第二部分：阅读理解（第一节20小题；第二节共5小题；每小题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。
When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California．Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times．Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school．He was classified as educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers．But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room．His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride．Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident．After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper．
Today we buried our 20-year-old son．He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night．How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time．If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you．”
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him．I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people．
When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc．, your angry feelings won’t amount to much．
I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance．Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation．The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died．He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you．Got to go to work．Bye．” He gave me something to treasure forever．
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care．
1．According to the passage, we know that ____．
A．Jim kept to himself B．Jim did very well in his studies
C．Jim’s parents were patient with him D．Jim failed to finish his high school
2．The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 means ____．
A．annoying B．aggressive C．impatient D．thrilling
3．By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the author intends to ____．
A．mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident
B．remind people to be cautious of motorcycles
C．advise people to take the chance to express their love in time
D．appreciate more of life than ever before
4．What can be the best title of the passage?
A．Love Your Family． B．Do It Today．
C．Walk with Pride． D．Appreciate Smiles．
D
Amazon is taking a leap into movie production, planning to fund a dozen original feature films each year, and to compress the time it takes to move them from theatres to viewers’ homes.
The first film projects are expected to begin production at Amazon Studios later this year, and to make their first public appearance in U.S. theatres. But Amazon plans to push them to its Prime Instant Video subscription service as little as 30 to 60 days later.
The long-standing timeline for movie releases is already under pressure, and Amazon’s latest move is another step toward collapsing it to satisfy increasingly impatient audiences. But where competitor Netflix Inc. has sought to do away with wait times entirely.
When Netflix promised last October to commission a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and to release it on its streaming site the same day when it would open in theatres in the fall of 2015, cinema owners refused. “We believe the theatrical window is an important part of the overall movie sales cycle,” a spokesperson for theatre chain said.
Paul, a senior media analyst, expects many of Amazon’s original movies will have the feel of independent films with their more challenging subject matter, often made for $10-million or less. The goal isn’t to go toe to toe with “the big blockbuster machine,” with their $100-million-plus production budgets.“I don’t see this as laying down the gauntlet,” Mr. Dergarabedian said. “It’s a strategy of co-existence.”
Prime Instant Video offers online access to a wide array of films and television shows for $99 (U.S.) a year. But it is not currently available in Canada, unless viewers use a virtual private network to disguise their location.
The new company, Amazon Original Movies, will be led by Ted Hope, an American independent filmmaker.
“Audiences already recognize Amazon has raised the bar with productions in the episodic realm, coping with bold material in unique ways and teaming with top talent, both established and emerging,” Mr. Hope said.Why does Amazon begin to make original feature films?
| A．To attract more Prime Instant Video customers |
| B．To win the Golden Globe Award |
| C．To cooperate with Netflix Inc. |
| D．To contribute to the film industry. |
The original films that Amazon release _______.
| A．may not use new actors |
| B．will first be shown in Canadian theatres |
| C．may be seen at home two months after they are released |
| D．may not be welcome in the US |
From the passage we can infer the theatre _______.
| A．doesn’t want to show Amazon’s new films |
| B．prefers to co-operate with Netflix Inc. |
| C．will make more profits because Amazon’ films cost less. |
| D．doesn’t like the time being shortened from theatres to homes |
What does the underlined word “compress” mean?
| A．Lengthen. | B．Shorten. |
| C．Increase. | D．Quit. |
What can be the best title?
| A．Amazon comes into world market. |
| B．Amazon has a bright future. |
| C．Amazon jumps into movies |
| D．The competition in film industry becomes serious. |
C
The spread of Western eating habits around the world is bad for human health and the environment. Those findings come from a new report in the journal Nature.
There are ways to solve this diet-health-environment problem. But they will require a change in eating habits. And what we eat can be a product of culture, personal taste, price and ease.
David Tilman , a professor of ecology, examined information from 100 countries to identify what people ate and how diet affected health and found as nations industrialized, population increased and earnings rose, more people began to adopt what has been called the Western diet.
The Western diet is high in refined or processed sugar, fat, oil and meat. By eating these foods, people began to get fatter -- and sicker.
David Tillman says overweight people are at greater risk for non-infectious diseases like diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
Unfortunately when people become industrialized, if they adopt this Western diet, they are going to have these same health impacts, and in some cases if you are Asian, you have them more seriously than what happens in the West."
