How the iron of tomorrow
(the first Self Clean Iron)
can change your lifestyle today?
General Electric introduces the iron of tomorrow. The iron can clean itself. Inside where irons get dirty. Because it cleans itself each and every time you empty it.
How? With a push of a magic blue button.
The magic blue button
The first thing you’ll notice that’s different about this iron is the blue button on the side. It’s marked “Self Clean”. Push this blue button, and you can wash out loose mineral deposits that remain and block up inside. Push this button, and you’ve made life a lot easier.
Less chance of brown spots
Sure, Self Cleaning Iron is going to cut down on brown spots. (Those ugly spots that happen on nice, cleanly pressed clothes.) Because a Self Cleaning Iron becomes clean each time you press that magic blue button.
Steams much longer
Common sense tells you that if you’ve an iron that blocks less often it has to stay younger for a long period of time. In other words, it steams much longer. That’s another joy of owning General Electric’s Self Cleaning Iron.
What does it mean to you
Today you are doing so much more than just running a house and running after the kids.
You’re working. You’re going to school. It’s all part of your lifestyle. The iron can change that lifestyle. By giving you less trouble before you iron. If we can make it easier for you to be a better wife, a better mother, a better house maker, we want to. The new Self Cleaning Iron is another one of Home-Makers from General Electric.
Lifestyle.
We’re with yours.
GENERAL ELECTRICThis passage is ______.
A.an introduction to General Electric |
B.an operating instruction of Self Cleaning Iron |
C.an advertisement of Self Cleaning Iron |
D.a description of the change of lifestyle |
This iron can clean itself by ______.
A.empting itself | B.washing out mineral deposits |
C.locking up mineral deposits | D.giving off more steam |
According to the passage, what is most likely to attract the customers?
A.It is made by General Electric. |
B.The iron will not produce mineral deposits. |
C.There will be fewer brown spots on pressed clothes. |
D.Their clothes will be cleaned at the same time. |
Self Cleaning Iron can help change your lifestyle because ______.
A.you can run your house better | B.you don’t have to run after the kids |
C.you can use it while you are working | D.we want you to be a better house maker |
D
Beyond two or three days,the world’s best weather forecasts are doubtful, and beyond six or seven they are worthless.
The Butterfly Effect is the reason. For small pieces of weather—to a global forecaster,small can mean thunder—storms and blizzards(暴风雪)—any prediction becomes worse rapidly. Errors and uncertainties increase,from dust devils and storms up to continent-size eddies(旋涡)that only satellites can see.
The modern weather models work with net-like points sixty miles apart,and even so,some starting data have to be guessed,since ground stations and satellites cannot see everywhere. But suppose the earth could be covered with sensors placed one foot apart,rising at one-foot intervals all the way to the top of the atmosphere. Suppose every sensor gives perfectly accurate readings of temperature,pressure,humidity(温度), and any other data a weatherman would want. Exactly at noon a powerful computer takes all the data and calculates what will happen at each point at 12.01, then 12.02,then 12.03…the computer will still be unable to predict whether Princeton will have sun or rain one month away. At noon the spaces between the sensors will hide fluctuations(波动)that the computer will not know about. By 12.01,those fluctuations will already have created small errors one foot away. Soon the errors will have added to the ten-foot scale,and so on up to the size of the globe.
63.A weather forecast ____________ in the world.
A.is reliable within one or two days
B.is doubtful beyond 24 hours
C.becomes useless beyond two or three days
D.is still worthwhile in seven days
64.Usually there is a weather sub-station____________.
A.in every city B.every 60 miles
C.between two cities D.every one foot
65.Which of the following statements is true?
A.People have not placed sensors one foot apart in the atmosphere.
B.Scientists have already put sensors one foot apart in the world.
C.Every sensor gives perfectly accurate data a weatherman wants.
D.Ground weather stations and satellites can see every place on earth.
66.Our computer will not be able to know about fluctuations because ____________.
A.the sensors are not good enough
B.they are hidden by the spaces between the sensors
C.they are too far away
D.they move very fast
C
Susan Sontag(1933—2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything—to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s,publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review,she appeared as the symbol of American culture life,trying hard to follow every new development in literature,film and art. With great effort and serious judgment,Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords(格言),but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In“Notes Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name,she explained what was then a little—known set of difficult understandings,through which she could not have been more famous.“Notes on Camp”,she wrote,represents“a victory of‘form’ over‘content’,‘beauty’over‘morals’”.
By conviction(信念)she was a sensualist(感觉论者),but by nature she was a moralist(伦理学者),and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s,it was the latter side of her that came forward. In“Illness as Metaphor”—published in 1978,after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities(被压抑的性格),a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact,re-ex-amining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America,her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California,won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless,all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.
“Sometimes,”she once said,“I feel that,in the end,all I am really defending…is the idea of seriousness,of true seriousness.”And in the end,she made us take it seriously too.
59.The underlined sentence in paragraph l means Sontag ____________.
A.was a symbol of American cultural life
B.developed world literature,film and art
C.published many essays about world culture
D.kept pace with the newest development of world culture
60.She first won her name through____________.
A.her story of a Polish actress
B.her book Illness as Metaphor
C.publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review
D.her explanation of a set of difficult understandings
61.Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon____________.
A.a tireless,all-purpose cultural view
B.her lifelong watchword: seriousness
C.publishing books on morals
D.enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing
62.From the works Susan published in the 1970s and 1980s,we can learn that ____________.
A.she was more a moralist than a sensualist
B.she was more a sensualist than a moralist
C.she believed repressed personalities mainly led to illness
D.she would like to re-examine old positions
B
Will you get a good job? What will you do? Many new graduates feel lost when they consider the endless list of career choices. They’ve invested(投资)a lot of money for their diploma(文凭)and now an important question stares them in the fact.
