第二部分阅读理解（第一节20小题，第二节5小题；每小题2分，满分50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，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
Now as a mother myself, I'm anxious about the future, but I'm optimistic at the same time. I have the same concerns that my mother had for me and my brothers when we were growing up and going out into the world. The world it's said has shrunk or become flat. We're connected in ways we never were before. So how do we deal with these new challenges? Well, the other day I was speaking about my concerns for the future. And I said that I wanted to make sure that young people would work hard because we're in competition with jobs. When I was sitting where you are now, I didn't have to worry about competition from China or India. There were no global pressures like you will face as you mark your own way. And we need to get every young person to really get a sense of commitment and to work hard. Well, then my daughter said, "Mom I do work hard and my friends work hard." And I said, "I know that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to convey any impression that you don't work hard. I just want to set the bar high because we are in a competition for the future."
You know, in 1999 when I was thinking of running for the Senate, I did not know what to do. I was really thinking hard because I had to make a decision. And there were a lot of things to consider. Obviously, no first lady had ever sought public office before. I had obviously never run for office before.
You know, often our most fearsome competitor is ourselves. We struggle with all of the internal doubts and anxieties, fears for the future, concerns for the world. Sometimes when I look at what's happening in the world, it's hard to imagine going out and doing anything of meaning. But we can do it and not only that, we must. America needs you to grab hold of this moment. So compete to do the best you can and help make our country the best it can be. So today, after you've accepted your diploma, but before you leave this place, please thank your family for guiding you to this moment. Thank your professors for showing you a new world. Thank your friends for exploring that world and finally remember what this day feels like. Cherish it always. Go for it. The world awaits you.
41．Who is most probably the speaker “I”?
A．a Chinese B．an Indian C．an American adult D．a university student
42．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A．Quite a few first ladies have run for public offices.
B．Only after you’ve got your diploma and before you leave your university should you thank your parents, your professors and your friends.
C．The speaker is always aware of what to do because she is a determined person.
D．The speaker is concerned about the future even though she is optimistic.
43．Why do you think the speaker urge the students to work harder?
A．Because the students are not really working hard at all.
B．Because they are faced with global competition on their way to their future.
C．Because only in this way can they afford to go to an expensive bar for a good drink.
D．Because their most fearsome competitors are themselves.
44．On the whole, the speech is ________ .
A．disappointing B．encouraging C．negative D．necessary
A super drug that could remove Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症)，heart disease and diabetes (糖尿病) and help people live to 100 is being developed by scientists. Their research is based on the identification of three genes that help prolong lives and prevent diseases which occur in old age. Medically controlling the proteins made by the “ longevity genes” will allow millions to live longer, predicts Dr Nir Barzilai.
Those whose DNA strongly features the three genes are 80 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The genes also fight against the deadly impact of smoking, poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise.
Already, several laboratories are working on a pill to imitate the benefits of the genes and Dr Barzilai thinks it could be tested within three years. The pill could remove some diseases that damage old age. “ The advantage of finding a gene that involves longevity is that we can develop a drug that will imitate exactly what this gene is doing,” he said.
Of the three longevity genes, two genes increase the production of so-called good cholesterol(胆固醇), which reduces the risk of heart disease. The third prevents diabetes. They were discovered by Dr Barzilai’s team while studying the DNA of 500 Ashkenazi Jews with an average age of 100. The chances of living that long are one in 10,000 but the group, which shared relatively few common ancestors, was 20 times more likely to hit the entury. Dr Barzilai said: “ 30 percent of them were obese or overweight and 30 percent smoked two acks of cigarettes a day for more than 40 years, however they can live to 100.”
But Andrew Ketteringham of the Alzheimer’s Society said: “Alzheimer’s disease, a most common disease, is likely to be caused by a combination of genetic disosition(遗传倾向), lifestyles and life events. Many genes are probably involved. Some people are able to live to 100 years because of ______.
| A．a magical medicine | B．three special genes | C．good living habits | D．longevity proteins |
Why does the discovery of the longevity genes mean a lot?
| A．Because it can bring great benefits to scientific labs. |
| B．Because it can help people change their unhealthy genes |
| C．Because it helps produce a drug that can make people live longer. |
| D．Because it will help scientists build up a new branch of biology. |
From Paragraph 4 we can infer that ________.
| A．longevity genes can create good cholesterol. |
| B．the volunteers share some common ancestors |
| C．bad habits are likely to have no effect on the volunteers |
| D．longevity genes protect the volunteers against bad habits |
What is Andrew Ketteringham’s attitude toward the study?
| A．Positive | B．Negative | C．Critical | D．Cautious |
Jeans are trousers made of a kind of clothe called denim. For many people, blue jeans represent American culture.
The history of blue jeans usually begins with a man named Levi Strauss. Although he did not invent the jeans, he is considered the first person to produce and sell this kind of clothing in large amounts.
Levi Strauss was born in Bavaria, Germany. In 1847, he and his family moved to the US. He opened a store, first in New York, and then in San Francisco, California. Among the products he sold were jeans. These trousers were especially useful for miners in California who needed clothing made of a strong material.
Levi Strauss partnered with a clothing maker named Jacob Davis, who had invented a process for making rivets(铆钉) for jeans. These metal things helped strengthen the blue jean cloth to make the trousers stronger. In 1873, Strauss and Davis received a patent to officially own this invention. They began producing “ copper-riveted waist overalls(工装裤)”. In 1928 the Levi Strauss company used the word “Levi’s” as the trademark for their products.
The 19th-century workers would probably be surprised to know that their trousers would one day become a fashion object. Today, jeans are worn by people of all ages, incomes and lifestyles. Jeans come in many colors other than blue and in many styles and at many prices.
