It’s common to hear the honking of horns in New York. Whoever tries every day to get more than a few minutes of sleep in the city will tell you that he could do nothing about it! Honking of horns is just one of their most widely enjoyed pastimes.
But Aaron, a Japanese website developer has had enough of it. Once, the 31-year-old man approached the open window to wait for the driver to finish honking, delivered a polite "excuse me" and then yelled " Ho-o-o-o-onk!", which suggests fierce anger in Japan. Then he threw three eggs from the window of his apartment on to a passing car honking loudly below when his patience was worn out. Instead of apologizing to him, the driver threatened to kill him angrily. So, nobly, Aaron turned to non-violence. He started writing anti-honking haiku verses, a form of Japanese poetry, and submitted them to local newspapers:
Oh .forget Enron;
The problem around here is;
All the damn honking
(Enron: a major American company that recently caused a scandal by going bankrupt because of corrupt(腐败) mismanagement)
"Then this kind of chain reaction started happening," Aaron says. "All these other haiku started appearing that I haven't written." Aaron’ s community is now covered in anti - honking poetry, written by all walks of life, ranging from scary environmental activist types to violent revolutionaries:
Patience slowly fades;
Residents store up their eggs;
That day is coming soon.
It’s no surprise that Aaron has started a website — www. honku. org — and now people from across the country send him news of their own anti - honking activities. It seems that poetry can change the world after all. Then, just recently, anti-anti- honking haiku started to appear, taped up by locals who thought Aaron should stop worrying about honking and start worrying about starving children, say, or war in the Middle East instead. Aaron has an answer for that. "Stop me if this is too tenuous(不靠谱的) ," he says," but they talk about the violence in the Middle East like it' s a force of nature, like it' s beyond our control. But actually it's kind of like the honking - the violence is man -made. If we can figure out how to stop honking on the streets, I think we could learn some things that we could use on a large scale. "The first paragraph of the passage is intended to tell us that_______.
| A．New Yorkers have formed a habit of honking while driving |
| B．most New Yorkers enjoy sleeping late in the morning |
| C．honking noise has influenced people's life in New York |
| D．New Yorkers enjoy listening to the honking of horns |
What is Aaron’s final response to the frequent honking of horns?
| A．Pretended to ignore it. |
| B．Screamed at the driver. |
| C．Acted in a peaceful way. |
| D．Complained to the government. |
According to the passage, most New Yorkers think Aaron's response is ___.
| A．pointless |
| B．abnormal |
| C．sensitive |
| D．acceptable |
Faced with the criticism of his anti-honking campaign, Aaron notes that___.
| A．fierce violence in the Middle East is more of an issue worthy of concern |
| B．finding the solution to anti - honking is as meaningful as that to starvation |
| C．big issues are beyond our control while small ones are under our control |
| D．if not handled properly, honking may cause serious problems like starvation |
Tests administered（实施）to most elementary and high-school students in the United States exert an unfavorable influence on science and math teaching, according to a new ＄1 million study performed for the National Science Foundation. And because schools with high minority enrollments（入学）generally place a greater reliance（相信）on scores from these tests， the study finds, there tends to be “a gap in instructional emphases between high and low minority classrooms that differs from our national concern for the quality of education.”
George F. Madaus and his colleagues at Boston College analyzed not only the six most widely used national standardized tests, but also the tests designed to accompany (go with) the four most commonly used science and math texts in fourth-grade, eighth-grade, and high-school classrooms. Though curriculum（teaching program）experts argue that schools should place greater emphasis on problem solving and reasoning, the new study shows that the tests focus on lower-level skills—primarily mechanical memorization of routine formulas（公式）.
Researchers surveyed more than 2,200 math and science instructors，interviewing in depth some 300 teachers and administrators. Especially in schools with high minority enrollments, teachers reported feeling pressured to help students perform well on these tests. Some states judge schools and some schools determine teacher assignments（工作安排）based on students' test scores.
“With so much worry,” Madaus says, “teachers feel forced to focus their instruction on drilling what the tests will measure—at the expense of the more valuable，higher-level skills.”
