Last April, on a visit to the new Mall of America near Minneapolis, I carried with me a small book provided for the reporters by the public relations office. It
included a variety of “fun facts” about the mall, for example, 140,000 hot dogs are sold each week, there are 10,000 full-time jobs, 44 sets of moving stairs and 17 lifts, 12,750 parking places, 13,000 tons of steel and $ 1 million is drawn weekly from 8 ATMs. Opened in the summer of 2005, the mall was built where the former Minneapolis Stadium had been. It was only a five-minute drive from the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. With 4.2 million square feet of floor space ----- twenty-two times the size of the average American shopping center –the Mall of America was the largest shopping and family recreation center under one roof in the United States.
I know already that the Mall of America had been imagined by its designers, not only as a marketplace, but as a national tourist attaction. Eleven thousand articles, the small book informed me, had been written about the mall. Four hundred trees had been planted in its gardens, $ 625 million had been spent to build it, and 350 stores were already in business. Three thousand bus tours were expected each year along with a half-million Canadian visitors and 200,000 Japanese tourists. Sales are expected to be at $ 650 million for 2008 and at $ I billion for 2009. Pop singers and film stars such as Janet Jackson and Amold Schwarzenegger visited the mall. It was five times larger than Red Square and it included 2.3 miles of hallways and used almost twice as Knott’s Camp Snoopy.
60. We know from the text that the Mall of America is _________.
A.near an old stadium B.close to an airport
C.higher than the Eiffel Tower D.bigger than most American parks
61. Why are the pieces of information provided by the Mall of America referred to as “fun facts”?
A.They are largely imagined. B.They are surprising figures（数字）
C.They give exact descriptions. D.They make people feel uneasy.
62. Why does the author mention popular stars who have been to the mall?
A.To show its power of attraction.
B.To show that few rich people like to shop there.
C.To tell the public about a new movie being made about it.
D.To tell people that they have chances of meeting famous stars there.
63. We can infer from the text that _______.
A.Japanese visitors are most welcome to the mall
B.Canadian visitors would spend $ I billion at the mall
C.Knott’s Camp Snoopy was next to the Mall of America
D.the Mall of America was designed to serve more than one purpose（目的）
第三部分:阅读理解 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
In the United States, it is not usual to telephone someone early in the morning. If you telephone early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. So it is with the telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think that it’s a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.
In social life, time plays a very important part. In the USA guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation
to a dinner party reaches them only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time is not the same in different cultures that treat time differently; being on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the USA no one would think of keeping a business friend for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is expected to make a shout apology. If he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.
56. A call at midnight would mean_________.
A. the matter is less important B. the matter is too difficult to handle
C. the matter requires immediate attention D. it is a matter of life and death
57. According to the passage, time plays a very important part in_______.
A. everyday life B. private life C. getting along with others D. business
58. In the passage, the author suggests that invitation cards should be sent________.
A. three or four days before the party date in all cultures
B. three or four days before the party date in some cultures
C. three or four days before the party date in the USA
D. at your chosen time
Car companies are developing vehicles that will plug into electric sockets，just like many laptops，digital cameras，cell phones and Mp4 do．Called“plug-in vehicles”，these cars will get most of their power from electricity. Their drivers won't have to stop at gas stations as often as usual．
The technology is more than just cool. In our car-filled world，plug-in vehicles could reduce the amount of gas we use，which keeps rising in cost now and then. Besides，driving around in these vehicles may even help the environment．Gas-burning cars produce a lot of greenhouse gas，which causes globe warming.
The first company-produced plug-in vehicles could hit the roads by 2010. But engineers still have a lot of work to do to make the technology practical and inexpensive．
Ba
tteries(电池) are the biggest challenge. In the plug-in-vehicle world，Li-ion(锂离子)batteries are getting the most attention．These batteries can store a large amount of energy in a small package，and they last a longer time between charges．Li-ion batteries can fit laptops，cell pho
nes，heart instruments and other similar pocket ones.
But because cars are so big and heavy, it would still require a suitcase-sized Li-ion batteries to power about 12km of driving．What's more，the batteries are much expensive．
“A car filled with batteries could go a long distance，”says Ted Bohn, an electrical engineer in Chicago．“But it couldn't pull any people．and it would cost $100,000．”
So researchers need to work out how to make batteries smaller and cheaper，among other questions.
