Humanbeingsarethemostintellige-优题课

C
If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis．From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit．
But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public education．
At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world．Yet in terms of its core mission---turning teenagers into educated college graduates--- much of the system is failing．
The United States does a good job enrolling （招生） teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree．
So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that．Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos．The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching．It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into．They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive．About half of the low-income students with a grade-point average of at least 3．5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have．“I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr．Bowen．
In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates．Meanwhile, lower-income students -–even when they are better qualified—often go to colleges that excel（擅长）in producing drop-outs．“It’s really a waste,” Mr．Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country．” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students．Instead, it appears to have fallen．
What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer．
46. Which of the following would people first think of as a factor responsible for the American financial crisis according to this passage?
A．The government． B．Public education
C．The Detroit automakers． D．The Wall Street firms．
47．What is a big problem with American higher education?
A．It is hard to enroll enough students into college．
B．Many colleges are experiencing low rate of graduation．
C．Many college students stay away from classes．
D．It is hard for many colleges to get financial aid from the government．
48．The title of the book Crossing the Finish Line probably means______．
A．running to the end of the line B．going to college
C．finishing college education D．working hard in college
49．Why do some students under--match ?
A．Because they have financial difficulty． B．Because they face ambition crisis．
C．Because they lack confidence． D．Because they can’t get guidance．
50．The passage is mainly about _______．
A．problems with secondary American education and possible solutions
B．America’s financial crisis, its cause and influence
C．low rate of American college graduation, its cause and its influence
D．relationship between American education and its economy

B
Taste is such a subjective matter that we don’t usually conduct preference tests for food．The most you can say about anyone’s preference is that it’s one person’s opinion．But because the two big cola companies-Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola-are marketed so aggressively, we’ve wondered how big a role taste preference actually plays in brand loyalty．We set up a taste test that challenged people who identified themselves as either Coca-cola or Pepsi fans: Find your brand in a blind tasting．
We invited staff volunteers who had a strong liking for either Coca-Cola Classic or Pepsi, Diet Coke, or Diet Pepsi．These were people who thought they’d have no trouble telling their brand from the other brand．
We eventually located 19 regular cola drinkers and 27 diet cola drinkers．Then we fed them with four unidentified samples of cola one at a time, regular colas for the one group, diet versions for the other．We asked them to tell us whether each sample was Coke or Pepsi; then we analyzed the records statistically to compare the participants’ choices with what mere guesswork could have accomplished．
Getting all four samples right was a tough test, but not too tough, we thought, for people who believed they could recognize their brand．In the end, only 7 out of 19 regular cola drinkers correctly identified their brand of choice in all four trials．The diet-cola drinkers did a little worse-only 7 out of 27 identified all four samples correctly．
Both groups did better than chance would predict, but nearly half the participants in each group made the wrong choice two or more times．Two people got all four samples wrong．Overall, half the participants did about as well on the last round of tasting as on the first, so tiredness, or taste burnout, was not a factor．Our preference test results suggest that only a few Pepsi participants and Coke fans may really be able to tell their favorite brand by taste and price．
41．According to the passage the preference test was conducted in order to ________．
A．show that a person’s opinion about taste is mere guesswork
B．compare the ability of the participants in choosing their drinks
C．find out the role taste preference plays in a person’s drinking
D．reveal which cola is more to the liking of the drinkers
42．The statistics recorded in the preference tests show that________．
A．there is not much difference in taste between Coca-Cola and Pepsi
B．few people had trouble telling Coca-Cola from Pepsi
C．people’s tastes differ from one another
D．Coca-Cola and Pepsi are people’s two most favorite drinks
43．It is implied in the first paragraph that________．
A．the competition between the two colas is very strong
B．blind tasting is necessary for identifying fans
C．the purpose of taste test is to promote the sale of colas
D．the improvement of quality is the chief concern of the two cola companies
44．The underlined word “burnout” here refers to the state of________．
A．being seriously burnt in the skin
B．being badly damaged by fire
C．being unable to burn for lack of fuel
D．being unable to function because of too much use
45．The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to________．
A．emphasize that taste and price are closely related to each other
B．recommend that blind tasting be introduced in the quality control of colas
C．show that taste preference is highly subjective
D．argue that taste testing is an important marketing strategy

第二部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2．5分，满分50分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
A
The key to happiness is how quickly you can get back your focus on what’s important．
-----Anonymous
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab．Here's what happened．I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station．We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us．My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us．My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy．And I mean, he was friendly．So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck．"
Many people are like garbage （rubbish） trucks．They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment．As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it．And if you let them, they'll dump it on you．When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally．You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on．You'll be happy you did．
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do anymore．"
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting．Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses．Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about．The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day．What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet．You'll be happier．Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets．So, Love the people who treat you right．Forget about the ones who don't．
36．What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?
A．The taxi almost hit another car．
B．The taxi driver was injured．
C．The author scolded the driver of the other car．
D．The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck．
37．How did the taxi driver respond to the behaviour of the driver of the black car?
A．He yelled back at the driver． B．He sent the driver to the hospital．
C．He was friendly towards the driver． D．He dumped some garbage in front of his car．
38．What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3?
A．Many people like to drive garbage trucks．
B．Many people dump garbage wherever they like．
C．Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy．
D．Many people tend to be very much depressed．
39．What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A．The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks．
B．The author used to complain a lot．
C．The author used to have a lot of money．
D．The author used to be a good manager．
40．According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?
A．Ignore them and go on with our own work．
B．Try our best to persuade them not to do that again．
C．Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place．
D．Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else．

