On26May1928,atameetinginAmster-优题课

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
A
It was graduation day at the university where I work and a beautiful day quite unlike the first graduation I attended as a young professor. On that cold day years ago, as we watched the students walking into the hall, one of my colleagues turned to me and said . “Graduation will be one of the happiest and one of the saddest time of your life.” At my inquiry, he answered, “Because the students you have gotten to know have to leave.”
As years went by, my previous confusion about my colleague’s words no longer existed. When I came across naughty students, I have had to rethink why I chose to be a teacher. It obviously isn’t the money. Once a former computer science student of mine called me, asking me if I wanted to have a change. He was working at Nintendo Corporation. His salary was higher than my current one, though I have more education and have worked for over a decade. With my programming skills, he said he could get me hired. I thanked him, but declined his kind offer.
A few days before this current graduation, while working on final grades. I found a note a student ahd slipped in with her homework. She thanked me for beign her teacher and said the things she had learned in my class—not about math, but about life—would be things she would remember long after the math skills had faded away. As I finished reading, I remembered why I had become a teacher.
Now, on this sunny graduation day, as I again observed the sea of blue hats and gowns, I did so with renewed dedication and a deeper sense of satisfaction – I will always be grateful that I am a teacher.
56. How did the author feel when he heard his colleague’s description of graduation for the first time?
A. He quite agreed with his colleague. B. He was very puzzled.
C. He thought it very funny. D. He was very sad.
57. The computer science student called up the author because he ___________.
A. wanted to inform the author of his present job
B. thought the author wasn’t fit to be a teacher
C. wanted the author to share his joy and satisfaction
D. tried to persuade the author to work with him
58. What does the underlined part “blue hats and gowns” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. University colleagues B. Life memories.
C. Graduates’ clothes. D. Decorations in the hall.
59. The author wrote the passage to _________.
A. express his devotion to being a teacher B. compare two different graduation ceremonies
C. talk about the meaning of graduation D. give-advice on how to be a good teacher

E
Larry Walters is among the relatively few who have actually turned their dreams into reality. His story is true, even though you may find it hard to believe.
Larry was a truck driver, but his lifelong dream was to fly. After graduating from high school, he joined the Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, poor eyesight disqualified him. So, as he sat there in his lawn chair, he dreamed about the magic of flying.
Then one day, Larry Walters got an idea. He went to the local Army-Navy store and bought a tank of helium (氦) and forty-five weather balloons. Back in his yard, Larry used straps to attach the balloons to his lawn chair, the kind you might have in your own back yard.
He fixed the chair to the ground and filled the balloons with helium. Then he packed some sandwiches and drinks and loaded a BB gun, figuring he could pop (打爆) a few of those balloons when it was time to return to earth.
Being ready, Larry sat in his chair and cut the fixing rope. His plan was to lazily float upwards and then lazily back down to land. But, things didn’t quite work out that way.
Instead, he shot up as if fired from a cannon! He climbed until he finally reached eleven THOUSAND feet! At that height, he could hardly risk shooting at any of the balloons, for fear of losing the balance! So, he stayed up there, sailing around for fourteen hours, totally at a loss as to how to get down. Eventually, an airliner pilot radioed the airport about passing a guy in a lawn chair at eleven thousand feet ... with a gun in his lap (腿面).
At nightfall, the winds on the coast made Larry drift out to sea. At that point, the Navy sent a helicopter to rescue him. Eventually they were able to fly over him and drop a rescue line with which they gradually get him back to earth.
On hitting the ground, he was arrested. When led away in handcuffs, a television reporter called out to ask, “Mr. Walters, why did you do it?” Larry stopped, eyed the man for a moment and replied, “A man can’t just sit around. What happens tomorrow depends on what you do today.”
Are you doing something to improve your life ... or just sitting around?
57. It is the fact that Larry _______.
A. was a qualified pilotB. was an amazing bus driver
C. failed to become a pilotD. popped a few balloons
58. While pulled by the helium balloon, Larry took off to fly by _______.
A. shooting at the balloons to get the up-pushing power
B. using straps to attach the balloons to his lawn chair
C. fixing the chair to the balloons filled with helium
D. cutting the rope fixing his chair to the ground
59. Larry’s being arrested suggests that _______.
A. he is a wanted criminal by the police B. it is against law to fly without a license
C. an air liner pilot found a gun in his lapD. he intended to steal military information
60. What might the writer think of Larry?
A. He is stupid enough to get arrested. B. He is wise enough to be a success.
C. He is brave enough to reach his goal. D. He is violent enough to go against law.

