阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,共40分)
Bend over, take a deep breath and drink some water! This is just one of hundreds of tips you might get if you have the hiccups(打嗝). Hiccups are so mysterious. We really don’t know why they start and why they stop. Everyone has a favorite cure for a case of the hiccups. Some people think that a good scare is necessary to get well. Others eat a teaspoon of sugar. Still others drink a glass of water with a knife in it.
An American man named Jack O’Leary claimed to have hiccupped 160 million times over a period of eight years. He tried 60,000 cures, but none of them worked. Finally he prayed to Saint Jude, the saint of Hopeless cases, and his hiccupping stopped immediately.
It took a British plumber eight months to cure his hiccups. People from all over the world wrote him letters with suggestions for getting well. He tried them all, but the hiccups continued. Finally, he drank a “secret” mixture someone had sent him. By that evening his hiccups were gone.
Why did these cures work for these two men? No one really knows. But people who have studied many cases of hiccups have an idea. Hiccups usually go away if you believe in the cure. _________ might be the best cure for hiccups.
A.Special pills | B.A spoonful of salt | C.Cold water |
D.What you believe in |
The plumber spent __________ in stopping his hiccups.
A.4 hours | B.2 days | C.8 months | D.8 years |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.We know why the hiccups start, but we don’t know how to stop them. |
B.Saint Jude is an expert in curing the hiccups. |
C.The British plumber drank a secret mixture given by an experienced doctor and then became well. |
D.Some people think that a good scare is a cure for a case of hiccups. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Different ways to stop hiccups | B.What makes hiccups happen |
C.How to get hiccups | D.Jack O’Leary’s hiccups |
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LONDON(Reuters)—Ecotourism(生态旅游) is causing a lot of damage to wildlife and may be endangering the survival of the very animals people are flocking to see, according to researchers.
Biologists and conservationists(自然环境保护论者) are worried because polar bears, dolphins, penguins and other creatures are getting stressed and losing weight and some are dying.
“Evidence is growing that many animals do not react well to tourists in their backyard,” New Scientist magazine said.
The immediate effects researchers have noticed are changes in behavior, heart rates, or stress hormone(荷尔蒙) levels but they fear it could get much worse and over the long term “could endanger the survival of the very wildlife they want to see”.
Although money produced through ecotourism, which has been growing at about 10~30 percent a year, has major benefits for poor countries and people living in rural areas, the Swiss-based World Conservation Union and some governments fear not all projects are audited (审计) and based on environmentally friendly policies, according to the magazine.
“The transmission(传播) of disease to wildlife, or small changes to wildlife health through disturbance of daily life or increased stress levels, while not obvious to the casual observer, may translate to lower survival and breeding,” said Philip Seddon of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Scientists have noticed that bottleneck dolphins along the northeastern coast of New Zealand become nervously excited when tourist boats arrive. Similar changes in behavior have been observed in polar bears and yellow-eyed penguins in areas visited by ecotourists are producing smaller babies.
Conservationists are not calling for more research into the effect of ecotourism on animals and say the industry must be developed carefully. They also want studies done before new ecotourism projects are started.
“The animals’ welfare should be very important because without them there will be no ecotourism,” said Rochelle Constantine of the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
60. What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Many animals are dying because of lack of money.
B. There will be no ecotourism without animals.
C. Ecotourism could endanger the survival of the wildlife people want to see.
D. More research should be done on ecotourism.
61. We may learn from the passage that ________.
A. ecotourism must be developed properly
B. polar bears are losing weight without enough food
C. all the poor countries have stopped ecotourism
D. money produced through ecotourism should be spent on wildlife
62. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Many animals do not react well in their backyard.
B. Polar bears in the areas visited by ecotourists are producing smaller babies.
C. Ecotourism has been growing at about 10~30 percent a year.
D. Studies should be done before new ecotourism projects are started.
63. What Rochelle Constantine said in the last paragraph implies that ______.
A. if people want to get high income, they must develop ecotourism
B. animals have the rights to live their own life
C. animals are people’s good friends
D. people should take good care of wildlife
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Ⅳ.阅读理解
Everyone knows that the French are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Are these just stereotypes(陈规) or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeeds or fails?
