When you’re an employee of a company, no matter the size, it’s common to see co-workers promoted, or transferred to a different department. But there is another way to move around—by creating a new position for yourself. I did this several years ago, though I wasn’t actively looking for a different job.
In 2007, I was hired at the Transamerica Life Insurance Company, as a customer service representative in the distributions services department. I processed requests for distributions from our annuity(养老金)policy holders around the country. Someone might have forgotten to sign a form, for example, or might have omitted security information. To solve the problem, I’d mail the person a letter.
The company had been through several combinations, so in our department alone we had a collection of about 140 templates(模板) for letters related to distributions. The longer I worked with the letters, the more I saw how they could be improved. Some had overlapping information and could be combined. Some had incorrect grammar or needed updating. I also noticed that industry terminology(专业术语) wasn’t standard across all the versions.
When I told my department supervisor about this in 2008, she agreed that the letters needed revamping. She said I should stop what I’d been doing and start the new work. In a relatively short time, I was able to make numerous improvements and reduce the number of letters to 70. It was an informal job change until a managers’ meeting several months later.
At that meeting, a vice president who was unaware of my new work mentioned that the division’s entire stock of 1,700 letters should be reviewed. My manager told her that she knew the perfect person for the job—me. The position was still considered temporary when I took on the extra tasks, but I was able to show that the work had value, and I was officially promoted and given a raise in November 2009.According to Paragraph 1, which of the following statements is true?
A.The author admired those who got a promotion in his company. |
B.It is no surprise to see people around us change their positions. |
C.The author tried his best to get a promotion in his company |
D.The author was eager to seek another job. |
Which of the following problems with the letters is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.Some information was overlooked. |
B.Some information needed to be united. |
C.Some had grammatical mistakes. |
D.Industry terminology didn’t meet the standard. |
The underlined word “revamping” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
A.repeating | B.rebuilding | C.improving | D.strengthening |
The author started to review the letters when .
A.he was hired by the company |
B.he was promoted |
C.he was recommended at a managers’ meeting |
D.his department supervisor agreed his idea |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Where there is will, there is a way. |
B.Creating a position, and earning a promotion. |
C.Don’t let the chance go, when it comes. |
D.Ways to get a promotion. |
B
Daban town is famous for girls and windmills(风车), while Loulan is a myth(神话)in the desert. From Daban, we move to another ancient city, Loulan.
Two thousand years ago, beside the beautiful and rich Luobu Lake, there lay Loulan, ancient city on the Silk Road. Businessmen from every country gathered here and there were dancing parties. Everything shows that people in Loulan lived a rich life then.
However, two thousand years later, this rich land suddenly disappeared from the map of China. Then it became an area covered with sand and dead tree trunks.
Loulan was first “discovered” by a Swedish man Sven Hedin in 1900. People from America, Britain, Japan and Sweden, all set foot here. Then in the 1930s, a Chinese named Huang Wenbi came to Loulan for the first time. He visited and studied this area and found many relics that were beautifully and carefully made.
It is recorded that the ancient city of Loulan was the capital of Loulan Kingdom during the Han and Jin dynasties. In the past century many things have been dug out there including Han Dynasty coins, mirrors and many others from Greece and Rome. All these things show that a lot of business between East and West once took place there.
Lying on the northwest of the Lop Nur area, the Loulan Kingdom is now a lifeless area with endless “forests” of mounds(小丘)which aren’t easily seen in other parts of the world. Its mystery (神秘) has been attracting so many people from so many countries.
65. The first person to set foot in Loulan in the 20th century is .
A. a European B. an American
C. an Englishman D. a Japanese
66. Before Loulan disappeared, .
A. a lot of business between East and West had taken place there
B. people from America and Japan had set foot there
C. a lifeless area with lots of mounds could easily be seen there
D. Africans had visited the ancient country
67. We can infer from the passage that .
A. Loulan was destroyed by the terrible weather there
B. wars between dynasties made Loulan disappear
C. foreigners came to Loulan and destroyed it
D. how Loulan disappeared is still unknown to us
68. What makes so many people visit Loulan Kingdom?
A. The beautiful scenery there.
B. Its developed business in the past.
C. Its mysterious stories
D. Those buried treasures there
第三部分阅读理解(共16小题;每小题 2 分,满分 32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,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
One evening a police officer was driving slowly along a road. He was off duty and was wearing plain clothes.
Suddenly he saw two men running out of a building. He heard someone shouting, “Help! Help! Stop thief!” The police officer was sure that the two men were thieves. He knew he must arrest them. However, he was not only out of uniform (制服) but also unarmed (没有带枪). He knew if he got out of his car and tried to arrest them, at least one of the men would easily escape. The police officer was facing a difficult problem. He knew that he mustn’t let the men escape, but how could he arrest them?
