The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us. ”That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “we’ re kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don' t
just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures（文化）．
Some of these differences may be only on the surface—dress, food and hours of work—while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate（气候），while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality（准时）．If you invite people to a party at 7 o’ clock
your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the
American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “late” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought______．
| A．the American bank didn’ t think much of him |
| B．the American bank might hire another person |
| C．it’ s difficult to get used to American culture |
| D．it’ s easy to misunderstand Americans |
The word “highlights” in Paragraph 2 probably means_____.
| A．encourages | B．helps to narrow |
| C．increases | D．draws attention to |
According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?
| A．Ask the native people for help. |
| B．Understand and accept them. |
| C．Do things in our own way. |
| D．Do in-depth research. |
When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are______.
| A．Italians | B．Germans | C．Greeks | D．the British |
C
As the sound of footsteps behind her grew louder, she quickened her pace. She didn’t want to turn around as the memory of that morning’s newspaper headline made her afraid of what she would see: “City Killer Claims Fourth Victim.”
“Why did I stop for a few drinks in the bar after work?” she thought to herself. Now it was dark and the streets deserted. She was alone and a sitting duck.
She felt as if she was walking in the rain. Her clothes were damp from nervous sweat and as each short hot breath hit the night air, it turned to steam, coating her glasses in a thin film so all she saw seemed covered in fog.
The footsteps were closer now. She needed to get off this street. Her eyes began a useless search for an open store or lighted window. Passing a small lane she looked through, for a possible escape route. But the lane was a dead - end and she laughed to herself at the irony ( 具有讽刺意味的事 ).
The sound of a car behind her turning onto the street interrupted her self – pity. Escape was at hand. But as she was about to throw herself onto the road and shout for the car to stop, the car’s headlights cast a shadow that paralyzed ( 使瘫痪 ) her with terror.
It was the footsteps’ owner. The figure was huge and in its raised arm it held what looked like a lead-pipe, no doubt the one that was about to claim victim number five.
The shadow dissolved as the car passed by and disappeared into the distance. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was all happening as if in sl
ow – motion. She was waiting for her life to flash before her eyes like all those novels said it would – but it didn’t. The only thing she thought of was her dear husband. She recalled phoning him from work that very afternoon and joking about, of all things, the city killer. It was a night full of ironies.
There was a voice talking to her now but she was lost in thoughts of her fate and didn’t respond. The hand then began turning her around. It was surprisingly gentle given what was about to come. She allowed it to guide her without resistance ( 抗拒 ).
She looked up. She recognized the face, but she didn’t know from where. Its mouth was still talking to her but she couldn’t understand. Then she remembered. The face belonged to the foreign looking man who had served her at the bar. She looked down to his hand and saw in it not a lead – pipe but a rolled up copy of a work report she had been correcting in the bar as she drank.
His words suddenly started to register in her brain and she could hear him. “Miss, Miss. Are you OK? You left this in the bar and it looked important so I thought I’d better give it to you.”
56. The woman was feeling nervous because________.
A. she had left her report in the bar
B. there was a killer in the city
C. she was being followed by someone
D. the streets were dark and empty
57. The underlined expression “a sitting duck” (paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “________”.
A. an easy target B. a frightened person
C. a foolish animal D. a still position
58. What is the correct order of events that happened to the woman on the day of the story?
a. She went for a drink in a bar. b. She corrected the report.
c. She heard loud footsteps. d. She read the newspaper.
e. She called her husband. f. She felt a hand on her shoulder.
A. d,c,a,e,b,f B. c,d,a,e,f,b C. d,a,b,e,c,f D. d,e,a,b,c,f
59. Why did the woman laugh when she looked into the lane?
A. She was excited because she thought it may be a way to escape.
B. She felt bitter because she had no chance to escape.
C. She was becoming more and more nervous.
D. She realized that she was behaving foolishly.
60. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. It was raining when she left the bar.
B. The woman had felt nervous about the city killer for days.
C. The temperature was very low that evening.
D. The woman was behaving unreasonably.
B
We once had a poster competition in our fifth grade art class.
“You could win prizes，’’our teacher told US as she wrote the poster information on the blackboard. She passed out sheets of construction paper while continuing，“The first prize is ten dollars. You just have to make sure that the words on the blackboard appear somewhere on your poster. ”
We studied the board critically. Some of US looked with one eye and held up certain colors against the blackboard，rocking the sheets to the fight or left while we conjured up our designs. Others twisted their hair around their fingers or chewed their erasers while deep in thought. We had plans for that ten—dollar grand prize，each and every one of US. I'm going to spend mine on candies，one hopeful would announce，while another practiced looking serious，wise and rich.
Everyone in the class made a poster. Some of us used parts of those fancy paper napkins， while others used nothing but colored construction paper. Some of US used big designs，and some of us preferred to gather our art tidily down in one comer of our poster and let the space draw the viewer's attention to it. Some of US would wander past the good students’ desks and then return to our own projects with a growing sense of hopelessness. It was yet another grown-up trick of the soil they seemed especially fond of。making all of US believe we had a fair chance，and then always—always—rewarding the same old winners.
I believe I drew a sailboat，but I can’t say that with any certainty. I made it. I admired it. I determined it to be the very best of all of the posters I had seen，and then I turned it in.
Minutes passed.
No one came along to give me the grand prize，and then someone distracted me，and I probably never would have thought about that poster again.
I was still sitting at my desk，thinking，What poster? When the teacher gave me an envelope with a ten-dollar bill in it and everyone in the class applauded for me.
51.. What was the teacher's requirement for the poster?
