A simple piece of clothesline hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors.
On one side stand those who see clothes dryers(干衣机) as a waste of energy and a major polluter of the environment. As a result, they are turning to clotheslines as part of the “what-I-can-do environmentalism(环境保护主义).”
On the other side are people who are against drying clothes outside, arguing that clotheslines are unpleasant to look at. They have persuaded Homeowners Associations (HOAs) across the U.S. to ban outdoor clotheslines, because clothesline drying also tends to lower home value in the neighborhood. This had led to a Right-to-Dry Movement that is calling for laws to be passed to protect people’s right to use clotheslines.
So far, only three states have laws to protect clothesline. Right-to-Dry supporters argue that there should be more.
Matt Reck, 37, is the kind of eco-conscious(有生态意识的) person who feeds his trees with bathwater and reuses water drops from his air conditioners to water plants. His family also uses a clothesline. But on July 9, 2007, the HOA in Wake Forest, North Carolina, told him that a dissatisfied neighbor had telephoned them about his clothesline. The Recks paid no attention to the warning and still dried their clothes on a line in the yard. “Many people say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters in their own hands,” says Reck. The local HOA has decided not to take any action, unless more neighbors come to them.
North Carolina lawmakers are saying that banning clotheslines is not the right thing to do. But HOAs and housing businesses believe that clothesline drying reminds people of poor neighborhoods. They worry that if buyers think their future neighbors can’t even afford dryers, housing prices will fall.
Environmentalists say such worries are not necessary, and in view of global warming, that idea needs to change. As they say, “The clothesline is beautiful”. Hanging clothes outside should be encouraged. We all have to do at least something to slow down the process of global warming.”One of the reasons why supporters of clothes dryers are trying to ban clothesline drying is that ________.
| A．clothes dryers are more efficient |
| B．clothesline drying reduces home value |
| C．clothes dryers are energy-saving |
| D．clothesline drying is not allowed in most U.S. states |
Which of the following best describes Matt Reck?
| A．He is a kind-hearted man. | B．He is an impolite man. |
| C．He is an experienced gardener. | D．He is a man of social responsibility. |
Who are in favor of clothesline drying?
| A．housing businesses. | B．Environmentalists. |
| C．Homeowners Associations. | D．Reck’s dissatisfied neighbors. |
What is mainly discussed in the text?
| A．Clothesline drying: a way to save energy and money. |
| B．Clothesline drying: a lost art rediscovered. |
| C．Opposite opinions on clothesline drying. |
| D．Different varieties of clotheslines. |
Wily is it that students in less popular majors sometimes find it easier to get a job? Simple. It’s because they are out there in the “blue ocean"，a relatively untouched area.
The term was created by Chan Kim and Renee Manborgne, two professors
ho use it to describe less crowded parts of business and industry with little or not completion. It contrasts with the “red ocean", which is already saturated, competitive, and crowded with people or companies providing the same services or producing the same goods.
According to these two authors，the primary goal of business is to enter the “blue ocean" or create a new market. This is done by creating what no one else has. Business must come up with creative things that are useful and affordable and reduce unnecessary costs. So customers get what they want for less and sellers get a higher return on their investment. When these two are combined，it’s a catalyst(催化剂)for the blue ocean market.
McDonald’s is a popular example. Traditional restaurants have waiters，table settings，men us，and a certain type of service. McDonald’s，however，was different. It did away entirely with waiters and table service，and kept the menu limited.
But in its number of locations，speed，overall quality and child friendliness. McD0naid's did far better than traditional restaurants. In this sense，one can say that McDonald’s was a totally different concept in eating out. It met the blue ocean demand.
63. According to Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne，“blue ocean” means .
A. crowded parts of business and industry with little competition
B. new markets which are full of competition .
C. new companies offering different services from old ones
D. certain untouched markets with few competitors
64. The underlined word "saturated” in Para. 2 probably means“ ”.
A. carry out according to an unusual method B. arrange in advance
C. be unable to take any moreD. be different from the old market
65. McDonald’s success lies in .
A. its being different from traditional restaurants
B. inventing a unique business with few competitors
C. its advanced operation and management
D. its best overall quality and services
66. For a website providing information and services for new mothers，finding the “blue ocean" means . ·
A. offering something other websites don’t have
B. offering the best information and services
C. creating a new market to help the website stand out
D. looking for a unique position in the marketplace
It was a beautiful Sunday morning，and Maggie and I were returning from our walk through the woods. We were only a couple of blocks away from home when I suddenly saw a cellphone and a credit card sitting on the road. We took them home. We always find amazing things on the street and she looks upon them as a movable feast—a chicken wing here or a bone there.
