President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to a very important truth today — that business organizations have more prestige (威望) in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions still possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the idea of competition than other organizations in society. Since competition is seen as the main source of progress and development by most Americans, competitive business organizations are respected. Competition is not only good in itself; it is the means by which other basic American values, such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the individual freedom by making sure that there is no monopoly (垄断) of power. Compared with one and all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for benefit. If one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to the competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Since there are many businesses competing for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them unfairly and the customers would lose nothing.A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it gives more support for freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people while business leaders are not. Many Americans believe that competition is as important, or even more important, as democracy in protecting freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the idea of equal opportunities. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to any person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American choice of the higher social position which is not based on one’s family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equal opportunities.Which of the following is discussed as the main topic in the passage?
| A．Competition in America’s business. | B．Freedom in America’s business. |
| C．Americans’ different values. | D．Business against government. |
Americans believe that they can realize their personal values ______.
| A．when given equal opportunities |
| B．through doing business |
| C．by protecting their individual freedom |
| D．by means of competition |
Who can benefit from business competition?
| A．Businessmen who compete. |
| B．Customers of those businesses. |
| C．People with the idea of equality and freedom. |
| D．Both business organizations and government. |
It could be inferred from the passage that the author believes ______.
| A．business in other countries are not as competitive as those in the USA |
| B．business problems are very important to the American government |
| C．the competition in business plays a very important role in America |
| D．American business is the most powerful one in the whole world |
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Some people can stay up all night and still get work done the next day. I’m not one of them. After a night without enough sleep, I feel sleepy. I have trouble remembering things. And all I want to do is to go back to bed and sleep.
How do you feel after you’ve stayed up late to finish schoolwork? Or the day after a slumber(睡眠) party? Scientists now say that your answers to these questions may depend on your genes, which tell our bodies and brains what to do. People have about 40,000 genes, and each gene can have different forms.
A new research suggests that a gene called period3 affects how well you function without sleep. The discovery adds to older evidence that period3 helps determine whether you like to stay up late or get up early.
The period3 gene comes in two forms: short and long. Everyone has two copies of the gene. So, you may have two longs, two shorts, or one of each. Your particular combination depends on what your parents passed on to you.
Scientists studied 24 people who had to stay awake for 40 hours straight. Then they took tests that measured how well they could remember lists of numbers.
Results showed that the people with the short form of period3 performed much better than those with the long form did. In both groups, people performed worst in the early morning. After the first round of experiments, participants were finally allowed to sleep. People in the group that performed well on the tests took about 18 minutes to nod off(瞌睡).
People with long period3 gene fell asleep in just 8 minutes. They also spent more time on deep sleep. That suggests that people with the long form of the gene need more and deeper sleep to keep their brains working in top form.
I think I must have the long form period3. What about you?
68. The purpose of the writer in the first paragraph is to ____________.
A. attract readers to the topic of the passage
B. show his /her poor memory for things
C. show his /her envy of those energetic people
D. prove his/her need for sleep
69. Whether you can stay up or not depends on___________.
A. the size of your brain B. the kind of genes you have
C. your health D. your will
70. The aim of the research is to _______.
A. find a new gene called period3 B. find out how genes affect a person’s need for sleep
C. test how long you can stay awake D. measure how good your memory is
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Ellis Island is located in New York Harbor. Ellis Island is open daily all year round from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours during summer. It is closed on December 25. There is no admission fee to Ellis Island; but donations(捐赠) are gratefully accepted.
At Your Fingertips
Park information (212) 363-7620
Emergencies (212) 363-3260
Ferryboat information (212) 269-5755
Lost and found (212)363-7620
Dining, gifts & audio tour 344-0996
Transportation
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry; Boats leave from Battery Park, Manhattan, and from Liberty State Park, New Jersey. They run about every 30 to 45 minutes beginning at 9:15 a.m.
(The time for ferry is changeable)
Hours: May vary; call the number above
Closed: December 25
Ferry fees (includes Liberty and Islands) adults, $7; senior citizens, $6; Children (age 3~17), $5. (Group rates are available for 25 or more adults.)
64. In summer, visitors will have ______ to visit Ellis Island.
A. a limited time B. a wonderful time C. a longer time D. a shorter time
65. Which number would you call if our friend were suddenly ill?
A. (212)344-0996 B. (212)363-7620 C. (212) 269-5755 D. (212) 363-3260
66. Which of the following is NOT true？
A. People can visit Ellis Island free of charge.
B. The boats departure time from Battery Park is at 9:15 all the year round.
C. Ferry fees for children are cheaper than for adults.
D. Ferry fees for group visitors can be reduced.
67. We may infer from the passage that______.
A.boat is the only transportation to Ellis Island
B.visitors prefer to go to Ellis Island by boat
C.there are more visitors in winter
D.Ellis Island is open every day
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Are you carrying too much on your back to school? Lots of kids of your age are. Not only are students in China suffering from the problem, but kids in the United States are puzzled by heavy school bags.
Experts are starting to worry that young students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them. It is hard for me to get up the stairs with my bag because it's so heavy, said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student in the US.
Rick is among the students who have regular backpacks(背包) with two straps (带子) to carry them, but a number of other students choose rolling backpacks. But even with rolling backpacks, getting up stairs and buses with them is still a problem for kids. Many of them have hurt their knees, backs or necks because of heavy school bags.
But how much is too much? Experts say students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight. Scott Bautch, a Wisconsin back doctor, said kids under 4th grade should stay with 10 percent, but it’s also important that older kids don’t go beyond (超出) 15 percent, because their bones are still growing.
Bautch explained that there are other injuries caused by backpacks. Kids are losing their balance and falling down with these backpacks, he said.
Parents and teachers are starting to tell kids to only take home library books they will be reading in the evening. Some teachers are using worksheets (作业单 ) or thin workbooks for students to take home.
One of the best answers is, as some kids suggest, to have no homework at all!
60. According to experts, a primary student in Grade 6, who is 4
0 kilograms, should carry a bag weighing ______ kilograms at most.
A. 4 B.6 C.8 D.10
61. As school bags are too heavy for younger students to carry, they ______.
A. show no interest in studying at s
chool.
B. often fall ill
C. are having back and neck problems
D. usually ask their parents for help
62. The author wrote the passage to _____.
A. seek(寻找) ways to solve the problem of heavy bags
B. appeal (呼吁) to teachers for caring for the students
C. criticize(批评) the government for having done nothing to help students
D. tell us that heavy bags are bad for students’ health
63. Parents and teachers are starting to tell kids to take home only library books they will be reading in the evening to ______.
A. make students more interested in reading than watching TV
B. give them more free time to play
C. make their bags easier to carry
D. let them sleep early at night
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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。
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
At Harton College—an English boarding school for boys —there are many rules. 15-year-old Bob Sanders often breaks them.
The boys can go into the town in the afternoon after class. But they must return to the school at six o’clock. One afternoon Bob walked to the town. He looked at the shops and then went to the cinema. After the film, he looked at his watch. It was after eight o’clock. He was a little worried. He walked back to Harton College as fast as possible.
When he arrived, he ran quickly to the main entrance. It was locked. He went round the school building to another door, which was locked too. He looked up at the window of his dormitory on the third floor. The window was open. But it was quite dark, and he could not climb up the wall easily. Then he saw another open window on the ground floor. It was the window of the headmaster’s study.
He looked into the room—no one was there. Bob quickly climbed on to the window sill（窗台）and jumped into the room. Just then he heard a noise. Then someone turned on a light in the corridor（走廊）. Bob looked around and then hid under the sofa. One minute later, Mr. Mannering, the headmaster, came in. He turned on the light on his desk, and sat down on the sofa. Then he opened a book and began to read.
Bob lay under the sofa as quietly as possible. He couldn’t move. The floor was cold and uncomfortable. He looked at the headmaster’s shoes and socks for an hour.
“Why doesn’t he get up and go to bed ?” Bob thought.
Mr. Mannering read his book for another hour. Finally, the headmaster closed his book and stood up. He put the book on a shelf and walked towards the door.
“Thanks heavens, he didn’t find me under the sofa,” thought Bo .
Then Mr. Mannering stopped and spoke towards the sofa. “ Would you turn off the light when you l
eave ?” He said, and left the study.
56. Bob returned to the school more than two hours late because_______.
A. he enjoyed himself too much B. he did not catch the bus
C. he hated the rules D. he ran into an old friend
57. Bob didn’t go to his dormitory because _______.
A. the gate was locked B. the window was shut
C. it was quite dark D. the wall was too high for him to climb up
58. It’s obvious that _______.
A. the headmaster didn’t notice Bob
B. the headmaster thought a thief had broken into his study
C. the headmaster found Bob under the sofa
D. there was a third man in the study
59. From the passage we know that the headmaster is _______.
A. kind B. strict C. gentle D. humorous
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Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames(绰号).Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence(影响) on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent(天赋) for music when he was taught to play the cornet(短号) at a boy’s home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the steamboats that travelled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal.
In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity(仁爱) and warmth that caused many listeners to say,“Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.”He was the father of the jazz style(风格) and also one of the best-known and most-admired people in the world. His death, on July 6,1971,was headline news around the world.
67.Armstrong was called Pops because he ______.
A. looked like a musician B. was a musician of much influence
C. showed an interest in music D. travelled to play modern music
68.The third paragraph is developed ______.
A. by space B. by examples C. by time D. by comparison
69.Which statement about Armstrong is true?
A. His tale begins in New Orleans. B. He was born before jazz was invented.
C. His music was popular with his listeners.D. He learned popular music at a boy’s home. 70.Which would be the best title for the text?
A. The Invention of the Jazz Music B. The Father of the Jazz Style
C. The Making of a Musician D. The Spread of Popular Music