第二部分：阅读理解（共20小题;每小题2.5分，满分50分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Do you know about a series of books that say they are "for dummies"? These American self-help books have been translated into more than thirty-nine languages, including Chinese, Arabic, Russian, French, German, Greek and Spanish.
"Dummy" is a word for a stupid person. The dummies books are not really for stupid people. They are designed to show people how to do something they may never have tried before, like painting a house or learning a language. The books all say in a funny way that they are for dummies, such as World History for Dummies, Rabbits for Dummies, Chinese Cooking for Dummies, and Wedding Planning for Dummies. The first such book, DOS for Dummies, was published in 1991. it helped people learn how to use the DOS operating system for computers. Since then, more than one hundred fifty million dummies books have been sold.
The dummies.com website explains the idea behind the books. It says that they show that people can be taught to do anything. First they can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand. Then they show how the information can be interesting and easy. The publishers say that the books do not provide more information than necessary. They give readers just enough information to do what they want. They say that the dummies books give the best and easiest way to do something. And the books use simple and easy language.
There are more than one thousand different dummies books. A report in New York Times says that the top-selling dummies books are those that explain technology and personal finance.
The publishers say that the best-selling dummies books are those providing information many people need —like information about diseases, education and cooking. People interested in opera, car repair and wine can also find dummies books to help them. And there are even more dummies books to come. The publishers say that they publish about two hundred new dummies books every year.
1. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Books for “Dummies”
B. The Easiest, the Best
C. Self-Help Books
D. New Ideas behind the Books
2. According to the dummies.com website, people can ______ with the help of dummies books.
A. simplify some personal things
B. do anything they want
C. become expert in any field
D. learn any foreign language
3. The dummies books have been popular because ______.
A. they provide just what is needed and are easy to understand
B. they provide abundant information on the concerning subject
C. people can learn to do anything with just one copy
D. people can save lots of money through self-teaching
4. According to New York Times, we know that books on ______ sell best.
A. technology and personal finance
B. opera and car repairing
C. diseases and education
D. cooking and world history
5. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The first dummies book was on Chinese cooking.
B. The dummies books will continue to be popular.
C. Fifty million different dummies books have been published.
D. The simple language was intended for child readers.
Many reasons can explain why football is so popular. All around the world, millions play the sport and many more like to watch it. Some would say that the simplicity of the game is the main reason for its popularity, but that can’t be true as, this way, marathons or races would be the most popular sports in the world. In fact, the most popular sport in the world is football.
The main reason for the popularity of any sport is the room for creativity inside the sport. Football has plenty of room for creativity as it enables players to use their bodies in unique ways to get hold of the ball and score while at the same time keeping the other team from scoring. In addition to this, the rules ensure that the game is clean and fair, thus encouraging new players to play it.
Another reason is that this game doesn’t require expensive equipment. All the kids in poor developing countries like playing it as all they need to play it is a ball and an empty playground, and that would ensure a quality time for a group of kids who want to enjoy their time. The Federation International de Football Association (FTFA) knows this fact and is always trying to keep the rules and regulations applicable for poorer countries.
For fans of the sport, it is very entertaining to watch the skills and talents of the players in professional matches. The outcome of a match can easily change in the dying moments of a game. Some matches are even better than watching a thriller, because you really have no idea what the result of the match will be.From the first paragraph, we know that marathons and races _______.
| A．are sports that are as simple as football |
| B．are sports that are simpler than football |
| C．are sports that people like watching most |
| D．are the most popular sports in the world |
We can learn from the text that _____.
| A．football is popular mainly because of its simplicity |
| B．the rules of football make the game safe and simple |
| C．football gives players room for creativity |
| D．playing football can help poor kids earn money |
This fact in the third paragraph refers to ______.
| A．kids need balls and empty playground to play in |
| B．the equipment in developing countries is very cheap |
| C．kids in developing countries enjoy playing football |
| D．kids in developing countries don’t keep football rules |
Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using Web conferencing.
Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It’s an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a Web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants (参与者) must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet.
With Web conferencing all participants attend conference from the comfort of their own desks. Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work is taken up in attending a conference.
Any material to be used during Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing costs for the business.
As a conference hall or business center isn’t being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power that is used by the participants’ personal computers. Similarly, conference organizers don’t have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation. All this means that less energy is used.
Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment. And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Ways of protecting the environment |
| B．Green benefits of Web conferencing |
| C．Ways of hosting a Web conference |
| D．Impact of Web conferencing on costs |
According to paragraph 1, many companies use Web conferencing because they ______.
| A．are interested in using any new technology. |
| B．believe that Web conferencing is more convenient. |
| C．want to do something to protect the environment . |
| D．haven’t enough money to hold a traditional conference. |
The participants of a Web conference _____.
| A．will be e-mailed an invitation before the conference. |
| B．are required to sit in an office together. |
| C．will receive many paper materials. |
| D．must have access to the Internet. |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s opinion about a Web conference?
| A．Useless | B．Environmentally friendly |
| C．Inconvenient | D．Money-consuming |
Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions or complete the statements in no more than 12 words.
The first fast food restaurants opened in the United Sates at the end of the 1950s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the fast food industry continued to expand across the United Sates. Two aspects of American society that helped the fast food industry take off were teenagers and cars. Teenagers were the best workers to fill the low-skill jobs needed to work in fast food restaurants putting together hamburgers, taking orders and frying potatoes. Fast food chains also marketed themselves to people with cars by having drive-thru order windows and car hops. Car hops were waitresses who usually wore roller skates and brought the food outside the restaurant so that people could eat in their cars.
