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 阅读下面五篇短文,从每题后所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案。
Many times my friend June would say, “If I ever get rich, I’m getting a completely new wardrobe and moving into a bigger apartment.” I thought of her words and her chances of being rich are about as good as mine. But, to everyone’s surprise, a few years ago June did come into a large inheritance(遗产).
At first June said very little about the money. As the initial(最初的)shock disappeared, she became excited. June is a great believer in making lists, so I wasn’t surprised to find her writing down all the ways she would spend her new wealth.
As time went on, what had been midway down the column was now at the top. At last, I said to her, “You know, it isn’t necessary to spend all your inheritance at once. Take some time; think about it.” “I know, I know,” she answered with a little bit anger.
Then one morning June called. “I’ve decided how I want to use my new inheritance. I want to see what you think,” she said. This wasn’t something I looked forward to, but we had been friends so long.
As we sat, June spread a sheet of paper on the table. To my great surprise, she had written only two words: Charities(慈善), and Grandchildren---in that order. Though I had vowed(发誓)to keep quiet, I couldn’t keep from asking how she came to this decision.
“Well,” she said, “I took your advice and thought about it.” She added, “Helping others means a lot to me, so I’m hoping this gift will help people in need.”
I interrupted. “But what about this big apartment you most hope to have?”
“At first it was hard, but it doesn’t seem as important any more,” she answered with a smile.
Then June moved her hand, and I could see a few words written in tiny letters at the bottom of the page. After having a look at the small print, I burst into laughter. June had written: AND one new wardrobe.
41. From the passage we can learn that the writer ____________.
A. was richer than her friend June B. was no richer than her friend June
C. was poorer than her friend June D. was interested in money as June
42. After making a list of how to deal with her inheritance, June ___________.
A. didn’t change it at all B. had a quarrel with the writer
C. asked the writer for advice D. often made some changes of it
43. When June called the writer to talk about her new decision, the writer ___________.
A. felt that June would do something meaningful
B. refused at first, but changed her mind later
C. was eager to learn more about the new list
D. had decided not to make any comments on June’s list
44. We can learn from the text that ______________.
A. helping others is more important than buying a bigger apartment
B. friendship doesn’t mean accepting the shortcomings of a friend
C. giving away one’s wealth needs time and courage
D. money can’t bring people real and lasting happiness
E
Many cities in the world are benefiting from the nocturnal (夜间活动的) activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla (游击队的) gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants.
In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the exploits (开发) of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion.
Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn’t look dismal (凄凉的) in the winter months.
The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block.
He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to revitalize (恢复活力) neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition.
76. According to the text, guerrilla gardeners got their names ______.
A. because of the residents’ advice B. from the local governments
C. for the nature of their work D. based on the local cultures
77. These guerrilla gardeners do their work ______.
A. at the request of the government B. nearby their house
C. often in return for others’ help D. of their own free will
78. Why do the guerrilla gardeners often return to their former working places?
A. To look after these plants. B. To enjoy these beautiful flowers.
C. To help plants live through winter months. D. To change the types of these plants.
79. Richard Reynolds decided to fill the pots with plants with the purpose of ______.
A. making the neighborhood more beautiful B. agreeing with his own job
C. advertising some products in his agency D. killing his spare time
80. It can be inferred from the text that these guerrilla gardeners ______.
A. are mainly from the United Kingdom
B. will later get well paid
C. are still not accepted by the local people
D. become more and more organized
D
Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.
By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic(逻辑) behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”
Try this experiment. Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea how right now. Just start with anything, and create an explanation. For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help. You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain twenty minutes from now.
Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.
Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.
Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.
71. What would be the best title for the text?
A. A Way on How to Write
B. Increase Your Brain Power through Writing
C. Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing
D. How to Start Your Writing
72. According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.
A. the increase of your brain power
B. the ability to remember
C. the development of your interest in study
D. the better understanding of a topic
73. If a writer writes something, it means that he or she _______.
A. has understood it very well
B. needs to understand it better
C. wants to remember it in his or her mind
D. is exercising his or her “explain power”
74. The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies that ______.
A. you are already successful
B. you still need to work hard
C. writing can help you walk half way
D. writing is important to solve problems
75. What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?
A. To advise readers to start their writing.
B. To explain the importance of writing.
C. To persuade readers to become writers.
D. To increase readers’ brain power.
C
Wikipedia was founded as a branch of Nupedia, a now-abandoned project to produce a free encyclopedia (百科全书). Nupedia required highly qualified contributors, but the writing of articles was slow. During 2000, Jimmy Wales, founder of Nupedia, and Larry Sanger, whom Wales had employed to work on the project, discussed ways of supplementing (补充) Nupedia with a more open project. Multiple sources are suggested for the idea that a wiki might allow members of the public to contribute material, and Nupedia’s first wiki went online on January 10.
There was considerable resistance on the part of Nupedia’s editors and reviewers to the idea of associating Nupedia with a Web site in the wiki format(格式), so the new project was given the name “Wikipedia” and launched on its own domain (域名), wikipedia.com, on January 15. The domain was eventually changed to the present wikipedia.org when the not-for-profit Wikimedia Foundation was launched as its new parent organization. In March 2007, the word wiki became a newly-recognized English word.
In May 2001, a wave of non-English Wikipedias was launched — in Catalan, Chinese, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. These were soon joined by Arabic and Hungarian. In September, Polish was added. At the end of the year, Afrikaans, Norwegian, and Serbocroatian versions were announced.
Anyone with Web access can edit Wikipedia, and this openness encourages inclusion of a great amount of content. About 75,000 editors — from expert scholars to casual readers — regularly edit Wikipedia, and these experienced editors often help to create a consistent style throughout the encyclopedia.
