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。
Jay Chou（周杰伦）is a well-known name both in Taiwan and mainland. He is now one of Asia’s hottest pop stars. His catchy tunes have main-streamed（主流）rap and R&B in the Mando-pop world. In the past his teacher thought he was dumb（木讷）. Talent spotters（观察者）thought he was ugly. But his success proves that the music still matters more than looks and image. His musical talent（才能）is recognized by fans, fellow-singers and producers. Now, a singing contest was held in Taiwan
Chou appeared at the contest with band “Nan Quan Mama”, which was discovered by Chou. Their first album the Summer of Nan Quan Mama, composed and produced by Chou was a great success.
Chou started his career at a singing contest, attracting the attention of record producers. But the successful singer does not believe in luck. He says it’s his passion for music and hard work that are keys to his success. He said, “I didn’t know how to sing at the beginning, so I lost the first time. But I was so determined that I never stopped trying. My advice to these young singers is never to give up, and always believe in yourself. ”
Chou’s confidence has strengthened his music. He is a great source of inspiration to youngsters who share his determination to become a superstar. The best title for this passage can be ____________.
| A．From an ugly dumb to a superstar |
| B．Jay Chou’s way to success |
| C．Jay Chou and his band |
| D．Jay Chou’s life |
The underlined part “matters more” most probably means ____________.
| A．better | B．more different |
| C．more difficult | D．more important |
Which of the following is NOT true about Jay Chou?
| A．Jay Chou is confident towards music. |
| B．He is a determined man. |
| C．He succeeded the first time he appeared on the stage. |
| D．Though not good-looking, he has a gift for music. |
____________ make Jay Chou a success according to the passage.
| A．His luck and talent for music |
| B．His talent for music and look |
| C．His looks and luck |
| D．His passion for music and hard work |
Jay Chou’s musical talent is recognized by the following except ____________.
| A．his teachers | B．fellow-singers |
| C．producers | D．fans |
A new genera tion addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism（网瘾）, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. Such behavior has seriously affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log(写日志) on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked（着迷） on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world.
The main idea of the passage is about__________.
| A．the cause of weboholism |
| B．the advantage of weboholism |
| C．the popularity of weboholism |
| D．the effect of weboholism |
We can infer from the passage that_______.
| A．weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers |
| B．students can hardly balance real and virtual life |
| C．people are addicted to games on the Internet |
| D．virtual life is more vivid and attractive than real life. |
Which of the following is NOT true of weboholism?
| A．It contributes to the development of the web. |
| B．The chat room language may change social culture. |
| C．The problem will be getting more and more serious later. |
| D．People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life. |
When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a farm and, in the winter especially, we were quite cut off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that city life has its problems too.
One big disadvantage is money---it costs so much to go out, not to mention basics like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from asthma(哮喘), and at times the air is so bad that I am afraid to go outside. Then there is the problem of travelling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.
Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever your tastes in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety of goods is very surprising---and, what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.
Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is, when you are in your teens(十几岁) or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon.What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?
| A．Staying on the farm |
| B．Moving to the countryside |
| C．Leaving home for the city |
| D．Running away from the school |
Which of the following is true about the writer?
| A．He is very old now. |
| B．He is in good health. |
| C．He prefers driving a car. |
| D．He lives in the city now. |
In the passage, the writer tries to _______.
| A．express his opinions about way of life |
| B．describe his life in the countryside |
| C．show an interest in the outside world |
| D．persuade the reader to live in the city |
How is the passage mainly developed?
| A．By inferring |
| B．By comparing |
| C．By listing examples |
| D．By giving explanations |
Science Fiction The science fiction type of entertainment is considered by most to be fathered by Jules Verne (A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea) and H．G．Wells (The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds)．Sci-Fi, as it is commonly shortened, is a fictional story in which science and technology have a significant influence on the characters and plot．Many such works are guesswork about what the future holds and how scientific findings and technological advances will shape humankind．
Writing in the late 1800s, Jules Verne was remarkably successful in his 10 guesses about future technologies of air conditioning, automobiles, the Internet, television, and underwater, air, and space travel．Unbelievably, of all places from which to choose, Jules Verne guessed Tampa, Florida, USA as the launching site of the first project to the Moon, which was only 200 kilometers away from the actual 1969 location at Cape Canaveral, Florida．
One of the best-known science fiction books is Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell．Published in 1949, it was not meant as a prediction, but as a warning: Orwell was describing what he saw as the outcome of the ideas, trends, and emerging technologies of his time．Many invented terms from this novel have become common in everyday use, such as “big brother” and “doublethink”．Even the author’s name has been made into an adjective—Orwellian—and has become a warning descriptor for situations where privacy is lost and the individual becomes sacrifice under a totalitarian（极权主义）government．Nineteen Eighty-Four was translated into sixty-five languages within five years of its publication, setting a record that still stands．
What helps bring science fiction into being is usually a new discovery or innovation．The author creates an analysis of the potential influence and consequences and then wraps it in a pleasant story．For example, the beginning of space exploration was followed a few years later by the Star Trek television program and movie series．Advances in genetics（遗传学）cause fantasies of the end of disease, horrors of eugenics（优生学）, and thrillers where creatures disappearing long ago are brought back to life．The science fiction author’s self-determined role is that of field glasses for humanity—searching the world of future possibilities upon the road which we are traveling．What can science fiction offer to people？
