Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were not willing to work on farms along the Atlantic because they worried about the terrible storms that destroy buildings and crops. The farmer received a steady stream of refusals at the interview for a farmhand
Finally, a short, thin man approached the farmer. “Are you a good farmhand?” the farmer asked him.
“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows. ” answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer ,the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm ,busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly from offshore. Jumping out of bed,the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, “ Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they are blown away! ”
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows. ”
Enraged (激怒)by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot ,Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement,he discovered that all of the hay had been covered. The cows were in the bam,the chickens were in the coops,and the doors were barred The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down, Nothing could be blown away.
The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he also returned to his bed to sleep while the wind was still blowing.Why did the farmer constantly advertise for hired hands?
A.Because he needed hired hands all. the year round. |
B.Because there was too much work to do on the farm. |
C.Because he could hardly hire a farmhand. |
D.Because he offered poor conditions for the hired hands. |
The farmer felt amazed because _______
A.the Little man was sleeping | B.everything was in safety |
C.the wind was too strong | D.he could not open the doors |
What did the man mean by saying “I can sleep when the wind blows. ” ?
A.He needed much sleep after working hard on the farm. |
B.He was very brave and not afraid of wind |
C.He enjoyed sleeping when the wind blew. |
D.He would get everything done before the wind blew. |
Which of the following statements about the Little man is TRUE?
A.He was not afraid of storms. |
B.He was a heavy sleeper under any condition |
C.He was hard-working and devoted to his work. |
D.He was fired shortly after he tied everything down. |
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
Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven’t listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven’t listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven’t quite understand what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember---despite the benefit of notes---exactly what everyone says. But success depends on getting right---and that means listening.
Listening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effort actively. It demands attention and concentration. It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification---it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong. However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you’ll miss what the speaker is saying---probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical. And not having heard, you won’t know you’ve missed anything until it’s too late.
The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished. We then stop listening. Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance you will interrupt to say it. Good listeners don’t interrupt. In fact it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have listened well.
Above all, be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators. It’s helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying. Equally important you should put yourself in the other person’s place, both intellectually and emotionally; it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response. But don’t be too clever. Faced with a know-all, many people keep quiet because they see no point in continuing.
51. Which is the best title for this passage?
A. Don’t be too clever B. Be a good listener
C. Don’t miss anything critical D. Think of the speaker
52. In the last paragraph, the underlined sentence “…what they are getting at…” means ______.
A. what they imply B. what they like C. what they attack D. what they achieve
53. According to the passage, which of the following is the writer’s opinion?
A. If you want to be a good listener, you should be very clever and emotional.
B. Speakers won’t continue talking when their listeners explain what they’ve heard.
C. If you don’t want to get things wrong, it’s important to be a good listener.
D. It’s hard to be a good listener because listening tests you on your intelligence.
54. What is the lesson we can learn from this passage?
A. Don’t accuse others of not listening while talking with them.
B. Don’t get anything wrong if you miss what the speaker is saying.
C. Listening inattentively may cost you the loss of your success.
D. Think carefully of what you’re going to say before the speaker finishes.
E
The Heritage(遗产) at Risk programme aims to understand the overall state of England’s heritage by assessing each of its different elements. In particular we need to indentify those that are facing the greatest pressures and threats. We will use the information to work out how to reduce those pressures and in turn to calculate the resources needed to make our unique heritage of historic places safe.
You can search for sites on the register by entering a site name, location, street or educational block in the box below.
Conservation areas
A nationwide survey of conservation areas indicates that approximately 1 in 7 is at risk from neglect(疏忽),decay(腐烂)or unpitying change.
Show your support for our campaign go save conservation areas from unavoidable decline and receive a free campaign pack by registering. There are some 9,300 conservation areas across England, meaning that we all live in or near to one or visit one regularly for work, shopping or rest. They are the element of England’s heritage that is all around us and which touches all of our lives. But until now no one had a clear idea what condition they were in.
