Crowd controls could soon become an important skill for climbers on Mount Everest, as important as physical strength or watching the weather. In a single day last week, nearly 40 people reached the top of the world --- a record. Reports from base camp spoke of queues at dangerous ridges and crowds as people passed each other in the final dash for the 8, 848 meters top.
More traditional mountaineers tease about the circus atmosphere surrounding Everest in recent years, and there are warnings that the crowds are making the mountain more dangerous. In 1996, 14 died on the mountain when the members of several groups were trapped at high altitudes by sudden snowstorms. Bad weather in early May led to this year’s jam on the summit ridge, but the loss, luckily, was light. Just four climbers died, including a Nepali Sherpa who had made 11 previous successful climbing.
Traditionalists are also worried about the growing tendency of climbers to set records and achieve “firsts”, rather than simply climb the mountain. This year’s crop of mountaineers included the oldest man, 64-year-old Sherman Bull from Connecticut, and the youngest, 16-year-old Temba Tsheri Sherpa of Nepal. An American with only one arm was on the mountain this year; an Indian with no legs also tried but failed. Erik Weihennieyer, an American, became the first blind person to reach the top of the world. His fellow climbers stayed in front of him on the way up, describing the type of land and ringing bells.
Nepal(尼泊尔)views Mount Everest as something of a cash cow. The government charges journeys a minimum of $ 70,000. That is probably why officials in Katmandu are ignoring concerns about overcrowding and talking about even more climbers coming next year. But a celebration of the 48th anniversary of the first conquest of Everest, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, was cancelled after violent strikes. Tumultuous(动乱的)Nepali politics, it seems, could be just the crowd-control measure that Everest needs.What is the problem that the climbers have to face in recent years?
A.Bad Weather. | B.Technology. | C.Overcrowding. | D.Physical strength. |
What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A.The risks of mountain climbing. |
B.The consequence of overcrowding. |
C.The challenge that climbers have to face. |
D.The damage that snowstorms have caused. |
Several climbers are mentioned in Paragraph 3 to show ______.
A.their great courage | B.their common motivation |
C.their different identity | D.their outstanding achievements |
What is the attitude of the Nepali government towards overcrowding?
A.Unconcerned. | B.Doubtful. | C.Disapproving. | D.Worried. |
When I was at university, I studied very hard. But a lot of my friends did very little work. Some did just enough to pass exams. Others didn't do quite enough. Fred Baines was one of them. He spent more time drinking in the Students' Union than working in the library.
Once, at the end of the term, we had to take an important test in chemistry. The test had a hundred questions. Beside each question, we had to write "True" or "False". While I was studying in my room the night before the test, Fred was watching television. Fred usually worried a lot the night before a test. But on that night he looked perfectly calm. Then he told me of his plan.
"It's very simple. There are a hundred questions and I have to get fifty correct to pass the test. I'll take a coin into the examination room. I haven't studied a chemistry book for months, so I'll just toss(抛) the coin. That way, I'm sure I'll get half the questions right."
The next day Fred came cheerfully into the examination room. He sat tossing a coin for half an hour as he marked down his answers. Then he left, half an hour before the rest of us.
The next day, he saw the chemistry professor in the corridor (走廊).
"Oh, good," he said. "Have you got the result of the test? What mark did I get?"
The professor looked at him and smiled.
"Ah, it's you, Baines. Just a minute."
Then he reached into his pocket and took out a coin. He threw it into the air, caught it in his hand and looked at it.
"I'm terribly sorry, Baines," he said, "you failed."
