237 West Palmdale Boulevard Fresno, California 93706 AmToy Corporation Suite 15 TransAm Building San Francisco, California 94115 November 20, 2008 Dear Sirs, As a concerned parent, I am writing to protest your recent advertisement for Electro—Robo seen in local media is California. Specifically, I am referring to newspaper and magazine ads (attached to this letter)published the week of November 15. Children respond to your type of advertising in an immature way; that is, they are unable to understand how expensive some toys are for middle-class parents. Further, you product is violent in nature. Youth advertisement gives children the impression that it’s fine to have “two guns and laser eyes.” You also suggest that children need your toy to protect them “when you go outside.” This is not a healthy attitude for children to have. I hope you will stop advertising your product in such a way that may harm our children. Sincerely yours, (Mrs.) Alma Hernandez President, Parents for Non-violent Toys Enc. |
It’s here! Ready for You, Now! It’s Electro-Robo! Every boy dreams of being in control of a robot, and AmToy can make your dream come true! Electro-Roho is the world’s first fully automatic robot with radio control. Standing 80 centimeters tall, Electro-Robo is like a friend at home. He can walk, talk, and even shake your hand! He has two guns and laser eyes to help you defend yourself when you go outside with him. Every boy needs Electro-Robo! Ask your Mom and Dad to buy Electro-Robo for your birthday or for Christmas, which is coming up soon. Imagine that you are in control of your friend for life, Electro-Robo! Available at all toy stores and department stores NOW! |
What is the purpose of the letter?
A.To complain about a broken toy. | B.To oppose the advertising. |
C.To order a gift for Christmas. | D.To apply for a job in a toy company. |
What dose “Enc.” at the end of the letter mean?
A.Something attached to the letter. | B.A complaint to the toy company. |
C.A hidden message | D.An encouraging response. |
Electro-Robo can do all the following EXCEPT ______-.
A.sitting down | B.shaking hands | C.talking | D.walking |
Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach about who people are, who they are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal about the wearer′s background, personality, status, mood, and social outlook.
Since clothes are such an important source of social information, we can use them to influence people′s impression of us. Our appearance takes on particular significance in the initial phases of interaction. An elderly middle-class man or woman may be alienated (疏远) by a young adult who is dressed in an unconventional manner, regardless of the person′s education, background, or interests.
People tend to agree on what certain types of clothes mean. Adolescent girls can easily agree on the lifestyles of girls who wear certain outfits (套装), including the number of boyfriends they likely have had and whether they smoke or drink. Newscasters and announcers on TV are considered to be more convincing, honest, and competent when they are dressed conservatively. College students who view themselves as taking an active role in their interpersonal relationships say the costumes they wear change the way they feel about themselves and how they act. Perhaps you have used clothing to gain confidence when you face a stressful situation, such as a job interview, or a court appearance.
In the workplace, men have long had well-defined role models for achieving success. It has been otherwise for women. A good many women in the business world are uncertain about the appropriate mixture of “masculine”(男性)and “feminine”(女性)characteristics they should convey to men.
Male administrators tend to judge women more favorably for managerial positions when the women display less “feminine” grooming (打扮)— shorter hair, moderate use of make-up, and plain tailored clothing. As one male administrator confessed, “An attractive woman is definitely going to get a longer interview, but she won′t get a job.”
57. According to paragraph two, an elderly middle-class man and unconventionally-dressed young man are unlikely to____.
A. understand each other's lifestyle
B. share the same background or interests
C. influence their impressions of each other
D. interact in a positive way
58. The author uses the newscasters' example to show the idea that____.
A. certain clothing gives people more confidence
B. clothes have nothing to do with one's abilities
C. we tend to label people by their clothes
D. competent people always dress conventionally
59. Men's professional clothing can best be described as "_____".
A. conventional B. individualistic
C. out-of-date D. changeless
60. How should professional women dress according to the passage?
A. They must be dressed conservatively.
B. They don't have a certain dressing style to follow.
C. They choose either masculine or feminine clothing.
D. They can't wear unconventional outfits.
Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.
But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the “traffic problem” in a different light.
Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.
Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America’s most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses (经纪行), you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.
Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this light, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.
So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility (交通不便) in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.
There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That’s why, for now, we don’t see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois.