Buildings
The task of assessing condition and risk started with buildings. Following a survey of all grades of listed buildings in London, English Heritage published in 1991 the first annual register of those at risk there.
The success of this London work led to the national buildings at risk strategy in 1998, and publication of a register of buildings at risk covering all grade I and II listed buildings and structural scheduled monuments in the country, at risk and vulnerable(易受伤害的).
Parks&Gardens
There are 1,600 entries on the current English heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. Sites at risk have typically been adversely(不利地) affected by development and neglect; often they have been changed by development and are faced with major change. Sometimes development beyond the boundary of a registered landscape can be just as harmful as construction within its boundaries; this is especially true that development would influence designed views that extend beyond the chosen site itself.
67. The purpose of using the information to work out how to reduce pressures is to .
A. assess each of English heritage’s different elements
B. identify those that are facing the greatest pressures and threats
C. calculate the resources needed to make heritage of historic sites safe
D. help you to search for sites at risk on the register
68. It can be inferred from “Conservation areas” that conservation are as across England .
A. are almost all at risk from neglect, decay or unpitying change
B. can be entered with a campaign pack free of charge
C. are in very close connection with our lives
D. are in whatever condition people are sure about
69. The text mainly talks about .
A. English heritage at risk B. historic places of interest
C. English heritage register D. location of English heritage
70.According to the last paragraph, the bad effect development has on the sites at risk is that_____.
A. it has changed the sites at risk with no intention
B. it can sometimes cause harm beyond the registered boundaries
C. it would affect the designed views instead of the chosen sites
D. it has neglected the local people of special historic interest
D
The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming moths, as an improving global economy raises demand, and drought(旱灾) cuts production in countries such as India. Some economists say prices for rice, the main food for the world’s population, could be returning to levels that caused inflation(通货膨胀)fears in much of Asia last year.
Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty(系)of economics at Thailand’s Kasetsart University, Hesays prices-especially for Thai nice-are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year. “They expect that the world demand will increase and we expect that the price of rice will increase next year,” Charuk said. “There are many new markets fro the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customers-China, some Arab countries-they will increase the demand.”
Prices on the global market could again near the record of $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008. This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton to more than $650.
Vichai sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices. Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice-entering the world market for the first time in 21 years-because of a drought.
Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels(生物燃料)from grain could reduce food crops, forcing the price of grains higher. “this is very serious. That’s why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see,” Vichai said. “It will have to be raised at a higher level, but I don’t know where.”
The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports due to high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year. officials from veetnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand, predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010. This week the Philippines’ National Food Authority offered almost $665 a ton for 600,000 tons of Vietnamese rice.
Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region’s poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food.
63. Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 1?
A. Drought reduces production of rice in India.
B. Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008.
C. Rice is a major food for the world’s population.
D. the improving global economy increases the need for rice.
64. How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price’s going up?
A.1. B.2. C.3. D.4.
65.Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?
A. Because of high prices. B. Because of typhoons.
C. Because of civil war. D. Because of drought.
66.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Higher food prices will increase problems
B. There are many new markets for the Thai rice
C. The global economy is improving
D. Prices for rice are expected to rise
C
JeawGilles was a millionaire.But Tuesday night,he was sleeping in his car.
Jean-Gilles was the owner of the Peace of Mind Hotel in Jacrnel,Haiti, a three-story,30-room building in a quiet tropical valley on Haiti’s southern coast,25 miles from the noises of the capital,Port-au-Prince. Jean-Gilles and his wife,Marie,lived in an apartment on the property,close enough to watch carefully over the guest rooms,conference rooms and restaurant,close enough that they know the first name of every guest.
After the 7.0-earthquake hit at 4:57 pm on Jan.12,2010,they slept in their aging Isuzu,parked in the hotel driveway.