D
The future of agriculture must achieve several goals at the same time.
First, it now appears that we will have to double world food production in the next 40 years due to population growth, increasing meat consumption and pressure from biofuels (生物燃料). We will also have to reduce the environmental impacts from our farming practices, which have caused widespread damage to soils, ecosystems, waters and even the atmosphere. In fact, agriculture’s impacts are as bad as climate change as an environmental concern. Besides, we will have to improve food security for the world’s poor. While the Green Revolution of the 1960s made it possible to feed hundreds of millions more people than in earlier eras, the number of the under-nourished in the world has started to rise again. Finally, we will have to increase the recovering ability of agriculture from shocks. Today, our high-efficiency, globalized world has many benefits, but it is vulnerable (易受伤的) to destruction, whether from droughts, diseases or sudden price rises. We must start building better food systems to better keep us away from future shocks.
Currently, there are two models of agriculture: local and organic agriculture vs. globalized and industrialized agriculture. Each has been strongly supported and severely criticized, but neither of these models, standing alone, can fully meet our needs.
Organic agriculture teaches us important lessons about soils, nutrition and pest management. Unfortunately, organic food provides less than 1% of the world’s calories, mostly to the wealthy. It is hard to imagine organic farming developing to feed 9 billion. Globalized and industrialized agriculture has benefits of high output and low labor demands. Without it, billions of people would have starved. However, it has come with enormous environmental and social costs, which cannot be sustained.
Rather than voting for just one solution, we need a third way to solve the crisis. Let’s take ideas from both sides, creating new, hybrid solutions that increase production, save resources and build a more sustainable agriculture.
There are many promising avenues to pursue. A new “third way” for agriculture is not only possible but also necessary. Our problems are huge, and they will require everyone at the table, working together toward solutions.
53. How many goals of agriculture are mentioned in the passage?
A. ThreeB. Four C. Five D. Six
54. Which is true according to the passage?
A. Organic agriculture can feed most people in the world now.
B. Industrialized agriculture does no harm to our environment.
C. Modern farming is criticized while organic farming is not.
D. The future agriculture can’t only depend on organic agriculture.
55. We can learn from the passage that _______.
A. everyone can afford to enjoy organic food at will
B. we will vote to decide which farming system to take
C. the writer is quite optimistic about future agriculture
D. only experts can find a better agricultural solution
56. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Organic Agriculture Vs. Industrialized Agriculture.
B. The Goals of Future Agriculture and Its Way Out.
C. A Third Possible and Necessary Way for Agriculture.
D. Modern Globalized and Industrialized Agriculture.