I found another cellphone a few years back，too，and called a number in its phone book. I explained the situation to the guy who answered. He said it was his sister’s and that he’d come to pick it up，which he did.
And that was that. No verbal thank-you，no written thank-you，and no “here’s a box of chocolates” thank-you.
I didn't have time to call anyone on my latest found cellphone. I was pouring myself coffee when it started to vibrate(振动)and dance across the kitchen counter.
“Who’s this?”someone asked when I picked up.
“Who's this?" I asked. "Sarah?"
She was surprised at my knowing her name until she realized her name was on the credit card. “Could you send them to me?” she asked. She lives in Arlington，which is 2 miles away from my house.
“Hmm，no. ” I replied，adding that I thought she could come to get them，and that if I wasn’t at home，they would be in my mailbox.
A day later，when I was out for a run，someone came and took them away. There wasn't even a piece of paper put in the mailbox with "Thanks" on it. In their age of e-mail and cellphone there's really no excuse. Years ago，I found something more precious than a $100 bill on the street—a driver's license. I saw that its owner lived a couple of blocks from me so I called him up. He asked whether I could slip the license through his front door.
“I guess I could，”I replied.
And that was that.
60. What is the relationship between Maggie and the writer?
A. Wife and husband. B. Daughter and father.
C. Teacher and student.D. Master and pet dog.
6 1. How did the writer know Sarah's telephone number?
A. From her telephone’s phone book.B. From her credit card.
C. From her e-mail. D. From her driving license.
62. The writer wants to tell usthrough the unusual stories.
A. we should return the things we picked to the losers
B. we should learn to appreciate others because of the use of e-mail and cellphone
C. people would learn to appreciate persons who provide help)
D. the advance of society makes people lose some virtues(美德)
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题; 每小题2分，满分40分)
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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Willa Cather 0nce said. “When people ask me whether writing has been a hard or easy road，I always answer with the famous saying: The end is nothing; the road is all. That is what I mean when I say writing has been a pleasure. I have never used the computer with the thought that one more task had to be done. "
Like most writers. Willa Cather did not write books for the money that they brought her，but rather for the Pleasure that came in their writing. Her works were，like her，simple and full of the vigor of her days in Nebraska，where she grew from child to young womanhood and where she developed a deep 1ove for the treeless land of the great plain with its wild flowers，wheat fields and rivers.
“It’s a rather strange thing about the flat country," she wrote later. "It takes hold of you, it leaves you perfectly cold. A great many people find it very dull; they like a church tower，an old factory. a waterfall，the country all made to look like a German Christmas card…But when I come to the open plain，something happens. I'm home. I breathe differently. ”
56 Willa Cather wrote because she found writing .
A. simple and lively B. opened up a road to success
C. neither too hard nor too easyD. interesting and enjoyable
57. What was the place like where Cather grew up?
A. It was cold，plain and without a church.
B. It was vast, open，flat and wild.
C. It was like a German Christmas card.
D. It was a colorful world of wild flowers.
58. When she said “It takes hold of you，it leaves you perfectly cold. ”，Willa Cather meant that
A. you either love the place or hate it
B.you decide either to stay or to leave
C. some find the place warm: others find it cold
D. some find the place peaceful; others find it wild
59. What happens when Cather comes to the open plain?
A. She breathes differently from others.
B. She wants to make the place her home.
C. She feels completely comfortable.
D. She finds the place similar to her home.
There is nothing else but economy that occupies the minds of Americans at present times of economic crisis(经济危机). The statistics on unemployment，housing costs and consumer confidence keep coming and coming，leaving people not just scared to spend money but also very stressed and emotionally exhausted. This stress(压力)has an effect on everything，starting withour sleep，mood，physical health，relationships and eating habits.
“Time of economic stress leads to increase rates of depression(忧郁)，”says Dr. Christopher Palmer，director of continuing education at McLean Hospital in Belmont，Massachusetts. “It worsens illness in people who has been constantly depressed. But it also causes new cases of depression. Just the fear of losing one’s job can put people over the edge. ”
And，without any doubt，just depression alone can create a variety of bad health effects.
●Sleep
33 percent of Americans reported that they have lost sleep due to the economic crisis. 26 percent say they are sleeping less than 6 hours per night，which is considered to be at least one hour less than the most favorable 7 to 8 hours recommended by sleep experts.
