Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials (商业广告) thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. “Buy Super Clean Toothpaste.” “Drink Good Wet Root Beer.” “Fill up with Pacific Gas. “Only when you have fallen asleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, can you get separated from the unending cry of “You Need It! Buy It Now!”
As for the ride itself, the beginning of it is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things are keeping changing out of the windows — various houses, crop fields, attractive bridges, … and sometimes even a small accident. Your bus driver may have a unique style of driving and it’s fun trying experience it the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless (鲁莽的) or daring, the ride can be as thrilling (惊心动魄的) as an adventurous story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know the riding will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement with that. The seat, of course, has become harder for the hours having passed. By now you may sit with your legs crossed, or with your hands in your lap, or with your hands on the arms, or even with your hands crossed behind your head. That is to say that the end comes just at no more ways to sit.According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?
| A．Buses on the road. | B．Films on television. |
| C．Advertisements on the billboards. | D．Gas stations. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To give the writer’s opinion about long bus trips. |
| B．To persuade you to take some long bus riding. |
| C．To explain how bus trips and television shows differ. |
| D．To describe the billboards along the road. |
The writer of this passage would probably prefer ______.
| A．those reckless bus drivers |
| B．driving with no one around |
| C．a television set on the bus |
| D．no billboards along the road |
The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because ______.
| A．the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun |
| B．they both have a beginning, a middle and an end, with commercials in between |
| C．the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses |
| D．both traveling by bus itself and watching TV programs on bus are not exciting. |
The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are .
| A．exciting | B．comfortable | C．tiring | D．boring |
二．根据各小题的具体要求，简要回答问题
Scientists identify “ Happiness Gene ”
If life looks joyful in spite of recession (经济衰退) ，job insecurity and expanding waistline, then you should consider thanking your “brightside ” gene.
A gene that affects if we’re cheery or gloomy has been tracked down by British researchers, reports The Guardian.
The groundbreaking study claims that individuals who carry the gene don’t pay much attention to negative things happening in their lives and, instead, focus on the happier aspects of life. In the process, they end up becoming more sociable and are generally in better shape psychologically.
Elaine Fox, head of psychology at Essex University, said: “ We’ve shown for the first time that a genetic variation is linked with a tendency to look on the bright side of life. This is a key mechanism underlying resilience (复原力) to general life stress. ”
To reach the conclusion, the research team checked how long it took people to react to good and bad images that flashed up on a computer screen. The study involved more than 100 volunteers.
The positive snaps were that of a couple hugging and someone sailing along in a boat. The negative images included a photo of someone being mugged(抢劫).
Every individual inherits(继承) two versions of the gene, either two short ones, two long ones , or one of each. People who had two long versions were most likely to focus on the positives, according to the study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B(《皇家学会学报B》) .
61. What is the article about? 2’ ( no more than 2 words )
_____________________________________________________.
62. Generally speaking, people have two significantly different attitudes towards life , what are
they ? 2’ (no more than 5 words )
______________________________________________________.
63. Which negative snap is mentioned ? 3’ ( no more than 6 words )
_______________________________________________________.
64. What kind of people are more likely to be sociable ? 3’ (no more than 9 words )
_________________________________________.
C. 写作部分
一阅读短文，按要求填空（每空不超过3个词）
Dolphins are not fish; they’re mammals. They are warm-blooded like man and give birth to one baby called a calf at a time. At birth a calf is about 90—130cm long and grows to about 4m. They live up to 40 years. They are highly sociable animals.
Their teeth are interlocking rows of hooks, suitable for holding slippery fish. They eat fish whole starting with head first. When they go wild they keep their mouth open and sometimes keep it nodding to express their aggression. Greater aggression is shown by violent jaw clapping. Dolphins breathe through their blowhole(呼吸孔) located at the top of their head. The dolphin’s eyes produce a special slippery secretion(分泌物) which protects the eyes from foreign objects and water friction.
Dolphins use their powerful tail to move through the water. They also use their tail while hunting. They slap their tail rapidly when they get annoyed or when they want to indicate the sign of danger to alert other dolphins.
