Michael Lewis writes about the inner strategies of sports to fans’ delight, and yet describes the personalities and worlds of his real-life characters with such depth that nonfans will enjoy his writing just as much. He looked successfully at baseball management with Moneyball. Now The Blind Side examines the increasing value placed on the left tackle(左后卫)position in football, the high pressure world of college football recruiting(招收队员), and in particular, the life of one promising young left tackle, Mike Oher.
Oher’s story’s attractive. The big boy was silent to the point that many people thought he was mentally disabled. Then, in a lucky break, Oher and a friend are admitted to a very white, private high school, far across town from their own poor African-American neighborhood. Oher is unbelievably far behind academically, but he’s taken under the wing of Sean Tuohy, one of the school’s coaches, a wealthy man whose family Oher eventually joins. Before long, though Oher almost completely lacks football experience, he leads him to new athletic heights and brings on a fierce competition from eager college coaches.
Lewis’s book brings on many interesting questions: How did a kid like Oher get so lost in the college recruiting system at first? How far should the system bend to meet the needs of a few student athletes? Are the Tuohys the most selfless, or are they using Oher themselves? If so, does it matter, if it benefits him? And what should we think of the college recruiting system that comes after him? These are just a few subjects raised by this highly readable book.
No fan of football should pass on this good one, but even if your interest in sports is only mild, consider tracking down the works of Michael Lewis.
72.Michael Lewis is ________.
A. a football player B. a high school student C. a book writer D. a football coach
73.People thought Oher was mentally disabled because ________.
A. he was too tall and heavy B. he seldom spoke with others
C. he was too academically poor D. he was an African-American
74.The third paragraph is intended to ________.
A. explore deep meanings of the book B. tell how hard it is to understand the story
C. question the poor quality of the book D. show what a hot topic the book becomes
75.Which of the following would be the best title?
A. The Blind Side: Progress of a Game B. Michael Lewis: Thinker of Real Life
C. Where Is College Recruiting System Going? D. Where Are the African-Americans Going?
第二部分:阅读理解(第一节 20小题,第二节5小题;每题2分,满分50分)
第一节: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。
A
What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere-on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble – maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature – he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”
41.The whole passage is in a tone of _________.
A.humor and affectionB.respect and harmony
C.ambition and expectation D.confidence and imagination
42.By saying “he has five thumbs on each hand.”, the author means .
A.he has altogether five fingers B.he is slow, foolish and clumsy
C.he becomes clever and smart D.he cuts his hand with a knife
43.According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except _________.
A.ice cream B.comic books C.Saturday mornings D.Sunday schools
44.What does the writer feel about boys?
A.He feels curious about their noise. B.He is fed up with these creatures.
C.He is amazed by their naughtiness. D.He feels unsafe staying with them.
Animals can move from place to place, but plants cannot. When an animal is under attack, it can run away or fight back. Plants certainly cannot run away, and they lack teeth and claws. But plants can defend themselves by using both physical and chemical means.
Some plants have their own ways to keep animals away. For example, the leaves of the holly plant have sharp spines (刺) that discourage grass-eating animals. Holly leaves on lower branches have more spines than leaves on upper branches. This is because the lower leaves are easier for most animals to reach.
Some plants, such as the oak tree, have thick and hard leaves that are difficult for animals to eat. Some grasses may contain a sandy material; eating such grasses wears down the animal’s teeth.
Many plants also have chemical defenses. Some plants produce chemicals that taste bitter or cause an unpleasant reaction. Some plants may fight against an attack by increasing the production of these chemicals. When a caterpillar (毛虫) bites a tobacco leaf, the leaf produces a chemical messenger. This messenger sends to the roots the information to produce more nicotine. The higher levels of nicotine discourage the caterpillar.
Many plants depend on both physical and chemical defenses. A certain plant in China, for instance, has prickly (多刺的) leaves, and each prickle contains poisonous venom (毒液). A single experience with this kind of plant will teach an animal to stay away from it in the future.
67.The holly plant has more spines on the lower leaves because most animals________.
A.are not tall enough
B.like the lower leaves only
C.are not clever enough
D.can get the lower leaves easily
68.To defend themselves, oak trees use________.
A.chemical means B.physical means
C.bitter chemicals D.sandy materials
69.How does tobacco protect itself against an attack from a caterpillar?
A.Its leaves fight against the attack by physical means.
B.Its roots send a messenger to discourage the caterpillar.
C.Its roots increase the production of nicotine when it is attacked.
D.Its leaves produce poisonous sand to drive the caterpillar away.
70.What would be the best title for this passage?
A.Plants and Animals
B.How Plants Defend Themselves
C.Attacks and Defenses
D.How Animals Eat Plant Leaves
Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were being watched? You turned around and,sure enough,someone was looking right at you!
Parapsychologists(灵学家)say that humans have a natural ability to sense when someone is looking at them.To research whether such a“sixth sense”really exists,Robert Baker,a psychologist(心理学家)at the University of Kentucky,performed two experiments.
In the first one.Baker sat behind unknowing people in public places and stared at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes.The subjects(受试者)were eating,drinking,reading,studying,watching TV,or working at a computer.Baker made sure that the people could not tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods.Later,when he questioned the subjects, almost all of them said they had no sense that someone was staring at them.