Jean-Gilles figured a second was the difference between life and death when the earthquake struck.He was working in a ground-floor conference room and first heard,then felt the quake.He asked his electrician.Rob-elTle St.Louis, who was working nearby,what was happening.
“Get out.Now.Get out.Now.”St.Louis said.
Jean-Gilles cleared the falling structure by a mere second,he estimated.His wife,who was working in the couple’s apartment on the second floor,wasn’t able to get clear.People nearby heard her screams after the shaking stopped and removed the building blocks around her by hand.She was shaken and scratched, but walked away from the ruins.
“I am alive.God is good.”she repeated over and over on Saturday.
The Peacc of Mind Hotel was a dream which had come true for Jean-Gilles,57,and Marie,59. Born in Port–au-Prince, they moved to the United States shortly after meeting 34 years ago. Together, they owned a beauty supply store in Jersey City, New Jersey, and invested in real estate. In 2003, they cashed out their US investments, returned to Haiti and began building the peace of Mind Hotel, looking to make a future for themselves and the people of their homeland.
59. Which of the following statements about Jean-Gilles is TRUE?
A. He lived far from the Peace of Mind Hotel. B. He helped St. Louis to manage a hotel.
C. He was born in Haiti in 1976. D. He once owned a store in the US.
60. According to the passage, the peace of Mind Hotel_________.
A. offered guests different services B. was located in the capital city of Haiti
C. was a building with 30 guest rooms D. was owned by Marie and St. Louis
61. When the earthquake hit, Marie was_________.
A. sleeping in the car B. working in the conference room
C. working on the second floor D. cooking in the restaurant
62. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. Haiti is the 51st state of the US
B. the earthquake happened quickly and unexpectedly
C. nobody in the hotel died in the earthquake
D. Marie was not sad about losing her property in the earthquake
D
If you enjoyed the spring-like sunshine over the weekend and thought the weather has finally turned a corner, you’re sadly mistaken.
Chilly (寒冷的) days and grey clouds are forecast for the week—making it far too early to pack away the winter woollies.
Temperatures will struggle to rise above zero at night and fail to make double figures during the day.
People enjoy the spring sunshine in Sefton Park, Aigburth, Liverpool. Forecasters have predicted a return to chilly weather this week.
Met Office forecaster Charlie said, “It was a nice, dry, bright weekend in many parts and Monday is going to be a similar affair for many.”
“Temperatures will be between 5℃and 8℃, which is below average for the start of spring.”
The sun will disappear from the south of the country after today, with dry but cloudy conditions forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday.
Wednesday will be warmest of the three, with temperatures peaking at 9℃.But this is still two degrees below the March average for the district.
Overnight, temperatures will drop sharply, with lows of minus 3℃for the next three nights.
“It will generally stay on the cold side of average,” said Mr. Powell.
The March misery comes at the end of the coldest winter for more than 30 years.
Temperatures in December, January and February struggled to stay above zero, with the UK’s average 1.5℃, making it the deepest freeze since 1978—79.
It claimed there was just a one-in-seven chance of a cold December to February.
The agency also sadly predicted a “barbecue summer”, saying it was “quite optimistic” that it would be warmer and drier than average.
Following the two mistakes, the Met Office has dropped its long-range seasonal forecasts and will instead publish a monthly prediction for Britain, updated once a week.
In its defense, it says that while short-term forecasts are extremely accurate, Britain’s size and geographical position makes long-term predictions much more challenging.
It also points out that it gave warning of any heavy falls of snow this winter.
68. According to the passage, the weather on Tuesday in the south might be _______.
A. dry but cloudy B. sunny but chilly C. sunny and warm D. cloudy and chilly
69. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. British people can put away their winter clothes now.
B. The Met Office has shortened its forecast range.
C. The weather forecast becomes more and more accurate.
D. The agency was quite confident of long-term predictions.
70. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. The big chill isn’t over yet B. A warm spring finally arrives
C. A heavy snow is on the way D. The Met Office drops forecasts