1. The author of this article states that ___ _ .
A. the tests don't affect teaching in most elementary and high schools
B. the science and math teaching is influenced by the present tests
C. no study is performed on tests for the National Science Foundation
D. the United States exerts a strong influence on science and math teaching
2. It can be inferred that in high minority classrooms ____ _ ．
A. the students can not get high score from the testsB. scores from the tests are not important
C. instructional emphases are unfavorable D. teaching doesn't focus on the quality of education
3. According to the second paragraph，the study has discovered that ____ _ ．
A. emphasis of teaching is on problem solving and reasoning
B. curriculum is good for national standardized tests
C. the tests mainly center around the memorization of some formulas
D. routine formulas are not useful for students to memorize
4. According to Madaus' opinion，teachers are forced to ____ _ ．
A. evaluate（评估）students' skills every year B. suffer so much worry on the texts
C. teach what will be tested D. focus their instruction on useful drillings
III. 阅读理解
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从文后所给各题的四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Millions of people die of hunger in Southern Africa every year, but when Zambia was offered thousands of tons of free maize by the US, the government politely said no.
“We don’t know whether the food is safe,” said Zambia’s Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel.
His worries are shared by countries around the world that are in two minds about America’s genetically modified (GM) crops. Just last week, EU member nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from the US.
Ever since people started farming, they have tried to crossbreed (杂交) plants to make them stronger or better tasting. At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other.
But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature.
This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species. They can also create food with special characteristics, such as “golden rice”, which is enriched with vitamin A. But many people believe GM foods are a health risk.
“If left to me, I would certainly not eat GM foods,” said Scottish scientist Arpad Pusztai. “We are putting new things into food which haven’t been eaten before. The effects on the immune system are not easy to predict.”
At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods “are not likely to present risks for human health”. But there are still many questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways.
Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies. Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with naturally produced crops.
1. We learn from the passage __________.
A. people have discovered that GM foods will do harm to human health
B. millions of Zambia people die of eating too much GM foods
C. people are still not sure if GM foods will do harm to human health
D. genetic material added to plants will damage our bodies sooner or later
2. What does “in two minds” in the third paragraph mean?
A. Unsure. B. Worried. C. Likely. D. Careless.
3. Which of the following statements is NOT true about GM foods?
A. It is produced from plants added genes from other species.
B. GM foods can have special characteristics.
C. GM foods will affect people’s immune system.
D. GM foods have been produced since 1970s.
4. What’s the author’s attitude?
A. Supportive. B. Neutral. C. Doubtful. D. Critical.
People want action on noise, a recent public meeting in Brisbane showed. Some want technical improvements such as quieter air conditioners or better sound barriers around major roads. Others want tougher laws to restrict noise from building sites or to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs. But the highest priority (优先) was a noise complaints system that works.
Brisbane City Council receives more complaints about noise than all other problems put together. So it conducted survey and found that about half its citizens are upset by noise in one form or another—traffic, mowers, pool pumps, air conditioners or loud parties. This inspired the Council to bring together more than 100 citizens one evening to talk through solutions to the problem.
The meeting found the present noise complaints system bizarre. Depending on the problem, responsibility for noise can lie with the Council, the Environment Protection Authority, one of three government departments or even the police. So complaints often feel they are getting the run-round. When the people at the meeting were asked to vote for changes, the strongest response was for a 24-hour, noise hotline to be the first port of call for all complaints.
The meeting also favored regulatory measures, such as tougher minimum standards for noise in appliances like air conditioners. This even makes economic sense, as noise is a waste of energy—and money. Other measures the meeting supported were wider buffer zones around noisy activities and controls to keep heavy traffic away from residential areas（居民区）.
1. According to the passage, what do people want most?
A. Tougher laws. B. Technical improvements.
C. An effective noise complaints system D. Tougher minimum standards for noise
2. What does the underlined word bizarre in the second paragraph mean?
A. reasonable B. wonderful C. strange D. responsible
3. How many regulatory measures against noise are mentioned in the last paragraph?
A. 3. B. 4. C. 2. D. 5.
4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Tougher minimum standards for noise in appliances are necessary.
