Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.The purpose of the text is to _______.
A.tell us what life is like in Yemen |
B.draw our attention to water shortage |
C.remind us how important water is |
D.show us ways of solving problems |
The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A.buying water from shops |
B.drinking dirty water |
C.suffering from water shortage |
D.washing clothes with used water |
Hannan described _____.
A.what her life is like |
B.how beautiful Lahej is |
C.how people use water fully |
D.how heavy the traffic in Lahej is |
The Yemen Government _____.
A.has found a practical solution |
B.only cares about rich people |
C.may try to make use of seawater |
D.can do nothing about the water supply |
We can infer from the text that _____.
A.Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years |
B.Hannan is a teenager from a rich family |
C.the capital of Yemen is developing fast |
D.private companies make a lot of money |
A beautiful woman took a plane on business. She found her seat and sat down next to a young man. The man was just thinking of making a few dollars on the plane. When he saw the woman, he got an idea.
“Hey! Would you like to play a game?” he asked the woman. “No, thank you. I just want to take a nap (打盹),” the woman answered. “It’s really easy. All you have to do is to answer the questions that I ask you. If you don’t know the answer, you give me five dollars. If I don’t know the answer to your question, then I’ll give you five dollars.” “No,” the woman still refused. “OK. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll give you five hundred dollars. How about that?” the man said. Then the woman became interested and decided to join in the game.
“OK. How many moons does Jupiter (木星) have?” asked the young man. The woman reached into her purse and took out a five-dollar bill. “What goes up the mountain with three legs and comes back with four?” the woman asked. Then the young man took out his computer and searched the Internet for an answer. Minutes later, the young man handed five hundred dollars to the woman.
After a few hours, the young man really wanted to know the answer to the question. So he asked the woman, “What is the answer to your question?” The woman reached into her purse and handed the young man a five-dollar bill.
49. Why did the man ask the woman to play a game?
A. He wanted to show his kindness.
B. He wanted to have a pleasant journey.
C. He wanted to earn some money from it.
D. He wanted to make friends with the woman.
50. How much did the woman get at the end of the story?
A. $ 500. B. $ 5. C. $ 10. D. $ 490.
51. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The woman told the man the answer to her question.
B. The woman gave the man’s money back to him.
C. The woman asked the man another question.
D. The woman didn’t know the answer, either.
52. We can learn from the story that the woman is ______.
A. clever B. friendly C. polite D. honest
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in doing so, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
45. Why did the author feel uncomfortable about her father as a young adult?
A. He was silent most of the time. B. He was too proud of himself.
C. He did not love his children. D. He expected too much of her.
46. When the author went out with her father on weekend, she would feel _______.
A. nervous B. sorry C. tired D. safe
47. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
A. More critical. B. More talkative
C. Gentle and friendly. D. Strict and hard-working.
48. The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to_____ .
A. the author’s son B. the author’s father
C. the friend of the author’s father D. the café owner
第三部分阅读技能(共三节,满分35分)
第一节阅读理解(共12小题;每小题2分,满分24分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的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。
A study of a university in Shanghai had found that many of the students there are using a quote(引语)from the Italian poet Dante as a kind of motto. The study of Fudan University, one of China’s top universities, of 489 students, found that 82 had chosen Dante’s “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto, out of 278 people who said they had a motto. This was followed by “Believe yourself” and “Self-improvement without stop.”
Students also expressed a common hope for greater understanding and care and said they were always ready to give a hand to those in need. Some researchers think that mottoes can play an important part in children’s growth and they say that a good motto can help children develop a better character.
