London, April 28---The Man Group, a British hedge fund, is betting that investors will want to read more than the latest how-to- get –rich-quick business book.
In a five-year deal worth roughly $3.6 million announced last week, Man has agreed to sponsor(主办)the Booker Prize for Fiction, which will be renamed the Man Booker Prize. Since creating the award in 1969, Booker P.L.G., a British food group, in June 2000, executives began considering attracting outside sponsors. Man will be the first of these. Bill Grimsey, the chief of the Big Food Group, saw little business sense in a link between a food supplier and a literary prize, explained Dotti Irving, a spokeswoman for the Booker Prize foundation.
Such dissimilarities (差异) have not reduced Man’s enthusiasm for the prize which is expected to be open for the first time to American authors. David Browne, a spokesman for Man, said most of the firm’s investors are high-net-worth individuals who appreciate literature. “The people who buy hedge funds,” Mr. Browne said, “also read.”
Under the new agreement, authors will get more money. The winner of the annual prize, to be awarded in October, will receive $73,000 , up from $30,000 the Australian writer Peter Carey won last year for his novel “True History of the Kelley Gang.”
The six short-listed authors will each receive $3,600, up from $1,500. Having a hedge fund as a backer apparently has its perks.(福利).The article is mainly about ____.
A.the disagreement between two groups | B.the Booker Prize Foundation |
C.the Big Food Group | D.The new development of Booker Prize |
This article is most probably seen in a(n) ____.
A.best-selling book | B.magazine | C.newspaper | D.advertisement |
What can be inferred from the article?
A.Bill Grimsey decided to open the prize for American authors |
B.“How-to-get-rich-quick” business was written by Peter Carey. |
C.Under the agreement, the Booker Prize will be sponsored only by Man. |
D.If you win the prize, you will get $73,000 next October |
Who is the spokesman for Man?
A.David Browne | B.Peter Carey | C.Bill Grimsey | D.Dotti Irving |
B
How to improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'11 say," my destiny(命运). I cannot change it."
Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your life depends on you, not on any other extemal(外部的) factor.
I know a woman who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is. She wakes up in the morning, goes to work comes back home. relaxes. chats with people, watches TV, and then goes to sleep. Next day, the same
routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"'? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts for her heart that this is the life that has been intended for her. and that her luck can only change if God wills it. She hasn't realized that we have to do our share of making the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you harvest what you sow. You have to get off the sofa, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone (unless it contributes to your success), and get your mind and body to work! Don't expect your luck to change, unless you do something about it. If something
goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary setback; instead, learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone's life is in trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine?Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand (or sit )there, do something to improve your life .
45. According to the woman mentioned in Para3, her life ________
A. doesn't need improving B. couldn’t be improved
C. will be better some day D. will be worse in the future
46. What does the author think of the woman's life?
A. Passive. B. Positive. C. Colorful. D. Boring.
47. Which of the following statements is the author's opinion?
A. Your temporary problem is not discouraging.
B. Your luck can be changed by your efforts.
C. You can only achieve success when God wills it .
D. You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends.
48. In Para.5, the author emphasized the importance of_______
A. hope for the best B. intention to succeed
C. positive thinking D. positive action
第二部分:阅读理解 (共 25小题;第一节每小题 2分,第二节每小题 1分;满分 45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.
A
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(照亮) me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and "too serious" about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school. but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper. And one of us would say: "Let's start with a train whistle today." We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems
stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair(失望) and I was in despair.But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. Wegave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. pach of us appears, sometimes in a funny way. in the other's dreams. She and I agree that,at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments. I often think: "Yes, I must tell.. .."We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing(愈合的) silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
41.In Paragraph 3, "We gave London to each other" probably means____
A. our exploration of London was a memorable gifi to both of us
B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared
D. we parted with each other in London
42.According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend_______
A. call each other regularly B. have similar personalities
C. enjoy writing to each other D. Iove to discover new things
43.In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to_______
A. seek professional help B. be left alone
C. stay with her best friend D. break the silence
44.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Unforgettable ExperiencesB. Remarkable Imagination
C. Lifelong Friendship D. Noble Companions
E
Governments and health officials around the world continued to take steps Tuesday against the outbreak of swine flu that has killed scores of people in Mexico and spread to the U.S., Europe and possibly Asia.
By early Tuesday, the swine flu outbreak in Mexico had caused in 152 deaths and more than 1,600 illnesses. So far, at least 113 cases have been proved worldwide, including 64 in the United States; six in Canada; 11 in New Zealand and two each in Spain the United Kingdom and Israel. None has yet resulted in death.
The World Health Organization on Monday raised its alert level from three to four on its six-level scale. The move means the U.N. agency has determined that the virus can transmit
from human to human.
"In this age of global travel, where people move around in airplanes so quickly, there is no region to which this virus could not spread," said Fukuda, assistant director-general of the WHO.
Governments around the world struggled to prevent further outbreak. Some, like China and Russia, banned pork imports from the United States and Mexico. U.S. President Barack Obama said the outbreak was a cause for concern, not for alarm. The government urged travelers to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.
