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。
If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are．
Take the taxi drivers for example．Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two US dollars a kilometer．You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare．The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety．
The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners．Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals．The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card to the waiter．With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge．
The Finnish workers are paid by the hour．They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate．From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly．
With so many loopholes（漏洞） in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”．But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms．And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in．As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”．
In a society of such high moral practice, what need is there for people to be on guard against others?
56．While taking a taxi in Finland, a passenger __________．
A．can go anywhere without having to pay the driver
B．only pays two US dollars for a taxi ride
C．can never be turned down by the taxi driver wherever he wants to go
D．needs to provide good faith demonstration before leaving without paying
57．We can know from the passage that in Finland __________．
A．both hotel guests and outside diners are served food free of charge
B．big hotels provide meals for all kinds of diners
C．guests can enjoy free food once they stayed in the hotel
D．big hotels are mostly poorly managed
58．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Generally speaking, in Finland, workers can get more pay by working long hours．
B．The workers and their bosses will make an agreement in advance about the pay．
C．The workers are always honest with their working hours．
D．The bosses are too busy to check the working hours of their employees．
59．It can be concluded that _________．
A．Finnish people are really foolish in daily life
B．Finland has been a good place for cheats
C．the Finnish society is of very high moral level
D．all the Finns are rich and therefore honest
When I was younger, I thought that boys and grown men should not cry. The tears were signs of being weak and a sissy(胆小鬼), which a man is not supposed to be. This was even strengthened in my young mind when the song, Boys Don't Cry, came out in the early 1980s.
But just this June, I discovered that courage is not all about trying to keep all the pain inside in check. Courage is not all about trying to hide the tears. It is the opposite — the tears strengthen the heart's courage. And I saw this in my father. That day my father cried.
My 18-year-old sister eloped (私奔) and from it I saw how weak my father's heart was. My sister and I were used to seeing him as an iron-willed figure and authoritarian father.
For three days after my sister eloped, he would not talk. He would just sit quietly outside our house in the dark. On the fourth night, I sat beside him and asked him to tell me what he felt about everything.
It has been years since I have laid my hand on my father's shoulder as we have drifted apart (疏远) farther and farther while I was growing up. That night，though, I sensed my father trying to control his pain and I wanted him to be able to let it out. We have all cried over what happened except him. All of us except him.
The simple touch and my words, “Dad, it is not your fault.”, broke my father's dam. In the darkness, he began to cry. I felt his shoulders shaking as he whispered, "Where did I go wrong? All I ever wanted was for my children to grow up right. Why couldn't your sister wait?"
I understood then why he preferred to be in the dark. By being there, he hoped to spare his family of a father's pain. His tears, though we did not see them before that night, were there all the same. I saw his courage, that night when my father cried with my hand on his shoulder, and understood his pain.
Why did the author think men shouldn’t cry when he was younger?
(No more than 12 words) (3 marks)
____________________________________________________________________________According to the author and his sister, what kind of person was their father?
(No more than 6 words) (2 marks)
____________________________________________________________________________How did the author make his father let out his pain?
(No more than 9 words) (3 marks)
____________________________________________________________________________ When did the author see his father’s courage?
(No more than 7 words) (2 marks)
___________________________________________________________________________.
If you are sending a text message, watching TV or listening to the radio, you may stop and give this your full attention. Multi-tasking shrinks(使……萎缩) the brain, research suggests.
A study found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain. University of Sussex researchers said, “Using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices simultaneously could be changing the structure of our brains.”
Worryingly, the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion. The finding follows research which has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span, depression, anxiety and lower grades at school.
The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology. This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email, or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the internet. The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC)(前扣带皮质). Scientists have proved that brain structure can be changed on exposure to fresh environments and experience.
Other studies have shown that training – such as learning to play magic tricks or taxi drivers’ learning the map of London – can increase grey-matter densities(密度) in certain parts.
Experts have also warned of the harmful impact technology can have on our memory and attention span. The University of California team conducted a survey of more than 18,000 people aged between 18 and 99, and found 20% had problems with memory. Researchers were shocked greatly by the 14% of 18 to 39-year-old people who also worried about their memories.
