An 18-year-old student has won a local election to become mayor of his hometown in the US state of Michigan. Michael Sessions won by the slenderest of margins - just two votes put him ahead of his only rival, the incumbent 51-year-old mayor. Mr. Sessions attributed his electoral success to the votes cast by his parents. He will now have to juggle schedules between attending school and fulfilling his civic duties. He will attend his school classes between 8am to 3pm and carry out his new job as the elected mayor of Hillsdale before dinner at 6pm. He aims to deliver on his campaign pledges of increasing the contingent (小分队) of full-time fire-fighters from three to four, revitalizing (使恢复元气) the local economy and enabling townsfolk to air their views and grievances on town life.
Mr. Sessions was too young to enter the election when it was first announced – he turned 18 only in September, which meant he had just four weeks of campaigning. Although he is the youngest elected official in America, he cannot celebrate his success with champagne because he would be arrested for underage drinking. He ran for office with a budget of $700, which he made from his summer job of selling toffee apples. His position is largely ceremonial and he will not get his own office. Instead, he will receive an annual stipend of $3,600 to cover basic expenses. He starts his four-year position on November 21. Mr. Sessions has become an overnight celebrity since his victory and has already done the circuit of television chat show interviews.
1. When did the election probably take place?
A. August. B. September. C. October. D. December.
2. How long will Mr. Sessions be the mayor of Michigan State?
A. One year. B. Two years. C. Four years. D. Not mentioned.
3. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Mr. Sessions won the election by two votes.
B. Mr. Sessions had many competitors during the election.
C. The new mayor will get an office after the election.
D. The new mayor doesn’t have to attend the school any more.
C
A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany.
“Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men’s world,” said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study.
Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in “Women’s Liberation”. “I don’t wish that I were a man,” she says. “And I don’t think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you’re a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there…or engineers or scientists?”
61. A lot of women in________wish that they were born men.
A. European countries B. West Germany
C. West Europe D. West Germany
62. “It is still a men’s would.” Means “_____”
A. There’re more men than women in the world.
B. There’re more men scientists or engineers than women in the world.
C. Women cannot live without men.
D. Women have not been given the same chance as men.
63. Anne Harper considers that women should _______ .
A. be really liberated B. live a better life
C. be well paid D. get better jobs than men
64. Anne Harper doesn’t wish that she were a man because she __________ .
A. has got a very good job
B. believes in “Women Liberation”
C. does the work that a man can’t do
D. isn’t looked down upon by anyone
65. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Usually the best jobs are not open to women.
B. Women are less paid than men for the same job.
C. There’re more men pilots, engineers and scientists than women.
D. Women are looked down upon because they’re the second-class citizens(二等公民).
B
As people slowly learn to cure diseases, control floods, prevent hunger, and stop wars, fewer people die every year. As a result, the population of the world is becoming larger. In 1925 there were about 2 billion people in the world; today there are over 6 billion.
When the number rises, extra mouths must be fed. New lands must be brought under development, or land already farmed must be made to produce more crops. In some areas the land is so over-developed that it will be difficult to make it provide more crops. In some areas the population is so large that the land is divided into too tiny units to make improvement possible with farming methods. If a large part of this farming population went into industrial work, the land might be farmed much more productively (多产地) with modern methods.
There is now a race for science, technology, and industry to keep the output of food rising faster than the number of people to be fed. New types of crops, which will grow well in bad weather, are being developed, so there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle in Siberia and North America. Irrigation (灌溉) and dry-farming methods bring poor lands under the plough. Dams hold back the waters of great rivers, which can provide water for the fields in all seasons and provide electric power for new industries. Industrial chemistry provides fertilizer to suit different soils. Every year, some new methods are made to increase or to protect the food of the world.
56. The author says that the world population is increasing because _____.
A. there are many rich valleys and large fields
B. farmers are producing more crops than before
C. people are living longer due to better living conditions
D. new lands are being made into farmlands
57. The author says that in areas with large populations, land might be more productively farmed if _____.
A. the land was divided into smaller pieces
B. people moved into the countryside
C. industrial methods were used in farming
D. the units of land were much larger
58. We are told that there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle. This has been made possible by _____.
A. growing new types of crops
B. irrigation and dry-farming means
C. providing fertilizers
D. destroying pests and diseases
59. Why is the land divided into tiny units in some areas?
A. There are too many people living there.
B. It saves more natural resources there.
C. It prevents crops from serious diseases there.
D. Farmers can grow various kinds of crops there.
60. Why do some people use dams to hold back waters from great rivers?
A. To develop a new kind of dry-farming methods.
B. To prevent crops from floods.
C. To provide water and electricity in all seasons.
D. To water poor lands in bad weather.
阅读理解(共30分)
第一节,阅读下列材料,从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案,并把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。(共15小题,每小题2分, 共30分)
A
Europe is now the biggest market for organic food in the world, having grown by 25 percent a year over the past 10 years. Denmark’s agriculture minister is herself an organic farmer. The UK market for organic food grew by 55 percent in 2000, while the food market as a whole grew by only one percent. Yet only seven percent of British shoppers account for nearly 60 percent of organic sales. However popular the idea of organic farming may be, it is still an interest for only a few people.
So what makes the idea of organic farming popular? Organic farming means farming with natural materials, rather than with man-made fertilizers or pesticides. Organic farmers rely on many methods — such as crop rotation (农作物的轮作) and the use of resistant(有抵抗力的) varieties, because they are necessary for organic farmers to compensate for the shortage of man-made chemicals.
