On September 22, 2007, 108 Chinese cities took part in Car-Free Day, a global event held every year, for the first time.
China became the world’s second-largest auto market and third-largest car-maker in 2006. It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States. In this sense, China’s participation will greatly promote the Car-Free Day movement.
The number of cars on the road is going up rapidly in China. In Beijing, about 1,000 new cars are added to the streets on an average day.
Cars certainly offer people plenty of freedom to move around. But in many Chinese cities, appearance of too many cars has turned into a major problem. Getting stuck in traffic jams is an everyday experience for drivers.
Even worse is the environmental impact(影响)caused by cars. According to a national report, on a “smog day”, 79 percent of the air pollution is caused by cars.
The growing number of traffic accidents is another problem. Over 100,000 people die from traffic accidents every year in China, which is by far the highest number of road deaths in the world.
108 cities’ participation in Car-Free Day shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars.
On this day, all cars were banned from running in selected areas of the participating cities. People were encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport. According to experts, the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere produced by cars was reduced by 3,000 tons on Car-Free Day.
With cleaner air and smoother traffic flow on the day, more cities will hopefully want to join the event next year. And more people might share the hope that Car-Free Day is not just on September 22, but a possibility 365 days of the year.From the passage, we can know that China ______.
| A.has the world’s highest number of road deaths |
| B.has the world’s largest auto market |
| C.is the world’s largest greenhouse gas producer |
| D.is the world’s second-largest car-maker |
Which of the following is discussed in the passage?
| A.The causes of car growth in China. |
| B.The effects of car growth in China. |
| C.The history of World Car-Free Day. |
| D.The popularity of World Car-Free Day. |
On Car-Free Day in 2007, 108 cities in China ______.
| A.didn’t allow people to drive |
| B.didn’t have air pollution |
| C.called on people to drive less |
| D.called on people to drive freely |
Car-Free Day in China will ______.
| A.be held all the year round |
| B.stop air pollution and traffic jams |
| C.attract more people to join in |
| D.reduce the production of cars |
第三部分阅读(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
第一节阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下面短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项。
A well-dressed man entered a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife’s birthday. The price didn’t matter. Since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that cost $5000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left.
A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality, as she wanted a pair of earrings made, “Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl?” said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, “I would say it’s exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl.”
The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $ 25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right.
Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse. “I don’t like to part with it,” she said sadly, “I inherited it from my mother, and my mother inherited it from hers. But I really need the money.”
The jeweler was quick to pay her before she changed her mind. Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news. The man, however, was nowhere to be found.
1. The man said he wanted to buy a pearl for ______.
A. his wife B. his mother-in–law C. his own mother D. no one
2. He paid $ 5,000 for the black pearl without bargaining because ______.
A. he was very rich B. he wanted to make the jeweler believe him
C. he was anxious to get it D. his business had been successful
3. He told the jeweler to get him another pearl that must be ______.
A. exactly the same size as the black on
B. exactly the same quality as the black one
C. worth no more than $ 25,000
D. exactly as big and nice as the black one
4. Many people answered the advertisement because they wanted _______.
A. to see the perfect pearl
B. to buy some beautiful pearls too
C. to get in touch with the rich man
D. to sell their own pearl at a high price
5. The jeweler couldn’t find the man anywhere because ______.
A. he died suddenly.
B. He happened to be out
C. He got $ 20,000 by cheating and had run away with the money.
D. He wouldn’t show up until the jeweler called him a second time.
A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in a garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物所能分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and is able to change shape. Over time it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms fertilizers. These feed the seed and help the flower grow.
Engineers have designed a small transparent (透明的) window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time,” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief (缓解) for nature , according to the scientists.
“The seed comes out and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it,” said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.
What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To tell the popularity of biodegradable cell phones.
B. To persuade the reader to buy the biodegradable cell phone.
C. To discuss the development of phone technology.
D. To introduce an environmentally-friendly cell phone to readers.
People throw away their cell phones most probably because _______.
A.there is something wrong with them
B.no sunflowers can grow out of them
C.they are out of fashion
D.they are becoming cheaper and cheaper
It could be learned from the passage that _________.
A.developing the new type of phone is mainly to protect the environment
B.phone-makers will benefit much more from the new type of phone
C.the new type of phone will certainly be popular with users all over the world
D.the phones that can be recycled are available only in Britain now
What might be the best title for this passage?
A.Sunflower and Phone. B.Plant Your Phone.
C.Protect Our Environment. D.No Worry about Phone.
Where can we probably find the passage above?
A. In a novel. B. In a magazine. C. In a textbook. D. In a diary
III. 阅读(共两节,满分30分)
第一节阅读理解(共10小题;每小题2分,满分20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。
Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as a junior clerk in a lawyer’s office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in Parliament, for London newspapers.
His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals(期刊), and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England.
He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice and inhumanity of the middle class. Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago. Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism. He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end.
