Why People Get Tattoos
Jack lay, quiet and unmoving, for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed (刺) him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg.Jack was getting a tattoo.His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too.Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today.
The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does.Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group.Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group.Some of these groups wear only brand – name clothes.Others wear tattoos.When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing.
The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America.A wide variety of media images show tattoos-people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colorful patterns.These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status.As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value.
Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings-in other words, to show their individuality(个性).A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm.Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders.A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life.
As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos.A tattoo can be part of a group's uniform, a sign of fashion, or an expression of individuality.The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself.For Jack, it was a mixture of all three.Jack has got tattoos in order to .
A.show his great bravery | B.gain a special experience |
C.make himself more healthy | D.be different from others |
According to the passage, media images are linked to .
A.traditional lifestyle | B.social position |
C.cultural background | D.public interest |
We can infer from the passage that .
A.some people get tattoos out of pressure | B.tattoo is related to religious belief |
C.getting tattoos costs a lot of money | D.most people with tattoos are artists |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point SP: Sub-Point C: Conclusion
第三部分阅读理解(共15小题,每小题2分,满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A,B,C,D 四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Britons stranded(搁浅)at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue. Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force (SARF).
William, who is currently a Lieutenant(中尉)in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment(皇家骑兵团), will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009.
If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain.
"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement.
"Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services."
It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war.
The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year.
The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills
William, who has spent the last year on secondment(借调)to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings (飞行勋章)following a four-month stint(持续的工作)with the service earlier this year.
However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off (挡开) criticism for allowing the prince to fly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton.
1. Prince William wanted to be a full-time pilot because _______.
A. he liked flying
B. he would like to do something in the country’s Emergency Services
C. many Britons were in danger at sea waiting for rescue
D. he had much experience in flying
2 According to the passage, _______
A. the Falklands war broke out in 2005
B. Prince William served in the Army’s Household Cavalry Regiment in 1982
C. Prince Andrew is serving in SARF now
D. William would finish his training course in June 2010
3 The author’s opinion on William’s joining RAF is _______.
A. enthusiastic B. doubtful C. negative D. pessimistic
4. What is the purpose of the author by mentioning what the prince had done before in the last
paragraph?
A. The author wants to say that Prince William pays much attention to his family and friends
B. The author suggests that the Defense Ministry was criticized when William flew for his
private business
C. William had a hard time when he went against his leaders
D.The author has the worry that Prince William is likely to get the Defense Ministry into
trouble again.
He pretended to be a pilot and got free rides on international airlines to countries around the world. He wrote fake checks and stole several millions of dollars from banks, hotels, and airlines. He lied and got jobs by impersonating a doctor, a lawyer, and a university professor, all before he was twenty-one years old. Does this sound like the story to movie? It is. But it is also tree. This is the story of Frank Abagnale’s life of crime told in Abagnale’s book Catch Me if You Can and in the movie by the’ same name. Although the movie is based on the book, there are several important differences between the two.
Probably the one thing that really sets apart the book from the movie is the point-of-view of the story. The book, co-written by Abagnale and a professional writer, is told in Abagnale’s own words. In the book, he tells the reader, “I did this. This is how and this is why.” But in the movie, the story is told from a third person’s point-of-view. This point-of-view limits the details available to viewers of the movie.
Because the writer of the movie could not include many of the details about Abagnale’s crimes and motives, the writer had to change things to make the story understandable for viewers. For example, Agagnale explains in the book how he used his knowledge of the banking system’s number codes to commit fraud (诈骗). In the movie, Abagnale has detailed knowledge of printing and check design, like a kind of criminal genius. The movie’s writer never tells the audience how Abagnale got all of this knowledge.
Another key difference between the book and movie has to do with the people trying to catch Abagnale. In the book, there are only a few references to an FBI agent named O’Really, the man in charge of Abagnale’s ease. However, the movie gives viewers a lot more information about how an FBI agent, renamed Hanratty, cracks down Abagnale and finally catches him.
