第二部分:阅读理解(共25小题。第一节每小题2分,第二节每小题1分,满分45分)
第一节阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项。
When he thought of the past, my grandfather would sometimes show us photographs of himself at school. They were brown and faded, and it was hard to believe that the blurred(模糊) figure of the little boy in the short trousers and socks could ever have been Grandfather. Besides, he wore a cap --- all the boys in the photographs wore caps pulled so far forward that half of their faces were obscured. When Grandfather asked us to pick him out from the group, we would surely point to the wrong boy.
On one such occasion my younger sister, aged six, burst into tears when Grandfather proudly guided her finger to the right boy. "How could that boy be you?" she cried. "He should have a beard." We were, of course, all convinced that grandfathers should have beards, preferably white and bushy, like our own grandfather's.
"I was a good scholar," Grandfather would say, wagging his beard over the photographs. "I should have been top of the class if I hadn't had to get up at six every morning to milk the cows and chop the wood, and again when I came home from school."
"But Saturdays? What did you do on Saturdays?"
"Saturdays, if it was fine, I'd be out all day in the fields with the men," replied Grandfather. "And if it was wet, I'd be helping my mother with odd jobs round the house. There wasn't much time for studying."
We all tried hard to imagine what it would have been like to have seen Grandfather getting up at crack of dawn and never, obviously, having a moment for himself. It seemed we had learnt something from what Grandfather had said about his childhood.
1. In the first paragraph of this passage, what the author really tells us is that ________ .
A. his grandfather used to wear short trousers, socks and a cap as well
B. it was difficult to tell which of the boys in the photographs was Grandfather
C. he didn't believe Grandfather wore a cap pulled forward when he was at school
D. it was fun to watch boys in the photographs wearing caps pulled forward
2. The author's sister burst into tears because________.
A. she did not get a chance to pick out Grandfather in the photographs
B. she was told which was the right boy before she herself could pick him out
C. other children did not agree with her that Grandfather should have had a beard
D. she found Grandfather in the photographs did not have a beard
3. When Grandfather said, "I should have been top of the class...", he meant ________ .
A. if he had had more time for studying, he would have been the best in his class
B. he should have spent more time studying rather than playing ball games
C. his school days should not have been so hard and miserable
D. he could have never been the best student even if he had studied still harder
4. In the last paragraph the author said, "We all tried hard to imagine..." because ________ .
A. the figures of the boys in the photographs were small and blurred
B. the children had never experienced life like that of Grandfather
C. the photographs Grandfather showed them were brown and faded
D. Grandfather failed to tell them about his childhood in detail
Alibaba started taking the lead in China by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商) with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibabas advantage wasnt hard to judge: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its market attracts 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year — and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets — not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is second to consumer buying. Chinese retail(零售) buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items(物品) for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping — big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how wide the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine. Alibabas advantage mainly lies in .
A.its low price |
B.its big size |
C.its not charging small sellers |
D.its business-to-business service |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage?
A.Alibaba will continue to develop. |
B.Alibaba stands out as the best online site. |
C.Alibaba acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers. |
D.Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao. |
B.The authors Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover. |
C.Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites. |
D.Alibabas business-to-business service earns more money than retail. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Shopping online in China is TaoBao. |
B.How the author purchases online in China. |
C.Shopping online goes beyond traditional shopping. |
D.Alibaba influences peoples daily purchase in China. |
As a leading Chinese language school and a cultural exchange institute in China, Global Exchange Education Center has been providing Mandarin (or Putonghua) language courses and cultural exchange programs for over a decade.
How to apply for our programs
■In order to apply for all of our programs, you must be
at least 18 years old.
in good health,
a senior high school graduate.
■Application Procedure for Chinese Language Programs
Step 1. Send us a completed application form by email or fax.
Step 2. Send us $ 60 application fee after receiving our email confirmation.
Step 3. Arrange the payment transfer.
Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing.
■Application Procedure for Chinese Business Internship (实习)Program
Step 1. Send us a completed application form with your CV and personal statement for the program by email or fax.