B. Traffic, mowers, pool pumps, and air conditioners are all the sources of noise.
C. 90% of the residents are annoyed by noise.
D. Heavy traffic should be kept away from residential areas according to the meeting.
5. Brisbane City Council brought together citizens to talk through solutions to the noise problem mainly due to .
A. the result of the survey carried out by itself
B. a noise complaints system that works
C. people asking for tougher laws on noise
D. requirements of an effective noise complaints system
Guide to Restaurants in New York City
Nearly 1,000 restaurants are included in this latest edition of the most trusted guide to eating well in New York. Brief reviews by the city’s most respected food writers are made more readable by what cannot be found in any other restaurant guide, including: suggested dishes final bill. Hardcover.$14.95.
How Electronic Things Work
A guided tour of everyday technology from the pages of the New York Times Circuits section, with easy to understand explanations of the inner workings of computers, CD players, ATM’s, digital cameras and 76 other devices, 100 illustrations，St. Martin’s Press. 195 pages. Hardcover.
The New York Times Book of Natural Disasters
The book gathers together the paper’s finest articles about humankind’s quest to understand natural disasters. Possible causes and effects of global warming are studied, as is the surprising force of nature’s violent excitement in such phenomena as hurricanes, forest fires, sinkholes and others. Illustrated, soft cover, 216 pages,$16.95.
Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races
Every campaign since 1900 — including the historic 200 races — in images from the New York Times Photo Archives. With 350 photos, contemporary newspaper reports and an introduction by prize winning historian Alan Brinkley DK Publishing. 410 pages. Hardcover.
1. A student of history is most likely to take _____ listed above.
A. the fourth bookB. the third book C. the second book D. the first book
2. The underlined word “others” in Paragraph 3 may include ______.
A. traffic accidents B. floods C. pollution D. explosions
3. It can be learned from one of the books _____.
A. how to repair your digital camera for yourself
B. how to work out the expenses before going to a restaurant
C. how to get the latest information about natural disasters
D. how to learn a lot about historian Alan Brinkley
Just call Apolo Anton Ohno the most decorated sportsman in the history of the Winter Olympics. The speed skater glided into the history books after the 2010 Olympics, winning a record-breaking eighth Olympic medal after completing the men’s 5,000-meter relay.
Apolo Anton Ohno, born on May 22, 1982, is an American short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist (two golds, two silvers, four bronzes) in the Winter Olympics. He is one of the only four Americans who have won three medals in a single Winter Olympic Games. He started skating at age 12, and in two years became the best short track skater in the United States. In December1999, he became the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title.
“It feels amazing, especially in a sport as volatile as short track speed skating,” he remarked after his historic win. “This is my third Olympic Games and there is no other athlete here who has gone to three Olympic Games and won a medal every time. I wanted to leave my heart and soul on the ice and I did. I don’t look back at past medals, but I look back at the struggles. I live my life with the philosophy that anything’s possible but I had no idea I’d have this much success.”
Ohno’s third Olympics might have been his last. He is considering retirement, although US national coach Jimmy Jang is hoping to convince his longtime friend to compete four years from now in Sochi, a Russian city where the next Winter Olympics is going to be held.
“I never say ‘never’,” Ohno said. “I need a break from this sport that’s been very good to me.”
After the relay, Ohno skated over to congratulate the Canadians and shook hands with his South Korean competitors. One of them said: “We have some good memories and we also have some bad memories of Ohno. I will be sorry to see him leave the world of short track when he does.”
1. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Short Track Speed Skating
B. Apolo Anton Ohno’s sport dream
C. Eight Gold Medalists in the Winter Olympics
D. “Michael Phelps” on the Ice—Apolo Anton Ohno
2. What does the underlined word “volatile” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. changeable B. violent C. stable D. interesting
3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. His three medals in this Olympics makes him the third one in American sports history.
B. He owes his success to his hard working and his strong belief.
C. He will retire after the next Winter Olympic Games to be held in Russia.
D. He has gained worldwide fame and recognition but his competitors’ envy.
4. In which section of a newspaper is the passage most likely to be found?
A. Health and Entertainment B. News abroad
C. Life and Society D. Great people