七．阅读理解 (20分)
February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
1. Which of the following is not a custom for a boy to do on Valentine’s Day?
A. to take his girlfriend out to dinner
B. to buy his girlfriend flowers and chocolates
C. to make Valentine’s cards for teachers and friends
D. to spell out his girlfriend’s name with rose petals
2. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?
A. Because there were few women in his country at that time.
B. Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers.
C. Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people.
D. Because he wanted to control the birth rate.
3. Valentine was put into prison because ______.
A. he killed one of the soldiers
B. he stole a lot of food
C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order
D. he didn’t want to be a soldier
4. The last paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A. students in China send cards to their teachers
B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now
5. The best title for this passage should be ______.
A. Valentine’s Day B. A Brave Priest
C. Valentine’s Day in China D. A Romantic Man
With only a click of the mouse, rumours（谣言）can be forwarded between microblogs（微博）very quickly. As an example, recently, sensitive netizens discovered that some photos displayed on microblogs describing Beijing’s June rainstorm had actually been fabricated.
Sina.com is one of the major Internet portals in China with hundreds and thousands of users, and a majority of celebrities and famous citizens have their microblog accounts on this portal. As recently as six months ago, the website decided to establish a specialized team to prove rumours and provide accurate information for its users. Tan Chao is in charge of the team.
“ Before I took the job, I usually couldn’t identify what information was real and what was fake. But during the process of identification, we discovered that a lot of information was false, including fake photos, fake news stories and rumours that had been spread through microblogs.”
It’s not just website portals which are taking on fact-checking responsibilities, but also a number of civic-minded netizens, who recently set up a Rumour Identification Federation on Sina.com’s microblog system to help netizens identify fake information online.
Dian Zizheng is the team leader of the federation. He says they’ve publicized more than 150 pieces which contradict rumours, which attracted more than 10 thousand visitors within two months.
“We live in an age of new media, so we can’t use the old methods to prove rumours. We can’t wait for the media to prove the facts with related administrative（行政） departments and then release a formal announcement. We can’t allow rumours to run wild and then deal with it, we need to fight rumours while they’re spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumours nowadays.”
Some experts say this displays the advantages of the internet compared to other traditional media. The open platform allows information to be examined and clarified by netizens. But experts like Ding Wengguo,President of the Journalism and Communication College at the China University of Political Science and Law says this self-correction function of the Internet is still quite limited.
“It’s still quite different to tell which information is true in such an open environment by just reading a number of different opinions on the same issue. This is something which we need to pay attention to. If society is flooded with too much false information, and it’s allowed to spread in such a fast manner, then people will be suspicious（怀疑的） of all kinds of information including important information from authorities. It also worsens problems relating to social communications and mutual-understanding, which in turn harms society as a whole.”
Experts suggest that the government should react more quickly in the Internet age. Once a rumour begins to spread, administrative departments should make announcements as early as possible to drive away rumours before they lead to bad outcomes.Sina.com decided to found a specialized team to __________.
| A．prevent the spread of rumours on the Internet |
| B．advance the development of microblog |
| C．limit the number of microblog |
| D．urge the government to react quickly to the rumours |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．All the rumours have been spread through microblog. |
| B．Sina.com is the most popular internet portal in China. |
| C．Traditional media don’t prove rumours to spread. |
| D．The photos displayed on microblogs might have side effects. |
The underlined word “fabricated” in the first paragraph can be replaced by _________.
| A．made up | B．dug out | C．got round | D．given away |
What is the best way to prove rumors on microblogs?
| A．Shutting down the website immediately. |
| B．Substituting the Internet for traditional media. |
| C．Examining and checking while they are spreading . |
| D．Making announcements after they are spread. |
The writer cited Ding Wenguo’s words in Paragraph 8 to________.
| A．draw a conclusion | B．introduce a topic |
| C．support an argument | D．describe a scene |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards the rumours from microblogs according to the passage?
| A．Negative. | B．Sympathetic. | C．Supportive. | D．Changeable. |
Justin Bieber used to be an ordinary Canadian boy, but his life totally changed in 2008. With his great musical talent, this 17-year-old boy has become a superstar in the music industry.
Justin Bieber was born in Straford, Ontario and was raised by his single mother. Bieber learned to play musical instruments when he was very young. In 2007,he took part in a local singing competition in his hometown, and he did it just for fun. He never took singing lessons before but surprisingly he placed second in the competition. Then,with the help of his mother, he uploaded videos of him singing on a website and they successfully attracted the attention of viewers. His videos got popular through word of mouth and some of them have received up to 10,000,000 views.