He thought quickly and had an idea. It involved danger and it might not work, but he decided to try.
He drove his car up to the men and stopped beside them. Then he put his head out of the window and asked, “Do you want a lift?”
“Yes, yes,” the men answered, and quickly got into his car. “Please take us to the railway station,” they told him.
“Very good,” the police officer said and drove off. After a few minutes, one of the men cried out, “But this isn’t the way to the railway station. Where are you going?” “I must go this way,” the police officer explained. “There’s a big fire and the traffic is held up. You don’t want to sit in a traffic jam, do you?”
“No, no,” the men agreed. “Please take us the quickest way.”
The next moment, the police officer had pulled up at the police station. He jumped out, shouted for help, and seconds later the two thieves were arrested.
61. How did the police officer decide to try to arrest the two thieves?
A. By telephoning the police for help.
B. By letting them get into his car.
C. By going back to the police station for his gun.
D. By asking people around to help him.
62. The underlined word “involved” means “”.
A. developed B. offered C. stopped D. caused
63. Why did the police officer tell the two thieves to get into his car instead of going to catch them directly?
A. He was afraid he would be beaten by them.
B. He was afraid they would recognize him.
C. He was afraid one of them would escape.
D. He was afraid they would not escape.
64. Soon after the two thieves got into the car they found out that ________.
A. they were not on the way to the railway station
B. the police officer was taking them to the police station
C. they were on the way to the airport
D. they were caught by the policeman
E
When the six very best students from different cities in Guangdong province all together chose universities in Hong Kong; when the very best student of Beijing picked up HK University while giving up the nearby Peking or Tsinghua University; when the highest enrollment(录取) rate of Hong Kong Science and Industry University reached 48:1, it’s the high time to ask where the real education heaven for students in China is.
Years ago, the answer certainly would be “Peking or Tsinghua University”. But now no one could give the exact reaction without hesitation. The only sure thing is that HK universities have gradually showed an unusual attraction to a great many mainland students.
It’s no doubt to call this HK craze(狂热), which is even out of the expectation of those HK universities themselves.
How can HK universities shake the steady foundations of Peking and Tsinghua and attract so many mainland students?
First, Hong Kong universities offer large-amount scholarship, especially for the top students who can receive the sum scholarship as much as 400 000 HK dollars. Since higher education has become a kind of heavy burden of many families, it’s easy to understand why the reaction to the generous offering of HK universities is great.
Second, most HK universities receive professors and students from all over the world and carry out bilingual (双语)education. This kind of excellent language atmosphere is another attraction for mainland students.
Furthermore, university students in Hong Kong have a better chance to study abroad as exchange students.
Can mainland top universities like Peking or Tsinghua University calm as before when facing the unexpected competition from HK? Will they take relevant measures to win back the top students who once help them set the worldwide reputation? Time will explain it.
The fierce competition brought by HK universities can be a good thing for an entire improvement of education in China. After the awakening and action-taking of mainland universities, they can perform better together with HK universities.
At least, it reminded the mainland universities the tuition fees(学费)are among students’ top concern when they are choosing universities. It’s time to move.
72.What is the passage mainly talking about?
A.Some thoughts brought by the enrollment of HK universities.
B.Higher education in Hong Kong.
C.The competition between HK University and Peking University.
D.The fall of mainland universities.
73.Top students from mainland apply for HK universities because________.
A.many students now would love to study abroad to get a better experience
B.they concern only about the tuition fees when shoosing universities
C.HK Universities offer higher scholarship, better environment and more opportunities for their further study
D.Peking university has lost its worldwide reputation
74.What is the author’s attitude toward the competition brought by HK universities?
A.The government should take relevant measures to stop this unfair competition
B.Mainland universities had better lower their tuition fees and win back the top students.
C.Universities both in mainland and in HK would get an entire improvement during the competition.
D.It may probably cause a complete loss to both sides in the end.
75.From the passage we can see HK universities________.
didn’t mean to enroll top students from mainland
B.didn’t expect their enrollment of mainland students would be so popular
C.have strict enrollment rules and only 1out of 48 students can get the chance to study there
D.are proud of their teaching staff and facilities
D
Skyscrapers and domed stadiums can amaze us. These modern “wonders of the world” are great achievements in building. Some skyscrapers stretch more than 100 stories toward the sky. The Sears Tower, the tallest building in Chicago, soars 110 stories above the city. Domed stadiums like the Astrodome in Huston, Texas, have seats for thousands of people. Inside these stadiums, people can watch their favorite sports without the bother of heat, cold, rain, or snow. Modern skyscrapers and domed stadiums are certainly marvelous structures!
