Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s a big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone as a typewriter. “You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.”
The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose wish is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S, Coast Guard to become a freelance writer(自由撰稿者), I had no hope at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer.
After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t got a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering. What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.The writer wrote the passage to ________.
| A．warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience |
| B．advise young people to give up their ideas of becoming a professional writer |
| C．show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to dream of wealth and fame |
| D．encourage young people to gain a writing career |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Real writers often find their works interesting and rewarding. |
| B．A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort. |
| C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and loneliness. |
| D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small. |
The underlined part “people who die wondering. What if?” refers to “those _______.”
| A．who think too much of the dark side of life |
| B．who regret giving up their careers halfway |
| C．who think a lot without making a decision |
| D．who are full of imaginations even upon death |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．how to be a writer | B．how to earn fame |
| C．how to write well | D．how to keep dreaming |
B
Weather is the subject matter of Westerners whenever they met. Housewives, businessmen, factory workers as well as farmers all talk about the weather. It’s everyday news, whether or not conditions change. Many newspapers carry a regular front page news story in addition to the full reports on as inside-page provided by the weather service. Here are several different types of weather reports taken from the western papers:
No. 1 Regional Forecast
| New Jersey Today: Considerably cloudy with showers likely. High: 75-79. Southwesterly winds at 15-20m.p.h.. Precipitation(降水) probability 70 percent. Tonight: Warm and cloudy, rain likely. Low: 55-63. Southwesterly winds at 15 to 20m.p.h.. Tomorrow: Showers and thunderstorms likely. High: 75-79. Wind S to SW at 15 to 20m.p.h. |
No. 2 Three-day Forecast
| Westchester, Rockland Friday: Mostly fine to partly cloudy. Saturday: Cloudy with some showers. Sunday: Mostly fine. Temperature: Daytime highs will average in the upper 60’s to 70’s while overnight lows will average in the low to 50’s throughout the period. |
No. 3 Weather Stories
| Bitter cold, intensified(加剧) by high winds, gripped(控制) the Upper Midwest today, sheets of ice and snow left by the winter’s first major storm on highways throughout the area. At least six deaths were blamed on the storm. Hundreds of schools closed throughout the Upper Midwest yesterday and thousands of travelers waited out the weather at roadside shelters(避难处). Temperatures dropped well below zero early today from the Northern Plains through the Western Great Lakes under clearing skies. A 25-below-zero reading was forecast. Nearly a foot of snow fell on northern sections of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. And hardest hit were Duluth, Minn. and Superior, Wis., where 12 inches were recorded. Winds went up to 50 miles an hour. |
45. In a street corner of London, two strangers may begin their talk with “_____”.
A. Hi, how are you? B. What are you doing here? Waiting for someone?
C. A nice day, isn’t it? D. Didn’t you listen to the weather report last night?
46. The noon temperature of _____ is nearly 70’s at the weekend.
A. Western Great Lakes B. Duluth, Minn
C. Westchester, Rockland D. New Jersey
47. It seems that _____ has plenty of rain at the present season.
A. Western Great Lakes B. Wisconsin C. Westchester Rockland D. New Jersey
48. Which of the following is most probable according to No.3?
A. The traffic was terribly affected.
B. The Five Great Lakes were covered by heavy snow.
C. The temperatures might drop to 50℃.
D. Many schools were damaged in the snowstorm.
第四节：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
A
It was the perfect weather for leaf watching, and my housemate Julie and I meant to spend the weekend with our friends in the north Georgia mountains. "Don’t you want to come along? "Julie asked her 15-year-old son, Mark. "Enjoy the leaves by yourselves,” he told her. "I’ll be fine staying home by myself. "Julie and I drove there in my car after work on Friday. On Saturday morning we hiked along the mountainside and enjoyed the beautiful colors. All of a sudden, I had a terrible feeling. "Go home," a voice seemed to urge me. I couldn’t explain it, but I didn’t want to be here any more. I just wanted to go home. "Carol, calm down. You’re being silly, "Julie said. But the urge just got stronger. "I’ve got to leave," I said. "If you want to stay, you can get a ride back with everyone else tomorrow. "Julie stood up. "No, I’ll go with you, "she said. We almost didn’t talk during the two-hour trip back. I felt very guilty. Finally, we pulled in. The lights were on in the house, but something was strange. The windows seemed to be fogged up. Julie opened the door and smoke poured out. "Mark!" she shouted. "Mark!" We rushed inside and found him asleep on the sofa. Shaking him awake, Julie grabbed him. I grabbed the source of the smoke —a pillow too close to the fireplace. I then took it outside and threw water on it. Mark had built a fire to keep warm, and some embers (灰烬) had flown out. The whole house could have gone up if we hadn’t gotten there just then!