D
Antarctica is the southernmost place on Earth, and it is larger than the United Sates and 95% of it is covered with ice. The ice is 5 kilometers thick at places and it never melts. At least that is what we thought, but let us keep it that way for now.
The ice seems to be alive as it works its way towards the seA． It forms an ice shelf over the water. The edge breaks away from the shelf and falls into the seA． From here it drifts. Now big pieces of ice become icebergs that can be 160 km long. They now drift north until they finally melt and become part of the ocean. This process is part of a bigger process which in turn forms a cooling system for Earth. This is so important that no country is allowed to control this areA． The treaty (agreement) signed by 12 countries at first and later joined by more, was to prevent any country harming the planet with irresponsible behavior.
The treaty basically states that:
Antarctica can be used for peaceful purposes only.
No country may build a military base there.
No country may do a nuclear test there.
No country may dump nuclear waste there.
Scientists working there will share their information.
Some other rules are there to protect the penguins and seals.
No dogs may run loose.
No planes may land near large groups of animals.
No guns, explosives, or tractors may be used near the animals.
Most important is that every member can inspect any of the other bases if he suspects that the treaty rules are being broken.
While the treaty is not foolproof（万无一失的）, it does play a very important part in the protection of AntarcticA． The more people realize the effects that pollution has on this continent, the bigger the pressure will be on Governments to change the way they look at pollution.
69．Why was it important to sign a treaty for Antarctica?
A．Because the ice on Antarctica will finally melt into the ocean.
B．Because Antarctica is covered with 5 kilometers thick ice.
C．Because Antarctica balances the temperature of Earth.
D．Because there are many big icebergs in AntarcticA．
70．What is the process of the movement of ice in Antarctica?
A．Ice shelf---sea water---iceberg---ice.
B．Sea water---ice---iceberg---ice shelf.
C．Iceberg---ice shelf---ice---sea water.
D．Ice---ice shelf---iceberg---sea water.
71．What is included in the Antarctica treaty?
A．There is no secret research information in AntarcticA．
B．Dogs are not allowed to be raised in AntarcticA．
C．Waste can’t be thrown away in AntarcticA．
D．People can’t bring their guns to AntarcticA．

C
True End of an Era
SURPRISE, surprise---David Beckham is in the news again! Sure, the England football star was never one to shy away from the headlines. But this time it seems people are talking as much about what Beckham is not doing as what he is.
Beckham won’t be playing for England at the 2010 World Cup in South AfricA． An injury he picked up while playing for AC Milan will likely rule the 34-year-old out for four months. It could be a sad end to the career of a player who has given his all to England since his debut (首次登场) in 1996. But rather than feeling sorry for the loss, some people are finally calling for us to move on from the Beckham obsession (着迷).
“The romantic wish of him seizing the day and inspiring England to glory was poppycock (胡扯),” according to an editorial in the Guardian. It argued that Beckham is past his best and would only have played a minor role at the World Cup anyway. But you might not have guessed it from the reaction of the rest of England.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent Beckham a “get well soon” message, and a Scottish poet even wrote a poem about the injury, comparing Beckham to the Greek hero Achilles.
But is it possible to forget about Beckham? Over his career Beckham has embodied (体现) everything the English like to think is good about their country. Beckham was never the most naturally gifted of footballers, but he reached the top through hard work and determination. He never gave up, even when things looked hopeless. And even as a superstar, he never forgot where he came from.
For this, the English took him to their hearts. Not a day goes by without seeing Beckham’s name in the newspapers, but the reality is his fantastic career is coming to the enD．Of course, it is sad that he’ll miss the World Cup, but this is a chance for England to find a new hero.
As a global icon(偶像) we will certainly miss him playing for England in South Africa this summer. But I think it’s time we finally give Beckham a break from the headlines.
Choose the best answer:
66．Which of the following may not be a result of Beckham’s injury?
A．Not being able to take part in the 2010 World Cup in South AfricA．
B．Not being able to play for England for four months.
C．People forgetting him.
D．This injury perhaps ending his career.
67．______ gave Beckham a negative evaluation.
A．Gordon Brown B．An editorial in the Guardian
C．A Scottish poet D．Most British people
68．Which is not the reason for it being hard for people to forget Beckham?
A．He has embodied British good characteristics and traits (特征).
B．He is one of the most naturally gifted footballers.
C．He is determined to achieve his goals.
D．He always remembers his country.