Step 2. Send us $ 310, including $60 application fee and $ 250 internship placement deposit, after receiving our letter of acceptance for the program.
Step 3. Arrange final payment transfer after receiving our second confirmation.
Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing.
■Personal Statement for applicants for Chinese Business Internship Program
You should state why you want to take this program and what your expectations of the program are. How you will make use of this program in your future career.
■ APPLICATION DEADLINES
The applications for most programs are reviewed on a rolling basis. You are encouraged to submit your application ahead of the application deadlines.
■Confirmation
Having received your application, Global Exchange Education Center usually sends out an email confirmation for the booking within 2-5 working days.The text is probably written for ______.
A.junior high graduates | B.international students |
C.job seekers | D.language trainers |
If you apply for both of the programs, the total application fees will be ______.
A.$120 | B.$310 | C.$250 | D.$ 370 |
Which of the following is not necessarily included i
n applicants personal statement?
A.Their purposes of taking the program. |
B.Their expectations of the program. |
C.Their future practice of the program. |
D.Their feedbacks on the program. |
The world’s richest man might seem to have it all,but Bill Gates has one regret.The self-made billionaire said he felt stupid for not knowing any foreign languages.
Speaking in his third Ask Me Anything question-and-answer session for online forum Reddit(红迪网),the Microsoft founder said that he wished he spoke French,Arabic or Chinese.
He said:“I took Latin and Greek in high school and got A's and I guess it helps my vocabulary.I keep hoping to get time to study one of these—probably French because it is the easiest.I did Duolingo for a while but didn’t keep it up.”
Gates,who is worth $79.3 billion,praised Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for surprising an audience in Beijing when he spoke fluent Chinese,“Mark Zuckerberg amazingly learned Chinese and did a Q&A with Chinese students—unbelievable,isn’t it?”he said.
This isn’t the first time for Gates to admit his regret over language.He also showed his habits at home and personal insights.
Last February, Gates said he likes to do the dishes himself—to his own special standards every night and also told the interviewer that his wife,Melinda,would likely want Samuel L.Jackson to play her husband in a biopic(传记片).
He also admitted that he would pick up a $100 bill if he found it on the street.
As he took the top spot on Forbes(福布斯)28th Annual Billionaires list last year for the fourth time,he said he is pretty basic when it comes to so ending on clothes and food,but that he enjoys investing in shoes and racquets(球拍)when he plays tennis.
When asked a life lesson he had to learn the hard way,the billionaire said staying up too late is a habit he is still trying to break.‘‘Don’t stay up too late even if the book is really exciting.You will regret it in the morning.Pam still working on this problem,”he said.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Bill Gates’Regret |
B.The Richest Billionaire |
C.An Interview with Bill Gates |
D.How Bill Gates Succeeded |
The underlined part in Paragraph 8 may actually mean that_____.
A.it is important to lay a good foundation of life |
B.he never cares about buying food and clothing |
C.food and clothing are basic needs for people’s life |
D.he doesn’t spend much money on food and clothes |
What advice did Bill Gates give?
A.Avoid staying up too late. |
B.Be a good language learner. |
C.Do the dishes yourself at home. |
D.Pick up the $100 bills in the streets. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Bill Gates is also the founder of Facebook |
B.Bill Gates topped the list of Forbes 28 times. |
C.Bill Gates was good at learning languages in high schoo1. |
D.Bill Gates’wife wants Samuel to play a game with Gates. |
Thick dust rose and a large building collapsed. This was the scene in Zhu Zhou,Hunan Province on May 17. Nine people were killed and 16 injured.
Things were similar in the Sichuan earthquake. Thousands of people were buried in the ruins and lost their lives. What if we could have warned them?
People are always racking their wits to find a way of preventing buildings’ collapse. Better materials and technology help,but they are not a solution.