The trend of fast food chains hiring teenagers continues today. One out of every eight Americans has worked at McDonald’s, the largest fast food chain in the United States. Fast food chains used to be found only along highways or in business areas where people need to grab a quick lunch before returning to work. Today, however, fast food restaurants can be found in sports stadiums, airports, gas stations, malls; on college campuses, cruise ships; at K-Mart, Wal-Mart; and in hospital cafeterias.
The popularity of fast food in the United States is related to the idea that people would rather eat in a place they are familiar with rather than try a new place they know nothing about. This is the philosophy behind franchises(特许经营). When a person buys a franchise, they are paying for the use of the company’s name. This system has advantages and disadvantages for the person starting the restaurant. The new franchise owner is called the “franchisee”. The company selling its name is the “franchiser”. The franchiser brings experience, equipment, and a business plan to the deal. The franchisee puts up the money and does all the work. On the negative side, the franchiser gives up some control by not owning each restaurant or store directly. The franchisee gives up her or his ability to make personal decisions because she or he has to obey the rules of the company.
(Note: Answer the question or complete the statement in NO MORE THAN 12 WORDS.)Fast food chains hire teenagers because ________________________________________.
Fast food restaurants used to find its location according to _________________________.
According to the author, what’s the philosophy behind franchises?
What is the advantage of franchise to the franchisee?
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A—F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.
| A. Forecasting Research B. Well-known Weather Forecasters C. Severe Weather Events D. Weather Forecasting E. The Forecasting Process F. Historical Background |
The task of predicting the weather that will be observed at a future time is called weather forecasting. As one of the primary objectives of the science of meteorology, weather forecasting has depended critically on the scientific and technological advances in meteorology that have taken place since the latter half of the 19th century.
Throughout most of history, forecasting efforts at any given site depended solely on observations that could be made at the site. With the development of the telegraph in the mid-1800s, weather forecasters were able to obtain observations from many distant locations within a few hours of the collection of such data. Weather forecasting was revolutionized in the 1920s by the work of a group of Norwegian scientists. This group provided a consistent and empirically based description of atmospheric circulation systems. Current weather-forecasting techniques were initiated by the theoretical work of American meteorologist Jule Charney in developing numerical weather prediction. Experimental numerical forecasts in 1950 proved so fruitful that they were soon adopted on a practical basis. Since then, computerized systems based on numerical models have become a central part of weather forecasting.
The process of making a weather forecast can be separated into three steps: observation and analysis, extrapolation to find the future state of the atmosphere, and prediction of particular variables. The standard extrapolation technique is to assume that weather features will continue to move as they have been moving. In some cases the third step simply consists of noting the results of extrapolation, but actual prediction usually involves considerable efforts beyond this.
Great attention is paid to weather forecasts during times of severe events (blizzard, hurricane and typhoon, tornado), and so forth. Accordingly, the National Weather Service (NWS) commits significant resources to the forecast of such events. Blizzards or strong extra-tropical cycles are handled through the usual forecast information channels, with the local NWS office issuing special advisories as appropriate.
A number of new observing systems are being developed for forecasting purposes. These include the Next-Generation Radar digital weather radar, which is intended to detect motions towards or away from the radar installation. In addition, automated systems are being developed for taking observations at surface stations and on board buoys, ships, and aircraft. The communications, processing, and display systems intended to govern this torrent of further data are still being elaborated.
A new argument has been put forward as to whether penguins are disturbed by the presence of tourists in Antarctica.
Previous research by scientists from Keil University in Germany monitored Adelie penguins and noted that the birds’ heart rates increased dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30 meters away. But new research using an artificial egg, which is equipped to measure heart rates, disputes this. Scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge say that a slow moving human who does not approach the nest too closely, is not viewed as a threat by penguins.
The earlier findings have been used to partly explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of certain types of penguins near tourist sites. However, tour operators have continued to insist that their activities do not adversely affect wildlife in Antarctica, saying they encourage non-disruptive behavior in tourists, and that the decline in penguin numbers is caused by other factors.
Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research Institute spent three southern hemisphere summers at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin behavior towards humans. “A nesting penguin will react very differently to a person rapidly and closely approaching the nest,” says Nimon. “First they exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and then they often flee the nest leaving it open for predators (掠夺者) to fly in and remove eggs or chicks.” The artificial egg, specially for the project, monitored both the parent who had been ‘disturbed’ when the egg was placed in the nest and the other parent as they both took it in turns to guard the nest.
However, Boris Culik, who monitored the Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon’s findings do not invalidate his own research. He points out that species behave differently – and Nimon’s work was with Gentoo penguins. Nimon and her colleagues believe that Culik’s research was methodologically flawed because the monitoring of penguins’ responses needed capturing and restraining the birds and fitting them with beart-rate transmitters. Therefore, argues Nimon, it would not be surprising if they became stressed on seeing a human subsequently. According to the passage, what overall message is presented?
| A．No firm conclusions are drawn. |
| B．Neither Culik’s nor Nimon’s findings are of much value. |
| C．Penguin reduction is closed related to tourist behavior. |
| D．Tourists are not responsible for the fall in penguin numbers. |
Which ONE argument of the following is stated in the passage?
| A．Penguins are harder to research when they have young. |
| B．Tour operators should encourage tourists to avoid Antarctica. |
| C．Not all penguins behave in the same way. |
| D．Penguins need better protection from tourists. |
What do you notice about the views presented in the passage?
| A．They are groundless. |
| B．They are factual. |
| C．They are descriptive. |
| D．They are conflicting. |
What does the underlined word (final line) probably mean?
| A．later on |
| B．carmly |
| C．separately |
| D．in the same place |