At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs(实业家) in the UK found that 70 percent felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public. Britain is hostile to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy(嫉妒). As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were “unloved, unwanted and misunderstood”. Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green-eyed monster(怪物)” and the UK is its home. Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people and gave each an imaginary amount of money. Some were given a little, others a great deal. Those given a little money were given the chance to destroy the large amounts of money given to others—but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this.
This seems to prove the entrepreneurs were right to complain. But there is also conflicting evidence. The Organization for Econnomic Cooperation and Development(OECD) recently reported that the UK was now the world’s fourth largest economy. That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either.
“It’s not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a Professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in a way that seems arrogant(傲慢) or unfair or which separates them from their roots.”
Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem. They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.
56. What does the underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refer to?
A. One group of people. B. A great survey.
C. National character. D. A nation.
57. Most of the British top entrepreneurs surveyed believe that ________.
A. they are not popular simply because they are successful
B. the British public are hardworking
C. love of success is Britain’s national character
D. they are considered as “green-eyed monsters”
58. What does the result of the Warwich University test show?
A. Two thirds of the people tested didn’t love money.
B. Most people would rather fail than see others succeed.
C. An imaginary amount of money does not attract people.
D. Most people are willing to enjoy success with others.
59. The writer of the passage seems to suggest that _______.
A. jealousy is Britain’s national character
B. British entrepreneurs are not fairly treated
C. the scientists at Warwich University did a successful test
D. the British dislike the entrepreneurs because they do not behave properly
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You can love them or hate them, but no matter which tourist destination you visit, chances are you’ll see someone with their head buried in a Lonely Planet guidebook.
Lonely Planet is one of the world’s largest travel guide brands, publishing more than 500 different guides in eight languages. The popular brand also produces television shows, websites and podcasts(播客)all devoted to travel.
Some people praise Lonely Planet books because they make traveling easy and affordable. They also save time and make sure you don’t miss the best things.
They also provide the reviews of hostels, restaurants and ticket information about your destination.
This can be great if you’re a nervous traveler, or if you haven’t traveled by yourself before. If you’re in a country where you don’t speak the language, sometimes there’s nothing better than getting into a taxi and opening up a guidebook. You simply point to a map that directs the taxi driver to a hostel that’s cheap and clean, with friendly staff and cold beer.
But others criticize Lonely Planet and other travel guide publishers like them. They say guidebooks take the fun and spontaneity(自发性)out of traveling, and that part of the enjoyment of travel comes from the fact that anything can happen. They also regret that if you follow a guidebook, you’ll end up doing the same thing and having the same experience as everyone else. You might end up seeing the same group of people over and over, because everyone is reading the same book and following the same route.
Another criticism of travel guides is that they have a large impact on local communities. For example, some locals devote their lives to behaving in ways that attract tourists. They pretend to live a traditional lifestyle, wear traditional clothes and live in traditional houses in order to attract the tourist dollar.
72. The Lonely Planet guidebook can bring you the following advantages EXCEPT that ___.
A. you can speak a foreign language when opening a guidebook
B. you can easily find a nice place to stay in a strange city
C. it provides lots of useful information about your destination
D. it can help you save time and money when traveling
73. People criticize the guidebook because __________.
A. it is not as useful as most travelers expect
B. tourist destinations will be crowded if everyone follows the same route
C. travelers may not get the chance to have unexpected adventures
D. local people keep modern lifestyles under its influence
74. What do we know about the Lonely Planet guidebook from the text?
A. It’s a world-famous brand only producing guidebooks for travelers.
B. It’s very useful to a person who’s nervous about touring an unfamiliar place.
C. It’s very useful to a tourist who likes to repeat others’ experiences.
D. It is loved by all travelers because of the convenience it brings to travelers.
75. Which of the following best shows the structure of the text? (①—⑦ stand for Paragraph 1 — Paragraph 7 )A. ① B. ① C. ① D. ①
② ②③ ④② ② ③
③④ ⑤⑥⑦ ⑤ ⑥⑦ ③④⑤ ⑥⑦ ④⑤ ⑥⑦
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Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30. and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last,the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door,she nearly tripped over Sheba.
