Jeanne Calment, a French woman, become a record breaker on 17 October 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France, her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes here as being “more like a 90-year-old in good health” than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on the 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied, “A very short one.” She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a say, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at her age, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying: “Sorry, I’m still alive!” How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?
A.She feels upset and unhappy. |
B.She is cheerful and humorous. |
C.She likes to live much longer. |
D.She feels she is going to die very soon. |
The text seems to suggest that Jeanne Calment owes her good health and long life to______.
A.smoking only little every day |
B.neither smoking nor drinking |
C.always drinking two glasses of strong red wine a day and never smoking |
D.the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises |
Which of the following could best explain the underlined word “genes” in the third paragraph?
A.good habits of body-building. |
B.Some materials that control the development of a living thing. |
C.Comfortable living conditions. |
D.Something necessary for a person to keep his life. |
Why did Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive!” to the local lawyer?
A.She had an agreement with the lawyer when she was 80. |
B.The lawyer has not paid her enough rent yet. |
C.The lawyer has paid her more money than the value of the house. |
D.The house she sold to the lawyer was worth the money already paid. |
DCollege libraries are designed primarily for research and study. To explain its use, let us choose a research topic and follow the step-by-step procedure of looking up the material for the paper. Suppose your assignment is to write a paper on a novel called “The Sun Also Rises” by American writer Hemingway. The first step is to go to the main catalog. Many small drawers on the large wooden cabinets are lined up in alphabetical(字母的) order. Each of the drawers contains hundreds of alphabetical ordered cards. These cards are printed references to all material available in the library. Title cards are cataloged() by the first word of the book title, leaving out the articles like “a”, “an” and “the”. And then you get the cards for the books you need. On the upper left corner of each card is the call number. This is the numerical code that shows where the book is located in the library. The library has open and closed stacks. If your book is on the open stacks, you can go to the open-stack room, and according to the call number find it out by yourself. There are only about 30,000 books on o pen stacks, while most of the 800,000 books in our library are kept in closed stacks, which are accessible only to teachers and graduate students. For undergraduates like you, borrowing books from the closed stacks have to be done with the help of our librarian. In that case, you must fill out a call slip(纸条) for the book, showing the call number, author and title. You can get call slips on tables near the catalog cabinets. You show your call slip together with your library card to a librarian at the information desk. He or she will help you find the book out in the closed stacks.
53.What is the main purpose of this text?
A. To present readers a brief introduction to a college library.
B. To guide readers how to find books needed in a college library.
C. To tell readers how to fill out a call slip in a college library.
D. To show readers where to find books in a college library.
54.What letter you should look for on the title card for the book “The Old Man and the Sea” by the Hemingway?
A. The letter “t”. B. The letter “h”. C. The letter “s”. D. The letter “o”.
55.How are books arranged and shelved in the library?
A. By call numbers. B. By call slips of authors’ names.
C. In alphabetical order. D. By the first word of book title.
56.Suppose you are an undergraduate and you want to borrow a book from the closed stacks, which is the correct order to do it?
a. go to the main catalog b. show your call slip and library card
c. find out the call number d. fill out a call slip
e. get the cards for the books
A.a-b-e-d-c B. a-e-c-d-b C. b-a-c-d-e D. b-c-a-e-d
CAmong the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H.A.W. Tabor and his second wife, Elizabeth McCourt, better known as "Baby Doe". Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West. Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. With his first wife and two children he left Vermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homestead in Kansas. Perhaps he did not find farming to his liking, or perhaps he was attracted by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines. At any rate, a few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. "A large amount of lead is sure to be found here." he said.
As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store, which sold everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco. It was his custom to "grubstake" prospective(预期的) miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or"grub", while they looked for ore(矿石), in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered. He did this for a number of years, but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.
Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for "grub". Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. These were persistent(坚持的), however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. "Oh help yourself. One more time won’t make any difference," He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. The two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren place on the mountainside and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the "Pittsburgh Mine," made $1,300, 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.
Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117,000.This turned out to be even more abundant than the Pittsburgh, producing $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor, and later became the governor of the state.
49. The word "grubstake" in paragraph 2 means __________ .
A. to supply miners with food and supplies
B. to open a general store
C. to do one’s contribution to the development of the mine
D. to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine, if one was discovered
50.Tabor made his first fortune_________.
A. by supplying two prospective miners and getting in return a one-third interest in the findings
B. because he was persuaded by the two miners to quit supplying
C. by buying the shares of the other
D. as a land speculator(投机商)
51. The underlying(潜在的)reason for Tabor’s successful life career is __________.
A. purely accidental
B. based on the analysis of miner’s being very poor and their possibility of discovering
profitable mining site
C. through the help from his second wife
D. he planned well and accomplished targets step by step
52. If this passage is the first part of an article, who might be introduced in the following part?
A. Tabor’s life. B. Tabor’s second wife, Elizabeth McCourt.
C. Other colorful characters. D. Tabor’s other careers.
B
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states — at least in getting people off welfare. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls(名册) since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens Country poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent — twice the national average.
