Liverpool city council (市政厅) want to clear the city of fat pigeons (鸽子). They say that people are feeding the birds, which makes them fat. The pigeons get bigger because they normally eat seeds (种子) and insects (昆虫) for their main food, not high-fat junk food they are eating in the city centre.
The council want people to know that everyone who feeds the pigeons makes the streets crowded (拥挤)with these birds. They hope to encourage the birds to move away from the city centre and into parks and open spaces.
Ten robotic birds have been brought into the city centre to scare the pigeons away and visitors are asked not to give the pigeons any food. The mechanical birds—known as ‘robops’—will sit on the roofs of buildings. They can be moved around to different places. They look like a peregrine falcon, which is a bird that kills pigeons. They even make noises and flap their wings to scare the pigeons. They hope that the pigeons will go away before the city becomes the European Capital of Culture in two years. Liverpool city council want to clear the city of fat pigeons because ______.
A.the pigeons are eating junk food |
B.the pigeons might get killed |
C.the pigeons make the city center crowded |
D.the pigeons sit on the roofs of buildings |
What do we know about a peregrine falcon?
A.It scares the robotic birds. | B.It is an enemy of the pigeons. |
C.It looks like a pigeon. | D.It likes the food people give it. |
Which of the following is probably true according to passage?
A.The robots will fly around the city center like real birds. |
B.Pigeons get fat because they eat seeds and insects. |
C.Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture. |
D.The pigeons like the food that people give them. |
"To be or not to be". Outside the Bible, these six words are the most famous in all the literature of the world. They were spoken by Hamlet when he was thinking aloud, and they are the most famous words in Shakespeare because Hamlet was speaking not only for himself but for every thinking man and woman. To be or not to be―to live or not to live, to live richly and abundantly and eagerly, or to live dully and meanly and scarcely. A philosopher once wanted to know whether he was alive or not, which is a good question for everyone to put to himself occasionally. He answered it by saying: "I think, therefore I am."
But the best definition of existence I ever saw was one written by another philosopher who said: "To be is to be in relations." If this is true, then the more relations a living thing has, the more it is alive. To live abundantly means simply to increase the range and intensity (强度)of our relations. Unfortunately, we are so constituted that we get to love our routine. But other than our regular occupation, how much are we alive? If you are interested only in your regular occupation, you are alive only to that extent. So far as other things are concerned~poetry and prose, music, pictures, sports, unselfish friendships, politics, international affairs―you are dead.
On the contrary, it is true that every time you acquire a new interest―even more, a new accomplishment―you increase your power of life. No one who is deeply interested in different ourselves. Let us widen and intensify our relations. While we live, let us live.
63.What does the author mainly want to do by this passage?
Argue against an idea. B. Put forward an idea.
C. Introduce some famous sayings. D. Explain some famous sayings.
64.What does the underlined word "pessimist" most probably mean?
A. Somebody who always expects the worst to happen.
B.Somebody who is always interested in making new friends.
C.Somebody who always lives in a world of passion and imagination.
D.Somebody who likes to live a rich and abundant life.
65.Which of the following behaviors is most probably NOT encouraged by the author?
A. Thinking more than your own business.
B. Caring only about your physical welfare.
C.Reading good novels.
D.Listening to fine music.
66.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. To be or not to be, that is a question.
B. I think, therefore I am.
C. To be is to be in relations.
D. A man dies as often as he loses a friend.
The new Sherlock Holmes film might inspire mystery fans to visit the scenes of the crime or, perhaps, places that inspire classic mysteries. Otto Penzler, owner of New York's Mysterious Bookshop and editor of The Best American Mystery Stories 2009, recommends for USA TODAY some spots to go undercover.
Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, N.Y.
At this picturesque Hudson Valley Victorian resort, "Guests are divided into teams as they try to solve the mystery dramatization presented on opening night." Penzler says. An upcoming vampire-inspired weekend (March 12-14) is called Fangs for the Memories. "Many rooms have fireplaces, and the lake views will take away your breath." he says.