The latest WHO report listed only seven proved swine flu deaths in Mexico but it was not clear why there was the discrepency.
Mexico City has closed all schools until at least May 6 to help curb(control) the spread of swine flu and ordered 35,00 public venues to close or serve only takeaway meals. In addition, bars, clubs, movie theaters, pool halls, gyms, sport centers and convention halls have been told to close until May 5. Armed police officers are also guarding hospitals in Mexico City while roads and schools in the city of 20 million people are deserted. Officials also have talked about shutting down the bus and subway systems.
57.How many people were found catching swine flu in Spain?
A. 2. B. 11. C. 6. D. 64.
58.When learning the outbreak of swine flu, the WHO was ____.
A. calm B. nervous C. shocked D. careful
59. Fukuda’s words suggest that _____.
A. he likes travel by air
B. global travel hasn’t been affected
C.this virus can spread quickly because of global travel
D. planes must be forbidden to take to prevent swine flu
60.The last paragraph mainly tells us _____.
A. Mexico has taken measures to control swine flu
B. Mexico City is too dangerous to live in
C. the normal life in Mexico has been changed
D. people in Mexico are badly in need of help
D
The Danish capital is a year-round destination. Here are some of the city's best annual events.
Roskilde Festival (July)
The Danes love the outdoors and they love rock music; the Roskilde Festival is where they combine these passions for a weekend of drunken celebration. The four-day event is held about 30 minutes from the city completely, which means you can either go in for the full festival experience, or you can travel from the city to the festival each day.
There are also day tickets if you don't have the power for the whole collection of facts.
Kulturnatten (October)
For something a little more high brow there's the Night of Culture. For one night only some 300 venues in the city stage theater performances, art exhibitions, concerts and poetry readings.
Father Christmas Congress (July)
One of the more bizarre fixtures in Copenhagen's calendar, the event is held in July—the slow season for Santas—at the Bakken amusement park, some 20 minutes north of the city. The most interesting of the event is a procession of Santas from all over the world along Strøget. Parents should be prepared for some embarrassed questions from the kids.
Tivoli Gardens (November/December)
These pleasure gardens make for a great day out any time of the year but to see them at their most attractive, visit from mid-November through December, when they are transformed into a fairy tale of lanterns and Christmas markets. There's also outdoor skating, a Christmas entertainment and the very Danish 'Nissekøbing' village, home to more than 100 mechanical fairies.
53. If you are free in October, you can go to _____.
A. Roskilde Festival B. Kulturnatten
C. Father Christmas Congress D. Tivoli Gardens
54. Roskilde Festival is a festival _____.
A. where many famous singers in Denmark gather
B. which is only held in the center of a city
C. that lasts about half an hour per day
D. that the Danas can enjoy
55. How does the author think of the procession of Santas?
A. Astonishing. B. Funny. C. Worth seeing. D. Full of encouragement.
56. The passage is probably written for _____.
A. guides B. tourists C. businessmen D. Writers
C
Planting trees around poultry farms can improve air and water quality -- and relations with neighbors. Research has shown that just three rows of trees near poultry houses can reduce the release of dust and ammonia(氨). They can also reduce the strong smell of ammonia gas.
The trees take dust, ammonia and odors in their leaves. They also provide shade from the sun, so they reduce cooling costs in summer. And they act as a windbreak, so they reduce heating costs in winter. Trees can also improve water quality around farms by removing pollutions from soil and groundwater.
Several years ago, people were objecting to the odor of poultry farms on the Delmarva Peninsula in the eastern United States. Delmarva is where the states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia come together. Two thousand farms there can each house an average of seventy-five thousand chickens.
Traditionally the farms used windows to provide fresh air in the chicken houses. Farmers rarely planted trees or tall crops around the buildings, so there would be no barrier to the airflow. But then farms began to use new ventilation systems. Instead of windows, the new systems used tunnel fans to circulate air. The fans directed airflow from the poultry houses toward the homes of neighbors.
Researchers began dealing with the problem in two thousand. They found that over a period of six years, planting three rows of trees reduced total dust and ammonia by more than half. And they found that smells were reduced by eighteen percent.
Farmers may think trees will take too long to grow and be effective. But some trees can grow quickly. At least one-third of the Delmarva farms have planted trees, technically known as vegetative environmental buffers. The idea offers a way to cut pollution, save money and energy, and make the neighbors happy.
49. The second paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A. planting trees as much as possible
B. the advantages of trees
C. how to reduce heating costs
D. why trees are received
50. The word “odor” in paragraph 3 means ______.
A. plant B. smell C. height D. water
51. The farms on the Delmarva Peninsula used to use ______ in chicken houses to provide fresh air.
A. trees B. tunnel fans C. windows D. poles
52. It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that ______.
A. three rows of trees are really good to the environment
B. researches began to realize the problem in 2000
C. most farmers show interest in planting trees
D. the trees growing quickly can be cut off in a few years