For advocates(代言人)for the poor, that’s an indication much more needs to be done.
“More people are getting jobs, but it’s not making their lives any better,” says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin(毒素)that was poisoning the family,” saysRobert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. “The reform is changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It’s beginning to rebuild the work ethic(道德观), which is much more important.”
Mr. Rector and others argued that once “the habit of dependency is cracked,” then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.
45. From the passage, it can be seen that the author _______.
A. believes the reform has reduced the government’s burden
B. insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor
C. is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reform
D. considers welfare reform to be basically successful
46. Why aren’t people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
A. Because many families are divorced.
B. Because government aid is now rare.
C. Because their wages are low.
D. Because the cost of living is rising.
47. From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at _______.
A. saving welfare funds
B. rebuilding the work ethic
C. providing more jobs
D. cutting government expenses
48. According to the passage before the welfare reform was carried out, _______.
A. the poverty rate was lower
B. average living standards were higher
C. the average worker was paid higher wages
D. the poor used to rely on government aid
第二部分阅读理解(共20小题。每小题2分;满分40分)
第一节阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(ABC和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黒。
ALong after the 1998 World Cup was won, disappointed fans were still cursing thedisputed refereeing (裁判) decisions that denied victory to their team. A researcher was appointed to study the performance of some top referees.
The researcher organized an experimental tournament (锦标赛) involving four youth teams. Each match lasted an hour, divided into three periods of 20 minutes during which different referees were in charge.
Observers noted down the referees' errors, of which there were 61 over the tournament. Converted to a standard match of 90 minutes, each referee made almost 23mistakes, a remarkably high number.
The researcher then studied the videotapes to analyze the matches in detail. Surprisingly, he found that errors were more likely when the referees were close to the incident. When the officials got it right, they were, on average, 17 meters away from the action. The average distance in the case of errors was 12 meters. The research shows the optimum (最佳的) distance is about 20 meters.
There also seemed to be an optimum speed. Correct decisions came when the referees were moving at a speed of about 2 meters per second. The average speed for errors was 4 meters per second.
If FIFA, football's international ruling body, wants to improve the standard ofrefereeing at the next World Cup, it should encourage referees to keep their eyes on the action from a distance, rather than rushing to keep up with the ball, the researcher argues.
He also says that FIFA's insistence that referees should retire at age 45 may be misguided. If keeping up with the action is not so important, their physical condition is less critical.
41. The number of refereeing errors in the experimental matches was _______.
A. slightly above average B. higher than in the 1998 World Cup
C. quite unexpected D. as high as in a standard match
42. The findings of the experiment show that _______.
A. errors are more likely when a referee keeps close to the ball
B. the farther the referee is from the incident, the fewer the errors
C. the more slowly the referee runs, the more likely will errors occur
D. errors are less likely when a referee stays in one spot
43. The word "officials" (Line 2, Para. 4) most probably refers to _______.
A. the researchers involved in the experiment
B. the inspectors of the football tournament
C. the referees of the football tournament
D. the observers at the site of the experiment
44. What is one of the possible conclusions of the experiment?
A. The ideal retirement age for an experienced football referee is 45.
B. Age should not be the chief consideration in choosing a football referee.
C. A football referee should be as young and energetic as possible.
D. An experienced football referee can do well even when in poor physical condition.
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有多余选项。
Have you ever seen any students whose trousers hang so low you can see their underwear? What do you think of that? Fashionable? Some of today’s teenagers are big fans of such a look. 71. __________
The headmaster of a school in central Italy has asked students to stop wearing low-rise jeans that expose underwear and parts of the body. His request came after a class trip. One day, he saw one boy’s baggy trousers slide to his feet. 72. ____________
But in Italy, a nation that takes fashion very seriously, the suggestion caused a debate among parents, teachers and students. The issue is whether the headmaster's request will limit students' freedom— or whether dress in Italian schools is too casual.
73. _________ “We do not want to kick fashion out,” the headmaster explained, “but extremes (极端) of fashion like this are not right in school.” Many other schools have now requested that their students also stop wearing such trousers.
74._________ Ludovica Gaudio, 14, wore extremely low trousers exposing orange underwear in class. It was cold, so she wore a matching orange scarf. 75._______________ “I don't really feel comfortable in those sort of jeans,” said Sarah Lattanzi, “in winter, when dressed like that, it's quite cold and I am afraid my stomach will ache.”
A.But recently this trend has been at the center of an argument in Italian middle schools. |
B.A parents’ group praised the move in favor of good taste, while others advised schools to stop worrying about fashion and fix up old school buildings. |
C.He pointed out that this way of dressing is not suitable for school. |
D.Most students have simply ignored the request. |
E. Another 14-year-old said she would probably respect the request, simply for practical reasons.
F. Let us see that Italian students react differently to schools’ requests.
G. Schools should pay attention to things more important than students’ clothes.