BUSSERVICENewYorkCity—Brennan,-优题课

Winston Churchill was born into a famous family. His father was a successful politician. However, as a boy, Churchill was considered a slow learner in school.
Later he entered the Army and saw action in various countries.
In October 1900, Churchill began his political career. For the next sixty years Churchill’s work as a great politician was both brighter and more difficult than his father had been.
In 1939, Germany attacked Poland. Churchill prepared to fight. In 1940 he became the Prime Minster of England.
France fell. The Germans fought their way through Western Europe. It looked as if Britain was about to lose the war. Was it not possible to ask for peace, and listen to Hitler?
Churchill spoke, “I have nothing to offer but blood, hard work, tears and sweat(汗)…. You ask what is our policy(政策)? I will tell you, it is to fight, by sea, by land and air, with all our force and with all the strength that God can give us. You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory.”
The Germans began moving their armies to the French coast and prepared to go round. Churchill gave the answer: “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the coast, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never give up.”
By his courage and hard work Churchill heartened his people and other nations fighting together against Hitler. Victory finally came when the Germans lost World War II.
Churchill died in 1965 and was given a State Funeral(国葬). This was a fitting payment to one of all the greatest men the world had ever seen.
57. Churchill ______ before he became a politician.
A. was a slow studentB. was an army man
C. helped his father in his career D. had little interest in politics
58. The Germans attacked Britain ________.
A. after France was defeatedB. before French fell
C. soon after Poland was attacked D. before Churchill became the Prime Minister
59. The underlined word “heartened” probably means ________ in this passage.
A. surprisedB. encouragedC. asked forD. called for
60. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Churchill had worked as a politician for more than sixty years.
B. The writer admired and respected Churchill very much.
C. Churchill was not so clever as his father.
D. Churchill was one of the most inspiring, brave and wise leaders in the British history.

Here are some of the world’s most impressive subways

The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines	Features: The Tokyo Metro and Toei lines that compose Tokyo’s massive(庞大的)subway system carry almost 8 million people each day, making it the busiest system in the world. The system is famous for its oshiya— literally, “pusher”— who pushes passengers into crowded subway cars so the doors can close. And you think your commute (上下班路程) is hell.
The Moscow Metro	Features: The Moscow Metro has some of the most beautiful stations in the world. The best of them were built during the Stalinist era and feature chandeliers(枝形吊灯), marble moldings and elaborate murals(精美的壁画). With more than 7 million riders a day, keeping all that marble clean has got to be a burden.
The Hong Kong MTR	Features: The Hong Kong MTR has the distinction of being one of the few subway systems in the world that actually turns a profit(利润). It’s privately owned and uses real estate development along its tracks to increase income and ridership. It also introduced “Octopus cards” that allow people to not only pay their fares electronically, but buy stuff at convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants and even parking meters. It’s estimated that 95 % of all adults in Hong Kong own an Octopus card.
Shanghai Metro	Features: Shanghai is the third city in China to build a metro system, and it has become the country’s largest in the 12 years since it opened．Shanghai Metro has 142 miles of track and plans to add another 180 miles within five years. By that .point, it would be three times larger than Chicago “L”. The system carries about 2.18 million people a day.
The London Metro	Features: Londoners call their subway the Underground, even though 55 percent of it lies above ground. No matter when you’ve got the oldest mass-transit system in the world, you can call it anything you like．Trains started in1863 and they’ve been running ever since. Some 3 million people ride each day, every one of them remembering to “Mind the gap”.

53. Which one can provide the riders some wonderful decorations at the stations?
A. The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines B. The Moscow Metro
C. The London Metro D. The Hong Kong MTR
54. ________ is done with the purpose of making money．
A. The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines B. The Moscow Metro
C. The London MetroD. The Hong Kong MTR
55. We can learn from the passage that Shanghai Metro____________．
A. carries the most people each day
B. is the world’s largest
C. may be larger than the Chicago “L” in the future
D. is the busiest in the world
56. How many subways carry more than 5 million people per day?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5

Two years ago, Wendy Hasnip, 47, experienced a brain injury that left her speechless for two weeks. When she finally recovered, she found herself talking with what seemed to be a French accent. “I phoned a friend the other day, and she spent the first ten minutes laughing,” Hasnip said at the time. “While I have nothing against the French.”
Hasnip suffered from foreign accent syndrome (外国口音综合症), a rare condition in which people find themselves speaking their own language like someone from a foreign country. The condition usually occurs in people who have experienced a head injury or a stroke(中风) — a sudden loss of consciousness, sensation, or movement caused by a blocked or broken blood vessel (血管) in the brain.
The condition was first identified during the Second World War in a Norwegian woman whose head was injured during an attack by the German military. The woman recovered but was left with a German-sounding accent, to the horror of fellow villagers who avoided her after that.
Researchers have discovered that the combined effect of the damage to several parts of the brain makes victims lengthen certain syllables, mispronounce sounds, and change the normal
pitch (音高) of their voice. Those changes in speech add up to what sounds like a foreign accent.
Another researcher, a phonetician (语言学者), says victims of the syndrome don’t acquire a true foreign accent. Their strangely changed speech only resembles the foreign accent with which it has a few sounds in common.
When an English woman named Annie recently developed foreign accent syndrome after a stroke, she spoke with what seemed to be a Scottish accent. However, Annie’s Scottish coworkers said she didn’t sound at all like a Scot.
49. According to the passage, people may have foreign accent syndrome.
A. whose parent has experienced a head injury
B. who have lived in a foreign country for a long time
C. who have lost their consciousness owing to a stroke
D. who have learned foreign language from their coworkers
50. All of the following are the causes of seeming foreign accent EXCEPT .
A. a softer voiceB. change in length of syllables
C. mispronounced sounds D. changed pitch of voice
51. If a person suffers foreign accent syndrome, .
A. his coworkers will be afraid of him and avoid contacting with him
B. he has more chance of suffering stroke again
C. he will speak a fluent foreign language like native speakers
D. his speech only has a few sounds in common with the foreign accent
52. Writing this passage, the writer’s main purpose is to .
A. introduce foreign accent syndrome and some related information
B. warn people not to be at the risk of experiencing a stroke
C. make it clear that foreign accent syndrome can be cured
D. tell a story of an injured woman during the Second World War