Organic farming is often supposed to be safer than traditional farming for the environment. Yet after a long research on organic farming worldwide for a number of years, science continues to be against this opinion. The House of Commons committee on agriculture publicized that, even with complete research work, it would fail to find any scientific evidence to prove “that any of claims (宣称) made for organic farming is always true”.
However, the talk about the benefits of organic farming is going on. This is partly because many people depend on their individual farm, the soil, the weather, and so on.
51. The first paragraph mainly tells us _____.
A. organic farming has been performed only in Europe over the past 10 years
B. governments of European countries have cared less about organic farming
C. organic farming is far from being as popular as expected
D. European countries need organic food more than the other countries in the world
52. The underlined words “compensate for” in the second paragraph probably mean “________”.
A. argue for B. care for C. struggle for D. pay for
53. What can we know about organic farming?
A. It refers to farming with natural materials, instead of chemical fertilizers.
B. It refers to farming with chemical fertilizers rather than natural fertilizers.
C. It refers to farming with soil rather than any other thing.
D. It refers to growing crops with man-made fertilizers and pesticides.
54. According to the third paragraph, _____.
A. organic farming is safer than traditional farming for the environment
B. the idea that organic farming is safer has not been proven by science
C. organic farming is accepted by the UK’s House of Commons committee
D. organic farming is preferred to traditional farming
55. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. The UK’s agriculture minister is an organic farmer.
B. Organic farming is popular with young people.
C. Farmers make use of many different kinds of methods to improve the organic sales system.
D. Ninety-three percent of British shoppers don’t buy organic products.
C
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing(回响) across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted (沸腾). O’Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome(综合症) and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, “Way to go Minkey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.”
51. What was the score of the soccer match?
A. Two to two, equal to both the teams.
B. Three to one in Mickey’s team’s favor.
C. Two to one in the opposite team’s favor.
D. Everybody won because of Mickey’s goal.
52. The underlined word “hush” in paragraph 3 means__________.
A. cheer B. cry C. laughter D. silence
53. What did the author worry about when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
A. The result of the match would fail his son.
B. His son would shout at Mickey for his goal.
C. Mickey would again hug the opposing players.
D. His son would understand Mickey’s wrong goal.
54. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
A. both teams liked and respected Mickey
B. both teams were thankful to Mickey for his goal
C. Mickey didn’t mind though his goal was wrong
D. Mickey was a kind-hearted boy and hoped everybody won
55. The purpose of the author in writing the passage is __________.
A. to tell a joke to make readers laugh
B. to suggest we should not mind losing
C. to show enjoying a game is more than winning a game
D. to present his son’s fine qualities of understanding others
B
Guandong province all together chose universities in Hong Kong; when the very best student of Beijing picked up HK University while giving up the nearby Peking or Tsingbua University; when the highest enrollment (录取)rate of Hong Kong Science and Industry University reached 48:1, it’s the high time to ask where the real education heaven for students in China is.
Years ago, the answer certainly would be “Peking or Tsinghua University”. But now no one could give the exact reaction without hesitation. The only sure thing is that HK universities have gradually showed an unusual attraction to a great many mainland students.
It’s no doubt to call this HK craze(狂热),which is even out of the expectation of those HK universities themselves.
How can HK universities shake the steady foundations of Peking and Tsinghua and attract so many mainland students?
First, Hong Kong universities offer large-amount scholarship, especially for the top students who can receive the sum of scholarship as much as 400,000 HK dollars. Since higher education has become a kind of heavy burden of many families, it’s easy to understand why the reaction to the generous offering of HK universities is great.
Second, most HK universities receive professors and students from all over the world and carry out bilingual(双语)education. This kind of excellent language atmosphere is another attraction for mainland students.
Further more, university students in Hong Kong have a better chance to study abroad as exchange students.
Can mainland top universities like Peking or Tsinghua University calm as before when facing the unexpected competition from HK? Will they take relevant measures to win back the top students who once help them set the worldwide reputation? Time will explain it.
The fierce competition brought by HK universities can be a good thing for an entire improvement of education in China. After the awakening and action taking of mainland universities, they can perform better together with HK universities.
At least, it reminded the mainland universities the tuition fees(学费)are among students’ top concern when they are choosing universities. It’s time to move.
46.What is the passage mainly talking about?
A.Some thought brought by the enrollment of HK universities.
B.Higher education in Hong Kong.
C.The competition between HK University and Peking University.
D.The fall of mainland universities.
47. Top students from mainland apply for HK universities because .
A.many students now would love to study aboard to get a better experience
B.they concern only about the tuition fees when choosing universities
C.HK universities offer higher scholarship, better environment and more opportunities for their further study
D.Peking university has lost its worldwide reputation
48.What is the author’s attitude toward the competition brought by HK universities?
A.The government should take relevant measures to stop this unfair competition.
B.Mainland universities had better lower their tuition fees and win back the top students.
C.Universities both in mainland and in HK would get an entire improvement during the competition.
D.It may probably cause a complete loss both sides in the end.
49.From the passage we can see HK universities .
A.didn’t mean to enroll top students from mainland
B.didn’t expect their enrollment of mainland students would be so popular
C.have strict enrollment rules and only 1 out of 48 students can get the chance to study there
D.are proud of their teaching staff and facilities
50.What does the author mean by saying “It’s time to move” in the last paragraph?
A.Mainland universities should take measures as soon as possible to attract students.
B.The opportunities come for top students to study abroad.
C.Mainland universities should make full preparations to challenge mainland universities.
D.Top students should be offered further education free of charge.