A national museum in Washington, D.C. has one of the oldest known pairs of Levi’s jeans in its collection. Jeans have come to express different ideas about American culture based on the people who wear them. These include the heroes of the Wild West and famous Hollywood actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando in the 1950s. Writer James Sullivan published a book called Jean: A Cultural History of an American Icon. In the book, he says jeans serve as a sign for two American values, creativity and rebellion (叛逆).This passage is mainly about _______.
| A．the life story of Levi Strauss | B．jeans and American culture |
| C．why jeans are popular. | D．the history of jeans |
We know from the passage that Levi Strauss _________.
| A．was the first person who wore jeans. | B．moved to the US from Germany alone. |
| C．not only sold jeans at first in his store | D．helped Jacob Davis invent a kind of rivet |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about jeans?
| A．Strauss and Davis owned the invention of using rivets on jeans. |
| B．In California, Levi’s was the only jeans seller in 1928. |
| C．Jeans were called copper-riveted waist overalls at first. |
| D．Jeans were originally made for heroes of the Wild West. |
According to the last but one paragraph,jeans should be best described as _________.
| A．strong | B．cultural | C． popular | D．unique |
My mother-in-law, Dorothy, is showing me the red notebook that’s almost as precious to her as my husband’s baby pictures. Inside the notebook is a list of the books she has read since 2007. For some people waking up in the middle of the night is a terrible thing. But for my mother-in-law, that time is a gift. At 87, she is getting the education she never had by working her way through great literature. She has now read close to 100 books, including every single novel by Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Henry James and Thomas Mann.
My mother-in-law discusses her passion with the enthusiasm of a young girl, although she can also be a very tough critic, writing “VG’ for “ very good” in the margins next to her favorites. So far, only a handful of books have received the top prize.
Born in Ridgefield, Conn, Dorothy was the youngest daughter of an Italian gardener. She taught herself English by reading The New York Times. Eager to come to Manhattan, she became a nurse, married a dentist and spent the next several decades keeping the house and raising a family. In her later years, she put her nursing skills to good use by taking care of my father-in-law, who had lung cancer. There were many trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night and then a long hospital stay. She stayed awake to watch over him for 15 hours a day. Always a light sleeper, she developed sleeplessness as a result of the stress.
It worsened after he died. Deeply sad and lonely for the first time in her life, she began waking up around 2am. Julian and Sylvia, the elderly couple next door suggest she read literature. And so Julian, a great lover of literature, became her “professor”, providing books from his large library. Suddenly the terrifying hole turned onto a world of amazing characters.Why is Dorothy considered a tough critic?
| A．Because no books are inspiring enough in her eyes. |
| B．Because only a few books are thought highly of by her. |
| C．Because she only reads books by famous writers. |
| D．Because she finds fault with every book she reads. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．the books Dorothy has read were bought by her husband. |
| B．the couple next door are college professors. |
| C．the author loves literature too. |
| D．Dorothy was a great wife. |
The underlined part “the terrifying hole” in the last paragraph refers to _____.
| A．the frightening death |
| B．Dorothy’s lack of education |
| C．waking up in the middle of the night |
| D．a hole in a book that Dorothy read |
What helped Dorothy get over the sadness and loneliness of losing her husband?
| A．Living with her son. |
| B．Reading literature. |
| C．Seeing her son’s baby pictures. |
| D．Talking with neighbors. |
Everyday we go to school and listen to the teacher, and the teacher will ask us some questions. Sometimes, the classmates will ask your opinions of the work of the class. When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying. You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat（闲谈）with friends — you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say. You must speak so that they can hear you — loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout of appearing to force yourself.
Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you. The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease（轻松）but the situation is somewhat（一点儿）different from that of an ordinary conversation. You must take special care that you can be heard.
36. When you speak to the class, you should speak _______________.
A．as loudly as possible B．in a low voice
C．loudly D．forcefully
37. Usually, when you speak to the class, the class is _________________.
A. noisy B．quiet C．having a restD．serious
38. The situation in the class is _______________ that in your house.
A．not very different from B．sometimes the same as
C.．sometimes not the same as D．not the same as
39. If you are having a conversation with an official, the most important thing for you is _______.
A．to show your ability B．to be very gentle
C. to make sure that you can be heard D．to put the official at ease
40. The main idea of this passage is _______________.
A．that we must use different ways at different situations B．that we must speak loudly
C．that we must keep silent at any time D．that we must talk with the class
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card(信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Web site(网站).Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care. On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number — or sell the information over the Internet.
Computers hackers(黑客) have broken down security(安全) systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago, 25 000 customers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(批发商),were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157 828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud. MasterCard is working on plans for Web-only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line.
However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm's on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders are responsible(对……负有责任的) for the first US $78 of any fraudulent spending.
And shop only at secure sites: Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers-advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Web site address may also start with https:// — the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: Most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.
41. What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?
A. A lot of stolen credit-cards were sold on the Internet. B. Fraud on the Internet.
C. Many Web sites are destroyed. D. Many illegal Web sites are on the Internet.
42. What is the meaning of “fraud”?
A. cheating B. sale C. payment D. safety
43. How can the thieves get the information of the credit-card?
A. The customers give them the information.
B. The thieves steal the information from Web sites.
C. The customers sell the information to them. D. Both A and B.
44. How many pieces of advice does the passage give to you?
A. Four. B. Three. C. Five. D. Six.
45. You are shopping on the site: http://www.shopping.com,and you want to buy a TV set, what does this article suggest doing?
A. Order the TV set at once. B. Do not buy the TV set on this site.
C. E-mail the site your credit-card information.
D. Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you.