Undernormalconditionstheactofc-优题课

第二部分：阅读理解 (共45分)
第一节（共20小题，每小题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
A
If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis. From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit.
But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee(被提名): public education.
At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world. Yet in terms of its core mission(核心使命)---turning teenagers into educated college graduates--- much of the system is failing.
The United States does a good job enrolling (招生) teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree.
So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that. Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos. The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching. It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into. They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive. About half of the low-income students with an average of at least 3.5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have. “I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr. Bowen.
In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates. Meanwhile, lower-income students -–even when they are better qualified—often go to colleges that excel（擅长）in producing drop-outs. “It’s really a waste,” Mr. Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country.” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students. Instead, it appears to have fallen.
What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer.
41.Which of the following would people first think of as a factor responsible for the American financial crisis according to this passage?
A. The government. B. Public education
C. The Detroit automakers. D. The Wall Street firms.
42. What is a big problem with American higher education?
A. It is hard to enroll enough students into college.
B. Many colleges are experiencing low rate of graduation.
C. Many college students stay away from classes.
D. It is hard for many colleges to get financial aid from the government.
43. The title of the book Crossing the Finish Line probably means______.
A. running to the end of the line B. going to college
C. finishing college education D. working hard in college
44. Why do some students under--match ?
A. Because they have financial difficulty. B. Because they face ambition crisis.
C. Because they lack confidence. D. Because they can’t get guidance.
45. The passage is mainly about _______.
A. problems with secondary American education and possible solutions
B. America’s financial crisis, its cause and influence
C. low rate of American college graduation, its cause and its influence
D. relationship between American education and its economy

D
A team of scientists proved that seals had a very good sense of hearing. These men trained blind seals to expect food when they heard sounds. The seals always began snapping(猛咬) when a strong signal was sounded.
It was proved that even a soft signal, a considerable distance away, could make these sea animals respond. That should make the fisherman who makes much noise while working, or talks loudly, start thinking.
The same team of scientists also trained seals to recognize different sounds. One bell-tone meant food ,two bell-tones meant no food. In the beginning, the seals made mistakes when the two bell-tones were sounded. They were given a light tap after each mistake. The seals were good learners. They easily learned to tell the difference between the sounds.
67.Why was it necessary to use blind seals? Because they______.
A. were unable to use sight for clues B. had better hearing
C. were waiting to be fed D. were the only animals to be found
68. To those seals strong signal meant_____.
A. snappingB. nothingC. foodD. a light tap
69. The article doesn’t say directly but suggests that fishermen usually think______.
A. seals have no good sense of hearing B. seals have good sense of hearing
C. seals can only recognize bell sounds D. seals can not hear soft or long distant sounds
70. Which title will be the best to suit the article?
A. Clever SealsB. Smart Learners
C. An Underwater SchoolD. An Unknown School

C
The outstretched(伸出的) hand caught my eyes immediately. I’d fallen on the sidewalk, having tripped on the curb(路边). A hand was there, ready to help me. Then, warm smile and, “ Are you OK?”
I’d fallen on my hands and knees, and I was fine. But I loved seeing that hand reaching toward me. The woman helped me up, made sure I was all right, and we both went our way.
As I remembered this incident during the next few days, it became a symbol of the significance of helping another one. In the grand scheme of things, such help may often seem small, but at the moment it’s needed, it can feel very significant.
One of my most meaningful lessons on how to help others came at the end of a week-long music workshop. At that final gathering, we each had the opportunity to perform for the other participants. A woman who was much more experienced and accomplished(技艺高超的)than I ---- a piano teacher who attended the workshop in order to learn new teaching techniques- invited me to play the piano with her. I'd actually been quite happy as part of the audience, watching the other students perform. My piano skills were elementary, and my confidence was low.
When she asked, though, it was almost as if she’d taken me by the hand and led me to the piano. As I plunked out a melody(旋律), she played a lovely accompaniment. Hearing that accompaniment to my melody moved me to tears. She was helping my music be beautiful—helping me play my song. But the lasting impact of that experience related to much more. I took away with me the lesson that we are each here to help one another “ play our songs” --- live our lives to the fullest, be the individuals whom we are.
63. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The significance of helping one another.
B. My experience of playing the piano.
C. The people who helped me out.
D. The incident I remembered on the street.
64. Why did the author just want to be part of the audience?
A. She couldn’t play the piano quite well.
B. There was no time left for her to perform.
C. Nobody invited her to play the piano.
D. She was too shy to perform in public.
65. We can infer from the passage that the melody played by the author was ____.
A. moving B. lovely C. so-so D. beautiful
66. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The author appreciated the two women’s help.
B. Small help is also important when it is needed.
C. A piano teacher invited the author to play the piano together.
D. The author was moved to tears because of the beautiful music.

