They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-da
te accessories(配饰)．Yet these are not girls in their teens or twenties but women in their sixties and seventies．A generation which would once only wear old-fashioned clothes is now favouring the same high street looks worn by those half their age．
Professor Julia Twigg, a social policy expert, said, “Women over 75 are now shopping for clothes more frequently than they did when they were young in the 1960s．In the 1960s buying a coat for a woman was a serious matter．It was an expensive item that they would purchase only every three or four years — now you can pick one up at the supermarket whenever you wish to．Fashion is a lot cheaper and people get tired of things more quickly．”
Professor Twigg analysed family expenditure(支出) data
and found that while the percentage of spending on clothes and shoes by women had stayed around the same — at 5 or 6 percent of spending — the amount of clothes bought had risen sharply．
The professor said, “Clothes are now 70 percent cheaper than they were in the 1960s because of the huge expansion of production in the Far East．In the 1960s Leeds was the heart of the British fashion industry and that was where most of the clothes came from, but now almost all of our clothes are sourced elsewhere．Everyone is buying more clothes but in general we are not spending more money on them．”
Fashion designer Angela Barnard, who runs her own fashion business in London, said older women were much more affected celebrity(名流) style than in previous years．
She said, “When people see stars such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren looking attractive and fashionable in their sixties, they want to follow them．Older women are much more aware of celebrities ．There’s also the boom in TV programmes showing people how they can change their look, and many of my older customers do yoga to stay in shape well in their fifties．When I started my business a few years ago, my older customers tended to be very rich, but now they are what I would call ordinary women．My own mother is 61 and she wears the latest fashions in a way she would never have done ten years ago．”Professor Twigg found that, compared with the 1960s, _________．
| A．the price of clothes has generally fallen by 70% |
| B．the spending on clothes has increased by 5% or 6% |
| C．people spend 30% less than they did on clothes |
| D．the amount of clothes bought has risen by 5% or 6% |
What can we learn about old women in terms of fashion？
| A．They are often ignored by fashion designers． |
| B．They are now more easily influenced by stars． |
| C．They are regarded as pioneers in the latest fashion． |
| D．They are more interested in clothes because of their old age． |
It can be concluded that old women tend to wear the latest fashions today mainly because _________．
| A．they get tired of things more quickly | B．TV shows teach them how to change their look |
| C．they are in much better shape now | D．clothes are much cheaper than before |
Which is the best possible title of the passage?
| A．Age Is No Barrier for Fashion Fans | B．The More Fashionable, the Less Expensive |
| C．Unexpected Changes in Fashion | D．Boom of the British Fashio n Industry |
Ⅳ.阅读理解（第一节共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分；第二节共5小题，每小题1分，满分5分。两节满分共35分）
Just because you are in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the competitiveness(竞争) —the all-around fun —that playing sports offers you. More and more wheelchair users are playing sports every day —some even on a professional level. The following are just a few examples of the different choices you have.
Wheelchair basketball is a very common wheelchair sport. It was started over forty years ago as part of a medical recovery(康复) program. Over the years it has grown rapidly. Today wheelchair basketball is a professional sport that has more than 180 teams across the United States. In order to play wheelchair basketball, it is essential to have a lightweight wheelchair. Several different kinds of sports wheelchairs are on the market today just for sports fans.
Another wheelchair sport, quad rugby(橄榄球), was specifically designed for people who can’t move their arms or legs and are unable to play wheelchair basketball. It is a mixture of wheelchair basketball and ice hockey. To play the game you must have two teams of four players each.
Power soccer is another fun wheelchair sport that can be very fun and exciting. Players in power soccer must have an electric wheelchair. Two teams have two 30-minute halves to push the soccer ball over the other team’s goal line. The first team to reach the other team’s goal line most frequently wins.
Based on the sport you choose to take part in, there are several things you can buy for your wheelchair, including belts, gloves, bags for carrying things, drink holders and special back supports.
1. In which part of the newspaper will you read this passage?
A. Technology. B. Society. C. Culture. D. Health.
2 In the beginning, wheelchair basketball was started for the purpose of ______.
A. holding professional games around the US
B. spreading the sport all over the US
C. helping patients return to a normal life
D. making people want to play sports
3. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. To introduce some possible sports to wheelchair users.
