第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,满分40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。
The Pillow
At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that “our family” was living in a trailer(拖车) that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced.
We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house – something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.
On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, "What do you want for your new room?" Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were surprised when Josh responded, "I just want a bed."
The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.
When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning.
That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds tog tether, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway.
As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, "What is that?"
"A pillow," she replied.
"What do you do with it?" Eric continued to ask.
"When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” I answered softly. Tears came to our eyes as she handed Eric the pillow.
"Oh . . . that's soft," he said, hugging it tightly.
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my Dad gently asks, "Do you have a pillow?"
We know exactly what he means.
1.The writer’s first volunteer project was .
A.working on a poor trailer B.helping a poor family
C.donating beds and bedding D.dealing with a housing problem
2.On bearing Josh’s answer, the writer was shocked because .
A.the family lived in a trailer B.he expected to get some toys
C.he didn’t know what a bed was D.the boys had no bed to sleep in
3.From the passage, we can learn that Eric had never seen before.
A.a trailer B.a truck C.a pillow D.a house
4.By saying “Do you have a pillow?”, the writer’s father means that .
A.what they want to get may be unnecessary
B.they should not waste money on small things
C.they should do more volunteer work for the poor
D.what he will buy is not what they want but a pillow
An English saying goes: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” That means we should relax after a day’s hard work or we’ll be unhealthy.
Many students know that if they want to get ideal jobs with good salaries, they must do well in high school so they can enter good universities. Therefore, they spend all day studying without time to relax.
However, not all students can go to top universities even if they work very hard. Students are pressurized by parents and teachers who are just concerned about their studies and exam scores while ignoring their hobbies and individual differences. As a result, students are forces to work harder and harder. Furthermore, there is pressure coming from students themselves. They realize they have a slim chance of getting into a top university as competition is fierce. So, they put a lot of stress on themselves and stay in a nervous state day after day. If they keep it up, they’ll suffer illnesses; both psychological and physical.
What students need is relaxation. This doesn’t mean that they should give up their ambitions and stop studying hard. It means “work while you work, play while you play”. If you can do this, you will improve your health greatly. You’ll feel yourself suddenly fresh, just like recovering from a terrible illness. You’ll find that your studies are not a burden(负担) anymore.The underlined part in the first paragraph might mean all the following EXCEPT______.
A.too much work may bring trouble to anyone |
B.overwork without rest is sure to make one foolish |
C.Jack becomes dull because he works too much |
D.Anyone who doesn’t work will break down |
What trouble have both the parents and teachers brought to the students?
A.They don’t know how to let the students relax. |
B.They give too much burden for them to bear. |
C.They don’t love those who work the hardest. |
D.They fail to understand what the students need most. |
What causes the student’ pressure from themselves?
A.That they don’t know how to get top universities. |
B.That they want to relax but have no chance. |
C.That they fail to relax themselves during their work. |
D.That they think too much about the result of their work. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.What to do to relax yourself. |
B.The serous situation for the poor students. |
C.Some problems caused by the misunderstanding of learning. |
D.How to be a healthy and successful learner. |
America’s No.1 health problem? A report published by the American Institute of Stress claims the biggest threat to health today is neither cancer nor AIDS. The report says: “It has been estimated that75-90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems”
It is no exaggeration to say that people today are being attacked by stress. According to the National Consumers League, “ Work is the top source of stress for adults who have problems and stress in their lives (39%),followed by family (30%).Other sources include health (10%), concern about the economy (9%)and concern about international conflict and terrorism (4%).”
However , stress is hardly unique to the United States .A British survey in 2013 estimated that “over half a million individuals in Britain believed in 2012 that they were experiencing work –related stress at a level that was making them ill .” As a result of “work –related stress, depression or anxiety ,”there are “an estimated thirteen and a half million reported lost working days per year in Britain .”\
The picture is no less bleak (荒凉的) in mainland Europe .According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work , “work-related stress has been shown to affect millions of European Workers across all types of employment sectors .” One survey revealed that there are “about 41 million workers affected by work-related stress each year.”
What about Asia ? A report issued by a conference held in Tokyo concluded: “ Job stress is a common concern among many countries in the world , both developing and industrialized countries .” The report observed that “several countries in East Asia , including China and Korea, have rapidly industrialized and economically grown .These countries now have a lot of concerns on job stress and its harmful effects on workers’ health.”What did the author indicate by quoting “America’s No.1 Health Problem.” (Para. 1)?
A.He wanted to talk about health problems in America. |
B.He meant to introduce the topic of stress |
C.He hoped to emphasize the stress in America |
D.He wanted to tell readers something about American Institute of Stress |
Which of the followings is NOT true?
A.The threat of work-related stress is bigger than cancer and AIDS. |
B.Stress is always from working and living pressure. |
C.Some Americans care about international conflict and terrorism. |
D.A lot of English people become ill as a result of stress. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
A.Asian people are more willing to develop their countries |
B.the rapid economic development is the main reason for stress |
C.some people in Asian countries have health problems from employment stress |
D.Asian countries have a better situation of stress than Europe |
It is likely that you’ll read this information in ______.
A.Popular Science |
B.New York Medical News |
C.Daily Health Report |
D.Medicine and Healthcare Journal |
What’s the best title for this passage ?
A.America’s No.1 Health Problem |
B.How to Deal with Stress |
C.Attacked by Stress |
D.Working Stress around the World |
This year, the World Mental Health Day on Oct 10 was marked by the theme: “Depression: A Global Crisis”. According to the World Federation for Mental Health and the WHO, depression has moved beyond the medical domain(领域) to become a social problem. Statistics from the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center show that of the 287,000 people who commit suicide in China every year, 70 percent are victims of depression.