China, he says, is an example where the number of diabetes cases has jumped. And that’s happening all across the world, in Mexico, Nigeria and so on.
A diet bad for human beings is also bad for the environment. As the world's population grows, experts say more forests will become farmland for crops or grasslands for grazing cattle.
"We are likely to have more greenhouse gas released in the future from agriculture because of this dietary shift than all the greenhouse gas that comes out of cars, airplanes, boats and ships. So our change in diet is likely to be worse for the world for climate warming than all the transportation sources we use right now."
He says one possible solution is leaving the Western diet behind.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The advantage of the Western diet |
| B．The disadvantage of the Western diet. |
| C．The diseases caused by the Western diet. |
| D．The popularity of the Western diet. |
Why do more and more people eat Western diet?
| A．Because Western diet is good for health. |
| B．Because people have more money. |
| C．Because Western diet is cheaper. |
| D．Because Western diet can make people thin. |
According to the passage, what is good for our environment?
| A．Giving up the Western diet. |
| B．Returning to Chinese diet. |
| C．Growing more crops |
| D．Raising more cattle. |
In which section of a newspaper can you find this passage?
| A．Science and Technology. |
| B．Education and Culture. |
| C．Environment and Health. |
| D．Agriculture and Climate. |
Which statement is true?
| A．The Western diet has little effect on Asians . |
| B．The China diet is rich in fat and oil. |
| C．Leaving the Western diet behind is easy for people. |
| D．More forests will become farmland as the world's population grows . |
B
Ceaseless technology. A punishing workweek. That to –do list that keeps multiplying. It is no wonder many of us find it difficult to have a sufficient amount of sleep. But will sleeping more on the weekend make up for hours of lost snoozing (小睡)? One sleep expert, W. Christopher Winter raised the question.
Sleeping binge
Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night is generally recommended, but many people don’t. As the week rolls from Monday to Friday, they accumulate a sleep debt. Spending a few extra hours in bed on a Saturday morning, people assume, will help them “ catch up” on lost sleep. They’re likely right, “ Nobody knows how long the horizon is, probably a few nights, but studies show that recovery sleep in the short term does work,” says Dr. Winter, a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Sleep banking
Recent data suggests that banking sleep in advance of a long night can actually offset (补偿) upcoming sleep deprivation. If you knew you were going to have to stay up all night on a particular day, for example, you could sleep for 10 hours a day for multiple days before the event, and be fine, Dr. Winter says. Just plan ahead.
Routine naps
A scheduled nap is healthier than catching up on or banking sleep. “ Because sleep extension can make you feel groggy (昏昏沉沉), I always recommend a short nap (if a person feels they need it ), at the same time, every day,” says Dr. Winter. He adds that 25 minutes is ideal. “ When you schedule a short nap, your body anticipates it and slows down, without falling into a deep dream sleep,” he says. That refreshing, scheduled break is better than an occasional weekend lie-in. “ The body likes routine,” he says, “ When it’s prepared, it works more efficiently.”What is the topic of this passage?
| A．The bad effect of lacking sleep. |
| B．Advantages of enough sleep. |
| C．Some knowledge about sleep. |
| D．The ways to get sound sleep. |
Why do people accumulate a sleep debt during the week?
| A．Because they have a tight weekday. |
| B．Because they watch TV late into night. |
| C．Because they have to look after children. |
| D．Because they want to catch up on lost sleep on weekend. |
Which is the recommended way to keep healthy ?
| A．Banking sleeping. |
| B．Catching up on lost sleep. |
| C．An occasional weekend lie-in. |
| D．Scheduled naps. |
what is the meaning of the underlined word “deprivation”.
| A．Increase. | B．Loss. | C．Time. | D．Problem. |
Which is right according to the passage?
| A．Most people always get 8-hour-sleep each night. |
| B．Recovery sleep can make a difference. |
| C．Everyone should have a short nap. |
| D．A nap won’t work as expected. |
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。
A
Can you believe everything that you read? It seems as if every day, some new articles come out about a new discovery about this or that. For example, water is bad for you, or good for you. The answer depends on which scientific study has just come out. People cannot decide which food items are healthy, how pyramids were constructed, and why dinosaurs disappeared. When we look for answers we sometimes can believe persuasive researches and scientists. But how trustworthy are they really? Here are two examples of scientific hoaxes.
