Nuclear energy has always been controversial. But since the tsunami and nuclear disaster in Fukushima (Japan) last year the issue is back in the headlines. And the world is divided— some countries are planning more nuclear plants, while others have promised to shut theirs down.
After Fukushima, Germany decided to switch off all its nuclear plants by 2022. Switzerland and Italy are also phasing out nuclear power. But France and the United States remain staunch supporters of atomic energy. In fact, almost 80% of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power, the highest percentage in the world. And in the US, the Obama administration said it “continues to support the expansion of nuclear power, despite the crisis in Japan.”
Nuclear supporters claim nuclear power can help the environment. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power doesn’t create greenhouse gases. So, pro-nuclear countries argue that nuclear power allows them to generate energy without contributing to climate change. Britain’s chief scientific adviser (John Beddington) supports this view. He recently said that the world doesn’t have the luxury of ignoring nuclear energy.
Nuclear power is also relatively cheap. Renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro and wind power may be clean, but they’re expensive; and right now, they require a lot of investment. This higher cost of using “green energy” is usually passed onto the consumer. So, while many people may prefer their energy to come from a renewable source, not so many are prepared to pay higher energy bills. This is of particular concern while the world economy is in such bad shape.
The main argument against nuclear energy is that it isn’t safe. For a start, nuclear waste is very difficult to dispose of, and remains toxic to humans for thousands of years. And even before Fukushima, there were several high-profile nuclear disasters. The most famous is probably the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, in the Ukraine. The radiation from the meltdown spread all over Europe, affecting thousands.
The nuclear energy issue is very complex. And it doesn’t look like it’ll be resolved anytime soon. As a Japanese commentator recently said, “it’s been a bad year for the ‘nuclear village’, but I don’t think they’re down and out yet.” The battle continues. Which of the following may NOT be the advantage of nuclear energy over other energy sources?
| A．Nuclear energy doesn’t produce any greenhouse gases. |
| B．Nuclear energy can help prevent the climate damage. |
| C．Nuclear energy is more environmental-friendly than other green energy sources. |
| D．Nuclear energy can save the consumers some money, compared to other renewable energies. |
What does the underlined word “this” refer to in paragraph 4?
| A．The fact that many people prefer to use the green energy sources while unwilling to pay higher bill. |
| B．The cost of using renewable sources |
| C．The fact that the nuclear power is cheaper. |
| D．The investment of renewable energy sources |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.
| A．the Japanese commentator is positive about the future of nuclear energy |
| B．the nuclear energy issue will be soon settled |
| C．a battle will break out in the future |
| D．Japan is considering to build a nuclear village in the future |
What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To highlight the danger of using nuclear energy. |
| B．To introduce some serious nuclear disasters. |
| C．To show the argument between nuclear supporters and protesters. |
| D．To give some advice on how to use nuclear energy safely. |
When Lew Alcindor was 13, and obviously still growing, a group of schools began offering him scholarships（奖学金）. The Alcindors decided to send their only child to Power Memorial Academy, a small school on Manhattan’s West Side.
At Power. Alcindor came under the control of Coach Jack Donohue, a strict young man who already gained his fame as one of the best coaches in the city. Donohue brought Alcindor along slowly. As a first-year student, the boy was not able to do much but wave his long skinny arms and shoot a basket now and then. But by the second year, when he was 15 years old and nearly 7 feet tall, Alcindor was quick and skillful enough to make the high school All American team and to lead Power to an undefeated season.
From then on be simply got better. Some rival coaches（对方教练）used to take their teams quickly away from the floor before Power warmed up so that their players would not see him any sooner than they had to. Wearing size 16D shoes and sucking a lollipop（棒棒糖）, Alcindor would loosen up by starting his leaping lay-ups（擦板球）. Then he would casually shoot the ball with either hand, to the delight of the fans.
When reporters and photographers began to follow Alcindor closely, Donohue protected his boy firmly. He simply ordered Lew to talk to no member of the press, and this suited Lew fine. He was not comfortable talking to grownups, perhaps because he towered over them. Discouraged photographers began following him in secret as though he were an easily-frightened giraffe. “People want you not for yourself,” Donohue warned him, “but because you’re a basketball player. Don’t forget that.”