A. It must appear in time.
B. It must be done in class.
C. It must be done on a construction sheet.
D. It must include the words on the blackboard.
52. The underlined phrase in paragraph 3 most probably means _____________.
A. formed an idea for B. made an outline for
C. made some space for D. chose some colors for
53. After the teacher’s words，all the students in the class _________.
A. 1ooked very serious B. thought they would be rich
C. began to think about their designs D. began to play games
54. After seeing the good students’ designs，some students _________.
A. 1oved their own designs more
B. thought they had a fair chance
C. put their own designs in a comer
D. thought they would not win the prize
55. We can infer from the passage that the author ______________.
A. enjoyed grown-up tricks very much
B. 1oved poster competitions very much
C. felt surprised to win the competition
D. became wise and rich after the competition
三．阅读 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并填写在答题卡上。
A
E:\Zujuan\WCFUpload\Upload\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\Rar$DI00.718\全品高考网 Bicycles are a great way to get around. They’re fun to ride, especially down hills. And, as you speed along the road, you might also think of ways in which you could improve your bike— make it safer, more efficient, or more comfortable. In fact, the two-wheeled machines make for some cool science projects.
This year's International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held last May in Cleveland, featured（had）three bicycle projects from three countries. Like many of the other experiments presented at ISEF, the bike projects showed that some of the most interesting scientific research often begins by taking a closer look at things you care about.
Renato Angulo Chu had even grander ambitions(雄心). The 12th-grader from Lima, Peru, wanted to address some of his country's economic troubles.
"I see a problem in my country," Renato said. "If you go to the forests in Peru, in some places you cannot find electricity. If you go with my bicycle, you can turn on the lights."
Renato, 16, spent 3 years designing his special Multibike. The device looks like a fixed exercise bike. It has wires fixed along the frame(结构) and a blender strapped(fastened) to the back. Turning the pedals(踏蹬) operates the blender. The same principle can be used to sharpen knives or sweep city streets.
The Multibike can work either as a fixed bike or as a bicycle able to travel city streets and country roads. It's made from inexpensive materials, and the user gets exercise while pedaling to operate a machine.
"You pedal the bike, and you can mix any drink you want," Renato said. More importantly, he added, the same concept(概念) could be used to bring light to houses in remote regions of the rainforest.
46. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Bicycles are the best way to go about
B. Bikes should be made more comfortable to ride.
C. You can improve your bicycle for science research.
D. Many inventions are connected with the bicycle.
47. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. ISEF is an exhibiton displaying bicycle experiments designed by students.
B. Looking closely at things you are concerned about can lead to scientific research.
C. Renato’s improvement of the bicycle has solved the country’s great problem.
D. Renato’s special bicycle will soon be put into use in remote areas.’
48. The underlined word “address” in the third paragraph probably has the same meaning as _______.
A. make address written B. give up C. work at D. speak at
49. Renato’s special Multibike has all the following EXCEPT ________.
A. making knives sharp B. mixing any kind of drinks
C. producing electricity D. operating a machine with its own electricity
50. It can be inferred that Renato’s special bicycle is mainly designed for ________.
A. distant areas in the rainforest without electricity.
B. the use of his own family to make life easier.
C. the competition of ISEF to win money to support remote rainforests
D. enough exercise by pedaling it
“ A very disruptive(扰乱型的) six-year old child kicked my legs and clawed at my hand，”said one teacher. “I broke up a fight and was kicked between my legs，”said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves parents.
Every child , regardless of the circumstances into which they are born，has the right to achieve their potential，regardless of their parents’ wealth and class. And we recognize that, as a nation，it is a long way to achieve this goal .But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of neglecting the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school，even to the point of being violent to staff. This is terrible enough，but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table，and unable to use the lavatory properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep，has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being immersed in computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children’s behavior and sticking to those boundaries when the going gets tough. They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources---time----so that children come to school ready and willing to learn. In the opinion of the writer, what problem do people ignore?
| A．The school violence. |
| B．The pressure of students’ learning |
| C．The right to achieve students potential. |
| D．the responsibilities of the students. |
The writer’s attitude to the behaviors of parents may be that of ________.
| A．dissatisfied | B．unconcern | C．understadning | D．tolerance |
The underlined part in Para 4 may means__________.
| A．parents and children live in their separate rooms |
| B．parents care little about children’s life at home |
| C．children don’t live with their parents in the same room |
| D．at home children live a different life from that of parents |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that______.
| A．schools can’t correct the wrongs that society does to teachers |
| B．teachers have no responsibility for playing the role of parents |
| C．parents should spend time with children making them ready to learn |
| D．students are responsible for making themselves known in society |
What might be most suitable title for the passage?
Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big.
All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3 500 000 tons. The waste includes bags，bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.
The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l 600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert，with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slow that garbage from all over the world collects there.
In recent years，there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste，resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full，lessening their desire to eat or drink.
The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste，and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.
Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier，another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.
In August，2009，a team from the University of California，San Diego became the
latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment.How did the writer introduce the topic of the passage?
| A．By giving an example. | B．By listing the facts. |
| C．By telling a story. | D．By giving a comparison. |
What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?
| A．It is made up of various kinds of plastic products. |
| B．It is a solid mass of floating waste materials. |
| C．It lies l60 000 kilometers east of California. |
| D．It is described as a kind of oceanic desert. |
Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?
| A．Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water. |
| B．Because the polluted plastic articles will move up the food chain. |
| C．Because it may be from an island in the pacific. |
| D．Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste. |
Which column can you find the passage on a newspaper?
| A．Sports and entertainment. | B．Media and culture. |
| C．Environment and society. | D．Science and technology. |
The purpose of writing this passage is to____________.
| A．warn people of the danger to travel in the pacific |
| B．analyze what caused the waste patch in the pacific |
| C．give advice on how to recycle waste in the ocean |
| D．introduce the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch |