Several years ago,a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.
The reporter was talking to them about being important.
“How do we know if someone is really important?” the reporter asked the banker.
The banker thought for a few moments and then said, “I think anybody who is invited to the Whiter House to meet the President of the United States is really important.”
The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that?” she asked.
The man shook his head, “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You’d be important only if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”
The reporter turned to the third man. “Do you think so?”
“No, I don‘t,” he said. “I don’t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”
“Then what would make the visitor important?” the reporter and the other two men asked.
“Oh, I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said, ‘It’s for you.‘ ”This story happened in _______.
A.America | B.England | C.Japan | D.Australia |
There are _______ in this passage.
A.two men and two women |
B.three men and one woman |
C.three women and one man |
D.four women |
The banker thought _______.
A.he was really important because he was a rich banker |
B.the reporter was really important |
C.the visitor who met the President of the United States |
D.the visitor to the White House was really important |
The owner of many buildings thought _______.
A.he was really important because he owned many buildings in the center of New York |
B.the owner of the very large company was really important |
C.the visitor was really important if the President received a telephone call for the visitor |
D.the person who worked in the White House was really important |
Ⅲ 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,并存答题卡上将该
项涂黑。
(A)
Increasingly over the last few years,we have become familiar with the range of small electronic devices or “smart” accessories (附件,饰品 ) . Pocket heart -rate monitors for joggers and electronic maps are just the first examples of many new products that promise to change our lives in all sorts of surprising ways.
As a scientist at New York University . Rosalind Picard tries out different smart accessories before they go on the market. One of these was the so-called " frown (皱眉)headband". Rosalind was shocked to realize just how often she frowned. Stuck in a traffic jam recently, Rosalind kept hearing the sounds of the tiny sensor inside the band worn around her forehead -each time she frowned in annoyance, the sensor gave out a signal.
Another computer scientist , Stevcn Feiner, is working on a pair of glasses that will do more than help you to see .Imagine you want to try a restaurant in a foreign city but you're not familiar with the dishes on the menu. If you are weanng a pair of Steven's glasses . all yau have to do is glance above the restauran’s doorway and your glasses will immediately become windows to the Tntemet, offering you full details of the meals served inside. The glasses could also be used to help people make speeches,give chefs access to the latest recipes and even provide doctors with
patient information while they carry out operations.
At the moment, Steven's invention looks more like a large ski mask than a pair of glasses.
It's a headset connected to a hand-held computer and a Global Positioning System ( GPS ) receiver, which tracks the wearer's position. But he says that these head-worn displays will eventually get smaller and lighter as technology improves.
And, of course, this new technology has a fashionable as well as a useful application. A chemical engineer named Roben Langer has invented a new microchip that, if put inside a ring,can give off different smells according to a person's mood. That, of course, may or may not appeal to you. And,in the end , it is shoppers . not scientiscs , who will determine which of these smart accessories will succeed as fashionable items and which are sure tO join history's long list of crazy inventions.
It is clear,however ,that as computers get smaller and cheapcr. Lhcy will pop up in all sorts
of easily-wearable accessories . even in the buttons on your coat. WhaCs morc, this is something that's going to happen a lot sooner than we all expect.
41. When Rosalind wore the headband, she was surprised a___________
A. how well the sensor worked B. how she was affected by traffic
C. how strong the signal was D. how uncomfortable it was
42. For people eating out , Steven’ s glasses can___________
A . give them a restaurant's location
B. let them see a restaurant's environment
C. inform them about a restaurant’s menu
D. tell them about a restaurant's quality
43. What is the current problem with Stevcn's glasses?
A. Limited function. B. Inconvenience.
C. High cost. D. Poor Internet access.
44. In general, what does the writer think about smart accessories?
A. They will soon be widely available.
B. Much more research is needed into them.
C. Only a few of them will appeal to shoppers.
D. Most of them are considered to be crazy inventions.
45. What's the writer's purpose in writing this passage?
A. To advertise some smart accessories.
B .To tell interesting stories about smart accessories.
C. To argue that smart accessories are fashionable.
D. To introduce the idea of smart accessories.
D
Since the gene, called DAF-16 in worms, was found in many animals and in humans, the finding could open up new ways to affect aging, immunity(免疫)and resistance in humans, the scientists said.
“We wanted to find out how normal aging is being governed by genes and what effect these genes have on other traits, such as immunity,” said Robin May of the University of Birmingham, who led the study.
Populations across the world are aging at a surprising pace, bringing potentially big challenges for health and social care systems. A study by Danish scientists last year found that half of babies born in the rich world today will live to celebrate their 100th birthdays. Scientists are eager to find out how people age to try to develop drugs to help them stay healthier as their lives extend.
“What we have found is that things like resistance and aging tend to go hand in hand,” May said in an interview.
May’s team compared longevity, stress resistance and immunity in four related species of worm. They also looked for differences in the activity of DAF-16 in each of the four species, and found that they were all quite distinct.
May said DAF-16 was active in most cells in the body and was very similar to a group of human genes called FOXO genes, which scientists believe play a role in the aging process.
“The fact that subtle(微妙的)differences in DAF-16 between species seem to have such an impact on aging and health is very interesting and may explain how differences in lifespan and related traits have arisen during evolution,” May said.
71. In which section may the text appear in a newspaper?
A. Education. B. Science. C. Entertainment. D. Culture.
72. According to May_________,.
A. resistance has a lot to do with aging
B. FOXO genes can be found in worms
C. genes play the same role in different species
D. new drugs will change the genes in older people
73. What can we know from the third paragraph?
A. New ways have been found to affect aging.
B. Babies in the rich world will all live longer.
C. Present social care systems are poorly managed.
D. Aging populations are causing more challenges.
74. From the text we know that DAF-16.
A. is a gene that is only found in worms B. can make people live longer
C. has an effect on aging and immunity D. has been quite familiar to scientists
75. What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Scientists Find Gene Linked to Aging B. Population Aging Faster than Expected
C. How to Make People Live Longer D. Gene Determines How Long We Live
C
Poorer children would be offered the chance to attend lessons on Saturday to help catch up with their middleclass peers (同龄人), the shadow schools secretary, Michael Gove, said today.The Conservatives would give English state schools the freedom to choose to have longer teaching hours and extra classes at the weekend, he told the Association of Teachers and Lecturers’annual conference.
Gove said the move would help to close the achievement gap with richer children whose parents could afford extras such as tutoring and music lessons.
He told delegates (代表) in Manchester: “For children who come from homes where parents don’t have the resources to provide additional stretch and cultural experiences, there are benefits in having those children in the learning environment, in school, for longer.”
“Parents would love to have schools starting earlier in some circumstances, and certainly going on later in the afternoon, given the reality of their working lives,” he said. He held up the example of Kipp (Knowledge is Power Program) schools in the US, which are often based in the poorest communities and open from 7:30 am to 5pm on weekdays, plus Saturdays.
But it would be up to schools to decide to offer longer hours, Gove added.
Parents said Saturday classes could become a “badge of dishonor”if pupils were forced to go, while teachers raised concerns about their workload.
Margaret Morrissey, of Parents Outloud, said: “I think the suggestion the government made about one-to-one teaching for these kids would be a more preferable way of improving these children’s performance. I’m just not sure whether taking away a child at weekends is actually going to make them cleverer in the week.”
The ATL’s general secretary, Mary Bousted, said: “If we want Saturday schools, then we need more teachers doing the extra hours, not the same teachers working longer.”
66. The program is intended for children____________.
A. who are from middle-class families B. whose parents can’t afford extra help
C. who perform poorly academically D. whose weekends are mostly unoccupied
67. “Additional stretch” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to_________.
A. music lessons B. physical relaxation
C. entertainment activities D. out-of-school improvement
68. Why did Gove mention Kipp schools in the US?
A. To make a comparison. B. To introduce a new program.
C. To seek supportive evidence. D. To prove his program is better.
69. What is Margaret Morrissey’s opinion about the new program?
A. Favourable. B. Doubtful. C. Optimistic. D. Acceptable.
70. Which of the following is true?
A. Teachers may not like the program. B. Schools are trying to make profits.
C. The program is already under way. D. The program is popular with children.
B
Across the United States, there are several places where two independent towns grew together to become one city — but kept both their names.