61. Fred Baines .
A. spent quite some time working in the Students' Union
B. worked hard at his lessons but he failed again and again
C. often failed his tests
D. wouldn't work hard so long as he could pass a test
62. Fred looked perfectly calm before the chemistry test because .
A. he was already well prepared for it
B. he didn't think the test was so important for him
C. someone had promised to help him out
D. he believed he had found out a way to pass the test without any difficulty
63. The students were required to finish the test within .
A. half an hour B. an hour C. three quarters D. an hour and a half
64. After the test, Baines was .
A. sure that he would pass it
B. anxious to know the result
C. sorry that he cheated during the test
D. discouraged because he'd probably fail the test
65. The professor told Baines the result of the test by tossing a coin because .
A. he hadn't marked all the papers yet
B. he couldn't remember the mark Baines got
C. he wouldn't hurt Baines' feeling by telling him the truth
D. he wanted to teach Baines a lesson
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,共40分)
Once a rich woman asked Martin Brown, a famous singer, to her house. She wanted him to sing for her friends, but she didn't ask him to have dinner with them. She told him to eat downstairs with the servants.
The singer was surprised. But he said nothing and went downstairs. After the meal he stood up and said to the servants, "Now, my good friends, I shall sing for you."
Of course, the servants were pleased. He sang them several songs. When they asked for more, he sang more. At 9 o'clock the rich woman asked the singer to come up to the sitting room. When he came in, he saw all the friends sitting and looking at him.
"We are ready now, Mr. Brown," said the woman. "You may begin."
"Ready for what?" asked the singer.
"For your songs, of course, "she answered. "But I have sung already!" said Mr. Brown, "and I can't sing twice in one evening."
"You have sung already!" said the rich woman in surprise. "But when? And where did you sing?" "Just now, downstairs." "Really?" she cried.
"Yes, madam," said the singer. "I usually sing for the people after I have dinner with them, you know."
And with a polite "Good night", he left the rich woman's house.
56. Martin Brown was
A. a rich woman B. a famous singer
C. a servant D. the rich woman's friend
57. The rich woman asked Martin Brown to her house .
A. to meet her friends B. to have dinner with her
C. to sing for her friends D. to do some cooking
58. What did the singer do after the meal?
A. He cleaned the house.
B. He went upstairs to see his friends.
C. He went home by bus.
D. He sang for the servants.
59. How did the rich woman feel when she knew that the singer had sung for her servants?
A. She was happy. B. She was angry.
C. She was surprised. D. She was sorry.
60. From this story we know.
A. the rich woman and the singer are very good friends
B. the singer didn't sing for the rich woman's friends
C. the servants didn't like Martin Brown's songs
D. the woman's friends were very pleased to hear the songs
Ever since the first skyscraper(摩天大楼) was built in Chicago in 1883, more and more buildings that reach for the skies have been constructed in the large cities of the world.
For many years, the Empire State Building in New York City was the tallest building in the world. It was 1250 feet high when it was opened in 1931. Then in 1951 a TV transmission⑨ tower was added for radio and television broadcasts. This tower added 222 feet to its height.
Soon other skyscrapers were built. The World Trade Center in New York, 1350 feet high, and Chicago’s Sears Tower, 1450 feet high. No one can say how much higher skyscrapers will go in the future.
Early skyscrapers were built with thick heavy walls of solid brick, stone, or concrete. Now the new skyscrapers are built with a steel framework⑩ that supports the weight of the building. The solid walls are no longer needed, and the framework makes it possible to build to greater heights.
Built at first mainly for offices and shops, some skyscrapers are now becoming homes for people who want to live in the center of the city. The 100-story John Hancock Center, a Chicago skyscraper that opened in 1970, is an example. Between the first and 43rd floor, there are offices and shops. There is a swimming pool on the 44th floor. From the 45th floor to the 92nd there are apartments. The people who live in these apartments can look down on the clouds instead of up at them.
67.What happened to the Empire State Building in 1951?
A. It was no longer the tallest building in the world.
B. A tower was added to it, which increased its height.
C. It was transformed into a radio and television broadcasting station.
D. It provided homes for people who wanted to live in the city center.
68.We cannot know how much taller skyscrapers will become in the future because _______________.