On the other hand, our modern buildings may seem small when compared to some structures of the ancient world. Our buildings may be large, hold many people, and protect us from the weather. However, many ancient structures stand as some of the greatest achievements in building. Ancient builders used great creativity and physical strength to plan and complete these buildings. Today, we could make most of these ancient structures easily, but it is hard to understand how people built them hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
Stonehenge is a huge stone circle in Europe. It was built more than 4,000 years ago. The circle has stone slabs that stand up to 30 feet tall. The heaviest stones in the circle weigh about 50 tons. How did people build Stonehenge without cranes or other modern equipment? Scientists have studied Stonehenge for years and think it probably took more than 30 million hours to complete the project.
Tourists in Africa like to see the Great Pyramids of Egypt. These tombs for Egyptian kings were built over 4,000 years ago. Each tomb has walls shaped like triangles and a square base. The largest pyramid is more than 450 feet tall and contains more than two million stones. Each stone weighs more than two tons. Some of the stones weigh as much as 200 tons. More than 900 workers worked to move the largest stones into place.
The stone faces are unusual structures on Easter Island. The faces are 12 to 20 feet high. Islanders made the stone faces more than 1,000 years ago. We do not know why they built them. There are more than 600 stone faces on the island. The great number of stone faces is surprising, since Easter Island is only 11 miles long and 15 miles wide.
Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids, and the stone faces on Easter Island give only a glimpse of the ancient achievements in building. If we look back through history, we can find many more examples of marvelous structures built without the aid of modern tools and equipment.
68.What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Modern builders have learned a great deal by studying ancient structures.
B.Modern builders have shown great creativity in the structures they have made.
C.Ancient builders could not create structures as great as modern ones.
D.Ancient builders created some of the world’s finest structures without the use of the modern methods or materials.
69.According to the passage, ancient structures are amazing because they were built ______ .
A.in places like Egypt and EuropeB.without the use of modern equipment
C.from stone slabs D.over long periods of time
70.The author of this passage would probably describe the achievements of ancient builders as _____.
A.ordinary B.amazing C.strange D.impossible
71.Which of the following is an OPINION expressed in this passage?
A.The stone slabs at Stonehenge stand up to 30 feet tall.
B.Modern skyscrapers and domed stadiums are certainly marvelous structures.
C.Some ancient structures required 900 workers to complete them.
D.The Sears Tower is 110 stories high.
C
Snoopy and Lou were robbers. Half a year ago, they decided to plan another bank robbery. It was to be their last one. Then they would give up this business and live a comfortable life. The job was so well done that the judge who sent them to prison for fifteen years each said it was the cleverest robbery of the century, and what a pity it was that their car had used up its petrol not far from the bank.
After they were in prison for a few weeks, Snoopy and Lou decided to escape. Soon they worked out a plan as good as any they had ever made. Even the smallest points were considered carefully. They planned as a team because they lived in the same room, and because the guards, who had a great deal of respect for the famous robbers, left them very much alone. They decided the quickest and safest way to escape was to squeeze themselves along a drain form their present workplace in the prison to a quiet country road on the other side of the prison wall.
The great day arrived, and the pair started along the drain. With great difficulty, they squeezed themselves along for what seemed ages. In half an hour , they could see daylight. When they got out, the men were so pleased with themselves at their success that they sloped each other on the back. It was only then that they realized they were not alone. They looked around, they found themselves facing thirty astonished policemen, who were carrying musical instruments of various sorts. The next morning, the same judge seemed very sorry as he told Snoopy and Lou that the plan of the prison drain system, which they had studied so carefully, was more than twenty years old, and that the quiet country road was no longer there. The drain now led directly to the parade ground where the police band had just finished practicing when the two robbers appeared before them.
64.What was Snoopy and Lou’s plan to escape from the prison?
A.They planned to run away while working
in the prison workplace.
B.They planned to climb over the prison wall, on the other side of which was a quiet country road.
C.They planned to crawl along the drain which led to a country road
D.They planned to get to the parade ground through the drain which was empty when the police band was not practicing.
65.Snoopy and Lou failed in their plan to escape because_________.
A.they did not play well before hand
B.they were not quick enough in their action
C.the policemen had been keeping a watchful eye on them
D.the map of the prison drain system they used was out of date
66.According to this article, which of the following statements is true?
A.When Snoopy and Lou went out of the drain, thirty policemen were waiting for them.
B.When Snoopy and Lou found themselves facing thirty policemen, they turned round and ran in the direction of the country road.
C.The policemen caught Snoopy and Lou by chance
D.The policemen were frightened more than surprised when the two robbers suddenly appeared before them
67.It seemed the judge________.
A.admired Snoopy and Lou for their cleverness
B.felt very proud to try the two famous robbers for their crime
C.was very angry at Snoopy and Lou’s breaking the law again and again
D.was sad at Snoopy and Lou’s breaking the law again