February 24,2008 saw thieves break into the showroom of an Italian jeweler liked by Hollywood stars and stole things worth up to 10 million dollars while its owners were in Los Angeles hosting a party to celebrate the Oscars．
The robbery，which took place at the Damiani showroom in Milan’s fashion district that morning，was compared later with the“perfect scenes”in films such as Ocean’s Eleven and The Italian Job．
The thieves had spent more than a month digging a tunnel from a disused cellar(地下室)in a building joined to the showroom．The digging had been heard for weeks but was thought to be part of continuing building works next door. The four thieves，dressed in balaclavas，sunglasses and fake uniforms of the Guards, used an inside stair to reach the first floor，thus avoiding alarms(警报器) and video cameras．
The showroom had been opened for a private viewing and there were five employees inside，including a cleaning lady and a member of the staff，as well as the manager. The thieves said they were there to check the accounts(账目)，then knocked down the staff，tied them up with ropes，covered their mouths with tape and locked them in the washroom. They then helped themselves to jewelry and left the way they had come．
The entire operation had taken little more than 40 minutes．The employees managed to free themselves and raise the alarm，but by then the thieves were long gone．The police said that they were looking into whether the robbers had“inside assistance”that had helped them to avoid the alarms and cameras．
45．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．A perfect robbery B．10 million of Jewelry Stolen
C．The Italian Thie
ves D．An Italian Jeweler
46．Why didn’t the thieves appear in the cameras? Perhaps because ．
A．there was something wrong with the cameras then
B．the thieves entered the showroom through an inside stair
C．the employees were too frightened to open the cameras then
D．the cameras didn’t work with the uniforms of the guards
47．Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．The Italian jeweler was popular with some famous American film stars．
B．The thieves went into a disused tunnel into the showroom．
C．When the robbery took place，there was no one in the showroom．
D．One of the jeweler employees must have helped the robbery secretly．
48．We can learn from the passage that
A．The items were so dear that no one coul
d afford to buy one．
B．The thieves left the showroom from where they came into it．
C．The most valuable jewels survived the robbery．
D．The jeweler had to close down because of the showroom robbery．
The 1980s was called the “Me Decade” because for many this time was marked by a fascination with the self. The idea that each person has a self may seem natural to us, but this concept is actually quite new. The idea that each human life is unique developed between the 11th and 15th centuries in Europe. Before that time, individuals were considered in relation to a group, and even today, many eastern cultures place more emphasis on the importance of a collective self than on a unique and independent self.
Both
eastern and western cultures see the self as divided into an inner, private self and an outer, public self. But where they differ is in terms of which part is seen as the “real you.” Western culture tends to promote the idea of individuality—a self that is separated from other selves. In contrast, many eastern cultures focus on an inter-independent self that gets its diversity in large part from inter-relationship with others.
For example, a Confucian(孔子) idea stresses the importance of “face”—other people’s views of the self and keeping up one’s desired status in their eyes. In the past, some Asian cultures developed clear rules about the specific clothes and even colors that people in certain social classes and occupations were allowed to display, and these live on today in Japanese style manuals. This style of dress is at odds with such western practices as
“casual Fridays,” which encourage employees to dress informally and express their unique selves. According to the passage , what does the author believe about the self?
| A．Many eastern cultures see the self connected with others. |
| B．Those born in the 1980s are generally most self-centered than others. |
| C．The concept that each person has a self may seem strange to eastern cultures |
| D．Western cultures regard the self as an outer, public self while eastern cultures don’t. |
What does the 2nd paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．How eastern and western cultures see the self. |
| B．Eastern cultures contrast sharply with western cultures |
| C．Both eastern and western cultures appreciate the importance of self |
| D．Eastern cultures are as important as western cultures |
A Japanese dress code is mentioned in the last paragraph to _________.
| A．explain the importance of “face” | B．say how traditional the Japanese are |
| C．emphasize the importance of eastern cultures | |
| D．show how eastern cultures see the self in relation to others |
The underlined phrase “at odds with” most probably means_______.
| A．in agreement with | B．in disagreement with |
| C．in comparison with | D．in need of |
One of the most fascinating things about television is the size of the audience. A novel can be on the “bestseller” lists with a sale of up to 100,000 copies, but a popular TV show might have 70 million TV viewers. TV can make anything or anyone well-known overnight.
This is the principle behind “quiz” or “game” shows, which put ordinary people on TV to play a game for prizes and money. A quiz show can make anyone a star, and it can give away thousands of dollars. Charles Van Doren, an English instructor, became rich and famous after winning money on several shows. He even had a career as a television personality. But one of the losers proved that Charles Van Doren was cheating. It turned out that the show’s producers, who were pulling the strings, gave the answers to the most popular competitors in advance. Why? Because if the audience didn’t like the person who won the game, they turned the show off. The result of this cheating was a huge scandal(丑闻). Based on the show off, a movie titled “Quiz Show” is on 40 years later.