As far back as 1726, Johann Beringer was fooled by his fellow scientists into thinking he had made an amazing discovery. The fossils of spiders, lizards, and even birds with the name of God written on them in Hebrew were unlike anything that had been found before. He wrote several papers on them and was famous for those only to have it revealed that they were planted by jealous colleagues to ruin his reputation.
When an early human being was discovered in 1912, scientists at this time were wild with excitement over the meaning it had for the theory of evolution. There were hundreds of papers about this Piltdown man over the next fifty years until it was finally discovered to be a complex hoax. The skull (头骨) of a man had been mixed with the jawbone of an orangutan (猩猩) to make the ape (猿) man.
The next time you read the exciting new findings of a study of the best scientist, do not automatically assume that it is true. Even qualified people can get it wrong. While we certainly should not ignore scientific research, we do need to take it with a grain of salt. Just because it is accepted as the truth today does not mean it will still be trustworthy tomorrow.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Everything in the newspaper is doubtful. |
| B．People are encouraged to suspect everything. |
| C．Not everything you read is believable. |
| D．Sometimes scientists may make mistakes. |
What does the underlined word “ hoaxes” mean?
| A．Truths. | B．Tricks. |
| C．Researches. | D．Result. |
From the second paragraph we can know______.
| A．Johann Beringer was envied by his colleagues. |
| B．Johann Beringer lived in the seventeenth century. |
| C．Johann Beringer found the Piltdown man. |
| D．Johann Beringer found he was fooled by others in time. |
According to the passage ,the discovery of Piltdown man______.
| A．was significant to the theory of evolution. |
| B．proved orangutan developed from man. |
| C．didn’t prove false until 50 years later. |
| D．proved that scientists were very careless. |
From the last paragraph we can infer the author thinks_____.
| A．scientists are unreliable. |
| B．everyone can make a mistake. |
| C．we should ignore scientific research. |
| D．we should treat scientific research reasonably. |
D
Children whose mothers were exposed to higher levels of phthalates(酞酸盐), common chemicals in consumer products, in late pregnancy tend to score lower than other kids on intelligence tests at age seven, according to a new study.
Some soaps, nail polish, hairspray, shower curtains, raincoats, car interiors and dryer sheets contain phthalates, which are used as so-called plasticizers, or softening agents.
At present, the Food and Drug Administration does not have evidence that phthalates as used in cosmetics pose a safety risk, but six types of phthalates are currently banned from children’s toys.
Researchers followed 328 New York women in low-income communities from pregnancy until the child was seven years old. When the children were seven, they completed an intelligence test measuring four areas of mental functioning. The mothers’ levels of two of the phthalates - DnBP and DiBP - during pregnancy were associated with childhood intelligence: As phthalate levels went up, child IQ tended to go down.
“With observational studies, there is always the chance that the results may be in part explained by an unmeasured factor that we haven’t yet considered,” said Stephanie Engel, associate professor of epidemiology（流行病）from the University of North Carolina.
“I would characterize this study as thorough and high quality, and the results concerning,” said Engel, who was not involved in the work. “But there needs to be more research in this area before firm conclusions can be drawn.”
“Nevertheless, It is clear that there needs to be a serious discussion in the scientific and policy communities about whether the evidence is strong enough yet to warrant widespread policy changes, not just on the basis of this study, but also including a range of childhood health outcomes that have already been reported in the literature,” Engel said.
“Although there are no regulations on phthalate exposure during pregnancy, it would be wise for expectant mothers to avoid microwaving food in plastic, avoid scented products, and as much as possible store foods in glass instead of plastic,” she said.According to the passage, the new study is about ___________________________.
| A．the interaction between a pregnant woman and her unborn baby |
| B．how phthalates taken in by a pregnant woman affect her baby |
| C．why children’s IQ is different at the age of seven |
| D．the usage of common chemical in consumer products |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Researchers chose 328 pregnant women at random to do the research |
| B．The FDA doesn’t think phthalates have any risks |
| C．There are two types of phthalates that may affect childhood intelligence |
| D．The researchers are very confident about their conclusions |
What can you learn from the last but one paragraph?
| A．The evidence is not strong enough to change the policy |
| B．The policy should be stricter |
| C．A serious discussion is needed based on this study |
| D．All studies about childhood health should be involved |
This passage has probably been taken from _________.
| A．a children’s book | B．a science report |
| C．a nutrition guidebook | D．a health notice board |