C
Once when I was nine, I came down with a horrible case of tonsillitis (扁桃腺炎).I remember going to the doctor, feeling miserable and scared, but also knowing that this man would somehow fix me.As he declared his conclusion regarding my illness, he asked my mother “Is your daughter allergic (过敏的) to any medicine? ”My mom hesitated for a moment, while I was looking at her questioningly.Was I allergic to anything?What if I was?What would happen to me?My mother said no.
That evening after taking my pill, I began to shake uncontrollably.I complained of a terrible headache and continued shaking as my mother held me.She didn’t seem very concerned, yet I believed I was allergic to the pill.Before I fell asleep that night, I told my mom the medicine had made me sick and I wouldn’t take it anymore. The next morning, my mother had me drink a tall glass of iced tea that tasted funny.Later that afternoon, my mom asked me how I felt.I told her I was doing much better, and that was when she dropped the bomb on me.She told me she had mixed my ice tea that morning with my medicine.Guess what, no allergic reaction.I was never allergic to the pills, but my powerful subconscious (潜意识的) mind, accepted a mere suggestion by the doctor that I might be, and my body acted accordingly.
Most of us have no idea how powerful our minds are, and how incoming information continually affects our experience.When I took that pill, it had a negative effect on my mind. Researchers are finding more and more evidence that what we believe, or expect to happen medically, has a deep effect on what actually does happen.
In some medical trials, the patients never took any medicine, only sugar pills, but were told they had been given expensive medicine, and their conditions improved anyway.They simply believed they would get better.On the other side of the coin, people who believe they are going to die in an operation have a higher death rate than people who don’t.
What we expect often tends to get realized. The power of your mind to heal your body is absolutely fantastic.Take care in what information you choose to believe about your health and well-being.Think positively about your outcome in medical situations and allow your power of belief to help you heal.
49. The girl shook uncontrollably that evening because she _______.
A. had a horrible case of tonsillitis at the time
B. was allergic to the medicine she had taken
C. imagined the medicine was doing its harm
D. wanted to cheat her mother for more concern
50. The underlined “ she dropped the bomb on me ” can be understood as “ _______ ”.
A. she told me the truth that awakened me
B. she beat me like a plane dropping a bomb
C. she scolded me with heart-breaking words
D. she hurt my pride by telling me the truth
51. We can infer from the passage that _______.
A. most people believe our minds can function powerfully
B. it’s harmful to our health to take in negative information
C. the powerful subconscious mind can cure all diseases
D. sugar pills with proper mind are as good as costly medicine
52. The passage is mainly about _______.
A. a nine-year-old girl’s experienceB. people being allergic to medicine
C. a fantastic way to treat diseasesD. the effect of the mind on the result

B
Crashing a state dinner at the White House without any invitation apparently takes a security breakdown as well as some kind of courage.
The Washington Post first reported that a couple, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, not on the official guest list, managed to slip into the state dinner at the White House on Nov. 24, 2009. The dinner was held to honor Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. According to the Post, the uninvited guests had stayed in the same place with the Obamas and other important figures.
The U. S. Secret Service learned about the security breach (破坏) on Wednesday only after the couple boasted online about having attended the state dinner. One of the many photos from the dinner posted on her blog shows the couple with the smiling Vice President Joe Biden.
The White House has asked the Secret Service for a full review of what happened. “ The Secret Service is looking into its security procedures after determining that. ” Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said. “ An initial (初步的) finding has identified that one of our checkpoints did not follow proper procedures to ensure that the two individuals were on the invited guests list,” Donovan said. But he also said President Obama was never in any danger as well as the others at the dinner, because all the party attenders went through the security screening for weapons as there were more than three hundred people invited. “ But we do not rely on just magnetometers (检测仪) or the level of screenings, ” he added. “ That’s why we have the guards with our protectees at all times ”.
The following are more reactions to this incident:
* One senator thought authorities ought to pursue criminal charges against the couple and such behavior should be strongly discouraged.
* “ There is no need of legal help for the couple, as they just went to a party. They didn’t do anything wrong,” a lawyer expressed his opinion on this eye-catching security breach.
* Evan Botny, a current affair commentator, on Sunday said his concern was about the long-term effect on U.S. security, so it should be regarded more than a laughing matter.
* Meanwhile, a TV executive added that the couple’s attempt might be focused on money, as they
were offering interviews to networks on their experience.
45. The U. S. Secret Service got to know the incident because of _______.
A. the news from the Washington Post
B. the announcement of some important figures
C. the couple’s boasting on the internet
D. the report of the Secret Service spokesman
46. In paragraph 4, the spokesman thinks _______.
A. the security procedures are very efficient
B. such incidents could be very easily avoided
C. the secret service needn’t be improved at all
D. the incident came as a surprise with no harm
47. According to the passage, the couple did so in order to _______.
A. enjoy a state dinner B. take some photos
C. become famous D. visit the White House
48. From the reactions, who believes the Secret Service rather than the couple is to blame?
A. A senatorB. A news commentator
C. A lawyerD. A TV executive