Dear College Dean
It is my understanding that this college has received a large donation to be used to improve the quality of life for students: expand the bookstore or add computers to the computer lad. It is the tradition of his school to promote education and to be the pioneer of new technology. That is why I strongly argue in favor of the addition of more computers to the computer lab.
Although expanding the campus bookstore to include CDs, gif
ts, and a snack bar will give a nicer look to the college, we have to think about a greater goal and a more practical way to enhance the quality of life for students. What do we want for our students and our college? Do we want our college to be known as a place with a great bookstore where you can find CDs and gifts, or as a place where the students can explore and research in their field using the best tools provided by technology? In addition, there are already several snack bars on campus, and there are music stores nearby, so students do not depend on the college bookstore for these things.
We live in a highly technological world and computers play an increasingly important role in how we live. As a learning institution, this college has the responsibility to offer its students the best technology to help them prepare for their future. Many students will be expected to be familiar with the latest software and other tools when they go on to work or to graduate school.
While they are in college, students find they are expected to use computers. Many professors expect students to use computers to do homework or to complete projects. Students are asked to create PowerPoint presentations and use spreadsheets and database programs, as well as to research many topics on the Internet. Since students are competing for good grades, those who have limited access to computers are at a great disadvantage. Furthermore, being able to do projects using the computer enhances the process of learning, giving students the opportunity to find information that without a computer would be much more difficult to find.
If there are more computers, students will also be able to complete their work more efficiently. No more will they have to wait in line, paper and disk in hand, while scanning the room for an empty chair and computer. No longer will they have to sit and wait while an outdated computer struggles to follow their commands. Having more new and faster computers available will enable students to finish their work more quickly.
The more computers are used in society the more colleges will depend on them as a tool of teaching and learning. Making computers more available to students facilitates their learning process by making the process easier, more interesting, more engaging, and in the process enhancing their quality of lifeThe purpose of the author in writing the passage is .
| A．to describe the problems caused by lack of computers |
| B．to explain why students are in great need of computers |
| C．to tell us what benefits students can gain from computers |
| D．to persuade the Dean to purchase more advanced computers |
From the passage we can infer that .
| A．present computers in the college cannot meet the demands of the students |
| B．computers in the college will be updated to meet the student's demands soon |
C．the college has  the responsibility to help the students to prepare for their future |
| D．it is also necessary to expand the college bookstore by using part of the donation |
In paragraph 4, the author mainly wants to tell us that .
| A．computers are beneficial to students' academic success |
| B．computers are helpful to student's competition for success |
| C．students find it convenient to do assignments by using computers |
| D．students wish to use the money to buy more advanced computers |
Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
When I opened my e – mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen. She greeted me by name and started talking warmly. Every now and then she stopped to smile at me．She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother．It was very cool and lovely．
Rachel was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail. Facemail lets you send an e-mail that gets read to the receiver on line by an attractive male or female or by a clown（小丑）．The software , which is free , can be downloaded at www.facemail.com. Facemail faces are lifelike , and they simulate（模仿）emotions based on emotions that you put in your text．
The company that develops the Facemail, is sure there will be broad uses in many fields．The reason why e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch. But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale ? And it is talking with Whirpool Company about using the technology in a computer screen on a fridge．Then if Mom can’t be home when the kids get back from school , she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat．
Facemail could get hot fast．Personally , I’m a fan. Facemail is lively and funny at first , but if you select the clown , put a few rude words in an e-mail and add some angry emotions, you’ve got a crazy mail.
64．The main advantage of Facemail is that．
A．the e-mail can be read in a more lovely way
B．you can talk with the person who sends you the e-mail
C．you can put your own emotions in the e-mail as you like
D．you can write an e – mail to anyone
65．We can infer from the passage that Facemail．
A．is a software hard to download
B．will take the place of the e-mail system
C．can destroy your e-mail if not properly used
D．is likely to be used in other ways in our daily life and work
66．The writer mentioned Nike website and Michael Jordan to show that．
A．Michael Jordan will serve you himself on Nike website
B．famous people like Michael Jordan also like to use Facemail
C．Facemail can make shopping on the Internet more interesting
D．Nike company is increasing its sales through the fame of Jordan
67．The writer thinks .
A．Facemail is cool and funny
B．Facemail is a danger to the Internet
C．Facemail needs further improvement
D．people should be careful with Facemail
London: It’s well known that Charles Darwin’s famous theory of evolution (进化) annoyed many people because it was against the Biblical view of creation. But few know that it also created problems for Darwin at home with his deeply religious wife, Emma.