WinstonSalem is one of them. It’s a midsized city in what’s called the plateau(high land), between the Atlantic Coast and the inland mountains in the state of North Carolina. The Winston part is a relatively new place, founded early this century. It’s home to the nation’s biggest openair tobacco market.
The giant R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s headquarters is in WinstonSalem, and Winston is the name of one of Reynolds’bestknown cigarette brands. Fastgrowing Winston soon surrounded the much older town of Salem, so in 1913, people in the area voted to combine them into a single place.
From a historical and tourist point of view, Salem, or Old Salem, as it’s called today, is the interesting and unusual part of town.
Salem was founded in the 1700s by the Moravians. They spoke German, and their community was religiously based, with single men and single women living apart in separate dormitories. The Moravians greatly valued women’s work and brainpower. In fact, one of the nation’s oldest boarding schools for young women— the Moravians’Salem Academy founded in 1772 — is still in operation.
Over the years, Salem lost its Moravian character. That all changed, though, when a nonprofit group began to rehabilitate the historic area. These days Old Salem is what’s called a living history museum, with exhibits, music, and tours of 18th-century houses, taverns and Moravian dormitory buildings just seven blocks from the tallest skyscraper in Winston-Salem.
The historic community is booming again. Just as R. J. Reynolds is taking in millions of dollars making cigarettes across town, Old Salem is generating about S| 15 million a year in tourism revenue and donations.
61. From the passage we can know that____________.
A. Winston-Salem is the name of a city
B. Salem is home to the tobacco market
C. the city Winston-alem has two names
D. Old Salem is the name of a tobacco brand
62. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that__________.
A. the two cities benefited each other
B. Salem developed faster than Winston
C. R.J. Reynolds Company has moved into Salem
D. the combination meets the wishes of the people
63. The city Salem is special for its__________.
A. boarding school B. lifestyle and tradition
C. respect for brainpowerD. religious belief
64. The underlined word “rehabilitate” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to “_________”.
A. reconstruct B. evaluate C. enlarge D. decorate
65. What will probably be talked about in the following part?
A. Some other attractions in Winston-Salem.
B. How Winston makes profits from tourism.
C. Other examples of cities combined by two parts.
D. Something about the boarding school for women.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分 40分)
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,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
In their book Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living, Robert and Brenda Vale say keeping a mediumsized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 10,000 km a year in a 4.6 liter Land Cruiser.
“We’re not actually saying it is time to eat the dog. We’ re just saying that we need to think about and know the ecological impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted.”
Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41 hectares of land, while growing and manufacturing a dog’s food takes about 0.84 hectares — or 1.1 hectares in the case of a large dog such as a German shepherd.
Convincing flesheating cats and dogs to go vegetarian for the sake of the planet is a nonstarter, the Vales say. Instead they recommend keeping “greener”, smaller, and more sustainable pets, such as goldfish, chickens or rabbits.
The book’s playful title, and serious suggestion that pet animals may be usefully “recycled”, by being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die, may not appeal to animal fans.
Annoying as the idea may be, the question is valid given the planet’s growing population and limited resources, Robert Vale said.
“Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make choices which are as difficult as eating your dog. It’s not just about changing your light bulbs or taking a cloth bag to the supermarket,” he said.
“It’s about much more challenging and difficult issues,” he added. “Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things, you might decide to have the cat but not also to have the two cars and the three bathrooms and be a meat eater yourself.”
56. The authors gave their book the playful title to________.
A. make it amusingB. create a vivid image
C. show writing skills D. arouse people’ s concern
57. In Paragraph 3 the writer mainly wants to tell us________.
A. the amount of consumed land B. the neglected ecological impact
C. some familiar examples D. some actual figures
58. What does “sustainability” mean according to the passage?
A. Going vegetarian. B. Raising cats and dogs.
C. Using a cloth bag. D. Keeping a greener life.
59. Who may not like the idea of “recycling” pet animals?
A. Manufacturers.B. Drivers. C. Animal fans.D. The authorities.
60. What do the authors think of living a sustainable life?
A. Challenging. B. Inspiring. C. Inviting. D. Touching.