The dolphin’s skin is completely smooth allowing the dolphin to move easily through the water, and also reduce heat loss. Their skin may bear rake marks from other dolphin’s teeth during play or mating, and can easily become badly sunburned if they strand(搁浅).
Their bodies are very streamlined so they may swim at high speed through the water, and an
example of this is their ears. Dolphin’s ears are barely noticeable marked only by a small hole just behind the eyes.
While sleeping, it shuts down only half of its brain, as its breathing is under voluntary control. Dolphins take short catnaps, floating just below the surface, and then slowly rising to breathe. Often dolphins are very active during night time, for some this is their main feeding time. Dolphins are able to dive to great depths, and also leap to great heights. They may leap to avoid predators or to show how powerful they are to females at mating time.
| Title: Dolphins Ⅰ. Characteristics mammals : warm-blooded animals and one baby at a birth length : 51.___________ lifespan : 40 years highly sociable animals Ⅱ. 52.___________ teeth → holding slippery fish and eating fish whole 53.__________ opening and nodding mouth → expressing their aggression 54._________ jaw → expressing greater aggression blowhole at the top of their head → 55.____________ eyes with a special slippery secretion → protecting the eyes from foreign objects and water friction 56._____________ ears → swimming at high speed through the water Ⅲ. Tail powerful to move through the water 57.___________ and expressing annoyance and danger Ⅳ. 58.___________ completely smooth to move easily through the water and reduce heat loss full of rake marks to become badly sunburned easily Ⅴ. Body 59._____________ to swim at high speed through the water Ⅵ. Habitual nature short catnaps with only half of its brain 60.___________ breathing activities during night time for feeding |
C
Several years ago, I read a book Your Money or Your Life, written by Joe Domingguez and Vicki Robin. The major theme of the book is the idea that if you want to cut your spending, you’ll have to begin by stopping trying to impress other people.
The authors divide people into two groups : people whose opinions you care about, and people whose opinions you don’t care about one way or another. It’s easy to stop caring about people whose opinions you don’t care about. Who cares what they think ? As long as you’re not doing something truly immoral —— something that might potentially create a negative reputation for you —— it doesn’t matter what they think.
But shouldn’t you impress other people whose opinions you do care about ? Anyway, they are people you want to meet : customers, friends and family.
The answer is that you don’t need to impress those people with expensive, shiny things. The relationship you’ve built with them —— or you’re going to build with them —— is based on you, not on the material items. They’ll either like you for you or they won’t.
To put it simply, take care of the basics. Keep yourself clean. Keep your weight under control. Wear reasonable clothing. Work on your communication skills. If you have them covered, you don’t need to invest time and money in impressing other people.
Coming to this realization is incredibly valuable. It drops your clothing budget. It drops your automobile budget. It drops your electronics budget. It drops your housing budget. You don’t need a shiny car, an iPhone, or a ＄50 haircut.
Yes , you may actually still want one or two of these things, but the impetus(动力) comes from what your personal values are, not what other people around you seem to value or what marketing messages you receive.
For some people, it seems impossible. Their social cues come from advertising-laden media and from friends who also get their cues from advertising-laden media.They believe they need a slick cellphone and ＄100 casual clothes. Their self-worth revolves around that little burst they get from impressing others.
People should learn to break through that situation. In short, don’t play socially by the tiring old rules that revolve around needing to impress people. Instead, spend your time on things that bring real value to you and give real value to others.
46. Which of the following behaviours is “immoral”according to the second paragraph ?
A. Caring about other people’s opinion.
B. Dropping your clothing budget.
C. Copying existing works.
D. Obeying the traffic rule.
47. To build relationship with others, you should pay attention to the following EXEPT _______.
A. dressing casually
B. learning about weight control
C. improving communication skills
D. being a tidy person
48. As for people we care about, what does the author advise us to do ?
A. To impress them in a proper way.
B. To buy them special gifts.
C. To spare more time to be with them.
D. To impress them with shiny things.
49. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?