More info: 800-772-6646; mohonk.com
Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
"You get a list of suspects when you check in for the interactive crime-solving weekend (Feb. 12-14)." Penzler says. Other than the "murders" that occur, the weather and surroundings make for a pleasant weekend. More info: 800 654-2924; KiawahResort.com
Poe Museum, Richmond, Va.
"The current exhibit here, Ratiocination: Poe the Detective, is about Poe's efforts to solve the real life murder of Mary Rogers in New York." Penzler says of the case that inspired Poe's story, The Mystery of Marie Roget. Poe spent a third of his life in Richmond. On display are his neatly written manuscripts, childhood bed and a lock of his hair. There is also a section about his mysterious death.
More info: 888-213-2763; poemuseum.org
Sherlock Holmes' , London, England
In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes is a guided tour of sites related to "the greatest detective who ever lived. "Penzler says of the excursion that includes references to the new Sherlock Holmes movie. "The tour finishes up at the Sherlock Holmes Pub with its re-creation of Holmes and Dr. Watson's sitting room, complete with bullet holes, and letters pinned to the fireplace mantel with a knife."
Further enquiry: 020-7624-3978, walks.com
Grand Hotel, Torquay, England
The Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, spent her honeymoon at the hotel. "This lovely place offers bargain rates that include a boat ride on the River Dart to Greenaway and a house tour of the place where Dame Agatha lived for more than 20 years. It's a chance to enjoy a nostalgic look at another time.
60.Further enquiry: 800-005-3905, grandtorquay.co.uk/agathachristie.php
If you want to experience detective activities, you may log on_________ .
A. KiawahResort.com B. Poemuseum.org
C. Walks.com D. grandtorquay.co.uk.agathachristie.php
61.If you want to see some documents of real world murder you can visit__________.
A. Sherlock Holmes' London B. Kiawah Island Golf Resort
C. Poe Museum D. Mohonk Mountain House
62.If you want to find some clues about a new detective film, you had best contact____for a tour.
A. 800 654 2924 B. 888-213-2763 C. 800-772-6646 D. 020-7624-3978
第三部分:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
If you see a student napping (打瞌睡) in the library, don't roll your eyes. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that an hour's nap can considerably improve and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a nap not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.
"Sleep not only rights the wrong of extended wakefulness but it moves you beyond where you were before you took a nap." said Matthew Walker, an assistant professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the lead investigator of UC Berkeley sleep studies.
The latest study suggests that the brain may need sleep to process short-term memories, creating "space" for new facts to be learned. In their experiment, 39 healthy adults were given a hard learning task in the morning~~with broadly similar results, before half of them were sent for their nap. When the tests were repeated, the nappers improved their scores by 10 percent on average after sleeping; the scores of those who didn't nap actually dropped by 10 percent.
The results support previous data from the same research team that staying up all night―a common practice at college during midterms and finals―decreases the ability to memorize new facts by nearly 40 percent, due to a shutdown of brain regions for lack of sleep, said Walker.
"Sleep is needed to clear the brain's short-term memory storage and make room for new information." said Walker. "It's as though the e-mail inbox in your brain is full and, until you sleep and clear out those e-mails, you're not going to receive any more mail."
However, Professor Derk Jan Dijk, the director of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre, said that there was no clear evidence that daytime napping offered a distinct advantage over sleeping soundly just once over 24 hours.
"The sleep-wake cycle is not as fixed as we might think―we have the capability to sleep in different ways, "said Professor Derk Jan Djjk.
"The size of these effects is much more difficult to judge―if I have to learn something, for example, it's easier to do this when I'm feeling awake and ready than when I'm sleepy." he added.
56.According to UC Berkeley's new findings, the benefit of a nap is that .
A.it helps to fix a napper's sleep-wake cycle
B.it makes hard learning tasks not difficult any more
C.it allows the brain to make room for new learning
D.it gives nappers chances to clear out their memory storage
57.Matthew Walker's study shows that___________.
A.learning ability in the morning is usually higher than that in the afternoon
B.extra working hours before an exam can make up for the lack of daily efforts
C.the size of the effects of napping depends on when it is taken
D.staying up late before an exam does not necessarily improve students' exam performance
58.The two research teams mentioned in the text may both agree that_____________ .
