American cities are similar to other cities around the world — American cities are changing, just as American society is changing. After World War Two, the population of most large American cities decreased; however, the population in many Sun Belt cities increase. Los Angeles and Houston are cities where population shifts (转移) to and from the city reflect the changing values of American society. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, city residents became wealthier. They moved out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs.
Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in the 1950s are now adults. Many, unlike their parents, want to live in the cities. They continue to move to Sun Belt cities and older ones of the Northeast and Midwest. Many young professionals are moving back into the city. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there, or they just enjoy the excitement and possibilities that the city offers.
This population shifting is bringing problems as well as benefits. Countless poor people must leave their apartments in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make apartments for sale instead of for rent. In the 1950s, many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these same people do not have enough money to stay in the cities.
Only a few years ago, people thought that the older American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright, new future. Others see only problems and conflicts. One thing is sure: many dying cities are alive again.What does the author think of cities all over the world?
A.They are alive. | B.They are hopeless. | C.They are similar. | D.They are different. |
Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Two? Because ______.
A.older American cities were disappearing | B.they got richer and needed more space. |
C.cities only provided them with apartments | D.they could hardly afford to live in the city. |
According to the 3rd paragraph, a great many poor people in American cities .
A.are faced with housing problems | B.are forced to move to the suburbs |
C.want to sell their buildings | D.need more money for daily expenses |
We can conclude from the text that .
A.American cities are changing for the worse |
B.people have different views on American cities |
C.many people are now moving from American cities |
D.the population is decreasing in older American cities |
第二部分:阅读理解(第一节20小题, 第二节5小题;每小题2分, 满分50分)
第一节:阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job. His boss had spoken rudely, “Your services are no longer needed.” Nate left the building filled with despair. By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression. When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, “I lost my job. I am a complete, utter failure.” A tense silence followed. Then a smile crept across Sophia’s face. “What great news!” she responded.
“Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.”
“But I have no job and no prospect of a job,” YC he objected, completely without hope. “If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?” Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen. Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash. “Where on earth did you get this?” Nate gasped. “To whom does it belong?”
“It’s ours!” Sophia replied. “I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance. From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance. Now there is enough to last us a whole year.”
What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece. The book is The Scarlet Letter. Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master.
41.Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A.Sophia was very disappointed to hear the news
B.Nate was too sad to speak any more
C.Sophia was thinking of how to encourage Nate
D.Neither husband nor wife had any idea what to do
42.Sophia saved money because ______.
A.she knew her husband would lose his job one day
B.she knew their life would be in difficulty
C.she was very careful with money
D.she was trying to help her husband in every possible way
43.From the passage we can know that Sophia was ______.
A.kind and brave B.careful and encouraging
C.friendly and warm-hearted D.honest and determined
44.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Sophia’s Achievement. B.A great writer’s struggle to success.
C.Great encouragement in hard times. D.Failure is the mother of success.
D
Part-time Front Desk Position Kirchoff, Inc., a book development company, is looking for a part-time front desk office worker.This position is perfect for a person who is cheerful, dependable, and pleasant to work with.Also, you should be able to welcome guests, redirect phone call, and take messages.More importantly, you can stay cool under pressure.You are expected to work 5:00--6:00 pm weekdays.You need to fill in some forms if you are interested. Forms can be collected at Kirchoff, Inc. 866 United Nations Plaza, #525 New York, NY 10037 |
Important Points to Remember When Swimming ·Wait at least an hour after meals. ·Follow the advice of lifeguards. ·Don’t dive into unknown waters.Always swim in line with the shore. ·Find out at the seaside when and where it is safe to swim. ·Don’t use floating toys on the water.Wind can easily sweep them out to sea. ·Get out of the water if you feel tired or cold.Cold can kill even strong swimmers. Help Telephone:212-543-5902 Atlantic City Beach Office |
Arrive on time. Introduce yourself in a polite manner. Read company materials while you wait. Have a firm handshake. Listen. Use body language to show interest. Smile and nod to the interviewers. Ask about the next thing you should do. Thank the interviewer. Write a thank-you letter to anyone you have spoken to. For more information, please visit jobweb.com 368 Cooper Square, New York, NY10008 |
68.What does a person need most to be fit for the one-hour weekday job?
A.He should he cheerful, dependable, and easy-going.
B.He has to work from Monday to Friday.
C.He can remain calm in a difficult situation.
D.He can welcome guests and deal with phone calls.
69.According to the above information, what is the right thing to do when you swim ?
A.To keep close to the beach. B.To dive into unknown waters.
C.To use floating toys on the water. D.To swim soon after lunch.
70.The best title for the last piece of information would be_________.
