In many parts of the world，cars play an important role in daily life and many societies would not exist without them. So the idea that in 20 years’ time, no one will own cars may be hard to believe. But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously, not only by government but also by car manufacturers.
The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughboroug
h in the UK is part of an international research program. The team there believes that by 2020 all cars will be computerized, which will mean much saving，no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21st century will drive itself, and it will not be owned by one individual. Instead, we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing.
According to Dr. David Davis，who leads the research team, these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture, which had blocked up our cities, polluted our air, and caused more deaths than both world wars put together.
Davis says cars will be fitted with some intelligent devices to regulate the distance between one car and another. The car will automatically speed up, or slow down, to match the speed of the car in front. Computers are much safer drivers than people, so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people. By 2010, Dr. David Davis believes, car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road, whatever the weather conditions, by projecting an image of the road ahead on to the car’s windscreen. And by 2020, cars will travel in convoy linked to each other electronically. Cars will be connected by an electronic tow bar to the car in front to form “road-trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the normal amount.” says Davis. “But all the others in the train would bum about ten percent 0f the normal amount, and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.” We know from the passage that governments and car manufacturers .
| A. do not believe the prediction that no one will own cars by 2020 |
| B. are devoted to the technological revolution in car industry |
| C. consider the predictions seriously |
| D. have put the super-intelligent car into mass production |
Which of the following will be the characteristic of the cars of 2020?
| A. The car will speed up out of control． |
| B. We will own as many cars as we want． |
| C. All cars will be driven by computers． |
| D. Cars will produce more pollution than present ones． |
The leader of the research team believes that the present car culture will change because .
| A. cars play a very important role in daily life |
| B. many societies would stop functioning without cars |
| C. cars should not be owned by one individual |
| D. it causes many deaths to human society |
The expression closest in meaning to the phrase “in convoy” in the last paragraph is .
| A. in line B. sidelong |
| C. side by side D. shoulder to shoulder |
What will happen if cars are joined to each other electronically in 2020？
| A. Motorists will get a clear view of the road． |
| B. The weather condition will not have effect on motorists． |
| C. There will be less pollution caused by car． |
| D. All trains will burn less fuel than present． |
In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobs I would rather forget. But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant. The work was hard; the pay was poor; and, most of all, the working conditions were terrible.
First of all, the job made huge demands on my strength. For ten hours a night, I took boxes that rolled down a metal track and piled them onto a truck. Each box contained twelve heavy bottles of apple juice. I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night.
I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor. I was paid the lowest wage of that time—two dollars an hour. Because of the low pay, I felt eager to get as much as possible. I usually worked twelve hours a night but did not take home much more than $ 100 a week.
But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy was the working conditions. During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone. And after the production line shut down at night and most people left, I had to spend two hours alone cleaning the floor.
I stayed on the job for five months, all the while hating the difficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions under which I worked. By the time I left, I was determined never to go back there again.
1. Why did the writer have to take many jobs at that time?
A. To pay for his schooling.
B. To save for his future.
C. To support his family
D. To gain some experience
2. The following facts describe the terrible working conditions of the plant EXCEPT ______.
A. loading boxes in the freezing cold
B. having limited time for breaks
C. working and studying at the same time
D. getting no pay for lunch time
3. What is the subject discussed in the text?
A. The writer’s unhappy school life.
B. The writer’s eagerness to earn money.
C. The writer’s experience to earn money.
D. The writer’s hard work in an apple plant.
4. How is the text organized?
A. Topic—Argument—Explanation
B. Opinion—Discussion—Description
C. Main idea—Comparison—Supporting examples
D. Introduction—Supporting examples—Conclusion
Special Bridges Help Animals Cross the Road
——Reported by Sheila Carrick
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.
“Ecopassages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animals overpass!
1. The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that ______.
A. wild animals have become more dangerous
B. the driving conditions have improved greatly
C. the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work
D. an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents
2. From the news story, we know an ecopassage is ______.
A. an underground path for cars
B. a fence built for the safety of the area
C. a bridge for animals to get over a river
D. a pass for animals to cross the road
3. When the writer says that animals seem “to be catching on”, he means ______.
A. animals begin to realize the dangers on the road
B. animals begin to learn to use ecopassages
C. animals are crossing the road in groups
D. animals are increasing in number
4. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because ______.
A. wild animals may attack cars
B. wild animals may jam the road
C. they may see wild animals in the park
D. they may see wild animals on ecopassages
第二部分：阅读理解（第一节20小题，第二节5小题；每小题2分，满分50分）
第一节：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，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register(收款机) with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash(现金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me,” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
1. The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits ______.
A. promised to obey the store rules
B. forgot to take any money with him
C. hoped to have the food first and pay later
D. could not afford anything more expensive
2. Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?