41. The study shows ________.
A. which university should have mottoes
B. who should have “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto
C. how many students like the motto “Believe yourself.”
D. many students choose a quote from Dante as their favorite motto
42. Of the students asked, ________ students have mottoes.
A. about 78% B. about 57% C. about 16% D. about 8%
43. The motto “Self-improvement without stop” shares the similar meaning with ________.
A. going on to improve rapidly
B. growing by oneself continuously
C. making oneself better and perfect continuously
D. becoming better without having a break
44. The best title for the passage should be _______.
A. Mottoes and Character Developing B. Students and Poet
C. Mottoes and Learning D. Understanding Care
Astronaut Jim Voss has enjoyed many memorable moments in his career,including three space flights and one space walk. But he recalls with special fondness a decidedly earthbound(为地球引力所束缚的)experience in the summer of 1980 when he participated in the NASA ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Voss, then a science teacher at West Poin,was assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center's propulsion(推进) lab in Alabama to analyze why a hydraulic fuel pump seal (液压燃料泵的密封圈)on the space shuttle(航天飞机) was working so well when previous seals had failed. It was a seemingly tiny problem among the vast complexities of running the space program. Yet it was important to NASA because any crack in the seal could have led to destructive results for the astronauts who relied on them.
“I worked a bit with NASA engineers,” says Voss, “but I did it mostly by an analysis. I used a handheld calculator, not a computer, to do a thermodynamic(热力学的) analysis.” At the end of the summer,he,like the other NASA ASEE fellows working at Marshall,summarized his findings in a formal presentation and detailed paper. It was a valuable moment for Voss because the ASEE program gave him added understanding of NASA,deepened his desire to fly in space,and intensified his application for astronaut status.
It was not an easy process. Voss was actually passed over when he first applied for the astronaut program in 1978. Over the next nine years he reapplied repeatedly,and was finally accepted in 1987. Since then he has participated in three space missions. The 50 year old Army officer,who lives in Houston,is now in training for a four-month mission as a crew member on the International Space Station starting in July 2000.
Voss says the ASEE program is wonderful for all involved. “It brings in people from the academic world and gives NASA a special property for a particular period of time. It brings some fresh eyes and fresh ideas to NASA,and establishes a link with our colleges and universities,” Voss explains. “There's an exchange of information and an exchange of perspectives that is very important.”
For the academic side,Voss says,the ASEE program also “brings institutions of higher learning more insight into new technology. We give them an opportunity to work on real world problems and take it back to the classroom.”
66. Why was the hydraulic fuel pump seal important for the space shuttle?
A) Because previous seals all failed.
B) Because it was very complex in running the space program.
C) Because great care has to be taken of the hydraulic fuel pump sealing.
D) Because any crack in the seals would cause disastrous results for the astronauts.
67.The great significance of Voss's findings lies in_________ .
A) strengthening his determination to join in space flights
B) furthering his understanding of NASA
C) consolidating his astronaut status in NASA programs
D) Both A and B
68. How many flights will Voss have finished if his four-month mission starting in July 2000 ends up successfully?
A) Three B) Two C) Four D) Five
69. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to what Voss said on the ASEE program?
A) Fresh members from the academic world participate in the program.
B) The program brings new outlooks to NASA space programs.
C) It is important for the space scientists to exchange information and perspectives.
D) American colleges and universities are a special property of NASA.
70. What does Voss want to stress in the last paragraph?
A) The technological significance of the program.
B) The educational significance of the program.
C) The philosophical significance of the program.
D) The historical significance of the program.
I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I’ll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock (货物) and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn’t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds? (clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn’t believe my eyes; this wasn’t shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn’t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl(爬行) through people’s legs and get hold of things they couldn’t get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English Queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper(脾气)! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham’s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.
You won’t believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.
61. What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5% cheaper?
A. Last summer’s clothes. B. Clothes not in perfect condition.
C. Clothes bought in specially for the sales. D. Clothes for winter.
62. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The customers gave up the queuing for which the English are famous.
B. The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted.
C. Small children enjoyed crawling through people’s legs.
D. The security guards were fearless of the crowd.
63. In the author’s opinion, why were Graham’s happy to make their expensive store into “Battlefield?
A. There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales.
B. They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business.
C. They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes.
D. They wanted to make more money by having sales.
64. The expression “crashed out” means ________.
A. chatted with her friends B. slept soundly
C. broke down D. dined out
65. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Best Bargain. B. Hunting for a job.
C. Sale Fever. D. A Pleasant Fortnight.