly. |
What can you infer from the passage?
A.Idiot savants have real talents for art and math. |
B.Dr.Down is the first person who found idiot savants. |
C.Few people wish to risk becoming savants by brain operations. |
D.Intentional left brain impairments will surely lead to idiot savants. |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?