| A．A forecast of how a new discovery could influence mankind． |
| B．A thoughtful look at the present drawbacks of technology． |
| C．An analysis of why a new technology could be used to harm human． |
| D．A thoughtful look at the past and what brought us to this point in history． |
Which of the following best summarizes the description of Nineteen Eighty-Four？
| A．A prediction of future technologies |
| B．A warning of cruel and unfair ruling |
| C．The consequence of scientific findings |
| D．An imaginary perfect world of freedom． |
From the passage we can learn that _____．
| A．Nineteen Eighty-Four adopted some popular terms |
| B．H．G．Wells predicted the Internet in the late 1800s |
| C．Cape Canaveral was mentioned in Jules Verne’s fiction |
| D．Star Trek movie series were based on space exploration |
According to the author, what is the role of science fiction in society？
| A．A moral compass |
| B．A reference of technology |
| C．A record of science development |
| D．A consideration of possibilities |
Does money buy happiness？Not！Ah, but would a little more money make us a little happier？Many of us smirk(傻笑，假笑) and nod．There is, we believe, some connection between financial fitness and emotional fulfillment．Three in four American college students—nearly double the 1970 proportion— now consider it “very important” or “essential” that they become “very well off financially”．Money matters．
But a surprising fact of life is that in countries where nearly everyone can afford life’s necessities, increasing wealth matters surprisingly little．The connection between income and happiness is “surprisingly weak,” observed University of Michigan researcher Ronald Inglehart in one 16-nation study of 170,000 people．Once comfortable, more money provides diminishing returns(报酬递减)．The second piece of pie, or the second $100,000, never tastes as good as the first．Even lottery winners and the Forbes’ 100 wealthiest Americans surveyed by University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener have expressed only slightly greater happiness than the average American．Making it big brings temporary joy．But in the long run wealth is like health: its complete absence can create suffering, but having it doesn’t guarantee happiness．Happiness seems less a matter of getting what we want than of wanting what we have．
Has our happiness, however, floated upward with the rising economic tide？Are we happier today than in 1940s, when two out of five homes lacked a shower or tub？Actually, we are not．Since 1957, the number of Americans who say they are “very happy” has declined from 35 to 32 percent．Meanwhile, the divorce rate has doubled, the teen suicide(自杀) rate has increased nearly three times, the violent crime rate has gone up nearly four times, and depression has mushroomed．Economic growth has provided no boost to human morale．When it comes to psychological well being, it is not the economy．
I call this soaring wealth and shrinking spirit “the American paradox．” More than ever, we have big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low confidence, secured rights and reduced civility．We are good at making a living but often fail at making a life．We celebrate our prosperity(繁荣) but long for a purpose．We treasure our freedoms but long for connection．In an age of plenty, we feel spiritual hunger．Which of the following statements best expresses the author’s view？
| A．The more money we earn, the less returns we have． |
| B．The more money we earn, the happier we would be． |
| C．In the long run, money cannot guarantee happiness． |
| D．In the long run, happiness grows with economy． |
“The second $100,000 never tastes as good as the first” because _____．
| A．it is not so fresh as the first $100,000 |
| B．it is not so important as the first $100,000 |
| C．profit brought by it is less than that from the first $100,000 |
| D．happiness brought by it is less than that from the first $100,000 |
According to the passage, people do well in making a living but don’t _____．
| A．have any primary aim |
| B．know how to spend money |
| C．know how to enjoy life |
| D．keep in touch with other people |
The things that happened after 1957 are given to show that _____．
| A．people’s spiritual needs cannot be fulfilled by wealth |
| B．family problems become more and more serious |
| C．young people are not happy about their life |
| D．social crimes have increased significantly |
My favorite English teacher could draw humor out of the driest material．It wasn’t forced on us either．He took Samuel Johnson’s dictionary, Addison’s essays, and many other literary wonders from the eighteenth century and made them hilarious, even at eight o’clock in the morning．The thing that amazed me most was that the first time I read these works on my own some of them seemed dead, but the second time, after his explanation, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen the humor．The stories and poems and plays were suddenly filled with allusions（典故）and irony andhilarious moments．I learned more from him than from any other teacher．
My least favorite English teacher also made people laugh．Some students found him to be wonderfully funny．Many others did not．He assigned journals over a six week period, to be written in every day．At the end of the six weeks I had a notebook full of bits and pieces about my ideas, short stories, reactions to what we had read, and so on．Our teacher announced that we would be grading each other’s journals．Mine was passed to Joe, that class clown, who always behaved in a funny or silly way．He saw it fit to make joke of and said, “This writing isn’t fit to line the bottom of a birdcage．” Our teacher laughed at that funny remark．It hurt me so much that the anger from it has driven my writing and teaching ever since．
So what makes the difference？Humor is one of the most powerful tools teachers or writers have．It can build up students and classes and make them excited about literature and writing, or it can tear them apart．It is true that humor is either productive or counter-productive and self-defeating．The passage mainly discusses _____．
| A．teaching | B．literature |
| C．humor | D．knowledge |
The underlined word “hilarious” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____．
A．funny B．tiring
C．inspiring D．brilliantWith his favorite English teacher, the writer found it most amazing that _____．
| A．his teacher was very learned |
| B．his teacher was very humorous |
| C．the works by Johnson and Addison were very humorous |
| D．few were able to find humor in works by Johnson and others |
The English teacher the writer disliked most _____．
| A．was not able to make students laugh |
| B．hurt his students’ feelings |
| C．didn’t let his students do the grading |
| D．had no sense of humor |