With the rapid development of public transport system, big cities like Shanghai hope to ease the traffic jams and pollution caused by an increasing number of cars.
Statistics show that Shanghai’s subway lines will reach 350 km by the end of this year, making the city No. 3 in the world in terms of subway length. Shanghai could be ranked No. 1 when the length is extended to 430 km next May in time for the World Expo. This means about 5.5 million people each day could use the city’s subway system, thereby reducing traffic bottle-necks and air and noise pollution in downtown Shanghai.
At present, Shanghai suffers from severe traffic jams, during not only rush hours and weekdays but also off-peak hours and weekends.
For years, car emissions (尾气) have been blamed for contributing 60 percent of the air pollution in the city center, causing various respiratory (呼吸道) diseases.
What’s more, Shanghai has not met its target of noise reduction for five years, which has become a major source of public complaints. Starting from August 1, cars that are considered highly polluting will be banned from entering the city centre.
Shanghai is also building 16 parking lots with 8,000 spaces near subway terminals so that people can park and ride the public system instead of driving their cars into the city center.
Much more needs to be done for truly easing the traffic jams and air and noise pollution caused by automobiles. For example, the ban on using the horn, which was made effective from June 1, 2007, has not really been carried out.
Many local people still regard owning and driving a car as a kind of demonstration(炫耀) of their wealth, without realizing the traffic and environmental hazards it can cause. When the subway system can take people to their destinations, driving a private car in downtown Shanghai could become a moral issue.
45. The best title for the passage may be___________.
A. Efforts to Ease Crowding & Pollution
B. Results of Public Transport System
C. Possibilities to Reduce Private Cars
D. Ways to Reduce Car Emission
46. The following is true EXCEPT that Shanghai _________.
A. Shanghai is building 16 parking lots for private cars in the city center
B. could be No. 1 in terms of subway length next May
C. has problems with crowding not only in rush hours
D. has strong public complaints about noise pollution
47. Guess the correct meaning of the underlined word “hazards”.
A. sudden changes B. violent forces
C. public dislikes D. dangerous results
48. The writer intends to tell us________ in the last two paragraphs.
A. though many plans have been carried out, the situation is hopeless
B. difficult as the situation seems, Shanghai is sure to overcome it
C. whether the problems will be solved depends on people’s action
D. environmental problem should be regarded as a moral issue.
It was a cold morning at a metro station in Washington DC, a man started to play the violin. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the tin without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most beautiful pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment.
The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we enjoy beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected situation?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”Few people stopped to listen to Joshua Bell playing because____________.
| A．it was too cold in the subway |
| B．they were not interested in music |
| C．people were in a hurry |
| D．the performance was not good enough |
Which of the following is true about Joshua Bell’s performance?
| A．Nobody gave him money |
| B．Nobody recognized him. |
| C．Nobody appreciated it |
| D．Nobody organized it |
Joshua Bell played in the metro station in order to ____________.
| A．make more money on the street |
| B．practice his skills in playing music |
| C．made an advertisement for his concert |
| D．find out people’s reaction under such a circumstance |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?.
| A．The Importance of Music | B．A Talented Violinist |
| C．A Subway Violin Performance | D．The Things We Miss |
According to a new US study, couples who expect their children to help care for them in old age should hope they have daughters because they are likely to be twice as attentive overall.
The research by Angelina Grigoryeva, a sociologist at Princeton University, found that, while women provide as much care for their elderly parents as they can manage, men do as little as they can get away with and often leave it to female family members.
Her analysis of the family networks of 26,000 older Americans concluded that gender(性别) is the most important predictor(预示物) of whether or not people will actively care for elderly parents.
In a paper being presented at the annual conference of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco, she concludes that simply having a sister makes men statistically likely provide less care.
Using data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, a study which has been tracking a cross-section of over-50s for the last decade, she calculated that women provide an average of 12.3 hours a month of care for elderly parents while men offer only 5.6 hours.