57. Many schools offered Alcindor scholarships because_______.
A. he was young B. he was hardworking
C. he was tall for his age D. he was skillful at playing basketball
58. Which of the following best describes Donohue as a young coach?
A. serious, popular and slow B. tall, skillful and successful
C. kind, powerful and undefeated D. well-known, strict and experienced
59. Why did some rival coaches take their teams away from the floor before Power warmed up?
A. Their teams refused to play Power. B. Their teams feared to see Alcindor.
C. Their teams would lose courage. D. Their teams would lose interest.
60. What does the last paragraph mainly discuss?
A. How Donohue protected Alcindor from the press.
B. How Alcindor disliked meeting reporters.
C. Why the press followed Alcindor closely. D. Why the public wanted Alcindor badly.
When Babbage was working at Cambridge, a new idea occurred to him. He wanted to construct a calculating machine to work out the solutions（解法）to maths problems not only with correctness but also with a speed beyond the power of any human mind. His machine could solve problems involving（涉及）long rows of figures in one continuous operation（运算）.
In 1822 Babbage exhibited his invention and won a prize from the government. After that, he immediately started to work on a larger machine designed to solve more difficult problems. Although he received some money left by his father, the money was not enough to support his design. He wrote to the government about his plan and was given ￡2500 to start with, a sum worth much more in those days than it is now.
Babbage continued his work in London for four years. Then his health broke down, and he had to take a long holiday abroad. When he returned to London in 1828, he was at the end of his resources. Many bills remained unpaid. His chief assistant and co-workers quarreled with him and left with many expensive tools. For one year no work was done. During this period, Babbage, whose mind was always active, suddenly thought of a completely new idea for the machine. He rushed to meet the government officials to explain his new idea. But this time, they were unwilling to help him. For eight years, they refused to say whether they wanted the machine or not, and their final answer was “No.”
From 1828 to 1839, Babbage held the position of professor at Cambridge very successfully. But his greatest work was the unfinished calculating machine which stood covered in dust in his house. It was the beginning of the modern computer.
60．The machine Babbage designed would solve difficult maths problems _________.
A．in one operation with few mistakes
B．in more than one operation without any mistakes
C．in more than one operation with slight mistakes
D．in one operation without any mistakes
61．Babbage failed to continue his research work in 1828 mainly because _______.
A．he was in poor health B．he almost ran out of money
C．his co-workers argued with him D．he spent all his money on his bills
62．Babage explained his new idea to the government officials, expecting that _________.
A．they would agree to his plan B．they would pay for his new idea
C．they would support him with money D．they would exhibit his new design
63．From the passage, we can infer that __________.
A．Babbage failed to be a famous scientist at Cambridge
B．Babbage always had new ideas but gave them up easily
C．Babbage always needed support from the government officials
D．Babbage was the first designer of the modern computer
People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred in National Velvet-the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who wins first place in a famous horse race. At first, the producers of the movie told Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet. However, they waited for her for a few months as she exercised and trained—and added three inches to her height in four months! Her acting in National Velvet is still considered the best by a child actress.
Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932. Her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business reasons. When World war II started, the Taylor moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started acting in movies. After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult(成人)roles and won twice for Best Actress: Butterfield 8(1960) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? (1966)
Taylor’s fame(名声)and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to demand very high pay for her movies. In 1963, she received $1 million for her part in Cleopatra—the highest pay received by any star up to that time.
Elizabeth Taylor is a legend (传奇人物) of our time. Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, she has been lucky, she has beauty, fame and wealth. But she is also a hard worker. Taylor seldom acts in movies any more. Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others — several years ago, she founded an organization that has raised more than $40 million for research and education.