A.people's sleep-wake cycle decides the length of midday nap
B.sufficient sleep betters people's learning performance
C.scientific experiments are undependable as the results are often hard to judge
D.the differences in their findings result from different methods applied
59.What can we learn from this passage?
A.Rolling your eyes can stop you from napping.
B.Some people might move themselves when sleeping.
C.College students tend to study late into night before important exams.
D.Sleeping once over 24 hours is much better than daytime napping.
In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition(学会)of each new skill — the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is common that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm(热情) for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters; others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality(准时) for meals. In general, the controls imposed(强加的) represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community(社区) as much as the child’s own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards (道德标准))in the growing child, consistency(连贯性) is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept”. If they are not sincere and do not practise what they preach(说教), their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.
20.Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills_____.
A.should be avoided
B.is universal among parents
C.sets up dangerous states of worry in the child
D.will make him lose interest in learning new things
21.When children are learning new skills, parents should_____.
A.encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B.not expect too much of them
C.achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own
D.create as many learning opportunities as possible
22.The second paragraph mainly tells us that _____.
A.parents should be strict with their children
B.parental controls satisfy only the needs of the parents and the values of the community
C.parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone
D.parents vary in their strictness towards their children according to the situation
23.The underlined word “precept” (in Paragraph 3) probably means “_____”.
A.idea B.punishment C.behavior D.instruction
24.In moral matters, parents should _____.
A.observe the rules themselves
B.be aware of the marked difference between adults and children
C.forbid things which have no foundation in morality
D.satisfy their children’s needs
Both warm-blooded and cold-blooded desert animals have ways to escape the desert heat. Warm- blooded desert animals, such as rats and mice, rest during the day, often staying in cool underground burrows. At night they search for food. Animals that are out during the day, such as cold-blooded lizards and snakes, are active only for short periods. As their body temperature rises, these reptiles(爬行动物) move into the shade in order to cool down. In the early evening, when the sun grows weaker, the reptiles become more active and begin their search for food again.
Getting enough water to survive is a major problem for all desert animals. Some desert animals, like desert birds, manage to find water holes. Other desert animals, such as the kangaroo rat and the related jerboa, get water only from the food that they eat. Because these animals eat mainly dry seeds, they must survive on a tiny amount of water.
Most deserts have only a small number of frogs and toads because these animals must be near water to survive. Yet even these creatures have adapted(适应) to desert conditions. When small amounts of water collect in temporary streams, the desert-living frogs and toads become active. After a rainfall, they lay their eggs. The eggs grow into tadpoles in a few days and into adults in just four weeks. When the puddles(水坑) dry up, the adult frogs or toads dig into the ground. Their metabolism(新陈代谢) slows, and they stay beneath the ground until the next rain, which may be as good as a year away. Until then, their bodily activities continue at a reduced rate.
The camel — often called the ship of the desert — is one of the most successful desert animals. Camels can go for long periods without water, but eventually they must drink. When water becomes available to them after a long drought, they may drink 95 liters of water or more. When water is not available, what helps camels survive the desert heat is the fat stored in their humps(驼峰). A camel’s hump contains about 12 kilograms of fat. Fat is rich in hydrogen. As the fat is digested, hydrogen from the fat combines with oxygen in the air that the camel breathes. The result is H2O, or water. Each kilogram of fat that a camel digests produces about a liter of water.
16.Desert animals are usually more active at night because _____.
A.it is cooler at night B.it is easier to find water
C.they like the dark D.they are less likely to be attacked at night
17.Which of the following desert animals can get water only from the food?
A.The camel. B.The kangaroo. C.The frog. D.The rat.
18.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.All the desert animals rest during the day.
B.All the desert animals don’t rest during the day.
C.Cold-blooded desert animals are out most of the day.
D.None of the cold-blooded desert animals go out during the day.
19.The underlined word “burrows” in the first paragraph can be replaced by _____.
A.holes B.caves C.rooms D.openings