“Whereas the amount of elderly parent care daughters provide is associated with limitations they face, such as employment or childcare, sons’caregiving is associated only with the presence or absence of other helpers, such as sisters or a parent’s spouse(配偶),” she explained.
“Sons reduce their relative caregiving efforts when they have a sister, while daughters increase theirs when they have a brother.”
“This suggests that sons pass on parent caregiving responsibilities to their sisters.”
In the UK, the 2011 census(人口普查) showed that there are now around 6.5 million people with caring responsibilities – a figure which has risen by a tenth in a decade.
But many are doing so at the risk of their own health. The census showed that those who provide 50 hours or more of care a week while trying to hold down a full- time job are three times more likely to be struggling with ill health than their working counterparts(相对应的人) who are not carers.What’s the most important factor to predict if people will actively care for the elderly?
| A．Gender. | B．Education. |
| C．Career. | D．Family networks. |
The US study finds that _______.
| A．sons are twice likely as daughters to care for parents in old age |
| B．having a sister makes men less likely to do their fair share |
| C．sons and daughters seem to give equal care to their parents |
| D．sons are unwilling to leave caregiving responsibilities to female family members |
What does the author stress in the last paragraph?
| A．People should give up their jobs to care for the elderly. |
| B．Many care providers work longer hours than others. |
| C．People shouldn’t pass on caring responsibilities to others. |
| D．Many care providers have potential health problems. |
The author develops the text by _______.
| A．explaining social networks of careers |
| B．describing people’s experiences |
| C．analyzing various research and data |
| D．comparing different gender behavior |
Optional evening workshops will be held at small restaurants or other meeting places near the conference hotel. Meals and other costs are not included but are also optional. Locations will be announced at the conference site. Workshops are very loosely organized and most represent discussions that have been held at Society for Economic Botany (SEB) meetings over a series of years.
Workshop 1: Student Network
Date: Wednesday evening, Feb. 5th
Chairs: Hugo de Boer and Arika Virapongse
Sponsor: Society for Economic Botany
Description: Student members of the SEB hold a networking mixer each year in order to meet each other and to become familiar with a variety of educational programs and faculty advisors(大学指导老师). Faculty members who are part of training programs are encouraged to join the mixer to meet and talk with students.
Workshop 2: Botanical Film Making
Date : Wednesday evening, Feb. 5th
Chair : David Strauch
Sponsor : University of Hawaii
Description : Digital film making is a particularly useful tool of linking cultural information to recognizable plants. This workshop is aimed towards increasing the quality of material recorded by giving participants greater control over the medium. We will cover technical aspects (e.g. camera settings, audio), technical aspects (framing, lighting, focus), and some ways of presenting the material. Experienced filmmakers are encouraged to attend, and participants are welcome to bring their own camera equipment.
Workshop 3: Collections for Botany
—Collections Development and Management
Date: Friday evening, Feb. 7th
Chair: Jan Salick
Sponsor: Society for Economic Botany
Description: SEB is a network of researchers who have been developing standards for the development of collections of artifacts, plant samples and related materials. Participants discuss successes, problems, and funding sources for solving management issues.One of the purposes of a networking mixer held each year is to ________.
| A．provide students with greater control over the media |
| B．help the students to be familiar with educational programs |
| C．help the students to deal with most of the environment issues |
| D．link cultural information to recognizable plants |
Which of the following is true according to the poster?
| A．Evening workshops will be held at small restaurants with meals included. |
| B．Faculty advisers can join the mixer without training experience. |
| C．Workshops have nothing to do with the discussions held at SEB meetings. |
| D．Participants have more than one option on Feb. 5th than another night. |
You are a college student, interested in plants and good at taking TV pictures. Which of the Evening Workshops is most suitable for you?
| A．Collections for Botany. | B．Botanical Film Making. |
| C．Student Network. | D．Society for Economic Botany. |
Many people in high school cannot wait to go to college and leave their hometown behind. Questions arise, though, when it comes to all of the decisions involved in choosing a college.