A.Tips on Showing Interest in a Job
B.Steps to a Successful Interview
C.Advice on Introducing Yourself Politely
D.Rules of Body Language in an Interview
C
Napoleon, as a character in Tolstoy’s War and Peace, is more than once described as having “fat little hands.”Nor does he “sit well or firmly on the horse.”He is said to be “undersized,” with “short legs” and a “round stomach”.The issue here is not the accuracy of Tolstoy’s description—it seems not that far off from historical accounts—but his choice of facts:other things that could be said of the man are not said.We are meant to understand the difference of a warring commander in the body of a fat little Frenchman.Tolstoy’s Napoleon could be any man wandering in the streets and putting a little of powdered tobacco up his nose—and that is the point.
It is a way the novelist uses to show the moral nature of a character.And it turns out that, as Tolstoy has it, Napoleon is a crazy man.In a scene in Book Three of War and Peace, the wars having reached the critical year of 1812,Napoleon receives a representative from the Tsar(沙皇),who has come with peace terms.Napoleon is very angry:doesn’t he have more army? He, not the Tsar, is the one to make the terms.He will destroy all of Europe if his army is stopped.“That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!” he shouts.And then, Tolstoy writes, Napoleon “walked silently several times up and down the room, his fat shoulders moving quickly.”
Still later, after reviewing his army amid cheering crowds, Napoleon invites the shaken Russian to dinner.“He raised his hand to the Russian’s...face,” Tolstoy writes, and “taking him by the ear pulled it gently...” To have one’s ear pulled by the Emperor was considered the greatest honor and mark of favor at the French court.“Well, well, why don’t you say anything?” said he, as if it was ridiculous in his presence to respect any one but himself, Napoleon.
Tolstoy did his research, but the composition is his own.
64.Tolstoy’s description of Napoleon in War and Peace is ___________.
A.far from the historical facts B.based on the Russian history
C.based on his selection of facts D.not related to historical details
65.Napoleon was angry when receiving the Russian representative because ________.
A.he thought he should be the one to make the peace terms
B.the Tsar’s peace terms were hard to accept
C.the Russians stopped his military movement
D.he didn’t have any more army to fight with
66.Tolstoy intended to present Napoleon as a man who is __________________.
A.ill-mannered in dealing with foreign guests
B.fond of showing off his iron will
C.determined in destroying all of Europe
D.crazy for power and respect
67.What does the last sentence of the passage imply?
A.A writer doesn’t have to be faithful to his findings.
B.A writer may write about a hero in his own way.
C.A writer may not be responsible for what he writes.
D.A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings.
B
When former American President Bill Clinton traveled to South Korea to visit President Kim Young Sam, he repeatedly referred to the Korean president’s wife as Mrs.Kim.By mistake, President Clinton’s advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese.Clinton had not been told that, in Korea, wives keep their family names.President Kim Young Sam’s wife was named Sohn Myong Suk.Therefore, she should be addressed (称谓)as Mrs.Sohn.
President Clinton arrived in Korea directly after leaving Japan and had not changed his culture gears.His failure to follow Korean customs gave the impression that Korea was not as important to him as Japan.
In addition to Koreans.Some Asian husbands and wives do not share the same family names.This practice often puzzles(使困惑) English-speaking teachers when talking with a pupil’s parents.They become puzzled about the student’s correct last name.Placing the family name first is common among a number of Asian cultures.
Mexican naming customs are different as well.When a woman marries, she keeps her family name and adds her husband’s name after the word de (of).This affects (影响)how they fill in forms in the United States.When requested to fill in a middle name, they generally write the father’s family name.But Mexicans are addressed by the family name of the mother.This often causes puzzlement.
Here are a few ways to deal with such difficult situations: don’t always think that a married woman uses her husband’s last name.Remember that in many Asian cultures, the order of first and last names is reversed (颠倒).Ask which name a person would prefer to use.If the name is difficult to pronounce, admit it, and ask the person to help you say it correctly.
60.The story of Bill Clinton is used to .
A.improve US-Korean relations B.introduce the topic of the text
C.describe his visit to Korea D.tell us how to address a person
61.The word “gears” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
A.action plans B.naming customs
C.travel maps D.thinking patterns
62.When a woman marries in Korea, she .
A.continues to use her family name
B.uses her husband’s given name
C.shares her husband’s family name
D.adds her husband’s given name to hers
63.To address a married woman properly, you’d better.
A.use her middle name B.use her husband’s first name
C.ask her which name she likes D.change the order of her names
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)
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。
A
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005.While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work.On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does.After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport.Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family.And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品杂货),saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story.Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help.One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up.Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job.It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so.This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性)as a whole.And it has influenced(影响)us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others.No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares.And the results can be everlasting.
56.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A.The man’s job was bike racing. B.It was their only possession.
C.It was a nice Kona 18 speed. D.They used it for work and daily life.
57.We can infer from the text that ____________.
A.the couple worked 60 hours a week. B.people were busy before Christmas
C.the stranger brought over the bike D.life was hard for the young family.
58.How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A.From radio broadcasts. B.From a newspaper.
C.From TV news. D.From a stranger.
59.What do the couple learn from their experience?
A.Strangers are usually of little help. B.One should take care of their bike.
C.News reports make people famous. D.An act of kindness can mean a lot.