For the second experiment,Baker told the subjects that they would be stared at from time to time from behind a two-way mirror in a laboratory setting.The people had to write down when they felt they were being stared at and when they weren’t.Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were stared at and when they weren’t.Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were started at than if they had just guessed.
Baker concludes that people do not have the ability to sense when they’re being stared at.If
people doubt the outcome of his two experiments,said Baker,“I suggest they repeat the
experiments and see for themselves.”
64.The purpose of the two experiments is to.
A.prove why humans have a sixth sense
B.explain when people can have a sixth sense
C.show how people act while being watched in the lab
D.study whether humans can sense when they are stared at
65.In the first experiment,the subjects.
A.were not told that they would be stared at
B.lost their sense when they were stared at
C.were not sure when they would be stared at
D.were uncomfortable when they were stared at
66.What can be learned from the passage?
A.People are born with a sixth sense.
B.People have a sixth sense in public places.
C.The experiments support parapsychologists’ idea.
D.The subjects do not have a sixth sense in the experiments.
We’ve all heard the saying “Go Green”, but is it important? Can one person really make any difference? These may all be questions you’re asking yourself.
Our main source of energy, at the moment, is fossil fuels. We’ve been using fossil fuels for decades now, so why stop? You see, fossil fuels are created over time by the earth, and can only be replaced over time by the earth, but we were using them faster than the earth could produce them. On top of stripping(剥夺)the earth of her natural resources, we’re also damaging the atmosphere by burning things like coal, oil, and natural gases. That’s the greenhouse effect, which occurs when the burning of these fossil fuels help trap the sun’s energy inside the earth’s atmosphere, causing the temperature to rise over time.
With all the people in the world, how could you possibly make a difference? Well, here are a few things to think about.
How many lights do you use in your house?
How many miles do you drive to work?
How many electronics do you use, which you don’t need?
If you were to stop and think about it, you’re able to make a bigger difference than you might realize.
So many times you’ll hear people say, “So what? I won’t be around for it when things go bad.” But bad times are coming quicker than you might like to believe. It’ll be you children, or maybe even your grandchildren. With the temperature ever-rising, the polar ice caps are melting and water begins taking over land, so many people will crowd into so little space.
As you can see, this is no laughing matter. It’s time to take action. Don’t let your children or grandchildren live in a world without hope. One person at a time, we can begin to save this earth.
60. The passage is mainly to _______.
A. introduce what “Go Green is”
B. call on us to “Go Green”
C. warn us of the danger of burning fossil fuels
D. introduce the greenhouse effect
61. According to the author, if we want to “Go Green”, we should _______.
A. use natural resources
B. make the temperature to be lower
C. stop the greenhouse effect
D. try to avoid using fossil fuels
62. According to the author, some people don’t take “Go Green” seriously because they think ______.
A. it will cost them a lot
B. its harm won’t fall on them
C. they haven’t grandchildren at all
D. it is only a laughing matter
63. According to the author, which is the right order of the following things happening?
a. The rise of temperature.
b. The greenhouse effect.
c. The reduction of land.
d. The rising sea level.
e. The melting polar ice caps.
f. The using of fossil fuels.
A. f,b,e,d,a,c B. b,a,f,d,c,e C. f,b,a,e,d,c D. b,a,e,d,c,f
There were a lot of hardships when growing up, but there were a lot of fond memories as well.
Back in those days, we had very little money, so we couldn’t afford a garden tractor that could make gardening easier. All the preparations has to be done by hand with hoes(锄头),shovels and Daddy’s trusty plow(犁).
Part of my job in the garden was planting the seeds. I would sow the seeds and Daddy would come behind me with the plow and cover them. I liked to walk behind Daddy when he was planting. Every step he took left an impression. I would try to make my short legs match his stride(大步)and put my tiny feet in his footprints.
One of my gardening tasks was finding worms. We didn’t use a lot of pesticides so we often had worms. Some worms were harder to find because sometimes they would get on the bottom side of the leaves and have a similar color to that of the plant. I had to look very closely for them.
Next came the harvest. That was my mum’s busiest time. There were tomatoes, peas, corn and beans that all had to be washed and “put up” for the winter.
We would sit out in the yard late in the evening when air was cooler until midnight. I would sit and attentively listen to my mum and daddy to tell stories about their past. I loved those times because they created the most precious memories of all for me.
We may not have had too many material possessions, but we had a lot of love. I think our working together as a family to put food on the table helped to strengthen out ties to each other and kept us close.
56. What did the author like to do as a child in the garden?
A. Put up tomatoes, peas, corn and beans for the winter.
B. Follow his father’s footsteps.
C. Plow and cover the seeds.
D. Listen to his parents to tell stories.
57.The underlined word “Pesticides” (in Paragraph 4) most probably means “things that _______”.
A. can make plants grow more quickly
B. can affect the growth of plants
C. kill worms
D. benefit worms
58. What does the author think of his childhood?
A. Poor and miserable. B. Rich and fruitful.
C. Sad and unforgettable. D. Hard but precious.
59. What does the author intend to tell us?
A. Learning to help parents is very important.
B. Family members’ working together is precious.
C. Staying in a garden is helpful to one’s development.
D. A person should be hard-working from childhood.