One of the first considerations may be finance. State and public colleges are often the least expensive. Often, though, the better colleges are private and more expensive. It is sad when gifted students cannot attend a college of their choice just for financial reasons.
Another major factor is location. Whether the college is in a small town or large city can have a major impact on its activities. A water lover probably will be more comfortable spending four years near an ocean or a lake. Those who cannot tolerate heat will probably be more comfortable at a northern college. Distance from home may also come into consideration. If family is a top priority, that person should stay close to home; on the other hand, if independence is desired, a campus farther from home would be more appropriate.
School size also plays a major role in the decision process. If you want to get to know your teachers, a small college is suitable. For those of you who consider yourself a “ people person” and want a wide range of activities, a large college is more fitting. Your area of interest is another factor to consider in the decision-making process if you want to get the most from your education. The whole point of college is to learn what is of interest to you.
Crucially(至关重要地), one must take into consideration the colleges by which you can realistically be accepted. An Ivy League school for an average student would probably not be a good match. Similarly, an average school for an above-average student would not work well. The college should provide enough of a challenge for the student to work hard. Although there may not be the perfect college out there, there probably will be one that is close. Those who cannot find a suitable college are probably not looking hard enough.When it comes to going to college the author thinks ________.
| A．financial situation is the first to consider |
| B．students are unwilling to leave their home |
| C．students will become homesick |
| D．students are eager to attend their ideal university |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．Students can be independent at college. |
| B．A long distance will make students upset. |
| C．The location of the college is a main factor. |
| D．The climate must be taken into consideration. |
What does the underlined part people person in the passage mean?
| A．A person of great capacity. | B．A very particular person. |
| C．A very sociable person. | D．A person of great importance. |
Which is the most important factor when choosing a college?
| A．The location of a college. |
| B．The examination result. |
| C．School size. |
| D．The coming challenges. |
Amy Pankratz spent a few nights in the hospital with her daughter, Isabella, who caught a bad flu. “Lying in bed beside Isabella, I could hear the cries of children in pain, ”says Amy. “It completely broke my heart. ”
When Isabella was getting well and could leave her room, she wore her prized possession—a “superhero cape(短斗篷)”Amy had sewn to encourage her—and walked into the hallway. The pink cape was an instant hit with the other young patients, who were doing exercise around the nursing station. Then, all the kids were taking turns wearing the cape, giggling, ”Amy says. “These were some of the same children I had heard crying the night before, and here they were playing and having fun—kids just being kids! ”
From that moment on, Amy began making Comfort Capes for little ones battling with serious illnesses. “I felt God presenting an opportunity, ”she says. “I hoped Comfort Capes can help these kids feel brave, to lift some of the fear away. ”
Since then, Amy has made and donated more than 5, 000 capes in the United States. Amy usually pays for materials herself, although she accepts donations.
The capes she makes for kids in treatment are different from those her own children have. Before Amy starts to sew she learns what image or character the little boy or girl connects with. “ I choose the pattern, color and theme specially for each child,” explains Amy.
When she is not sewing, Amy is raising awareness of childhood cancers and looking into ways to get Comfort Capes to more kids who need them, “ If a cape can help a child, even only for a moment, forget his illness, its worth the time spent sewing, she says.What made Amy feel sad when she was staying with her daughter in the hospital?
| A．Her daughters serious illness. |
| B．The cries of children in pain. |
| C．The tiredness from sewing the cape. |
| D．The illness of children in her daughters room. |
What purpose did Amy have when she began making Comfort Capes for sick children?
| A．To make them feel warm. |
| B．To find friends for her daughter. |
| C．To make them happy and fearless. |
| D．To raise the awareness of childrens illness. |
According to the passage, we can get that the authors attitude toward Amys behaviour is ________.
| A．indifferent | B．neutral |
| C．negative | D．supportive |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Turning Sick Kids into Superheroes |
| B．How to Treat the Sick Children |
| C．A Strong Mom Who Helps Others |
| D．Amy: a Considerate Woman |