Charles Van Doren is no longer involved with TV. But game shows are still here, though they aren’t taken seriously. In fact, some of them try to be as ridiculous as possible. There are shows that send strangers on vacation trips together, or that try to cause newly-married couples to fight on TV, or that punish losers by humiliating(羞辱) them. The entertainment now is to see what people will do just to be on TV. People still win money, but the real prize is to be in front of an audience of millions.What is the most important thing as to television?
| A．How many viewers they can attract | B．Becoming the bestseller on the list |
| C．How much money can be given away | D．The number of people attending shows |
What does the underlined part “pulling the strings” probably mean?
| A．Planning the shows with effort | B．Drawing the curtain on the stage |
| C．Controlling the result secretly | D．Playing “quiz” or “game” openly |
Charles Van Doren stopped his career as a television personality because ________.
| A．he had earned enough wealth and fame. | B．one of the competitors had told the truth |
| C．the film “Quiz Show” was being shown | |
| D．his frequent appearance had bored the audience |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．TV Game Shows are more popular than before. |
| B．the scandal was not made known until 40 years later |
| C．getting money is the only purpose of people taking part in shows |
| D．people can make themselves famous by taking part in shows |
While I was in 9th grade, I built a circuit (电路装置) for the traffic system of our city. After getting the first prize, I got this valuable advice from my father: “Do whatever interests you, and don’t let the work challenge you, make sure you are challenging that work.”
I have always preferred the projects which are challenging and related to real life problems. I clearly remember building a shipping program several years ago. I divided the whole project into several small sections. When I understood it clearly, I used my brainstorming skill on it, and gave some basic ideas. Then I asked my professor for help before jumping into coding (编码). At first, I did not know how to ask questions correctly and always asked the question “How do I do it?” As I kept working and discussed with my professor, I became more comfortable and those “how” questions soon turned into “what if I do this and that” types of questions.
It took me four days to write the code. The desire to solve the problem kept me sleepless all nights brainstorming in even greater details. Every time I saw my program running smoothly, I exploded with joy. I still remember the last day of my work. I was getting some problem and didn’t know what to do. At that moment, a man came in to clean. He had headphones, and he was dancing while cleaning the room. Seeing this, I burst out laughing. That moment calmed me. I regained energy and interest and started to work again, and soon I fixed the problem.
My success in the project proved that breaking up a large problem into small parts could help find a possible solution. Discussing the problem with others was also very beneficial. Now I have gained the confidence to attempt any kind of project. According to the passage, the writer was interested in ______.
| A．developing traffic systems | B．doing challenging projects |
| C．winning great prizes | D．writing different codes |
The writer asked the question “how do I do it” at first because ______.
| A．he had no clear idea about his program | B．he was to o shy to express himself |
C．he wa nted to be understood easily |
D．he preferred this kind of question |
We learn from the passage that the writer’s shipping program ______.
A．would ben efit people a lot |
B．was done together with others |
| C．was difficult and needed patience | D．cost much money and energy |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Do It Yourself | B．No Pains, No Gains |
| C．Learning with Interest | D．Practice Makes Perfect |
Good posture certainly shows good health. It also adds to a body’s energy and beauty. The body is not handsome when the back is bent and neck thrusts forward. Bad posture suggests the impression t
hat a person is tired, lacking in energy, bored, or weak. Tiredness may sometimes be the cause of bad posture. Most often, however, it is due to careless and poor health habits. Whatever it causes, bad posture affects one physically. The muscles are stretched and pulled into unnatural positions, which can lead to poor base of the body’s various systems.
Nutrition is the study of how the body takes food and uses it. This science provides information about the kinds of food a person must eat to improve and maintain good health. Such knowledge helps him develop and form people habits to his problems of healthful living. People habits of nutrition can be developed by paying attention to: (1) the variety of food included in the diet; (2) the quality of each kind of food eaten. A diet, or the food regularly eaten, must contain all the necessary factors.
Many physicians believe that overweight is one of the greatest dangers to good health. This condition often leads to a shorter life. An overweight person is also easier to suffer disease, and various disorders of the digestive system. A person’s weight directly has something to do with the amounts of food he eats.
All foods can make a person fat if too much is eaten. In reducing, the safe weight loss is about two pounds a week. The sensible way to lose weight is to decrease the gaining starchy(含淀粉的) foods, fats and sweets in the diet. According to this passage, which of the following is suggested about the good health habits?
| A．Good way of holding your body. | B．Balanced food. |
C．R ight body weight. |
D．All of the above |
According to this passage, bad posture is most probably caused by_______.
| A．tiredness, boredom and weakness | B．lack of energy |
| C．carelessness and poor health habits | D．overworking and illness |
Which of the following eating habits is NOT proper in terms of maintaining good health?
| A．Vegetables, meat and water only |
| B．A suitable quantity of each kind of food |
| C．Fats being part of diet. |
| D．Various foods included in the diet |
We can infer from the statement “all foods can make a person fat if too much is eaten” that___.
| A．to lose weight you had better eat properly for daily meals |
| B．the most effective way to lose weight is to have no fat and sweet |
| C．even vegetables can make you put on weight, so there is no need to have fat and sweet. |
| D．a shorter life is a sure result of overweight |
We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away pollu
ting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16-year-old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has-discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(降解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair, a ＄10,000 prize, a ＄20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd’s strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms (微生物). If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he grounded plastic bags into a powder and concocted(调制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap, maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer: not much. So I decided to do something myself.” Said Daniel Burd.Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair because .
| A．he found a new kind of microorganism |
B．he contributed much to environmental protection |
C．he found a way to degrad e plastics in shorter time |
| D．he could encourage microbe growth in an easier way |
Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead b
acteria to .
| A．make the live bacteria work better | B．test how effective his method was |
| C．know which bacteria worked faster | D．control the temperature in the process |
Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because .
| A．plastics can get hot easily | B．microbes can produce heat themselves |
| C．much carbon dioxide is produced | D．the temperature can be controlled |
Daniel Burd got his idea from .
| A．his school textbook | B．the failure of researchers |
| C．his everyday work | D．the practice of other people |