46. Dickens only received a little formal education because______.
A. he wanted to teach himself
B. he wanted to work and made a lot of money
C. he was too poor to afford any more formal education
D. he wanted some working experiences to be a novelist
47. According to Dickens, society at his time in England was________.
A. just B. poor C. comfortable D. unsatisfying
48. Which of the following novel made Dickens the most popular writer at his time in England?
A. Oliver Twist B. The Pickwick Papers
C. A Tale of Two Cities D. Great Expectations
49. According to the passage, which of the following about Dickens is true?
A. He didn’t go to school at all.
B. He only wrote about poor people and showed deep sympathy for them.
C. He began to write fictions when he was 21 years old.
D. He found some effective ways to improve the living conditions of the poor.
50. It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A. Dickens had a miserable(悲惨的;可怜的)childhood
B. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833
C. Dickens wrote many novels but only some of them are popular
D. Dickens criticized capitalist society and helped to improve the living conditions of the poor
Time out, extra chores and taking away privileges are more useful forms of disciplining (惩戒)naughty children than spanking or hitting, according to a study on Wednesday.
About 94 percent of parents use some form of physical punishment to teach their two-year-olds right from wrong, according to research studies. But psychologists say it could lead to later emotional and behavioral problems.
Even children who were only spanked some of the time are more likely to show signs of sadness or have less confidence.
“The key is to be fair and do the same thing each time. Doing something like hitting a child that seems cruel at best doesn’t help and can put a child at risk for problems,” said Dr Paul Frick, of the University of New Orleans in Louisians.
“It is better to use other punishments,” he added.
The use of physical punishment to teach children has long been debated. In countries such as Austria, Finland, Germany and Sweden, it is illegal to use physical punishment at home or in schools.
Frick and his team, who studied the effects of physical punishment on 98 children, said they couldn’t find any positive effects. Some children learned more from the hitting than what the parent was trying to teach them.
“The key is to have a lot of different forms of punishment depending on the age of the child,” said Frick, who reported his findings in the Journal of Applied Child Psychology.
He recommended time out for younger children and taking away television and electronic toys for older children. Giving extra chores can also get the message across.
Other measures are at least as effective as physical punishment and have less harmful potential consequences.
The researchers kept children whom they thought were at risk of later conduct problems out of the test and an equal number of other children who acted as a control group, to study what measures would be most helpful.
They questioned the parents and the children about positive and negative parenting behavior including the use of physical punishment.
“We got it from both viewpoints,” said Frick.
He added that children on the receiving end of a hit can learn that when they are upset and angry they hit, rather than understanding their behavior was wrong and that they need to do better.
67. What’s the purpose of the writer to write this article?
A.To debate if physical punishment is illegal.
B.To introduce how to deal with young kids.
C.To talk about how to discipline young kids.
D.To order parents not to spank young kids.
68. Which of the following punishments is NOT recommended by Frick and his team?
A. Taking away toys B. Not allowing watching TV
C. Doing more housework. D. Switching TV channels
69. What should be kept in mind when disciplining a kid?
A. How he or she usually behaves.
B.Tell them why they are punished.
C.Use different forms of punishment each time.
D.Be fair and stick to the same principle.
70. According to the passage, why did Dr Frick advise against physical punishment?
A. Because the children may hit people as a solution to problems.
B. Because the children will learn their behavior is wrong in time.
C. Because it is illegal to use physical punishment in certain countries.
D. Because parents think it’s the easiest way to teach kids right from wrong.
Part-time Front Desk Position
Fuse Fitness is looking for a part-time front desk receptionist at our new Carlsbad location.
Job duties include:
Welcoming and greeting members;
Answering phone calls;
Signing up new members;
Cleaning and performing other various duties.
You should have great communication skills and be dependable. More importantly, you should have a positive spirit in stressful situations. You are expected to work five days a week (including weekends).
Please, no phone calls about this job in the morning!
Tel: (760) 434-7704
E-mail: info@fusefitness.com
Apply in person at: 2502 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA 92008
The first impression you make on a potential employer is very important. The first judgement an interviewer makes is based on how you look and what you are wearing. That’s why it’s always important to dress professionally for a job interview, even if the work environment is casual.
Before you even think about going to an interview, make sure you have appropriate interview clothes and that everything fits correctly.
Get you clothes ready the night before, so you don’t have to spend time getting them ready on the day of the interview.
If your clothes can only be dry-cleaned, take them to the dry cleaner’s after an interview, so they are ready for next time.
Polish your shoes.
Bring a breath mint (薄荷糖) and use it before you enter the building.
For more information:
Visit: Jobsearch. monster. com
Or Tel: (800) 421-7250 or (760) 603-4000 Carlsbad, California
64. How should you contact Fuse Fitness about the front desk position in the morning if you can’t go in person?
A. Call (760) 603-4000
B. Call (760) 434-7704
C. Visit Jobsearch. monster. com
D. Send an e-mail to info@fusefitness.com.
65. What does Fuse Fitness think is the biggest challenge for a receptionist?
A. Working five days a week including weekend.
B. Having good communication skills.
C. Keeping cheerful even in difficult situations.
D. Welcoming guests and answering phone calls.
66. What would be the best title for the second piece of information?
A. What to Bring to a Job Interview
B. How to Find a Desired Job
C. The First Impression in a Job Interview.
D. Interview Dressing Tips