41. What do we know from the text?
A. Leaf watching was Mark’s hobby. B. Mark stayed home with his friends.
C. Carol went to work on Friday. D. Mark was Carol’s cousin.
42. The underlined phrase "pulled in" in the last paragraph probably means "_______".
A. started the car B. arrived home and stopped the car
C. moved away from the station D. came home late
43. While driving home Carol ________.
A. was very terrified B. drove at a great speed
C. knew she had made a mistake D. hardly said anything
44. Why did Carol want to go home?
A. She didn’t enjoy the leaves. B. She received her son’s telephone call.
C. She felt something urged her to go home. D. She followed Julie’s advice.
D
| ENTRY-EXIT INSPECTION AND QUARANTINE THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA HEALTH AND QUARANTINE DECLARATION FORM ON ENTRY Name: Shirley_Booth Sex: Male √ Female Birth Date: 1959_yy_02_mm Nationality（Region）: American Time of Arrival: 17:20_hh_ Place of arrival: Shenzhen From（Country/Region）: USA Passport No．: CA5728019 Vehicle/ Ship/Flight No．: Flight_UA_3625 Seat No．: 16E Destination: Changsha,_Hunan 1．Please list the countries and cities（towns） that you have visited in the past 4 weeks: New_York,_Paris,_Tokyo_and_Hong_Kong 2．The contact address and telephone number in the next 14 days: Changsha_Friendship_Hotel 3．Please mark “√” before the items of following symptoms or illness if you have any now． Fever Cough Other disease Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing 4．Have you had close contact with any probable or suspected H1N1 case in the past 14 days? Yes √ No 5．Please mark “√”before the items of following articles if you bring any of them． Animal Animal products Plant Plant products √ Biological products Waste and used clothing Soil I hereby declare that all the information given above is true and correct． Date: April_16,_2009 Signature: Shirley_Booth Note: 1． For the health of all, please give true and correct information; 2． You will be sued according to related laws if you give the false information; 3． No entry shall be allowed without the declaration; 4． Body temperature: 37°C |
68．When does one need to fill in this form?
A．Permissions for a foreigner to take the Chinese nationality．
B．Entry to China from other countries or regions．
C．Exit to other countries or regions from China．
D．Anyone planning to take animals to China from other countries or regions．
69．The underlined word “sued” can be taken the place of by _____．
A．charged B．sentenced C．prevented D．analyzed
70．Which of the following statements is false according to the form?
A．It was not by ship that Shirley Booth came to China．
B．Shirley Booth went to at least three continents during March16-April 16, 2009．
C．Shirley Booth brought some biological products with her．
D．From the form we know Shirley Booth was not in good health．
C
A technique that controls immediate gas explosions by spraying them with large droplets of water is being tested by scientists at the University of Wales, United Kingdom．Instead of using the traditional fine water sprays when a gas leak is detected, the researchers have discovered that large droplets help to draw in some of the force of any explosion and provide a better way of controlling fire．
The research is based on studies made of the Piper Alpha oil rig （油井） explosion that occurred in the North Sea nine years ago killing 167 workers．The Welsh team found that by covering the gas-leak area with water droplets, the explosion and its effect can be greatly reduced．
Dr Gerand Thomas, a good lecturer in physics at the university’s Center for Explosion Studies, said that it was impossible to deal with gas explosions in the same way as fires because the whole event may only last a quarter of a second and normal water sprays do not have time to be effective．
Using the droplets of water to hold explosions resulted in the water being turned into a mist that allows some force of the explosion to be reduced．The mist slows down the combustion （燃烧） process and can stop a large amount of the gas igniting （点火,燃烧）, thus greatly reducing damage by limiting pressure development．With such a system, the operator has to decide at what point after a gas leak to activate the sprays．
The Center for Explosion Studies is the first of its kind in the UK and has been purposely-built for the study and implication of industrial explosions on land and sea．Research is developed to the causes of accidental explosions and they might be prevented．Full-sized imitative buildings can be built at the center where explosions and fires are created to test preventative equipment using sensors to monitor their efficiency．
Another area that the Welsh researchers have been looking at is how materials respond to explosions．The center also carries out research requested by individual customers．
64．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Piper Alpha Oil Rig Explosion
B．Large Droplets of Water
C．A New Way of Controlling Gas Explosions
D．The center for Explosion Studies
65．The research finds that _____ in holding immediate explosion．
A．small water sprays are better than large droplets of water
B．small water sprays are not as good as large droplets of water
C．both small water sprays and large droplets of water are good
D．neither small water sprays nor large droplets of water is good
66．Dr Geraint Thomas implies that ______．
A．normal water sprays can put out fire effectively
B．gas explosions break out more quickly than fires
C．fires are easier to be held than explosions
D．gas explosions break out so quickly that there is no way to control it
67．Which of the following is not included in the research area of the Center for Explosion Studies?
A．To test the result of gas explosion．
B．To get some implications of industrial explosions on land and sea．
C．To find out how materials respond to explosions．
D．To find out when material respond to explosions．
B
New evidence shows that getting enough Vitamin D may be the most important thing you can do for your health．
You know the usual prescription for good health: a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, no smoking．Now add this: Spend a little more time in the sun．
Huh? That may sound like medical heresy （反面观点）．After all, we've been warned for decades about the dangers of the sun: wrinkles, age spots and the increasing threat of skin cancer．But new and impressive medical evidence suggests that sunlight is beneficial．The vitamin D it prompts our bodies to make may prevent cancer, protect against heart disease and ward off a long list of disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and gum disease．It is even showing promise as a treatment for heart disease and some cancers．
Long recognized as vitally important for bone building （it's needed for calcium absorption）, vitamin D has now achieved superstar status among nutrients．While all doctors may not agree, many experts are confident enough of its wide-ranging powers to urge that we get much more of it, from the sun and from supplements, as even the best diet in the world may not give us enough．
60．Which of the following is NOT the usual way of keeping healthy?
A．To do exercise now and then．
B．To eat plenty of fruits and vegetables．
C．To avoid staying in the sun for a long time．
D．To keep away from cigarettes．
61．What does the underlined word “prompts” in the third paragraph mean?
A．causes B．forces C．motivates D．encourages
62．According to the passage, vitamin D ________．
A．can be got by doing regular exercise
B．can be used to prevent some cancers
C．can be got from the sunlight
D．can be used to remove the wrinkles
63．The passage is most likely from a（an） ________．
A．advertisement B．news report C．magazine D．medical prescription