Even as Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wrapped up a tired appearance before Congress,the head of the world’s largest automaker wasn’t leaving his problems behind.
Toyota faces a criminal investigation by federal lawyers in New York.The company is now being investigated.Its US dealerships in difficulty now are facing repairs to potentially millions of customer cars that have been recalled.The company is offering customers money back for rental cars and other expenses.
Its lawyers are busy preparing to cope with lawsuits.A new hearing will be conducted. And the cost to Toyota’s reputation is only now starting.
Despite back-to-back hearings this week,left to be said were a better explanation for slow actions to deal with the faults and believable promises that the problems that led to sudden,unintended accelerations will be fixed.
Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock,but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated that there was no link to the vehicle’s electronic systems.
Many drivers making complaints against Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference(油门踏板故障)or sticky gas pedals(刹车).Outside experts have suggested electronic problems.
House lawmakers expressed serious criticism on Toyoda,the grandson of the company’s founder.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)is seeking records on Toyota’s recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the car faults.NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model.
Toyota has recalled 8.5 million cars,more than 6 million of them in the United States.
It may be a while before car buyers believe that Toyota really makes safe cars.
Toyota’s January sales already fell 16 percent even as most other automakers jumped back from last year’s bad results.Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales,due out next week,to be down 30 percent to 40.Toyota’s sales problem could continue beyond that.
It will take some time to feel the full effect of this,he said.
68.The best title for this passage is_________.
A.Toyota is in trouble B.Toyota is under hearing
C.Toyota is finished D.Toyota is still running
69.What is the purpose of the hearing?
A.America hopes that Toyota apologizes to the US customers.
B.America wants to get Toyota out of the US market.
C.America wants to help Toyota out of difficulty.
D.America hopes that Toyota admits their cars have electronic system problem.
70.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Toyota provides very good post sale service.
B.Toyota’s biggest market is in the United States.
C.Toyota will be closed soon.
D.Toyota’s dealership in the US will all be closed.
71.The last sentence of this passage indicates______
A.Analyst Koji Endo is fully confident about Toyota
B.Toyota could meet a worse situation
C.Toyota would get out of trouble sooner or later
D.Toyota would build up a better reputation among its customers
Ⅱ阅读(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D 选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly (均匀的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said. “Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and neglect (忽略) the mouth.”
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than Westerners did. “The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said. “Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less.”
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
26. The discovery shows that Westerners _______.
A. pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouthB. consider facial expressions universally reliable
C. observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways
D. have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions
27. What were the people asked to do in the study?
A. To make a face at each other. B. To get their faces impressive.
C. To classify some face pictures. D. To observe the researchers' faces.
28. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 6 refer to?
A. The participants in the study. B. The researchers of the study.
C. The errors made during the study. D. The data collected from the study.
29. In comparison with Westerners, Easterners are likely to _______.
A. do translation more successfully B. study the mouth more frequently
C. examine the eyes more attentively D. read facial expressions more correctly
30. What can be the best title for the passage?
A. The Eye as the Window to the Soul B. Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions
C. Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills D. How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding
Five Olympic mascots were announced exactly 1000 days before the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony. The long--anticipated mascots represent four of China's most popular animals — the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope and the swallow .The fifth mascot is the brightly burning Olympic flame.
Each of the mascots has a repeated two-syllable name. This type of name is a traditional way of showing affection for children in China. BeiBei is the fish, JingJing is the panda, HuanHuan is the Olympic flame, YingYing is the Tibetan antelope and NiNi is the swallow. The first characters of their two-syllable names read “Beijing Huanying Ni,” or, in English, “Welcome to Beijing.”
The five elements of nature, including the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky are found in the mascot's origins and headpieces. These special headpieces also display the folk and culture of China. Each mascot also symbolizes a different blessing ---prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck.
It is the first time more than three mascots will share the important duty of representing their host country. Han Meilin, chief of the mascot design team explained that, “China has such a rich culture that no single mascot could possibly represent it! That is why we chose to produce five mascots instead of one.”
Called the “Five Friendlies,” the figures embody(体现) the Chinese people’s hope for peace and friendship in the world and the spirit of the Olympics, representing not only multi-ethnic(多民族的) cultures of China, but also the traditional Chinese philosophy of harmony between humans and nature.