I’ve seen so many now graduates who do not know how to use the degree they have just earned. An example was Dave,who loved sports and had played baseball throughout his college years. He had his heart set on working for Nike. But he had never made clear in his own mind what kind of job he could do for Nike,so nothing ever happened. Another example was Allison,who was a history major. She wanted to work as an event planner,but unfortunately,no one hired her. Why? No experience.
Failing to do some solid career exploration first,to get a clear idea of the types of jobs you can do,is a big error that many college students make. After our suggestion,Dave and Allison both found their jobs. To ensure a brighter future,follow these effective strategies:
—Make educated career choices. Identify the job you want. Conduct research. Ask parents to advise you on actual job duties. Consider what your natural talents are,and look for positions where you can use them.
—Don’t rely on the Internet. Networking is an effective tool—be sure it’s a job—hunting strategy you use. New studies from the Department of Labor state that only 4% of job-seekers found their job on the Internet. The fact is that 63% of all jobs are filled by contacts.
Employers are making quick decisions. Most people lose the job in the first minute of the interview. It’s deadly to let the employers focus quickly on how well you can perform the job.
—Practice your interviewing skills. Be ready for the tough questions by first writing out good answers to possible questions and having a role-playing interview with your friend.
55.What does the author seem to be most probable?
A.A job-hunter. B.A magazine editor.
C.A website owner. D.A job-seeking adviser.
56.In order to be well prepared for the interview, you’d better ____________.
A.surf the Internet for contacts
B.get along well with your workmates
C.practice the interview for several times
D.take care of your dress
57.According to the text it is suggested that Dave should ____________.
A.let others know what he can do for them
B.study further to get a higher degree
C.give up his interest in playing basketball
D.take part-time jobs first
58.For Allison, she should ____________.
A.find a job in another field
B.find some work to gain work experience
C.not tell the employer her major
D.offer more personal information
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。
A
After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack,my world crashed around me.My six children were all under 10,and I was burdened with the responsibilities of earning a living,and caring for the children. I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week,but from Friday nights to Monday mornings,the children and I were alone.
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big pretty German Shepherd(牧羊犬)on our doorstep. This dog seemed to intend to enter the house. The children liked“German”immediately and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks.
The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner,but with no results.
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case his owner came by,we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas,we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. No way was he going to be left behind.
Monday morning I let him out for a run. He didn’t come back and we were all disappointed. We were convinced that we would never see him again. We were wrong. The next Friday evening,German was back on our doorstep. Again he stayed until Monday morning,when our housekeeper arrived.
This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more fond of German. We took comfort in his strong,warm presence,and we felt safe with him near us. As German became part of the family,he considered it his duty to check every bedroom to be sure each child was cozy in bed.
Each week,between German’s visits,I grew a little stronger,a little braver and more able to handle; every weekend we were no longer alone and enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted him on the head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. We never saw German again.
51.The dog first came to the family when _______________.
A.it was needed most
B.the writer became strong enough
C.the writer was away on a business trip
D.the writer was busy on the weekday
52.The family planned to go on a picnic without the German Shepherd because ____________.
A.it was too wild to control
B.it was too young to walk so far
C.the owner might come by to pick it up
D.it might spoil the trip
53.The writer was ____________ the German Shepherd.
A.afraid of B.grateful to
C.cruel to D.annoyed with
54.Which of the following can’t be used to describe the dog?
A.Loyal. B.Beautiful.
C.Lovely. D.Wild.
E
A United Nations report says the number of people in the world is expected to reach 6500 million this July. By the middle of the century, the population could reach more than 9000 million. That would be an increase of 40﹪.
These numbers are fresh estimates for a report on world population change from 1950 to 2050. Hania Zlotnik is director of the U.N. Population Division. She says the world has added nearly 500 million people in the last six years.
But, in her words, "the good news is that new estimates show that it will take a little longer" to add the next 500 million. Mizz Zlotnik says this will probably happen by 2013.
The U.N. report says most population growth by 2050 will take place in less developed countries. Their population is expected to increase from 5000 million today to almost 8000 million. The population of more developed nations is expected to stay about the same, at just over 1000 million.
The report says nine countries will be responsible for about half the world population increase by 2050. These include Bangladesh, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and India. The others are Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda and the United States.
Twelve countries are expected to have populations at least three times the size now. These include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and East Timor. The others are Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger and Uganda.
The report says birth rates remain low in forty-four developed countries.
Today, worldwide, there is an average of two-point-six children per woman. This number is expected to fall to just over two children per woman in 2050. But U.N. population experts note that they cannot be sure which way birth rates will go in the future.
The U.N. report also notes that AIDS has increased death rates and slowed population growth in sixty countries. The area most affected by the disease is Southern Africa.
There, how long people live has fallen from an average of sixty-two years in 1995 to forty-eight now. Researchers believe life expectancy will fall to forty-three years by 2015, then begin a slow recovery.
67. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The population growth will slow down in the next few years.
B. Most population growth will take place in developed countries.
C. There is an average of 2.6 children per woman in developed countries.
D. The area most affected by AIDS is Uganda.
68. Which one is the best title of this passage?
A. AIDS slowed population growth.
B. Most population growth will take place in less developed countries.
C. Population growth and death rate.
D. UN world population report.
69.The author believes that the population growth results from_______
A. The birth rate in developed countries is too high.
B. The birth rate in developing countries is too high.
C. AIDS hit only a few countries.
D. A decrease in death rate.
70. Which of the following best describe the author’s attitude towards the rapid population growth?
A. sympathetic B. happy C. optimistic D. critical