A. An iPhone is totally unnecessary in our life.
B. Your family members’ opinions are always worth caring about.
C. Learning how to impress others helps people save money.
D. You should always be aware of what other people around you seem to value.
50. What is the best title for the passage ?
A. Whose opinions do you care about ?
B. Two different groups of people.
C. My favorite book : Your Money or Your Life
D. Stop trying to impress other people.
B
Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the longest and most costly presidential campaign in American history. The election results were widely seen as a strong statement by voters on economy. A public opinion study reported by the Wall Street Journal found that about sixty percent of voters considered the economy as the top issue.
Mr. Obama faces the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Dow Jones Industrial Average of leading stocks has lost nearly thirty of its value. The government seized the nation’s two largest home financing companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also took control of the huge insurance company, A. I. G. The government is now a share holder in nine of the country’s largest banks. That will expand to small banks , too. The amount spent on these rescue plans has been close to one trillion dollars. That amount could increase.
Another problem the new administration faces is the budget deficit(赤字). Some experts predict the deficit for next year’s budget could be close to one trillion dollars. Some observers predict that the deficit will limit speeding in economic programs.
Barack Obama has promised a tax cut for middle income Americans. He is seeking fifty billion dollars in aid for states and job creation programs. Mr. Obama has put forward a health care reform plan that costs fifty to sixty-five billion dollars. Obama is also seeking to spend one hundred and fifty billion dollars on new energy technologies over the next ten years.
In addition, Mr. Obama has been discussing a program worth one hundred billion dollars. It includes spending in public works projects and aid to American states, cities and citizens.
41. According to the passage, the election results suggested ___________________.
A. how fierce the presidential campaign was
B. the significance of the election in American history
C. Obama promised to devote himself to economic development
D. how much money was spent during the presidential campaign
42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is mentioned to show _________________.
A. how serious the economic crisis is
B. the value of all America’s stocks
C. the economy was considered as the top issue
D. what percentage of shares Obama has in leading stocks
43. We know from the passage that _______________________.
A. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are insurance companies
B. the government will become a share holder in small banks
C. money spent on the government’s rescue plan will be decreased
D. the budget deficit will not affect the economic programs
44. Which of the following statements does NOT belong to Obama’s rescue plans?
A. Cutting taxes for middle income Americans.
B. Seeking money for job creation programs.
C. Putting forward a health care reform plan.
D. Stopping spending on new energy technologies.
45. The passage mainly tells us ____________________________.
A. the deepest economic crisis in the 1930’s
B. the result of the presidential election
C. America tries to save the country’s economy
D. how Americans think of the newly-elected president
B．阅读理解：
A
Now we can see a man and his wife at the breakfast table. They are not speaking to each other.
They haven’t spoken to each other at the breakfast table for years. The husband is reading his newspaper. We can’t see his face. The wife looks very worried as she gets a cup of tea ready for him. Today she is using a new kind of tea for the first time. The husband picks up his cup. He isn’t interested. He tastes his tea. Suddenly he puts down his newspaper. Something is different! Can it be the tea? He takes another taste. It’s wonderful. He smiles. He looks at his wife and says in surprise, “Doris, when did you cut your hair?” Doris is pleased. She answers, “Two months ago.” Doris asks, “Herbie, when did your hair begin to become white?” He answers, “A long time ago.” Doris says, “We have been together for many years, but we never cared about each other.” Now they aren’t worried any longer. Breakfast is different. Has a new kind of tea changed their lives?
36. This story happens______________________.
A. before breakfast B. after breakfast
C. at home D. in a teahouse
37. In the passage, we can see ________________________.
A. Doris is drinking tea B. Herbie likes the new kind of tea
C. Doris is reading a newspaper D. Herbie is very young and good-looking
38. Herbie and Doris lived ______________ before this day.
A. a wonderful B. an unhappy
C. an enjoyable D. a friendly
39. Which of the following statements is true?
A. They are good friends. B. They have just got married.
C. They like to talk about their hair. D. They are no longer young.
40. From the passage, we think it may be ______________.
A. a radio programme B. a short film
C. a computer game D. a beautiful painting