A. a TV transmission tower can be added
B. solid walls of brick, stone or concrete are no longer needed
C. the steel framework makes it possible to build to greater heights
D. some skyscrapers are now becoming homes
69.Originally, skyscrapers were built as _______________.
A. business centers and offices
B. radio and television broadcasting stations
C. apartment complexes
D. apartment and shops
70.How do people benefit from living in the John Hancock Center?
A. They can enjoy looking at the clouds above the building.
B. They have all the city center facilities nearby.
C. They can use the swimming pool on the top of the building.
D. They can work at offices inside the building.
Marilyn Monroe was certainly one of the most famous actresses of the twentieth century.She was known as the “Blonde Bombshell” and the “Sex Goddess of the Silver Screen”.However,surprisingly,this famous actress never won any major acting awards throughout her 15year career in the movies.Critics(评论家) may not have thought highly of her acting ability,but the huge number of her fans flocking to see her movies propelled(推进) her to fame and fortune.
Being a teenager,she found a job in a parachute packing factory during World War Ⅱ.A picture of young Ms Mortenson in a magazine led her into modelling.Hoping to move from modelling into acting,the young woman began trying out for acting jobs with several movie studios in Hollywood.She finally got a oneyear contract(合同)with Twentieth Century-Fox.However,Ms Monroe’s career as an actress did not start well.She was given small parts in several films which did not do very well at the box office,and the studio decided to drop her contract.With no money and no work,the actress agreed to let a photographer take pictures without any clothes on for a calendar,for which she was paid $50.
In 1951,with the help of a friend,Ms Monroe got a sevenyear contract with the same studio again.The studio began putting the actress in movies playing a “dumb blonde”and Ms Monroe became a hit.After playing “dumb blonde” in six more movies,she got her first lead role in the movie Niagara in 1953,which did well in box office.She proved that she could sing and dance in her own sexy way in movies like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire.She also showed that she could perform as a comic actress.
While her movie career went on well,her private life was not quite a successful.She had got married for three times,but all her marriage didn’t last long.Probably due to her addiction to alcohol and sleeping pills,she was difficult to work with and was fired.Two months later,she was found dead from an overdose.
63.How long did she stay in the field of the movie?
A.5 years. B.15 years. C.10 years D.20 years.
64.What did Ms Monroe do before she became an actress?
A.She made a calendar. B.She worked in a factory.
C.She designed clothes. D.All of the above.
65..In which movie did Ms Monroe have her first staring role?
A.Niagara. B.How to Marry a Millionaire.
C.Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. D.Some Like It Hot.
66.We can infer from the passage that .
A.what she was after were fame and fortune
B.what she liked most were alcohol and sleeping pills
C.she couldn’t get on well with others
D.she didn’t feel happy in spite of her fame and fortune
BUS SERVICE
New York City — Brennan, New Jersey
(Trip time: 30 minutes each way )
Timetable
●Buses leave the Railway Station, New York 7:00 a.m. and every half-hour thereafter(此后) until 11:30 p.m. (7 days a week).
●Buses leave Brennan Station 20 minutes before and after every hour from 6:20 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. (7 days a week ).
●Evening rush hours(5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) buses leave the Railway Station, New York every 15 minutes (Monday — Friday).
●Holidays: buses leave every hour on the hour time, each direction.
All tickets must be bought at Window 12, the Railway Station, New York, or at the Brennan Station Window before boarding buses.
60. What time does a bus leave New York for Brennan every Thursday?
A. 10:20 a.m. B. 6:30 a.m. C. 6:45 p.m. D. 4:40 p.m.
61. Which is the latest bus you should take from Brennan if you have to arrive at the Railway Station, New York before 4:00 p. m. on Monday?
A. The 3:20 p. m bus B. the 3:00 p. m bus
C. The 3:30 p. m bus D. The 3:40 p. m bus
62. What time does a bus leave Brennan for New York on Christmas Day
A. 1:00 p. m B. 9:40 a. m C. 3:15 p. m D. 8:30 a. m