“Hey,Sheba,”she said,“I've got no time for you now,but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club. ”Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking Obviously,she could hardly breathe. Immediately. Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet(兽医) . When she got there,the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba,Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.
“Listen,doctor,I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting, can I leave her with you,and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up,and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me, Is that OK?”
“Sure. ”said the doctor
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once more entering the hallway,the phone by the door began to ring.
“This is Dr. Sterne,”said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately,”said the doctor's voice. “I'm coming round right away,and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”
At that moment,a police car screeched to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.
“She’s fine,Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her,and she’s OK now. ”
Just then,the two policemen reappeared from the house,half-carrying a white—faced man,who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.
“My God,”said Joanne,“how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar. ”said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat:it turned out to be three human fingers”
60. What was Joanne supposed to do at 6:30?
A. To walk her dog.
B. To see her doctor.
C. To attend a club meeting.
D. To play tennis with her friends.
61. Joanne wanted to get back to her home again .
A. to dress up for the meeting
B. to phone the police station
C. to catch the badly hurt burglar
D. to wait for her dog to be cured
62. From the passage,we can infer that .
A. Sheba fought against the burglar
B. the police found the burglar had broken in
C. Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting
D. the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog
63. In this passage,the writer intends to tell us that the dog is .
A. clever B. friendly C. frightening D. devoted
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Nuclear power's danger to health, safety, and even life itself can be described in one word; radiation(辐射).
Nuclear radiation has a certain mystery about it, partly because it cannot be detected (探测) by human senses. It can't be seen or heard, or touched or tasted, even though it may be all around us. There are other things like that. For example, radio waves are all around us but we can't detect them, sense them, without a radio receiver. Similarly, we can't sense radioactivity without a radiation detector. But unlike common radio waves, nuclear radiation is not harmless to human beings and other living things.
At very high levels, radiation can kill an animal or human being completely by killing masses of cells in important organs (器官). But even the lowest levels can do serious damage. There is no level of radiation that is completely safe. If the radiation does not hit anything important, the damage may not be significant. This is the case when only a few cells are hit, and if they are killed completely. Your body will replace the dead cells with healthy ones. But if the few cells are only damaged, and if they reproduce themselves, you may be in trouble. They reproduce themselves in an unusual way. They can grow into cancer. Sometimes this does not show up for many years.
This is another reason for some of the mystery about nuclear radiation. Serious damage can be done without the knowledge of the person at the time that damage has occurred. A person can be irradiated(放射治疗) and feel fine, then die of cancer five, ten, or twenty years later as a result. Or a child can be born weak or easy to get serious illness as a result of radiation absorbed by its grandparents.
Radiation can hurt us. We must know the truth.
68. According to the passage, the danger of nuclear power lies in __________.
A. nuclear mystery B. radiation detection
C. radiation level D. nuclear radiation
69. Radiation can lead to serious results even at the lowest level ________.
A. when it kills few cells B. if it damages few cells
C. though the damaged cells can repair themselves
D. unless the damaged cells can reproduce themselves
70. Radiation can hurt us in the way that it can _____.
A. kill large numbers of cells in main organs so as to cause death immediately
B. damage cells which may grow into cancer years later
C. affect the healthy growth of our younger generation
D. lead to all of the above results
71. Which of the following can be best inferred from the passage?
A. The importance of protection from radiation can be overemphasized (过分强调).
B. The mystery about radiation remains unsolved.
C. Cancer is mainly caused by radiation.
D. Radiation can hurt those who do not know about its danger.