The next morning Alex was waiting in the FMA president’s suite when Jerome Patterton arrived. Alex filled him in quickly on the Jax report. Then he said, “I want you to give an order to the trust department to sell every share of Supranational we’re holding.”
“I won’t!” Patterton’s voice rose. “Who do you think you are, giving orders-----“ “I’ll tell you who I am, Jerome. I’m the guy who warned the board against in-depth involvement with SuNatCo. I fought against heavy trust department buying of the stock, but no one-----including you -----would listen. Now Supranational is caving in.” Alex leaned across the desk and slammed a fist down hard. “Don’t you understand? Supranational can bring this bank down with it.”
Patterton was shaken. “But is SuNatCo in real trouble? Are you sure?”
“If I weren’t, do you think I’d be here? I’m giving you a chance to salvage something at least.” He pointed to his wristwatch. “It’s an hour since the New York stock market opened. Jerome, get on the phone and give that order!”
Muscles around the bank president’s mouth twitched nervously. Never decisive, strong influence often swayed him. He hesitated, then picked up the telephone.
“Get me Mitchell in the trust department… Mitch? This is Jerome. Listen carefully. I want you to give a sell order immediately on all the Supranational stock we hold… Yes, sell every share.” Patterton listened, then said impatiently, “Yes, I know what it’ll do to the market. And I know it’s irregular.” His eyes sought Alex’s for reassurance. The hand holding the telephone trembled as he said, “There’s no time to hold meetings. So do it! Yes, I accept responsibility.”
He hung up and reached for a glass of water. “The stock is already down. Our selling will depress it more. We’ll be taking a big beating.”
“It’s our clients-----people who trusted us-----who will take the beating. And they’d have taken a bigger one still, if we’d waited. Even now we’re not out of the woods. A week from now the SEC may disallow those sales. They may rule we had inside knowledge that Supranational was about to be bankrupt, which we should have reported and which would have halted trading in the stock. Alex filled him in quickly on the Jax report. The sentence means:
| A．He filled his name on the Jax report quickly. |
| B．Alex signed his name to the Jax report quickly. |
| C．He offered the FMA president the Jax report smartly. |
| D．He prepared the Jax report for Patterton to sign smartly. |
From the context we can infer that ________.
| A．SuNatCo would bring the stock market down if it sold all the Supranational stock they held. |
| B．The president was stubborn and would never listen to others. |
| C．Alex will take the place of Patterton in the future. |
| D．the clients would take a bigger beating than the bank |
The New York stock market is the place where_____.
| A．the old stock can be bought and sold |
| B．shares can be bought and sold |
| C．paper stock can be bought and sold |
| D．some of the stock can be taken without being paid for |
In the sentence “Even now we’re not out the woods.” The phrase “out of the woods” means _____.
| A．free from danger | B．short of wood |
| C．running out of wood | D．set free |
In the writer’s opinion, the president is _____.
| A．good leader of the U.S.A | B．a good manager of a company |
| C．headmaster | D．banker, an indecisive sort of person |
E
Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault (断层), which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri?
Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings in the area were almost destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks opened in the ground, allowing smell of sulfur （硫磺）to filter upward.
The Mississippi River itself completely changed character, developing sudden rapids and whirlpools. Several times it changed its course, and once, according to some observers, it actually appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Madrid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811; but the severity of the earthquakes are shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C.
Scientists now know that America’s two major faults are essentially different. The San Andreas is a horizontal boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the movement of these two masses suddenly lurches (倾斜) forward.
The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical fault; a some point, possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions trigger (触发) earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern lllinois.
Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate that larger ones are probably coming, but the scientists say have no method of predicting when a large earthquake will occur.