Multi-tasking may shorten attention span, making it harder to focus and form memories, the researchers said, adding that youngsters may be particularly affected by stress.
The underlined word "simultaneously" in Para.2 means _________.
| A．on one’s own | B．at no time |
| C．at the same time | D．by accident |
All of the following are possible effects of multi-tasking except _________.
| A．saving time | B．a shortened attention span |
| C．lower grades at school | D．depression and anxiety |
What can increase grey-matter densities?
| A．Sending a text message while listening to music . |
| B．Students’ doing their homework. |
| C．Taxi drivers’ learning the map of London. |
| D．Speaking on the phone while watching TV. |
In which section of a newspaper can the passage be found?
| A．Entertainment. | B．Economy. |
| C．Tourism. | D．Science. |
Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
| A．Media multi-tasking is becoming more popular. |
| B．Multi-tasking shrinks the brain. |
| C．Multi-tasking may shorten attention span. |
| D．People are worried about their memories. |
When introducing American universities, some of the first institutions to mention are the Ivy League schools. Originally, the Ivy League was an athletic conference made up of 8 private institutes of higher learning in northeastern United States. However, as time went on, these schools also became known for their excellence in academics besides athletics. Included in the Ivy League schools are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and Harvard University. These 8 schools have been recognized as some of the best colleges and universities in the United States.
Harvard University is a private institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The university includes a number of graduate and professional schools, as well as a college for undergraduates. In 2012, Harvard ranked number one in US News’ ranking of national universities again. Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institute of higher education in the United States. It can be said that first there was Harvard, then the United States of America. Also, Harvard’s library contains the oldest collection of books in the United States as well as the largest private collection in the world. Harvard has also been described by Forbes Magazine as one of the “billionaire universities” as of their recent list of 469 billionaires, 50 received a degree from Harvard.
Harvard College (the institute for undergraduate students) is one of the most famous schools in the United States. It offers over 40 undergraduate fields of study, including astrophysics, mathematics, neurobiology(神经生物学), etc. And the financial aid program there is amazing. Even though the tuition is about 37,576, and there are other expenses throughout the year, about 70% of undergraduate students received financial aid. Out of those students, over 90% of them had their full need met. And the policies for international students are the same for U.S. citizens.
Harvard College is very selective, as it only admits about 6% of their applicants. For admission into Harvard College, it is required that students take the SAT or the ACT, as well as 2 SAT Subject Tests. Harvard will also look at other factors during admission such as your application essay, high school transcript, work experience, GPA (Grade Point Average), your interview, recommendations, and most importantly, your character and personal qualities.
What are the Ivy League schools famous for?
| A．Athletics and location. |
| B．Academics and history. |
| C．Financial aid and training. |
| D．Athletics and academics. |
Harvard University includes .
| A．a number of colleges for undergraduates |
| B．a kindergarten, a middle school and a college |
| C．many graduate and professional schools and a college for undergraduates |
| D．only one college |
Why is Harvard called one of the “billionaire universities”?
| A．Because nearly one ninth of the billionaires once studied in Harvard. |
| B．Because there are 50 billionaires in Harvard. |
| C．Because people can get a lot of money from Harvard. |
| D．Because 469 billionaires sponsor Harvard. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．90% students in Harvard have their full need met. |
| B．About 70% of undergraduate students received financial aid. |
| C．Harvard College is the institute for graduate students. |
| D．The policies for international students are different for U.S. citizens. |
To be admitted by Harvard, you need _________.
①high school transcript
②a good application essay
③living permit
④to take the SAT or the ACT
⑤health certificate
⑥good personal qualities
| A．①②③ | B．④⑤⑥ | C．①③⑤ | D．②④⑥ |
I had been looking forward to my sister Patti’s visit for weeks. I had the whole thing planned. It would be one of our usual short-but-sweet get-togethers: a nice meal, some shopping, an outing with our kids.
When Patti arrived, lunch was cooking on the stove. Everything was perfect. Then, a few minutes later, a terrific clap of thunder rattled the window. A storm had sped in out of nowhere. The lights went out — for the next 12hours.