B
There was a Roman general in the 3rd century BC named Regulus who always kept his word. This fact was well known even to Rome’s enemy—Cathage. Once, he lost a battle and was taken prisoner and sent to a Carthage prison for a period of time. Finally, his captors came to him with an offer, which they hoped would cause the Romans to give in, thus ending the war.
They asked General Regulus to go back to Rome. They wanted him to tell the Romans that Carthage was winning the war and it was useless for Rome to continue fighting. They also said that if he refused to do as they asked, he would have to sail back to Cathage and serve as a prisoner of war in their prison. Since General Regulus was a man of honor, they knew he would keep his word and return to Carthage.
Regulus set sail for Rome and on his arrival, he was immediately taken to the authorities (当局). He knew how the war was progressing from the enemy's point of view. He told the Romans that they should not give up but continue fighting, as it would only be a matter of time until Rome would win the battle over Carthage. So the Romans decided to continue the war effort. Large groups of soldiers were sent to battle due to General Regulus' suggestion.
Regulus went home to see his wife and his children but only for a short time. With deep sorrow, he informed them that he had given his word that he would return to Carthage and to his prison. Though they wished he would stay, his family knew that he must keep his word and return. He returned to Carthage as promised but Rome soon won the war.
60. This passage mainly tells us that General Regulus was____.
A. a determined man B. a man of his word
C. loyal to his homeland D. a patient man
61. The underlined word “captors" (in Paragraph 1) probably refers to “____”.
A. people who are taken prisoners B. people who have lost a battle
C. people who have won a battle D. people who keep others prisoners
62. After General Regulus' visit to Rome, the Romans_____.
A. continued the war B. made peace with Carthage
C. gave in D. accepted their failure

第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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。
第一节：阅读选择（计分30）
A
Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be simple fact? Do you argue whether it' s cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit?
If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant' s trunk said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant's side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear as he touched the animal' s tusk. The fourth, who caught hold of the elephant's tail insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked like a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant' s legs. The sixth, who was tall and got hold of the elephant' s ears, said it was like a huge fan.
Each man' s idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a "simple fact", it' s often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.
To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a "simple fact", try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water in the third. Now put your left hand in the ice water. Put your right hand in the hot water. After thirty seconds, put both hands in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it's hot!
56. What makes people think about simple facts differently?
A. The fact that simple facts differ from one another.
B. The fact that people have different experience in the simple facts.
C. The fact that people often disagree with one another.
D. The fact that it' s hard to make up one's mind about simple facts.
57. The writer's advice is____.
A. we should never think about simple facts
B. we should never judge something with a one-sided view
C. we should not agree about simple facts
D. we must learn from the six blind men
58. After reading the last paragraph, we may think of ____.
A. Newton' s law B. Galileo' s theory of falling objects
C. Einstein' s Theory of Relativity D. Marx' s On Capital
59. The main idea of this passage is ____.
A. people often judge something according to his own experience
B. people often agree about simple facts
C. it's hard for a person to make up his mind about a simple fact
D. you should not care too much about simple fact