There are a number of other major differences between the book and the movie about Abagnale’s life, some of which seem to make the book more interesting while others make the movie more interesting. In the end, it all comes down to the question, “Which is better?” Like many other books that have been made into movies, the book is better in this case. The fictional parts of the movie may help create dramatic scenes for the movie and help viewers understand the story quickly, but they are fictional. There is an old saying, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” And in this case, the truth is both stranger and more interesting.
1. Why is Frank Abagnale most famous?
A. He directed a movie about his life.
B. He stole a lot of money from the FBI.
C. He talked his way into many different jobs.
D. He was trained as a pilot, a lawyer and a professor.
2. Which is true about the book and the movie?
A. Both were not use. B. Neither was very popular.
C. There are several major differences. D. They were written by the same person.
3. What did Abagnale know about in-real life? He knew ____________.
A. how to fly a plane B. the number system used by banks
C. how to direct movies D. the working system of the FBI
In Japan, “what’s your type?” is much more than small talk; it can be a more important question in everything from matchmaking to getting a job. By type, the Japanese mean blood type, and no amount of scientific debunking (揭穿) can kill a widely held belief that blood tells all.
In the year that just ended, four of Japan’s top 10 best-sellers were about how blood type determines personality, according to Japan’s largest book distributor, Tohan Co. Taku Kabeya, chief editor at Bungeisha, thinks the appeal comes from having one’s self-image confirmed; readers discover the definition of their blood type and “It’s like ‘Yes, that’s me!’“
As defined by the books, type As are sensitive perfectionists but overanxious; type Bs am cheerful but weird and selfish; Os are curious, generous but stubborn; and Abs are arty but mysterious and unpredictable. All that may sound like a horoscope(占星), but the public doesn’t seem to care. Nowadays matchmaking agencies provide blood-type compatibility (兼容性) tests, and some companies make decisions about assignments based on employees’ blood types. Children at some kindergartens are divided up by blood type, and the women’s softball team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics used the theory to customize each player’s training.
Blood types, determined by the proteins in the blood, have nothing to do with personality, said Satoru Kikuchi, associate professor of psychology at Shinshu University. “It’s simply false science, “he said, “The idea encourages people to judge others by the blood types, without trying to understand them as human beings. It’s like racism.” This use of blood-typing has disreputable (名声不好的) roots. The theory was imported from Nazi race ideologues (空谈家) and adopted by Japan’s militarist government in the 1930s to breed better soldiers. The idea was abandoned years later and the craze faded. It resurfaced in the 1970s, however, as Masahiko Nomi, a supporter with no medical background, gave the theory mass appeal. His son, Toshitaka now promotes it through a private group, the Human Science ABO Center, saying it’s not intended to rank or judge people but to smooth relationships and help make the best of one’s talents.
1. That many Japan’s best-sellers were about blood type implies ____________.
A. this topic is used by many people in small talks
B. Japanese attach great importance to blood type
C. people don’t want to have confirmed self-image
D. the definition of blood type leads to arguments
2. According to the passage, ________ may face more pressure while performing a task.
A. type As B. type Bs C. type Os D. type ABs
3. Kikuchi compared blood type determinism to racism because ______________.
A. both blood type and race are determined by the proteins in the blood
B. neither blood type nor race is related to our character and personality
C. both of them judge people without considering their individualities
D. blood type determinism believes human abilities are decided by race
4. Who introduced the blood type theory to Japan?
A. Nazis from Germany. B. Japan’s militarist government.
C. A supporter called Masahiko Nomi. D. Human Science ABO Center.
Priscilla Ouchida’s “energy-efficient” house turned out to be a horrible dream. When she and her engineer husband married a few years ago, they built a $100,000 three-bedroom home in California. Tightly sealed to prevent air leaks, the house was equipped with small double-paned (双层玻璃的) windows and several other energy-saving features. Problems began as soon as the couple moved in, however. Priscilla’s eyes burned. Her throat was constantly dry. She suffered from headaches and could hardly sleep. It was as though she had suddenly developed a strange illness.
Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. The level of formaldehyde (甲醛) gas in her kitchen was twice the maximum allowed by federal standards for chemical workers. The source of the gas? Her new kitchen cabinets and wall-to-wall carpeting.
The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution, which is net given sufficient attention partly because of the nation’s drive to save energy. The problem itself isn’t new. “The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along,” says Moschandreas a pollution scientist at Geomet Technologies in Maryland. “Energy conservation has tended to accentuate the situation in some cases.”
The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. Back in the days when energy was cheap, home builders didn’t worry much about unsealed cracks. Because of such leaks, the air in an average home was replaced by fresh outdoor air about once an hour. As a result, the pollutants produced in most households seldom build up to dangerous levels.
1. It can be learned from the passage that the Ouchidas’ house __________
A. is well worth the money spent on its construction
B. is almost faultless from the point of energy conservation
C. failed to meet energy conservation standards
D. was designed and constructed in a scientific way
2. What made the Ouchidas’ new house a horrible dream?
A. Lack of fresh air. B. Poor quality of building materials.
C. Gas leak in the kitchen. D. The newly painted walls.
3. The underlined word “accentuate” in the third paragraph most probably means ___________.
A. control B. worsen C. relieve D. improve
4. This passage is most probably taken from an article entitled “_________”.
A. Energy Conservation B. Houses Building Crisis
C. Air Pollution Indoors D. Traps in Building Construction
第三部分阅读理解 (共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Picking a Christmas tree takes most people a few minutes, a couple of hours if they head to the woods. Dave Murbach needs 11 months.
Almost every day of every year, Murbach’s thoughts turn to vision of a perfectly shaped evergreen tree that will take everyone’s breath away.
“The tree,” he says wearily. “Always the tree.”
Murbach is the man responsible for finding the towering tree that graces Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center each Christmas season.
“I’m always looking for a tree,” the center’s chief gardener says. “I look for it even when I go to the beach in the summer. It’s like a homework assignment hanging over your head.”
And if he gets it wrong, there’s nothing hiding it.
“Every day it’s up, 400,000 people go by, and 2.5 million people watch the lighting celebration on television,” he says.
This year’s tree, a 74-foot Norway spruce (云杉) from Richfield, Ohio, flown to New York on the world’s largest cargo plane, was lighted on December 2.
The arrival of the tree leads in the Christmas season in New York - a tradition dating to 1931, when the workers building Rockefeller Centre put up a small tree with decorations.
The search for the next year’s tree starts soon after the old tree is chopped up for wood chips and horse-jumping logs.
That’s not as simple as it sounds. Though forests are full of evergreens, few get enough sunlight or space to fill out. And branches in snowy regions often break under the weight, making flees uneven.
Back at the office, he sorts through hundreds of letters from people offering their trees, many addressed simply to “Mr. Christmas Tree Man.”
Despite the occasional anxiety attack and sleepless night, Murbach knows the together people you love. That’s what I hope it sets off.”
But Murbach says he’s always too worn out to celebrate Christmas.
“No card, no lights, nothing,” he says.
“No tree?”
“No tree.”
1. Murbach takes his job seriously because he most likely wants _____________.
A. everyone to be happy with his work
B. to make everyone surprised at his choice
C. everyone to know his care for their happiness
D. to attract people’s attention to his special ability
2. Which is the correct order of the events in the passage?
a. Murbach’s thoughts turn to a perfectly shaped tree.
b. 2.5 million people watch the Christmas tree.
c. The tree is flown to New York.
d. it was lighted on December 2.
e. The tree is chopped up.
f. Murbach searches for the tree.
A. a, b, c, d, e, f B. a, f, c, d, b, e C. c, d, e, b, a, f D. c, d, b, f, e, a
3. According to Murbach’s standard of trees, the best tree must _________.
A. be evergreen B. have no space between branches
C. be thick enough D. be equally balanced in shape
4. Which is tree about Murbach?
A. He is most devoted to his work. B. He is now quite tired of his work.
C. He has no loved family members. D. He never wants to celebrate Christmas.