72. This passage is mainly about__________.
A. the New Madrid fault in Missouri
B. the San Andreas and the New Madrid faults
C. the causes of faults
D. current scientific knowledge about faults
73. The New Madrid fault is__________.
A. a horizontal fault
B. a vertical fault
C. a more serious fault than the San Andreas fault
D. responsible for forming the Mississippi River
74. We may conclude from the passage that__________.
A. it is probably as dangerous to live in Missouri as in California
B. the New Madrid fault will eventually develop a mountain range in Missouri
C. California will become an island in future
D. A big earthquake will occur to California soon
75. This passage implies that__________.
A. horizontal faults are more dangerous than vertical faults.
B. Vertical faults are more dangerous than horizontal faults
C. Earthquakes occur only around fault areas
D. California will break into pieces by an eventual earthquake
D
“I didn’t think drugs were a big deal.”
“My mom started abusing drugs(毒品) when I was in fourth grade, so when a friend offered me weed in seventh grade, it didn’t seem wrong to try it. Pot made me feel distant from my misery at home, and I started smoking and drinking on a daily basis. Then my mother left. It broke my heart---I felt like she chose drugs over me. But that didn’t make me stop using them. I relied on weed to handle my pain and anger.”
---Megan, 18
“I did drugs so I would fit in”
“I started hanging with a crowd that was into drugs. I wasn’t into that stuff, but I didn’t have anyone else to hang out with, so I started smoking pot to fit in. My parents found out, and my mom started crying. I realized I wasn’t just hurting myself, I was hurting the people who loved me.”
---Lisa, 15
“________________”
“I started smoking weed when I was in 6th grade. It seemed like a harmless drug. I was wrong---I’ve been smoking weed for three years now, and I’ve ditched all my old friends and probably blown a thousand dollars on pot. The short buzz of it just isn’t worth it.
---Justine, 14
“I wanted to rebel”
I tried marijuana because it gave me a sense of rebellions. I didn’t like always being told what to do, so smoking weed made me feel rebellious. However, I realized later it was silly to think that doing drugs will somehow make you different or unique.”
---Alice, 15
68. Which of the following is NOT a type of drug?
A. pot B. buzz C. weed D. marijuana
69. Which of the following is most suitable for the blank?
A. I’ve lost all my friends by smoking weed
B. Using drug is harmful to all of us
C. I didn’t realize it would cost me so much
D. I don’t think it’s worth it
70. Those young people took drugs because of all the following EXCEPT ______.
A.lack of information B.influence of the family
C.curiosity about the drug D.a sense of rebellions
71. We could infer from the passage ______.
A.Megan’s mother didn’t love her much
B.Lisa started using drugs to please her friends
C.Justine started smoking when he was 12
D.Alice tired marijuana because it is different and unique
C
On a BA flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African Lady has found herself sitting next to a black man. She called a stewardess (女乘务员) over to complain about her seating.
“What seems to be the problem, Madam?” asked the stewardess. “Can’t you see?” she said, “You’ve sat me next to a kafir（异教徒）. I can’t possibly sit next to this disgusting man. Find me another seat!” “Please calm down, Madam,” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do — I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.”
The woman cocked a snooty look at the black man beside her.
A few minutes later the stewardess returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady, who could not help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied grin. “Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”
Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is the most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous（令人不能容忍的） that someone should be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious（讨厌的） person.” Having said that, the stewardess turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you.”
At that point, the surrounding passengers stood up and gave an ovation（喝彩） while the black man walked up to the front of the plane.
64. Why did the middle-aged lady complain about her seating?
A. Because her seat was not near a window.
B. Because she sat next to a black man.
C. Because she wanted to have a seat in first class.
D. Because the stewardess didn’t answer her question.
65. The underlined words “an obnoxious person” in Paragraph 5 refers to “__________”.
A. the middle-aged ladyB. the black man
C. the stewardess D. the captain
66. From the passage we can infer that _________.
A. the middle-aged lady got a seat in first class
B. both the middle-aged lady and the black man got seats in first class
C. neither the middle-aged lady nor the black man got a seat in first class
D. the black man got a seat in first class
67. What can we conclude from the passage?
A. The white people always prefer seats in first class on a plane.
B. More and more passengers travel by plane.
C. The black people are still looked down upon by some whites.
D. Only whites are served well on a plane.
B
Can you imagine traveling to work in a one-man submarine? Some scientists believe that some day one-man submarines will be as numerous (许多) as automobiles are today. A famous French driver says, “One day soon, men will walk on the ocean floor as they do on the street!” Perhaps during your lifetime people will travel, work, and live in the sea.
If human beings want to live in the ocean, many human problems will need to be studied first. Some of these problems, similar to those of living in outer space, are pressure, lack of oxygen and weightlessness. Many questions remain unanswered．For example, can our blood adjust itself to underwater surroundings? What will happen to our muscle if we live in the water very long? Scientists are searching for answers.
Perhaps in the future man will live in the sea, away from the crowded and noisy cities on land．The sea has plenty of space, not only for floating communities (团体) and parks, but also for storing supplies and for underwater travel.
Some scientists believe that ocean living will benefit man in more than physical ways. In the freedom and beauty of the deep sea, man may find new sources of joy.
60．According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A．Man will live in the sea just like living on the earth in time.
B．Human beings can now freely walk on the ocean floor just like walking on the street.
C．There are as many submarines as automobiles in the ocean.
D．A famous French driver found a safe way to travel to the ocean floor.
61．If human beings want to live in the ocean, _____.
A．problems such as pressure, lack of oxygen and weightlessness have to be solved
B．people have to answer many questions asked by scientists
C．underwater surroundings must be improved to fit the human bodies
D．human muscle must be exposed in the water for a long time
62．Which of the following might not be the reason for the people who want to live in the ocean?
A．The sea has plenty of space.
B．The cities on land are crowded, noisy and polluted.
C．Ocean living will do good to them in physical ways and spiritual ways.
D．There are communities and parks on the ocean floor.
63．What’s the best title of the passage?
A．The Use of One-man SubmarineB．Living Things in the Ocean
C．Ocean LivingD．Beauty of Ocean Floor
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
A
Experts around Europe are discussing the embarrassing museum safety following the theft of two art masterpiece paintings on Sunday. A large hunt got under way Monday for thieves who walked into a lightly guarded museum in Oslo, Norway, tore two paintings off the wall and ran away.
Some expressed fear that works of art are in increasing danger from violent robbery — unless, said Deputy Culture Minister Yngve Slettholm, "we lock them in a mountain bunker(碉堡)."
Armed, masked robbers stole the Edvard Munch masterpiece "The Scream" and another of Munch's works, "Madonna," from Oslo's Munch Museum on Sunday as visitors watched in disbelief.
The purpose behind the robbery also remained unknown. But art experts guessed the thieves were either looking for money or wished to impress other criminals since it would be nearly impossible to sell such famous pieces of art.
This is the second time in a decade that a version of the painting has been stolen. Another version of "The Scream" was stolen from Oslo's National Gallery in February 2004, but recovered three months later. The Munch works were not insured against theft, because it was impossible to set a price on them, said John Oeyaas, managing director of Oslo Forsikring, the city-owned company that insured the paintings against damage. But he said the theft in broad daylight from one of Norway's most visited museums raises the question of security — "How can we make these artworks available to the public while still ensuring their safety?"
56. The stolen paintings were drawn by ______.
A. Oslo Forsikring B. Yngve Slettholm C. Edvard Munch D. John Oeyaas
57.Which of the following description is correct about the theft?
A.The two paintings were stolen on Monday
B.Visitors to the museum saw the faces of the robbers
C.The thieves were looking for money
D.The thieves had weapons with them during the theft
58. The Oslo’s Munch Museum ______.
A.is one of the most popular museum in the country
B.had all its paintings insured against theft
C.were going to lock the paintings in a mountain bunker
D.had another version of “The Scream” stolen in 2004
59. What could be the best title for this passage?
A.Dangers of Violent Robbery
B.How to Ensure Safety of Artworks
C.Priceless Art Lost in Bold Theft
D.Famous Art Works Favored by Thieves