It seemed like a disaster. Our long-awaited plans! My homemade lunch! Seeing the unfinished pork, we had to eat cold food. We didn’t know what we can do next. The children asked, “Can we watch TV?” “The TV isn’t working.” I explained. So they begged, “Well, how about a video, then?” “How about computer games?” “Can’t you just microwave some popcorn?” I quickly realized just how much we all took electricity for granted.
But as the evening wore on, I also realized I had been taking something else for granted: the power of relationships. The point of my sister’s visit was not that we could go shopping. It didn’t matter whether we took our kids to the zoo. What counted were the people, not the plans.
We all sang old camp songs and put on shadow plays. After the kids eagerly went to bed with their own flashlights, Patti and I brought chairs onto my small front porch (门廊). At first we talked about our ruined plans. Then we sat back silently, listening to the rain dropping through the trees. I hadn’t sat out there in ages, and night air felt cool. We began to talk about our friends. We planned our parents’ upcoming anniversary party. Our conversation went to places it hadn’t gone in years.
I realized that what Patti and I had been looking forward to most was each other — something that often seemed vague on past short visits. Those get-togethers have always been enjoyable, but I must admit that they tend to melt together in my memory. That night the lights went out, on the other hand, they will burn brightly for a long time.
The author planned to do something for her sister’s visit except __________.
| A．seeing a film | B．doing some shopping |
| C．cooking a nice meal | D．going out with their kids |
Why did the lights go out?
| A．Because thunder rattled the window. |
| B．Because a storm came. |
| C．Because someone played a trick on them. |
| D．Because they planned so. |
It can be inferred from the passage that__________.
| A．their get-togethers were usually long |
| B．the author prepared a party for Patti’s visit |
| C．the author and Patti talked a lot this time |
| D．the lunch was ready when Patti arrived |
On the night without power, the author was at last.
| A．mad | B．grateful | C．sad | D．awful |
What did the author try to convey through this passage?
| A．A lot of things can be done when the electricity is cut off. |
| B．The plan should be more careful. |
| C．We should always turn off the lights. |
| D．What counts are the people, not the plans. |
Since Henry Ford turned it into a mass-market product a century ago, the car has delivered many benefits. It has promoted economic growth, increased social mobility and given people a lot of fun. But the car has also brought many problems. It pollutes the air, creates traffic jams and kills people. An astonishing 1.24 million people die, and as many as 50 million are hurt, in road accidents each year.
Drivers and passengers waste around 90 billion hours in traffic jams each year. In some car-choked cities as much as a third of the petrol used is burned by people looking for a space to park.
Fortunately, a new technology promises to make motoring safer, less polluting and less tendency to hold-ups. “Connected cars”--which may eventually develop into driverless cars but for the foreseeable future will still have a human at the wheel-can communicate wirelessly with each other and with traffic-management systems, avoid walkers and other vehicles and find open parking spots.
Some parts of the transformation are already in place. Many new cars are already being fitted with equipment that lets them keep their distance and stay in a motorway automatically at a range of speeds. Soon, all new cars in Europe will have to be able to warn the emergency services if their on-board sensors(传感器) discover a crash. Singapore has led the way with using variable tolls(道路通行费) to smooth traffic flows during rush-hours; Britain is pioneering “smart motorways”, whose speed limits vary constantly to achieve a similar effect. Combined, these new inventions could create a much more highly effective system in which cars and their drivers are constantly warned of dangers and showed the ways, traffic always flows at the proper speed and vehicles can travel closer together, yet with less risk of crashing.
In the past, more people driving meant more roads, more jams, more death and more pollution. In future, the connected car could offer mankind the pleasures of the road with rather less of the pain.According to Paragraph 2, the problem of parking has resulted in ______.
| A．more time on the road |
| B．a great waste of fuel |
| C．even heavier traffic jams |
| D．increased death and injuries |
What does “a similar effect” in the Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．Reducing traffic jams. |
| B．Building smart motorways. |
| C．Setting proper speed limits. |
| D．Keeping steady traffic flows. |
What is the author’s attitude towards connected cars?
| A．Curious. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Disappointed. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
| A．The Future of Cars: Wireless Wheels |
| B．The Future Traffic Management System |
| C．The Benefits and Problems of Cars |
| D．The Promising Future of Car Production |