“This equates to one depression victim taking their life every three minutes,” cited CCTV recently. According to the Beijing-based Capital Medical University, the number of depression patients has been on the rise in the past years and now accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the population, more than the global average of 5 percent.
Wang Shaoli, vice-president of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, a medical center specializing in mental health, said that what makes depression so widespread is that everybody can get it.
“No one is immune to depression,” said Wang. “It has become a social problem because depression kills one’s social capabilities, such as communication, and leads to a negative social mentality.”
According to Wang, depression can be treated with medicine and early psychological consultation. The real problem is the lack of awareness surrounding the issue.
“People with mental health illnesses are discriminated against,” said Wang. “So they are reluctant to go to hospital and often keep the pain to themselves, which only makes matters worse.” Only one in 10 depression victims are properly treated in China, according to the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center.
“When people get depressed, it becomes part of their thoughts, making them negative, even desperate,” said Wang. “And the ideas are difficult to change.” That’s why Wang suggests early intervention.
“Normally it takes about nine months to treat depression,” said Wang. “But in most cases, patients drop treatment half way when they feel some progress.”How is Para1& 2 mainly supported when it tells that depression has become a social problem?
A.By giving data |
B.By making definition |
C.By analyzing causes |
D.By making comparisons |
According to the passage, which of the following are true EXCEPT________ ?
A.people with depression are more likely to commit suicide. |
B.the percentage of depression patients is larger in China than that in the world. |
C.more and more people have been suffering from depression. |
D.depression can destroy people’s immune system and social capabilities |
People with mental illnesses are unwilling to go to hospital because __________.
A.the victims think that they will get well soon |
B.they are discriminated against and don’t want others to know their illnesses |
C.there are few medical centers specializing in mental health |
D.there is no way to treat them |
In Wang Shaoli’s opinion, the better way to deal with mental problem is to _________.
A.force the victims to go to hospital |
B.keep their pain to themselves when it appears |
C.keep positive and get early psychological consultation |
D.more medical centers should be set up |
With the pace of life continuing to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be .A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.ople are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_____.
A.they do not know how to enjoy themselves |
B.they do not believe that relaxation is important for health |
C.they are travelling fast all the time |
D.they are becoming busier with their work |
According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his ________.
A.not fearing stress |
B.knowing the art of relaxation |
C.high sense of responsibility |
D.having control over performance |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.We can find some ways to avoid stress. |
B.Stress is always harmful to people. |
C.It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work. |
D.Different people can withstand different amounts of stress. |
In Paragraph 3 "such a reaction" refers back to_______.
A."making a choice between 'flight' or 'fight'" |
B."reaction to stress both chemically and physically" |
C."responding to crises quickly" |
D."losing heart at the signs difficulties" |
What does the author think of stress?
A.Stress is a bad thing. |
B.Different people can withstand the same amount of stress. |
C.A certain amount of stress is not a bad thing. |
D.Our health will become endangered if we cannot remove stress. |
A person named Bernard Jackson today is a free man, but he has many bitter memories. He spent five years in prison after a jury wrongly convicted (判处…有罪) him of raping two women. At Jackson’s trial, although two witnesses testified that Jackson was with them in another location at the time of the crime, he was convicted anyway. Why? The jury believed the testimony(证词)of the two victims, who positively identified Jackson as the man who had attacked them. The court eventually freed Jackson after the police found the real criminal.
Many factors influence the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. For instance, witnesses sometimes see photographs of several suspects before they try to identify the person they saw in a group of people. They can become confused by seeing many photographs of similar faces. The number of people in the group, and whether it is a person or a photograph, may also affect a witness’s decision. People sometimes have difficulty identifying people of other races. The questions the police ask witnesses also have an effect on them.
Many people believe that police officers are more reliable than ordinary people. Psychologists decided to test this idea, and they discovered that it is not true. Two psychologists showed a film of crimes to both police officers and civilians. The psychologists found no difference between the police and the civilians in correctly remembering the details of the crimes.
Despite all the possibilities for inaccuracy, courts cannot omit eyewitness testimony from a trial. American courts depend almost completely on eyewitness testimony to resolve(决定)court cases. Sometimes it is the only evidence to a crime, such as rape. Furthermore, eyewitness testimony is often correct. Although people do sometimes make mistakes, and convict innocent people, more importantly, eyewitness testimony has rightly convicted a larger number of guilty people.
American courts depend on the ability of the twelve jurors, and not the judges, to determine the accuracy of the witness’s testimony. It is their responsibility to decide if a certain witness could actually see, hear and remember what happened.Bernard Jackson was found guilty and sentenced 5 years’ prison because________.
A.the victims insisted that he was the attacker |
B.he admitted the crime of raping two women |
C.the police discovered evidence leading to his guilt |
D.the eyewitness proved the victims’ testimony |
The following statements may be the reasons for why sometimes the eyewitness’ testimony is not accurate EXCEPT ________.
A.the eyewitness is confused by the police’s questions |
B.the eyewitness is shown photos of many similar faces |
C.the eyewitness lacks the professional help from police |
D.the eyewitness can’t identify people of other races clearly. |
An inaccurate eyewitness testimony may lead to________.
A.the misunderstanding of the case |
B.the disbelief in the court |
C.the disrespect for the eyewitness |
D.the conviction of an innocent person |
Eyewitness testimony is important because ___________.
A.it can be relied on to detect criminals in all cases |
B.it is sometimes the only way to resolve court cases |
C.it is sometimes the only clue for police investigation |
D.it is more reliable than physical evidences to a crime |
According to the text, we can infer that ________.
A.eyewitness testimony is valuable, though sometimes incorrect |
B.police identification is more reliable than that of the ordinary people |
C.crime victims often fail to give positive identification of the suspects |
D.the jury relies on the judge than the eyewitness for a decision |