Editors are able to watch pages and techies(科技人员) can write editing programs to keep track of or correct bad edits. Where there’re disagreements on how to present facts, editors work together to arrive at an article that fairly represents current expert opinion on the subject. Although the Wikimedia Foundation owns the site, it’s largely uninvolved in writing and daily operations.
66. Jimmy Wales wanted a more open project because ______.
A. he wanted to found Wikipedia
B. Nupedia had its own disadvantages
C. he earned less money from Nupedia
D. Nupedia had been abandoned
67. The idea of connecting Nupedia with a Web site in the wiki format ______.
A. gained a wide support
B. came into being on January 15, 2000
C. made Nupedia better and better known to the public
D. weren’t welcomed by all Nupedia’s editors
68. Which of the following versions joined the Wikipedia in or after October 2001?
A. English version. B. Norwegian version.
C. Hebrew version. D. Arabic version.
69. Who are responsible to create the main style for the Wikipedia?
A. Any readers of the Wikipedia B. The techies.
C. The Wikimedia Foundation. D. The experienced editors.
70. Which of the following facts about Wikipedia most probably surprises readers?
A. Its owner contributes less to its writing.
B. It appeals to a wider audience.
C. Its owner was founded only recently.
D. It was evolved from Nupedia.
B
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and Maggie and I were returning from our walk through the woods. We were only a couple of blocks from home when I spotted a cellphone and credit card sitting on the road. We took them home. We find amazing things on the street. She looks upon it as a movable dinner. Chicken wings here and there.
I found another cellphone a few years back, too, and called a number in its phone book. I explained the situation to the guy who answered. He said it was his sister’s and that he'd swing by to pick it up, which he did.
And that was that. No verbal (口头的) thank-you, no written thank-you, no “here’s a box of chocolates” thank-you.
I didn’t have time to call anyone on my latest found cellphone. I was pouring myself coffee when it started to vibrate (颤动) and dance across the kitchen counter.
“Who’s this?” someone asked when I picked up.
“Who’s this?” I countered. “Sarah?”
She was taken aback until she realized her name was on the credit card I also had recovered. “Could you send it to me?” she asked.
She lives in Arlington, which is 2 miles from my house.
“Hmm, no,” I replied, adding that I thought she could come get them, and that if I wasn’t home, they would be in my mailbox.
A day later, when I was out for a run, someone retrieved them. But I got nothing. In this age of e-mail and cellphones, there’s really no excuse.
Years ago, I found something more precious than a $100 bill on the street: a driver’s license. I saw that its owner lived a couple of blocks from me, so I called him up. He asked whether I could slip the license through his front door.
“I guess I could,” I replied.
And that was that.
61. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Several Experiences of My Own
B. “Thank You” Is Becoming More Priceless
C. It’s Polite to Thank the Finders
D. Only Losers Lack “Thank” for Finders
62. According to the text, it can be inferred that Maggie should be ______.
A. the author’s wife B. the author’s pet
C. the author’s best friendD. the author’s son
63. The author didn’t call anyone on his latest found cellphone because ______.
A. it wasn’t worth to do B. he wanted to keep it as his own
C. he was busy then D. he didn’t know its owner
64. The underlined word “retrieved” in the tenth paragraph means “______”.
A. got back B. returned C. lost D. threw away
65. How does the author feel when he told his last experience about the driver’s license?
A. Disappointed. B. Helpless. C. Encouraged. D. Hopeful.
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,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
We bet that on cold wintry days, many of you love to stay in your warm home and, every now and then, come out into the kitchen for a snack. Unfortunately, plenty of creepy-crawly critters(爬行生物) like to do the same thing!
Winter is the time when bugs (虫子) invade your house without an invitation. The season can be tough for such creatures. In winter the air is cold, the ground is hard and many trees have no leaves. So bugs do what they have to do to survive.
Monarch butterflies head south to warmer climates. Ants crowd in deep underground colonies and eat food they have been storing all year. Many insects go into a deep sleep called diapause. There’re different kinds of diapause, but all are similar to hibernation, a time when bigger animals become inactive in the cold. Insects go into an inactive period, too, but it often isn’t when the temperature drops.
They rely on more dependable signals in the environment. For example, many insects can tell how much sunlight there’s each day. They use that to tell them when to shut down. Bugs are cold-blooded, meaning that their inside temperature is the same as the outside. They can’t move much when it gets below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So they search for any warm place.
They’re looking for protection. These guys have been doing this for 300 million years, so they don’t really know they’re coming into your house. The home is a recent event in terms of their evolutionary behavior. They enter through tiny cracks or come in unnoticed on your clothes or shoes. Remember that they may be invading your homes for warmth and food, but they don’t care about humans.
56. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To point out that humans like to stay at home in winter.
B. To mean that humans and bugs have the same living habits.
C. To mean that bugs will invade the house for their winter.
D. To put forward the idea that bugs are not welcome in winter.
57. According to the text, what is diapause?
A. It is the same as the animals’ hibernation.
B. It often appears in warm areas all the year.
C. It is done to keep bugs active in winter.
D. It is a deep sleep similar to hibernation.
58. What often decides bugs’ diapause?
A. The lower local temperatures. B. The amounts of sunlight.
C. Kinds of environmental signals. D. The insects’ inside temperature.
59. According to the text, bugs invade humans’ homes to ______.
A. attack humans B. look for enough food
C. seek for protection D. show their evolutionary results
60. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Bugs’ life on cold wintry days
B. Why bugs invade your home in winter?
C. Good relations between humans and bugs
D. What does diapause mean?