60. The producers didn’t let Taylor play the part of Velvet at first because they thought she .
A. was small in size B. was too young
C. did not play well enough D. did not show much interest
61. What Elizabeth Taylor and Velvet Brown had in common was that they were both .
A. popular all their lives B. famous actresses
C. successful when very young D. rich and kind-hearted
62. Taylor became Best Actress at the age of .
A. 12 B. 28 C. 31 D. 34
63. In her later life , Elizabeth Taylor devoted herself to .
A. doing business and helping others B. turning herself into a legend
C. collecting money for the poor D. going about research and education work
s I crammed myself onto a crowded train this morning, I noticed there was a very pregnant(怀孕的) woman standing near me, jammed in tightly and hanging on for dear life．I looked at the passengers sitting in the seats that are supposed to be surrendered to the elderly, physically challenged, and other people who need to sit, Not one of them even looked up; everyone was too absorbed in what they were listening to, reading, or watching to even notice the pregnant passenger．
Over the past few years, there have been countless discussions on minding our manners within our new modes of communication．But while we’ve been debating the dos and don’ts of technology etiquette（礼节）, it appears that many of us have forgotten some of the old school manners that have nothing to do with a keyboard or a monitor, but have everything to do with the long-forgotten Golden Rule．Maybe technology has eroded our brains so much that we can never go back to those golden days．
“Giving up your seat to someone is so easy．Even when people don’t accept your offer, I think it’s nice to get up and stay standing so they know you’re sincere． The more that we become the good example, the more it will catch on．” Lizzie Post, says great-great granddaughter of Emily Post ．
Sophisticated technology doesn’t mean that good manners have to be a thing of the past． In fact, Post says she defines good manners using three simple, everyday principles: consideration, respect, and honesty． “Apply those to any situation and toward all the people involved including yourself and the solution will make sense．”
66．No one gave up his seat to the pregnant women because______．
A．The woman doesn’t need a seat at all．
B．It’s not common to give up his seat to others who need it
C．No one noticed her on the such crowed train
D．Everyone is so tired that all want to have a rest．
67．Paragraph 2 suggests that________．
A．We are always having discussions on minding our manners
B．Many of us have forgotten some of the old school manners
C．It’s technology that has eroded our brains so much
D．Students always care about their own business instead of school manners
68．The underlined phrase “ catch on ” in the third paragraph refers to____．
A．being understood B．being popular C．being taken D．being caught
69．What did Lizzie Post say shows that she was ______?
A．honest B．polite C．respectable D．friendly
70． What’
s the best title of the passage?
A．Where Are Our Manners B．The Long-forgotten Golden Rule
C．Give up your Seat D．Sophisticated Technology
Mary Buendia once spent a day in an airplane, looking for a cat．She didn't find it that day．The plane flew around all over the world for three weeks with the cat on board. She finally found it in the cargo hold and sent it home first-class．Another time, she found two suitcases full of birds from Turkey．But her strangest experience was when she pulled a snake out of a man's pants．
Mary Buendia is an animal health inspector at JFK Airport in New York．She takes care of all the animals that pass through the airport and checks that they are healthy．In the Animal Health Center, there are areas for dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, and fish. There is also an area for very big animals．The biggest they ever had was a black rhino．"It was no pro
blem," she says．
At the center, they receive all types of animals—monkeys, wild cats, poisonous spiders．It's impossible for one person to know about all of these, but there are 20 people working with Mary．Between them, they understand how to take care of the animals．She recently had to feed a group of toucans, which are rare birds．"Luckily," she says, "there is a supermarket nearby which is open 24 hours．I had to go at 2 a．m．to buy bananas．"
Mary often works at night． "It's quiet between 1 a．m． and 4 a．m．," she says, "because we don't have night flights． We try to give the animals a quiet night．" Mary clearly loves her job. "You never know what the day will bring," she says, and goes off to feed the birds．
71．The best title of the passage will probably be ____________．
A．JKF Airport in New York． B．Airport Health Inspector．
C．Mary Buendia D．Animal Health Center．
72．From the first paragraph, we can know that ___________．
A．Working as an Airport Health Inspector, Mary Buendia has various experiences．
B．After the cat was found, it was sent home to New York．
C．Mary got frightened when she pulled a snake out of a man’s pants．
D．Mary was tired of dealing with animals at the airport．
73．We can infer from the passage that ______．
A．Mary often works at night during flights．
B．It took Mary a whole day to find a lost cat in an airplane
C．Only healthy animals can be permitted to go aboard the airplane．
D．Mary knows everything about the animals by working with 20 other people．
74．An Airport Health Inspector should do the following Except ___________．
A．inspect whether the animals are healthy．
B．go shopping at night
C．take care of animals
D．work with colleagues and learn from each other
75．What kind of animals is "reptile" (in Para2) _________
A．a kind of large animals B．a kind of wild spiders
C．a kind of rare birds D．The passage doesn't mention