Just like humans,a building has its own life cycle from “birth” to “death”.If we know when a building is going to collapse,we can repair it in advance or get out of it before it falls. Now,scientists at the University of Illinois have developed a material that turns red before it breaks. The invention could be used in things like climbing ropes or bridge supports. The research was led by Nancy Sottos,a professor at the university’s Beckman Institute,and Douglas Davis,a graduate research assistant.
The secret behind the color—changing material is a type of molecule (分子).A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds. Imagine you and your friends standing in a circle,holding hands. Each person stands for one atom,your hands represent the bonds,and the entire circle represents a molecule. If one person lets go of his or her hands,the molecule changes color. The research team put the molecule into a soft material. When the researchers stretched the material,it turned bright red for a few seconds before it broke into two pieces. When they repeatedly stretched and relaxed the material,without breaking it,it only turned a little red.
The major problem is that light can get rid of the red color. When the team shone bright light on the molecule,the broken bond was fixed,and the color disappeared. Scientists have yet to do more research before the color—changing molecules can be used outside the lab.What does the passage mainly introduce?
A.The collapse of a large building in Zhu Zhou, Hunan Province. |
B.A type of molecule that can be put into a soft material |
C.A material that turns red before it breaks. |
D.A way of preventing building from collapsing. |
The underlined words “racking their wits” in the third paragraph mean ________.
A.suffering a lot | B.collecting beyond imagination |
C.losing a lot | D.thinking very hard |
Which of the following is a WRONG statement?
A.Thousands of people died from the collapse of buildings in the Sichuan earthquake because they hadn’t been warned. |
B.There is no building that will never collapse. |
C.A new material has been applied to buildings to warn people of collapse. |
D.A color—changing material can turn red before it breaks. |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.The color—changing molecules are certain to be used outside the lab. |
B.There will be less collapse with the help of the color—changing material. |
C.The bright light may make the material’s warning system useless. |
D.The problem caused by bright light will be solved by scientists soon. |
The U.S. government is facing an increasing bother. Wild pigs, at their worst, can damage crops, spread diseases, attack humans and kill farm animals. And things are getting worse: a study shows that they are likely to double in number over the next 3 years. Why is it so hard to control wild pigs?
Introduced to America in the 16th century, and related to the wild pigs found in Europe, wild pigs can be found in 75% of all states. No single law exists to control them and regulations differ between states: while in Missouri they can only be shot if met by chance, in Texas hunting is actively encouraged; a “pork chopper” law allows Texan hunters to shoot wild pigs from helicopters, and some people in Louisiana have even built their own pig—hunting drone(无人机). As well as being popular with hunters, wild pigs are cheaper for game raisers to breed(饲养)than deer. In Michigan and Pennsylvania suggested bans on the private breeding of pigs for hunting have caused quarrels between game raisers and wildlife officials.
Wild pigs' double nature—considered pests by farmers, but valued by hunters—makes it hard to pass laws to control them. Two other factors also contribute. Nearly 70% of land in America is privately owned. And it is difficult for lawmakers to force breeding and hunting laws on private landowners. Secondly, it is hard to define a wild pig.
In some states, laws are being introduced to redefine the term “wild animal” to keep out wild pigs. This is good news for those raising pigs for hunting, but less are to those who consider them pests whose number should be limited. Meanwhile, discussions continue over how to deal with this problem.People are not permitted to hunt wild pigs freely in ________.
A.Texas | B.Michigan |
C.Missouri | D.Louisiana |
Why do the game raisers prefer raising wild pigs to deer?
A.It's difficult to raise deer. |
B.Wild pigs are in large numbers. |
C.Deer are not popular with hunters. |
D.They can benefit more from wild pigs. |
Which is NOT the reason for the difficulty in controlling wild pigs?
A.The difficulty of passing effective laws. |
B.The high percentage of land owned privately. |
C.The farmers' unwillingness to shoot wild pigs. |
D.The popularity of raising wild pigs in many states. |
What is the best title of the text?
A.Why are wild pigs so hard to control? |
B.Are wild pigs pests or wild animals? |
C.Wild pigs—an increasing danger in the US. |
D.How to deal with the problem of wild pigs? |