“The answers don't exist yet，”Bohn says，“As a kid，I thought someone someplace knows the answer to everything．All of these questions haven't been decided．That's what engineering is about-making a guess，running tests and getting fine results．”
72．The passage mainly talks about of a new car
A．the developing B．the speed C．the appearance D．the batteries
72．Which is true according to the passage?
A．The“plug-in vehicles”will use electricity completely as driving power．
B．The new technology will help protect our environment．
C．The technology of using electricity as driving is quite practical now．
D．The biggest challenge of the new technology is that it will cost us more energy．
74．How does Bohn feel about the future of the technology according to the last paragraph?
A．Confident B．Puzzled． C．Worried． D．Disappointed．
75．According to the passage，the new technology is facing the following problems except that．
A．the new technology cannot come into use at present
B．the cost of the new technology is quite high
C．the government won't support the technology
D． the size of the batteries is too big at present
Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive if the rain is spread throughout the year, If it falls, within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a dese
rt may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing –-very, very slowly ---as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that :have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day' a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.
68. Many plants may survive in deserts when__________________.
A. the rain is spread out in a year B. the rain falls only in a few weeks
C. there is little rain in a year D. it is dry all the year round
69. Sand dunes are formed when___________________.
A. sand piles up gradually B. there is plenty of rain in a year
C. the s
ea has dried up over the years D. pieces of rock get smaller
70. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is____________.
A. too much sand B. more sand than before
C. nothing except sand D. something else besides sand
71. It can be learned from the text that in a desert____________.
A. there is no rainfall throughout the year B. life exists in rough conditions
C. all sand dunes are a few feet high D. rocks are worn away only by wind and heat
A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That's the finding of an extensive study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed(消费) at least an ounce of salt water fish per day than those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific backing to the long-held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States , with more than 550, 000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year . But researchers previously have noticed that the incidence (发生率)of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age , high blood pressure , or blood cholesterol (胆固醇) levels .
64. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The Dutch research has proved that eating fish can help to prevent heart disease.
B. There is a low incidence of heart disease in countries like Japan and Greenland.
C. Among all the diseases heart disease is the most dangerous in America.
D. Heart doctors won’t call your house so long as 
you keep eating fish each day.
65. The underlined phrase “this relationship” refers to the connection between _______ and the incidence of heart disease.
A. the amount of fish eaten B. regular fish-eating
C. the kind of fish eaten D. people of different regions
66. The passage is mainly about __________________.
A. the high incidence of heart disease in some countries
B. the changes in people’s diet in the United States
C. the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures
D. the effect of fish eating regularly on people’s health
67. How many lives could probably be saved each year in the United States by eating fish according to the Dutch study?
A. 550, 000. B. 110,000. C. 275,000. D. 852.
Dear Mr. Thunders,
We would like to introduce ourselves. Our company was organized only two years ago, but we are one of the largest boat companies in California. As you know, your son bought a boat from us recently, and I think you know how pleased h
e is with our product. Also, John Webb, one of your son's friends, has bought a boat from us and, w
e understand, is very happy with his boat. We are always happy to know that our customers are satisfied. We are writing to you now because, as you know, your son has decided to buy a larger boat, and we need your signature on the loan(贷款) papers. The loan application has already been signed b
y Danny. As you will see, there is one form to fill out, and there are three contracts to sign. Danny's 26-foot boat was returned to our San Pedro Dock yesterday, and we are pleased to say that the new 36-foot "Challenger" will be delivered(送达) two weeks from today. It is being inspected by ou
r manager right now. The auto-pilot(自动领航仪) has already been installed by our mechanic. It looks as though everything will be ready in time for delivery. All we need are the signed contracts from you.
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Tony Valention
59. This is a letter Mr. Thunders received from _______________.
A. Tony Valention in England B. a boat company in California
C. Danny, a salesman in California D. a bank manager in California
60. Tony wrote to Mr. Thunders to ______.
A. tell him to sign the contracts B. thank him for buying a new boat
C. tell about something of his company D. ask him to pay for his boat right away
61. The underlined word “installed” means “______”.
A. fixed B. checked C. bought D. removed
62. From the letter we can see that the boat company ______.
A. is a world-famous one B. is developing slowly
C.doesn't has a long history D. has to advise customers to buy its boats
63. Danny wants to change the 26-foot boat for a new 36-foot "Challenger" because _______.
A. the former one is broken down B. the new one has modern equipment
C. the former one doesn't work well D. the new one is a little larger