“Darwin held back the publication of On the Origin of Species to avoid offending (触怒) his wife,” says Ruth Padel, the naturalist’s great – great – granddaughter. “Emma told him that he seemed to be putting God further and further off”, Padel says in her north London home. “But they talked it through, and Emma once said, ‘Don’t change any of your ideas for fear of hurting me.’”
As the world celebrates the 200 th birthday of the man who changed scientific thought forever and the 150 th anniversary of his book today, even his opponents admitted he was a giant figure.
Though opposition to his theory continues, it is the elegant explanation of how species evolutes through natural selection that makes his 200th birthday such a major event.
More than 300 celebrations have been planned in Britain alone, where Darwin's face graces (使增光)the 10-pound bill along with that of Queen Elizabeth II.
Shrewsbury, the central England town where Darwin was born and raised, is holding a month-long festival for its most famous son. Down House, his former home near London, will hold a permanent exhibition recreating some of his most famous experiments.
Many more events have been planned all over the world.
What would he be doing if he were alive today? Padel thinks he would properly be studying DNA and the immune system.
60．The main purpose of the author is .
A．to say something about Darwin and his wife
B．to introduce Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution
C．to sing high praise for the book On the Origin of Species
D．to report some celebrations of Darwin’s 200 th birthday and the 150 th anniversary of his books
61．Which of the statements is NOT true based on the passage?
A．Everyone agrees with Darwin now.
B．Darwin was brought up in Shrewsbury.
C．Emma was not really fond of his theory.
D．Darwin was very interested in living things.
62．The underlined phrase “help back” in the second paragraph probably means .
A．prevented from B．kept a secret
C．cared about D．put off
63．It can be inferred that the passage is most probably .
A．a scientific report B．a news report
C．an English composition D．a text
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题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。
One winter evening, a storekeeper was going to close up his shop. Suddenly he saw Seth, a lazy, good – for – nothing fellow grasp a pound of fresh butter and hid it in his hat. No sooner had the storekeeper seen the act than he hit upon exactly the right revenge(报复). He would punish the thief, and satisfy his own appetite for fun.
Seth had his hat on his head, and the butter in his hat. He was anxious to leave. However, the rightful owner of the butter offered him a cup of hot drink, took him by the shoulders and planted him in a seat close to the stove. The grocer filled in the stove as many sticks of wood as he could. Seth already could feel the butter settling down closer to his hair, so he jumped up, declaring that he must go. “Sit down; don’t be in such a hurry,” replied the grocer, pushing him back into the chair again.
Streak after streak of the butter came pouring from under the poor man’s hat. The fun-loving grocer kept on putting wood into the stove. Then, as if surprised, he remarked, “You seem to be sweating as if you were warm! Let me put your hat away for you.”
“No! ” exclaimed poor Seth at last, unable to stand it a moment longer. “ No, I must go; let me out.” A greasy (油腻的) waterfall of butter was now pouring down the poor man’s face and neck, dipping into his clothes, and trickling down his body into his boots. He was bathed in oil from head to toe. Just as Seth rushed out of the door, the grocer said , “ I believe the fun I’ve had out of you is worth the money, so I shan’t charge you for that pound of butter in your hat.”
56．Why did Seth put the butter in his hat?
A．Because he didn’t want to pay for it.
B．Because he just wanted to play a trick on the grocer.
C．Because he wanted to revenge himself on the grocer.
D．Because he had nowhere to put the butter but in the hat.
57．What is not the action that the grocer took as a revenge?
A．The grocer offered Seth a cup of hot drink.
B．The grocer offered to take off Seth’s hat.
C．The grocer overcharged Seth for the butter.
D．The grocer forced Seth to take a seat near the stove.
58．What was the purpose of the grocer’s hospitality(热情好客)？
A．He wanted to be kind to him.
B．He wanted to sell more of his goods.
C．He wanted to make friends with Seth
D．He wanted to take his revenge on Seth by making the butter in his hat melt.
59．What is the best title of the passage?
A．Great FunB．The Right Revenge
C．A Fun-loving Grocer D．A Foolish Customer
The following are some important sights in New York.