In order to help Beijing 2008 spread its theme of One World, One Dream to every continent, the Five Friendlies reflect the deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Games — and to invite every man, woman and child to take part in the great celebration of human union in 2008.
51. What’s the theme of Beijing 2008 Olympics?
A.Welcome to Beijing.
B.Prosperity, Happiness, Passion, Health and Good luck.
C.New Beijing, New Olympics.
D.One World, One Dream.
52. What did Han Meilin, chief of the mascot design team, think of the five mascots?
A.He thought highly of the five mascots.
B.No single mascot could represent China.
C.The five mascots represented the culture of China.
D.They would reflect the desire of Chinese people.
53. Which of the following statements is not true?
A.It’s for the first time that five mascots are chosen to represent their host country in the Olympic history.
B.One of the five mascots YingYing stands for the Olympic flame.
C.Beijing announced its five 2008 Olympic mascots just 1000 days before the big event.
D.The five mascots express affection for Chinese children by two-syllable names.
54. Which of the following best reflects the main idea of the passage?
A.The 29th Olympic Games will be held in Beijing in 2008.
B.The theme of 2008 Beijing Olympics — One World, One Dream.
C.The significance of five 2008 Olympic mascots — the Five Friendlies.
D.How the Five Fantastic Mascots came into being.
55. What do the five mascots — the Five Friendlies represent?
A.“Beijing Huanying Ni,” or, in English, “Welcome to Beijing.”
B.Chinese multi-ethnic cultures, philosophy of harmony between humans and nature and five elements of nature.
C.Chinese people’s hope for peace and friendship in the world and the spirit of the Olympics.
D.The deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Olympics.
The naive fellow has never met a thief and firmly believes that he lives in a world without thieves. And, the female thief fights against other thieves only to protect this guy's "daydream". Sound strange? Then go to the cinema to see what happens in "A World Without Thieves" (Tianxia Wuzei). It's the latest offering from Chinese director Feng Xiaogang. The film will hit mainland cinemas on December 9, 2004.
Adapted from the book of the same name, it tells the story of a couple, both of them skillful thieves, who find their consciences on a thief-filled train.
Wang Bo (Andy Lau, or Liu Dehua) is a master pickpocket from Hong Kong. Wang Li (Rene Liu, or Liu Ruoying) is a "talented" cheat from Taiwan. They're partners in crime and passion, and cheat their way across China, until one day they run into Shagen (Wang Baoqiang) at a railway station.
An orphan since birth, Shagen spends more time with wolves than with men. He believes in the basic goodness of human nature and is convinced that he lives in a world without thieves. Having saved up 60,000 yuan after five years of hard work, he decides to go back to his hometown, build a house and get married.
However, the train Shagen boards is full of thieves. Besides Wang Bo and Wang Li, there is a gang of highwaymen under the control of Uncle Bill (Ge You). While Bill's men are trying to get Shagen's savings, Wang Li takes it on herself to be his protector.
Feng Xiaogang has become a supplier of New Year's movies in China. For four consecutive years, he has caused a nationwide media excitement at the end of each year. That started with 1998's "The Dream Factory" (Jiafang Yifang) and ran to last year's "Cell phone" (Shouji).
With "A World without Thieves", Feng tries his hand at something beyond his standard humor. For the first time, he employs a lot of special effects.
"I do like comedy, but I also want to know where my limits lie," said Feng, "The film is an experiment. It has special skills, love between thieves, as well as the rediscovery of conscience."
Feng says the film is more like a fairy tale: It's two thieves trying to protect someone's "daydream". "You see, a fairy tale may expose more about life and human nature than another story. You don't change the world with a film, but you make people see and feel innocence, and that's my power. "
46. The underlined word “naive” means _________.
A. lovely B. interesting C. innocent D. smart
47. Which of the following films is not directed by Feng Xiaogang?
A. Red River Valley B. A World Without Thieves
C. The Dream Factory D. Cellphone
48. It can be inferred from the text that _________.
A.Feng Xiaogang has directed more than three films since 1998.
B.This film was first on show on December 9, 2004.
C.Wang Bo and Wang Li are in the charge of Uncle Bill.
D.Feng Xiaogang likes fairy tales.
49. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A.Introduction of Feng Xiaogang
B.Introduction of Liu Dehua
C.Brief introduction of Feng’s film — A World Without Thieves
D.Feng’s opinion about his film — A World Without Thieves
50. What’s Feng’s opinion about this film?
A.All the World is peaceful and perfect objects.
B.The power of the film is to make people see and feel innocence.
C.It’s only a fairy tale.
D.Let people rediscover their consciences by this film.
III. 阅读(共两节,满分40分)
第一节:阅读理解(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A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Whether you’re headed to another country for business or pleasure, it is likely that you need to keep in touch with family or business partners in the United States. But if you plan to do that using your cell phone, you could have an unwelcome surprise-U.S. cell phones don’t work abroad. U.S. companies use different forms of technology, not like most of the international community, including Europe.
However, there is an easy, cost-effective solution(方法) to staying in touch while you’re traveling. You Can rent a phone that is guaranteed to work in the countries you’re visiting. Roadpost offers a 30-day cell phone rental plan that includes free incoming calls, free voicemail and call waiting services.
The service is convenient and simple. You can place your order online and your phone will be shipped to arrive on the date you want. If an unexpected business trip comes up, Roadpost can provide next-day delivery for most cities. In addition to the phone, Roadpost provides a spare battery, travel charger and a leather carrying case.
When your phone is shipped from Roadpost, you receive an e-mail confirmation that contains your international cell phone number so you can leave it with family members and business partners; Roadpost even provides business cards preprinted with your international phone number.
Those who don’t want to be without e-mail while traveling can rent an international BlackBerry. It can be hard to stay in touch by e-mail when traveling. With an international BlackBerry, you can email as much as you like, without worrying about an expensive bill. If you’re traveling to very remote areas, you may want to consider renting a satellite phone: Because they receive their signals from satellites, these phones work anywhere on the
planet, including oceans and mountains. When you return, simply ship the phone or BlackBerry back to Roadpost using the return kit the company provides.
41. According to the text, Roadpost probably is______.
A. an organization that offers some free services
B. a person who offers some advice to foreign tourists
C. a company that rents cell phones to Americans going abroad
D. a Person who makes travel plans for Americans
42. The first paragraph mainly tells us that ______.
A. Americans need to change their cell phones
B. European form of technology is different from America's
C. U.S. cell phones don't work abroad
D. Americans who go abroad will meet an unwelcome surprise
43. Which of the following will help you a lot in mountainous areas?
A. BlackBerry. B. The return kit.
C. E-mail. D. Satellite phones.
44. According to the text, it can be inferred that ______.
A. an international BlackBerry is mainly used to send e-mail
B. Roadpost can offer cell phones using in different areas
C. you should select a bag used to send your cell phone
D. Roadpost's service is convenient and simple
45. Which of the free services can you get from Road post?
A. Voicemail. B. Sending e-mail.
C. Shipping the phone back. D. Call waiting services.
Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake capitals of the world – Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey – rats will soon be man’s new best friends.
What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.
How does it work? First , the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal(信号).This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.
Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, “Robots’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that. ” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity!
The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we couldn’t get to, and a rat would get out if it wasn’t safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building(but only after an earthquake, of course.)
71.In the world earthquake capitals, rats will become man’s best friends because they can .
A.take the place of man’s rescue jobs
B.find the position of people alive who are trapped in buildings
C.serve as food for people alive who are trapped in buildings
D.get into small spaces
72.From the third paragraph we know the rescuers can judge a person is alive by .
A.the noise made by the rat
B.the rat’s unusual behaviour
C.the signal sent by the radio on the rat’s back
D.the smell given off by the person
73.In doing rescue jobs,.
A.rats smell better than dogs
B.dogs don’t need to be trained to smell people
C.robots’ sense of smell can be affected by other smells around
D.rats can see in the dark and smaller than robots
74.Rats have all the following advantages except that. w
A.they are more fantastic than other animals
B.they are less expensive to train than dogs
C.they don’t need electricity
D.they are small and can get into small places
75.After reading the passage we can know.
A.at present rats have taken the place of dogs in searching for people
B.the “rat project” has been finished
C.people are now happy to see a rat in a building
D.now people still use dogs and robots in saving people