Justin Bieber would have never gotten a career in the music business without his videos. Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def Recordings, had watched Bieber’s videos and he was impressed by the boy’s talent. Braun then contracted Bieber and he flew the boy into Atlanta 7 months after the first video was posted. Bieber showed his talent in singing as well as his ability in playing musical instruments. He then got a record deal.
In 2009,Justin Bieber released his first single “One Time” while he was recording the debut album（首张专辑）.The single “One Time” tells a story about love. This song had success not only in Canada and the US, but also in the international market. Then he released his debut album “My World 2.0”in 2010 and the song “Baby” became the lead single. This album successfully entered the Top Ten Charts in seven countries. In June 2010, he started his first world tour in Hartford, Connecticut. One month later, he started recording his second album.Justin Bieber’s career in music began to take off when ________.
| A．he met with Scooter Braun |
| B．he released his debut album |
| C．he won second place in a competition |
| D．his singing videos were uploaded to a website |
It can be infered from the text that Justin Bieber ___________.
| A．owed his success to good luck |
| B．showed a gift for music when he was young |
| C．is the youngest superstar ever in the music industry |
| D．released his debut album with the help of Scooter Braun |
What do we learn about Justin Bieber’s “One Time”according to the text?
| A．It is about love and was released in 2010. |
| B．It attracted the world’s attention after released. |
| C．It successfully entered the Top Ten Charts in seven countries. |
| D．It is the lead single of his debut album “My World 2.0”. |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．Justin Bieber’s journey to success |
| B．Lucky boy-- Justin Bieber |
| C．What made Justin Bieber a singer |
| D．Secrets of Justin Bieber’s success |
The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived on the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸盐)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which is a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen. What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?________.
| A．To seek help for Nauru’s problems. |
| B．To give a warning to other countries |
| C．To show the importance of money |
| D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war. |
What was Nauru like before the Europeans came? ________.
| A．Rich and powerful | B．Modern and open |
| C．Peaceful and attractive | D．Greedy and aggressive |
The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from _______.
| A．soil pollution | B．phosphate overmining |
| C．farming activity | D．whale hunting |
Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem? ________.
| A．Its leaders misused the money |
| B．It spent too much repairing the island |
| C．Its phosphate mining cost much money |
| D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war. |
What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?________.
| A．The phosphate mines were destroyed |
| B．The ecological damage is difficult to repair. |
| C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans |
| D．The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously. |
Homestay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home．
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals．Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week．You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health．
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones 2, 3 and 4 of the transport system．Most hosts do not live in the town centre as much of central London is commercial and not residential（居住的）．Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger accommodation in a less crowned area．It is very convenient to travel in London by underground．
Meal Plans Available
♢ Continental Breakfast
♢ Breakfast and Dinner
♢ Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast．Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal（谷物类食品），bread and tea or coffee．Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England．Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee．
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host’s permission．You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy．
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room．This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student．However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practice English at home quite as much．The passage is probably written for___________．
| A．host willing to receive foreign students |
| B．foreigners hoping to build British culture |
| C．travelers planning to visit families in London |
| D．English learners applying to live in English homes |
Which of the following will the host provide?
| A．Room cleaning． | B．Medical care． |
| C．Free transport． | D．Physical training． |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
| A．Zone 4 is more crowded than Zone 2． |
| B．The business centre of London is in Zone 1． |
| C．Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre． |
| D．Accommodation in the city centre is not provided． |
According to the passage．What does continental Breakfast include?
| A．Dessert and coffee |
| B．Fruit and vegetables． |
| C．Bread and fruit juice |
| D．Cereal and cold meat． |
Why do some people choose self-catering accommodation?
| A．To experience a warmer family atmosphere． |
| B．To enrich their knowledge of English． |
| C．To entertain friends as they like． |
| D．To enjoy much more freedom． |
Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia（痴呆） in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones（荷尔蒙） , U．S．researchers reported on Thursday．
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s（早老痴呆症）．University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans．“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy（怀孕） are protecting the brain, including estrogen（雌激素）, which we know has many neuroprotective（保护神经的） effects,” Kinsley said．
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview．“They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes．” Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline．
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida．
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain．If you look at female animals that have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young．But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations（改变） to the brain．”How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?
| A．Some researchers have told them． |
| B．Many women say so． |
| C．They know it by experimenting on rats． |
| D．They know it through their own experience． |
What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?
| A．Baby rats． | B．Animals． | C．Old rats． | D．Grown-up rats． |
What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?
| A．Estrogen． |
| B．The hormones of pregnancy． |
| C．More exercise． |
| D．Taking care of children． |
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals．” What does the sentence suggest?
| A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans． |
| B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals． |
| C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans． |
| D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals． |
Which title is the best for this passage?
| A．Do You Want to Be Smarter? |
| B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter |
| C．Mysterious Hormones |
| D．An Important Study |