●Mental health，stress and heart attack
80 percent of Americans reported that last year the economy is a huge source of stress; 49 percent said the situation makes them feel nervous or anxious; 48 percent reported that they feel very sad and have developed depression.
Nearly twice the risk of heart attack or death was found in patients with the highest levels of depression or anxiety. Among those individuals，a 10 percent higher rise of heart attack or death was found in those whose anxiety rose over time.
●Relationships
The chances of violent(暴力的)behavior are nearly 6 times higher for individuals who are left without a job. Workplace stress can lead to domestic violence.
67. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Now Americans don’t dare to spend money.
B. Now all Americans have problems in sleeping.
C. Economy is the most troubling problem for Americans now.
D. Economic crisis has destroyed many American families.
68. How does the economic crisis affect most Americans according to the passage?
A. They sleep fewer than six hours.
B. They sleep less than the proper amount.
C. Diseases caused by economy make them sleepless.
D. They lose sleep at night.
69. If a person is out of work，he might .
A. become more violentB. get divorced(离婚)
C. get rid of workplace stress D. go mad
70. The best title of this passage is probably“ ”.
A. The World Economic Crisis Is Getting Worse
B. Economic Crisis Affects Our Health
C. Economic Crisis Causes Trouble to Sleep
D. Ordinary People Suffer Greatly in Economic Crisis
Limit the use of private cars, improve public transport and encourage the use of bicycles to control traffic congestion(拥挤) during the 2008 Olympics, experts from foreign countries advised Beijing on Friday.
Professor Nigel Wilson, of the civil and environmental engineering department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he was "supportive to the limiting of private cars during the Olympic Games", saying that in foreign countries, the method is also adopted during big events, but he was unsure about the approach.
The government planned to keep an average of more than one million cars off the roads to improve traffic flow during the Olympics, said Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Beijing Traffic Committee, at the China Planning Network First Urban Transportation Congress.
Sharing Wilson's view, Dr. Yoshitsugu Hayashi, dean of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies of Nagoya University, believed the reduction in car use should be achieved not by banning, but through incentives.
"Drivers who don't use their private cars could be given points," he said, "and the points could be exchanged for goods from online shopping."
Wetzel stressed limiting the use of company cars. "Governmental officials should also be encouraged to use public transportation or ride bicycles," he said, adding that he himself is a bicycle-rider in London.
Matthew Martimo, director of Traffic Engineering with Citilabs, said the bicycle was China's advantage. "Limiting private cars is an idea worth trying but it is just a temporary solution," he said. "The real cause of congestion is high density of people in Beijing and many have cars."
Beijing, with a population of 15 million, is home to more than three million automobiles, and the number is rising by 1,000 a day.
Professor Wilson said the Olympic Games was a great opportunity for Beijing to think about traffic problems and develop transportation, adding that the city had already been making public transport more efficient. Beijing has promised to stretch its 114-kilometer city railway to 200 kilometers before the opening of the Olympic Games.
“We are looking forward to borrowing Beijing's experiences and drawing from its lessons in preparation for the 2012 Olympics,” said Wetzel.
51. The underlined word incentives in paragraph 4 means_______.
A. something that encourages people to try B. online shopping
C. points could be exchanged for goods D. award
52.It can be seen from the passage that ______.
A. the government planned to forbid over 1 million cars to run on the roads during the Olympics.
B. banning private cars is the best way to solve traffic congestion in Beijing
C. Beijing now has 200 kilometers of city railway
D. the use of company cars will not be limited
53. Why did Wetzel stress “ he himself is a bicycle-rider in London”?
A. To limit the use of company cars.
B. To encourage governmental officials to use public transportation or ride bicycles.
C. To show that riding bicycles is good for health.
D. To show that he loves riding bicycles.
54. Which of the following may be the reason for the traffic congestion in Beijing?
A. The 2008 Beijing Olympic games.
B. The number of cars in Beijing is rising by 1,000 a day.
C. The large population in Beijing and the large number of cars.
D. Public transport in Beijing is not efficient.
55. The purpose of the passage is ________.
A. to limit the use of private cars, improve public transport
B. to encourage the use of bicycles to control traffic congestion during the 2008 Olympics
C. to borrow Beijing's experiences and draw from its lessons in preparation for the 2012 Olympics
D. to tell the advice given by foreign experts on traffic congestion during 2008 Beijing Olympics