B. To introduce some products to the wheelchair users.
C. To encourage wheelchair users to compete with each other.
D. To talk about the differences between these sports.
President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to an important truth today — that business institutions have more prestige (威望) in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society. Since competition is seen as the major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected. Competition is not only good in itself, it is the means by which other basic American values such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the freedom of the individual by ensuring that there is no monopoly (垄断) of power. In contrast to one all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for profits. Theoretically, if one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Where many businesses compete for the customers’ dollar, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors or slaves.
A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not. Many Americans believe, then, that competition is as important, or even more important, than democracy in preserving freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American alternative to social rank based on family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity rather than the aristocratic (贵族的) idea of inherited privilege.
1. The statement “The business of America is business” probably means______.
A. America is a great power in world business
B. Business is of primary concern to Americans
C. The business institutions in America are concerned with commerce
D. Business problems are of great importance to the American government
2. Americans believe that they can realize their personal values only ______.
A. by protecting their individual freedom
B. when given equality of opportunity
C. by way of competition
D. through doing business
3. Who can benefit from business competition?
A. People with ideals of equality and freedom.
B. Both business institutions and government.
C. Honest businessmen.
D. Both businessmen and their customers.
4. Government is believed to differ strikingly from business in that government is characterized by ______.
A. its role in protecting basic American values
B. its absolute control of power
C. its democratic way of exercising leadership
D. its function in preserving personal freedom
5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes ______.
A. in many countries success often depends on one’s social status
B. businesses in other countries are not as competitive as those in America
C. American businesses are more democratic than those in other countries
D. Americans are more ambitious than people in other countries
When Andrea Peterson landed her first teaching job, she faced the daunting task of creating a music program with almost no money for equipment or supplies in a climate where standards-based learning was the focus and music just provided a break for students and teachers. For her drive and creativity in overcoming those challenges, she’s been named national teacher of the year.
Principal Waynes Kettler said he’s worked with many outstanding teachers in his 22 years as an educator, but Peterson is “just one step above anybody I’ve ever worked with before”.
Kettler and others at Monte Cristo Elementary School talk about the ways she has introduced the learning from other classrooms into her music program and her creativity in working around things such as the lack of money for new music.
When students were reading S. E. Hinton’ s novel The Outsiders in their regular classroom, Peterson helped them write a 30-minute play with scenes from the book. Then they chose three Broadway tunes that focused on race, equality and social justice, the themes of the book. Peterson composed two other songs herself after discussions about the play and the book.
As a national teacher of the year, Peterson will spend more years outside the classroom, as a national and international spokeswoman for education. She said it’ s essential for schools to offer classes such as art, music and physical education because for some kids one of those subjects is the only thing that attracts them to come back to school day after day.
46. The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ______.
A. discouraging B. interesting C. creativeD. unbearable
47. When Peterson began her teaching career, ______.
A. music was a focus of learning in most schools
B. the environment was favorable to music teaching
C. the school lacked teaching facilities for music
D. support for music programs was unavailable
48. What is the most important reason that Peterson won the award?
A. She concerned herself with current social problems.
B. She motivated students to learn music with her creativity.
C. She has taught music at the elementary school for 22 years.
D. She made great efforts to amuse students’ interest in literature.
49. Which of the following is an example of Peterson’s way of teaching music?
A. She wrote plays on themes of race, equality and social justice.
B. She made use of the contents of other classes in her teaching.
C. She organized discussions about Broadway tunes.
D. She helped students compose songs by themselves.
50. In Peterson’s opinion, _______.
A. art, music and PE classes are all important
B. more subjects should be offered to students
C. students should be motivated to attend art classes
D. art education is more important than other subjects
Self-esteem is all about how much we are valued, loved, accepted, and thought well of by others and how much we value, love and accept ourselves. People with healthy self-esteem are able to do better in school and find it easier to make friends. They tend to have better relationships with others, feel happier, find it easier to deal with mistakes and failures, and are more likely to stick to something until they succeed. People with low self-esteem may feel as if no one will like them or accept them or that they can’t do well in anything.
The following ways may help you improve your self-esteem.
