III 阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节阅读理解（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A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen. More people are working harder than ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunch rooms. In almost all lines of work emphasis now falls on ever increasing output. Thus the “typical” Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart of only a generation ago. He gains in creature comfort and ease of life. What he loses to some extent is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.
Some say that France has been Americanized. This is because the United States is a world symbol of the technological society and its consumer products. The so called Americanization of France has its critics. They fear that “assembly line life” will lead to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more graceful and leisurely (but less productive) old French style. What will happen, they ask, to taste, elegance, and the cultivation of the good things in life to joy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local café?
Since the late 1950s life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit of material gain. Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students. They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by the triumph of this competitive, goods-oriented culture. Occasionally, they have reacted against the trend with considerable violence.
In spite of the critics, however, countless Frenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world. They find that the present life brings more rewards, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is preferable to the old.
41.Which of the following is a feature of the old French way of life?
Leisure, elegance, and efficiency
Elegance, efficiency, and taste
Leisure, elegance, and taste
Elegance, efficiency, and leisure
42.Which of the following is NOT true about Frenchmen?
Many of them prefer the modern life style.
They actually enjoy working at the assembly line.
They are more concerned with money than before.
They are more competitive than the old generation.
43.The passage suggests that _________.
A. in pursuing material gains the French are suffering losses elsewhere
B. it’s now unlikely to see a Frenchman enjoying a stroll by the river
C. the French are fed up with the smell of freshly picked apples
D. great changes have occurred in the life style of all Frenchmen
44.Which of the following is true about the critics?
A. Critics are greater in number than people enjoying the new way of life.
B. Students critics are greater in number than critics in other fields.
C. Students critics have, on occasion, resorted to violent means against the trend.
D. Critics are concerned solely with the present and not the future.
45.Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
A. Changes in the French Way of Life
B. Criticism of the New Life Style
C. The Americanization of France
D. Features of the New Way of Life
A Chilean(智利) soap-opera star, a beauty from Ancient Pompeii and a freckled (雀斑的)boyish girl hardly make an average beauty show line-up.
The first world-wide digital beauty contest to the surprise of many online fans was won by a woman who is virtually(虚拟) real flesh and bones. “Virtual models are not the anti-real, they are a different representation of reality,” said Franz Cerami, the organiser of Miss Digital World (数字世界小姐).
Each of the contestants had to provide the charming photo of high degrees, with date of birth and body measurements.
Chilean Rodolfo Perez Ayala decided that no figure of his imagination could beat the beauty of his wife, Katty Kowaleczko, so he hired artist Flavio Parra to recreate her. Kowaleczko, who plays Paula Sandoval in the popular Latin American soap opera Tentacion, was transformed into Katty-ko and won the digital contest with more than 17,000 online votes.
“I’m so happy Katty-ko won. I think her strength is her similarity to a real woman-not too luxurious or exposed”, Kowaleczko, 40, told reporters. “Her beauty is in her simplicity.” Kowaleczko was not afraid of being replaced by her 3D clone in movies or theatres, but hoped she would become “a sort of ambassador(使者) of Chilean beauty”.
Cerami said Latin American interest in Miss Digital World had greatly increased since Katty-ko joined the contest, which attracted about 3600 entries from countries from Iran to Australia and even from the ancient Roman empire.
“Pompea” was the digital reconstruction of a young woman killed by the outbreak of Vesuvius in 79 AD. “She was a slave, but also a rich man’s lover. When her body was discovered, many jewels and a bangle(手镯) with the writing ‘from the master to his servant girl’ were found” said Genny Tortora, a professor at the University of Salerno who led Pompea’s creative team.
Other contestants included Kaya, the most realistic model with digital freckles, pouty (噘起的) lips and upturned nose.
Now, Cerami’s dream is to manage a form of virtual beauties, introducing them for calendars, games, ads, and movies. One is even reported to be heading for Playboy’s front page.
8.The winner in the first Miss Digital World contest was ________.
A. a star who performed in some soap operas
B. a beauty who came from Chilean
C. a beauty who was from the ancient Roman empire
D. a made-up beauty based on a real woman.
9. Which group of the following are the names for the digital beauties mentioned in the passage?
A. Katty-ko, Pompea, Kaya. B. Katty Kowaleczko, Pompea, Playboy.
C. Flavio Parra, Genny Tortora, Franz Cerami.
D. Rodolfo Perez Ayala, Pompea, Franz Cerami
10. The digital beauty “Pompea” was created by ________.
A. Genny Tortora B. a group of people C. by a young woman D. a rich man
11. What the organiser of Miss Digital World wants to do next is ________.
A. sell pictures of beauties for calendars B. hold another contest
C. put the digital beauties into practical use. D. start an ads company
British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow. in soil containing salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive farms once more.
Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University’s School of Biological Sciences,. have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. The pairs have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice.
It is estimated that each year more than 10 million hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts(防碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics, mangroves that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透) in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated by the heat, leaving, salt deposits behind.
Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive.
To overcome these problems. Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants’ growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests before the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use.
Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food for the poorer countries of the world.
4. Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is true?
A. They are students at Sussex University. B. They are rice breeders.
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the problem discussed in the passage?
A. Natural barriers to sea water have been destroyed.
B. The water table has gone down after droughts.
C. Sea level has been continuously rising.
D. Evaporation of water leaves salt behind.
6. The word "affect" in Paragraph 5 could be best replaced by________.
A. influence B. effect C. stop D. present
7. The attitude of the author towards the research project is________.
A. positive B. negative C. suspicious D. indifferent
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Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years.
European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a space flight to distant planets. "If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality," said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.
What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely. Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state where they don't age. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats. The results will be out by the end of 2004.
A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex.
"It's like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer," said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy's University of Pavia.
Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person's metabolism (新陈代谢) to lower so they would need less energy.
Medical research, however, is just half of a space flight hibernation system.
There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter. Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature. It would also have to monitor (监控) life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.
According to Ayre, the six-person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to Jupiter's moon (木星的卫星) Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045.
9. European researchers are conducting hibernation experiments to ________.
A. ensure astronauts to get a complete sleep B. find the secret of some creatures
C. make preparations for the journey to Jupiter’s moon Callisto
D. know if man can sleep for years
10. The sentence “What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely” means ________.
A. Science fiction is people’s imagination.
B. Science fiction is imaginative, but it can be realized.
C. Things seem impossible may come true.
D. Things described in science fiction are sure to become true.
11. The passage is implied but doesn’t states that ________.
A. putting living cells into a sleep-like state is full of failure
B. Biggiogera is confident with the experiment
C. human’s hibernation needs no energy
D. medical research is the key to space flight hibernation system
12. By designing a suitable protective shelter, astronauts can ________.
A. have a good hibernation B. lessen the pressure of traveling in space
C. feed themselves in spaceship D. moinitor their body changes
13. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Six humans to fly to Callisto B. Human hibernation improves health
C. Space travel attracts people D. Deep sleep for deep space travel
Russian tradition orders that men should kiss each other three times on the cheeks at official functions. Now, a new ruling in Moscow is calling for politicians in the capital to stick to the old handshake. According to Britain's The Telegraph newspaper, politicians in Moscow have been told to stop kissing each other when they meet because the “kissing ceremony” takes so long.
Leonid Brezhnev, the general secretary of the Communist Party from 1964 to 1982, was famous for treating male colleagues to a full lip-lock. One photograph of him kissing Erich Honecker, the leader of the Democratic Republic of Germany, was used for a protest painting on the Berlin Wall with the caption: "Oh, God, help me survive this deadly love".
Kissing three times on the cheeks at official occasions is a Russian tradition. The practice has been revived among high-ranking officials in past years. In the distant past, a kiss from the tsar (emperor) was the highest sign of recognition. The Moscow ruling, however, has prompted authorities in other cities to consider banning the practice.
Alexei Kleshko, a parliament member in Siberia, said: “Single-sex kisses should be avoided, including at official meetings. It's enough to shake hands. Of course, if one is talking about a long friendship or fatherly relations, it might be OK to embrace. But that's the maximum that should be allowed.”
Another MP Vladimir Gorlov, said he only allowed himself to kiss the hand of a woman at work: "There are informal relations and there are meetings governed by protocol," he said. “When a man is kissing another man at an official event, I have a negative attitude towards it. There are rules of decency. "
5. Moscow is calling for politicians to stick to handshake because ________.
A. it is popular at home and abroad B. it is their tradition
C. it saves time D. Russian women have a strong love of it
6. By mentioning Brezhnev, the author ________.
A. wants to show his respect to Brezhner
B. admires Brezhnev for his skills at kissing
C. just shows the media made fun of pictures of politicians kissing
D. praises Brezhnev’s good relation with Honecker
7. If the tsar kissed a Russian woman, she would feel ________.
A. nervous B. proud C. shameful D. curious
8. We can infer from the last two paragraphs that ________.
A. Kleshko is strongly against any kind of kiss
B. Kleshko is a man out of date
C. Gorlove shares the same view with Kleshko is single-sex kisses
D. Gorlove won’t kiss any man in any form