American Museum of Natural History
Four floors of exhibition halls here include the world-famous fossil halls with their skeletons of enormous dinosaurs and other creatures; the culture halls, representing a variety of indigenous peoples; and mammal, bird and reptile halls. The renovated Milstein hall of Ocean Life showcases the profusion of life in Earth’s “last frontier”. Also here: Rose Center for Earth and space, with Hayden Planetarium and exhibits on Earth and our universe.
Open: Sunday-Thursday, 10:00-17:45; Friday-Saturday: 10:00-20:45
Empire State Building
At 102 stories tall, the Empire State Building commands an inspiring view of Manhattan. Each year, over 3.5 million people come here for the view from the 86th-floor observatory, where they can take in the sights of the city from a glass-enclosed pavilion or the encircling open-air promenade.
Observatory Hours: 8:00am to midnight daily. Last elevators go up at 11:15pm. Open daily 365 days a year.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (One of the greatest museums in the world)
It is impossible to “do” the entire museum in one day or describe everything you can see here. Go to the museum & spend some time in the Great Hall where you will find all types of help in many languages for planning your visit. If you can, get a guide before your visit or look at their website where you can plan well & learn about their many special exhibitions & programs.
Fee: $12 adults, $7 students & seniors, under 12 with adult free.
Open: Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday. 9:30-17:15; Friday-Saturday, 9:30-20:45.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
MoMA houses an outstanding collection of American & European paintings & sculptures from late 19th C. to present. Innovative in its definition of “art”, it was a pioneer in exhibiting film, photography, and industrial design. Its retrospectives can draw record-breaking attendance. A happy place to take small children, as strollers are allowed.
Open: Sunday-Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10:30-17:45; Friday, 10:30-20:15.
68. Varieties of ocean life are exhibited in ________.
A. American Museum of Natural HistoryB. Empire State Building
C. Metropolitan Museum of Art D. Statue of liberty
69. You can visit Museum of Modern Art at the following time EXCEPT ________.
A. at 14:30 on Monday B. at 7:00 pm on Friday
C. at 10:40 on WednesdayD. at 12:00 on Sunday
70. Suppose you are a high school student, who is going to visit Metropolitan Museum of Art with your parents, your 70-year-old Grandpa and your 6-year-old younger brother, how much will you have to pay in total?
A. $42 B. $38 C. $45 D. $50
BEIJING — The rescue operations at a coal mine accident have ended with 105 miners dead. The State Council has organized an investigation team to probe (调查) into what caused the disaster in the city of Linfen, North China’s Shanxi Province. Preliminary（初步的） investigations show the illegal mining of an unauthorized seam（未经授权的煤层）, and the number of miners who had been sent down the shaft far exceeded its capacity.
This mine was found to have long ignored the rules to steal state coal, and did not have a list of miners employed to check the number of miners missing after the accident.
How did such a coal mine get all the necessary licenses for production? How did it pass the three safety inspections the local government organized last month?
In response to this disaster, the Shanxi governor promised to set up hotlines for people to report illegal coal mines and rewards as high as 100,000 yuan for tip-offs.
We appreciate the action this governor has taken to solving the coal mining problems, and we believe that the reporting scheme will help to stop the existence of illegal coal mines.
But at the same time we have reason to question how governments at various levels supervise these mines.
The sad fact that such a mine with serious safety problems could pass three consecutive (连续的)local government safety inspections in a month is enough to tell us how ineffective the safety inspections were.
What if these inspections were just a formality(形式)? What if the inspectors were bribed by the mine owners to turn a blind eye to the safety dangers? We can well imagine what would happen if reports about mine problems were handled by such officials.
So a thorough probe must find out who are responsible for the death of so many miners. A real safety inspection and management system must be established to guarantee that safety dangers will be removed
64. What is NOT one of the causes of this coal mine accident?
A. The workers didn’t operate properly.
B. The mine didn’t obey the rules to mine for coal.
C. A lot more miners than allowed were working under the mine.
D. The safety inspections were ineffective.
65. According to the writer, who should be further investigated?
A. Mine owners and miners.B. Miners’ families and mine staff.
C. Government officials and safety inspectors. D. The Shanxi governor and miners.
66. What can we infer from the passage?
A. More than 105 miners died in the disaster.
B. Some other coal mines like this one exist in Shanxi province.
C. Safety inspectors just turned a blind eye to hidden dangers.
D. The three inspections were only a formality.
67. What does the underlined word “tip-offs” probably mean in Paragraph 4?
A. Some warnings. B.Some money for one’s service.
C. Some secret information.D.Some pieces of advice.