53. We can conclude from the first paragraph that____.
A. traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of the big city
B. traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with
C. if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved
D. public officials are always criticized for misusing their power
54. According to the passage, what’s the author’s opinion towards traffic jam?
A. In cities, traffic jam is unavoidable.
B. Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success.
C. Traffic jam is the consequence of successful cities.
D. For a successful city, traffic jam is not unpreventable.
55. By saying “decaying” (in Para. 4), the writer probably means____.
A. declining B. developing
C. rich and successful D. strong and healthy
56. According to this article, which statement about “New York” and “Los Angeles” is true?
A. The traffic jam in the two cities has been worsened.
B. New York and Los Angeles are the least successful cities in the USA.
C. It is easier to reach major brokerage houses in the two cities than in other cities.
D. Despite the traffic jam in LA, you’ll find a satellite-guidance engineer more quickly there.
You could fill a store with all the energy drinks available. They promise to make people feel more energetic and think more clearly. These products have names like Red Bull, Monster, Ripped Force, Speed Stack and 5-Hour Energy. They appeal mainly to young people.
Professor Chad Reissig, at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is a medical researcher who studies drug dependence. He says the team he works on got interested in studying energy drinks.
He says the researchers have found three things. One: there are hundreds of brands of energy drinks in most major countries. Two: the drinks are not clearly labeled with enough information. And three: the amount of caffeine differs greatly. Some contain as little as fifty milligrams, while others as much as five hundred.
Some people combine energy drinks with alcohol. They think they can drink more alcohol that way and not be affected. Studies, however, suggest that they are still under the influence of the alcohol even if they do not feel that way.
Some makers of energy drinks do provide warnings. For example, a popular energy drink warns against use by people who are under the age of twelve. The directions also advise people to limit caffeine products and to drink only half the bottle.
The team at Johns Hopkins University published a report in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. They suggested that the amount of caffeine and other ingredients be clearly listed on the drink. The researchers are continuing to study energy drinks. They are seeking young people who have had a bad experience after drinking them.
50. According to the passage, the energy drinks mainly attract____.
A. young peopleB. alcohol drinkers
C. university professorsD. twelve-year-old children
51. The team thinks that the biggest problem of the energy drinks is that.
A. there are too many brands B. they are not clearly labeled
C. there is too much caffeine D. they are not available in some stores
52. The purpose of the passage is to tell readers.
A. to identify caffeine in energy drinks
B. to take a closer look at energy drinks
C. whether energy drinks are good or bad
D. whether energy drinks make people addicted
第二部分阅读理解(共二节,满分40分)
第一节(共15小题,每小题2分,满分30分)
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you've visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it's likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen—the 2lst century is the equal of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread pieces you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret. The key question is: Does that matter?
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal that people will give personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon.
But privacy does matter--- at least sometimes. It's like health; when you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.
46. What would psychologists advise on the relationship between friends?
A. Friends should open their hearts to each other.
B. Friends should always be faithful to each other.
C. There should be a distance even between friends.
D. There should be fewer disputes between friends.
47. Why does the author say "we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret" (Line 5 Para.3)?
A. Modern society has finally developed into an open society.
B. People leave traces around when using modern technology.
C. There are always people who are curious about others' affairs.
D. Many search engines profit by revealing people's identities.
48. What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?
A. They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.
B. They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.
C. They rely more and more on electronic devices.
D. They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.
49. According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ____.
A. people will make every effort to keep it
B. its importance is rarely understood
C. it is something that can easily be lost
D. people don't value it until they lose it
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外在的) result or a product that can easily be identified and measured.The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.
By contrast (对照) , the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way.The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have , and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties.In this process, the journey never really ends;there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first.How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow.Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences.Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt (适应) to change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge.Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.
These feelings of insecurity (不安全) and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow.If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing.We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.
57.In the author’s eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ______.
A.succeed in climbing up the social ladder
B.grow up from his own achievements
C.face difficulties and take up challenges
D.aim high and reach his goal each time
58.Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?
A.Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges.
B.Jane won the first prize in the speech competition.
C.Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris.
D.Father’s salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000.
59.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.It is not so easy to measure personal growth.
B.To try and fail on the new road facing the unknown is unavoidable.
C.There are only two ways to see a person’s growth.
D.If you are too shy to take any risks in life, you cannot grow up.
60.The best title for this passage should be ______.
A.Facing New Challenges B.Growth—Product or Process
C.Two Basic Ways of Growth D.Overcoming Internal Fears