A. kind and lucky B. poor and lonely
C. friendly and helpful D. hurt and disappointed
3. The writer acted upon the store rules because ______.
A. he wanted to keep his present job
B. he felt no pity for the old gentleman
C. he considered the old man dishonest
D. he expected someone else to pay for the old man
4. What does the writer learn from his experience?
A. Wealth is more important than anything else.
B. Helping others is easier said than done.
C. Experience is better gained through practice.
D. Obeying the rules means more than compassion.
Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.
Shakespeare uses a linguistic（语言的）technique known as functional change that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb．Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence．This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.
Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s School of English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’ from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle（拼图玩具）together．If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game．But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited．By throwing irregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises the brain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of drama created out of the simplest of things.”
Experts believe that this heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.
Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, together with Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20 participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG) as they read selected lines from Shakespeare’s plays.
“The brain signal is relatively stable when we understand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of the whole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak．The brain is then forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it is supposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.
1．The research conducted by the professors has showed that ___________.
A．Shakespeare uses functional change to mislead readers
B．Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.
C．Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.
D．Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable
2．Which of the following words can replace the underlined pronoun “it” in the 2nd paragraph?
A．technique B．word C．brain C．sentence
3．In the 3rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzle is used here to state___________.
A．the function of Shakespeare’s linguistic technique
B．a sense of drama created by playing the game
C．the Shakespeare’s thinking process
D．the brain’s reaction to reading a book
4．Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have a great effect on their reader lies in_______.
A．language used in plays B．characters showed in works
C．brain activity increased in reading D．thinking process when writing
When you arrive at the Shanghai Expo site, the first thing you see will be a huge red building in the ancient architectural style．Built according to the concept of “Oriental Crown”, the China Pavilion（展馆）will be the largest national pavilion at the Expo.
Themed “Search of the east”, the three-storey pavilion will be divided into three sections．Footprint of the East on the top floor will illustrate the change of Chinese cities; at Journey of Wisdom on the second, China’s four great inventions—the compass, paper, printing and gun-power will be displayed; and Blossoming(盛开) City on the ground floor will showcase the scenery of future cities.
Fantastic film
Take a lift and you will be taken to the 8,500-square-meter top floor．There, in a film by Lu Chuan, you’ll see how Chinese cities have changed, especially over the past 30 years．The 10-minute movie will be shown in a 600-seat theater.
“It will be like a short epic．The scenery of the work will be like Lord of the Rings．I will shoot the movie in many Chinese cities．Some love stories will be involved,” said Lu.
Grand painting
The painting Along the River During Qingming Festival, is considered a national treasure．It describes life in Bianjing, which is today’s Kaifeng in Henan province．More than 1,000 years ago, it was the largest city in the world．Multimedia technology will make more than 1,500 characters of the painting walk and move along a 100-meter-long wall.
Happy families
Four families are chosen from Zhejiang province to show their daily lives．Films of the families and furniture from the households will be exhibited.
At the pavilion, you’ll gain insight into the daily lives of these families at different periods．The designers believe these will mirror the great changes Zhejiang has witnessed since China’s reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s.
Pick up your camera and upload your videos online, because you may find your work broadcast at the China Pavilion．
The search launched by four websites encourages people to capture and record the rapid development of cities in China and the beauty and the color in people’s lives．Two hundred outstanding entries will be made into films and played on screens at the China Pavilion.
With the theme “Same time”, the films will show the work and life of people in different parts of China at the same specific moments．Entries should last at least 30 seconds.
Four gold prize winners will be awarded about 10,000 yuan each．Others whose works are selected will also win prizes.
1．Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
A．Visitors can easily find the China Pavilion beside the traditional red building.
B．The theme of the China Pavilion is “Oriental Crown”.
C．The China Pavilion is designed by famous film director Lu Chuan.
D．Visitors can get to the top floor of the China Pavilion by lift.
2．The painting Along the River During Qingming Festival in the China Pavilion is special in that___________.
A．it shows what life was like in Beijing, the capital of China.
B．its epic scenery is like that of Lord of the Rings.
C．it describes the life of the world’s largest city more than 1,000 years ago.
D．it has more than 1,500 characters walking along a 100-meter-long wall.
3．In the China Pavilion all the exhibits and activities are trying to illustrate the very theme: ___________.
A．harmonious and sustainable development in China
B．great changes of Chinese cites
C．the city makes life better
D．humans and nature
4．Which of the following can be regarded as the best suitable topic for the blank?
A．vivid city life show B．Chinese lifestyle
C．thrilling moment D．prosperous cities