When someone gives you advice, listen without judgment, try to find value in what you’re hearing, and say: “Thank you”. This wise advice is easy to understand yet hard to practice. I’ll give you an example from my life when I totally blew it in terms of practising what I teach.
In my work I travel constantly. I always put off going to the airport until the last second. My wife, Lyda, was sitting next to me in the front seat. I was racing along and not paying much attention. Lyda cried out! “Look out! There is a red light up ahead.”
Being a trained behavioral science professional—who teaches others the value of encouraging advice—I naturally screamed at her: “I know there is a red light up ahead! Don’t you think I can see?” When we arrived at the airport, Lyda didn’t speak to me. I wondered why she seemed mad at me.
During the flight to New York, I did a cost-benefit analysis. I asked myself: “What was the cost of just listening when Lyda called out the warning? Zero.” I then reasoned: “What was the potential benefit? What could have been saved?” Several potential benefits came to mind, including her life, my life, and the lives of other people.
I landed in New York feeling ashamed of myself. I immediately called Lyda and told her my cost-benefit story. I convinced her: “The next time you help me with my driving, I am just going to say, ‘Thank you.”
A few months passed, and I had long forgotten the incident. Again, I was racing off to the airport, when Lyda cried out: “Look out for the red light!” I was embarrassed, and then shouted: “Thank you!”
I’m a long way from perfect, but I’m getting better. My suggestion is that you get in the habit of asking the important people in your life how you can do things better. And be ready for an answer. Some people may tell you things like “Look out for the red light.” When this happens, remember that there is possibly some potential benefit. Then just say: “Thank you.”
45. What do we know about the author?
A. He is expert at behavioral science. B. He is gifted in cost-benefit analysis.
C. He seldom takes his wife’s advice. D. He often runs the red traffic light.
46. The underlined part “blew it” in Paragraph 1 probably means “ ”.
A. became annoyed with the adviserB. forgot the practical method
C. failed to say “Thank you” D. lost personal judgment
47. It can be inferred from the passage that people .
A. tend to be defensive when given advice
B. intend to follow others’ suggestions
C. had better study behavioral science
D. should give their opinions patiently
48. The purpose of the passage is to advise people to .
A. do a cost-benefit analysis in daily life B. treasure others’ suggestions
C. learn from the author’s experiences D. discover potential benefits

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和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A handsome middle-aged man walked quietly into the café and sat down. Before he ordered, he couldn’t help but noticed a group of younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about him and it wasn’t until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon(丝带) — on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about.
The man pretended not to notice it, but the whisper and laughter began to get to him. He looked one of the rude young men straight into the eye, placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked, “This?”
With that the young men all began to laugh out loud. The man he spoke to said, “Hey, sorry, man, but we were just commenting on how pretty your little pink ribbon looks against your blue jacket!”
The middle-aged man calmly invited the joker to come over to his table, and politely seated him. Uncomfortable as he was, the young guy had to, not really sure why. In a soft voice, the middle-aged man said, “I wear this ribbon to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother’s honor.”
“Oh, sorry. She died of breast cancer?”
“No, she didn’t.” “She’s alive and well. But her breasts nourished me as a baby, and were a soft resting place for my head when I was scared or lonely as a little boy. I’ m very grateful for my mother’s breasts, and her health.”
“Umm.” The young replied, “Yeah.”
“And I wear this ribbon to honor my wife,” the man continued.
“And she’s okay, too?” the young guy asked.
“Oh, yes. She’s fine. Her breasts have been a great source of loving pleasure for both of us, and with them she nurtured and nourished our daughter 23 years ago. I’ m grateful for my wife’s breasts, and her health.”
“Uh, huh, and I guess you wear it to honor your daughter, also?”
“No. it’s too late to honor my daughter by wearing it now...”
Shaken and ashamed, the young guy said, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“So, in my daughter’s memory, too, I proudly wear this little ribbon, which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. And here…”With this, he reached in his pocket and handed the young man a little pink ribbon. The young guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and asked, “…?”
41. The young man joked about the middle-aged man’s ___.
A. looks B. ribbon C. attitude D. clothes
42. What may have happened to the man’s daughter?
A. She died of breast cancer. B. She was ill with cancer
C. She had gone abroad. D. She got married.
43. What will the young man probably ask at the end of the story?
A. May I give it to my mother? B. Can you help me put it on?
C. Will you please forgive me? D. Shall we have some drink together?
44. What is the best title for the passage?
A. An unusual meeting B. An impressive lesson
B. Be careful to your beloved D. A little pink ribbon