Try to stop thinking negative thoughts about yourself. If you’re used to focusing on your shortcomings, start thinking about positive aspects of yourself that outweigh them. It is good to aim high, but your goals for yourself should be within reach. That’s why you should set practical goals and never expect the impossible. Mistakes are part of learning, so view mistakes as learning opportunities. Accept that you make mistakes because everyone does.
Also, you should recognize what you can change and what you can’t. If you realize that you’re unhappy with something about yourself, you can change and start from today. If it’s something you can’t change (like your height), start to work toward loving yourself the way you are.
Feeling like you’re making a difference or that your help is valued can do wonders to improve your self-esteem. So don’t hesitate to make a contribution. You can lend a hand to a classmate who’ s having trouble, help your neighborhood clean up, or volunteer to do some other things.
Self-esteem plays a role in almost everything you do. It’s never too late to build healthy self-esteem. It takes some work, and it’s a necessary skill you’ll have for life.
1. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 3 refers to “______”.
A. your classmates B. your shortcomings
C. your strong points D. your goals
2. According to the passage, which of the following can help improve your self-esteem?
A. Setting high goals similar to others’.
B. Never forgiving yourself for your mistakes.
C. Lending a hand to a classmate in trouble.
D. Changing all the things that make you unhappy.
3. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. the old tend to have healthier self-esteem than the young
B. we should build healthy self-esteem when young
C. there are more people with low self-esteem
D. it is not easy to build healthy self-esteem
4. The passage is mainly about ______.
A. how people improve their self-esteem
B. what self-esteem means
C. what people with low self-esteem are like
D. what people with healthy self-esteem are like
5. How many ways of improving your self-esteem are mentioned in the passage?
A. Five B. Six C. Seven D. Eight.
第二部分：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。
The ability to do several things at once has become one of the great measures of self-worth for 21-century Americans. It is called multitasking, and it takes many forms. As one example, why go out to lunch when you can eat at your desk, talk to a client on the phone, scroll through your e-mail, and scan a memo simultaneously? And why simply work out on treadmill (单调的工作) when you could be watching television and talking on a portable phone at the same time? What a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment --- three activities for the time commitment of one! Ah, such efficiency. No wonder those who turn “to do” lists into a time-management art form tend to boast (自夸): “Look, me, how many things I can accomplish at once. If I’m this busy, I must be important.”
Yet last week the New York Assembly struck a blow against multitasking, at least behind the wheel, when it approved a bill banning drivers in the state from using handheld cellular phones. Too dangerous, the assembly said, citing research showing that drivers are four times more likely to have a collision when they are talking on a cellphone.
No one can argue against using time effectively. But accompanying the supposed gains are losses. Consider the woman out for an early-morning walk in a suburban neighborhood. She strides briskly, head down, cellphone clamped to her ear, chattering (喋喋不休) away, oblivious of the birds and flowers and glorious sunshine. Did the walk have any value?
More than a decade ago, long before multi-tasking became a word in everyday use, a retired professor of theology(神学) in Indiana with whom I corresponded (通信) made a case for what might be called uni-tasking — the old-fashioned practice of doing one thing at a time.
Offering the simplest example, he said, “When you wash the dishes, wash the dishes.” Good advice, I’ve found, whatever the task.
Perhaps, too, the ban on phoning-on-the-road will even spark a move away from other forms of dual activity. Who can tell? It could mark the first step in a welcome reconsideration of what really constitutes productivity and accomplishment.
1. The author thinks that multitasking has become one of the great measures of self-worth because ________.
A. it helps people to use time effectively
B. it makes people feel they are important
C. it means the ability to do several things at once
D. people worship speed and desire
2. The bill approved by the New York Assembly is mentioned in the second paragraph in order to ________.
A. demonstrate the danger of multitasking
B. show the high efficiency of multitasking
C. introduce the legislation system in America
D. argue against using time effectively
3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “oblivious” in the third paragraph?
A. serious B. absorbed deeply
C. not noticing D. forgetting
4. We learn from the passage that uni-tasking is ________.
A. the new fashion for 21-century Americans
B. accepted by most residents in Indiana
C. created by a retired professor of theology
D. the traditional act of doing one thing at once
5. In the eyes of the author, multi-tasking ________.
A. could not be avoided in this fast-changing age
B. should be taken the place of by uni-tasking
C. robs people of time to focus and reflect
D. should not become a word in everyday use