About this time every year, I get very nostalgic(怀旧的). Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air, children playing games on a hill, and throwing leaves around in the street below. I was one of those children, carefree and happy. I live on a street that is only one block long. I have lived on the same street for sixteen years. I love my street. One side has six houses on it, and the other has only two houses, with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end. When I think of home, I think of my street. Only I see it as it was before. Unfortunately things change. One day, not long ago, I looked around and saw how different everything has become. Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old, friends are growing up and leaving, and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors.
It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won’t be around much longer. I have fond memories of the couple across the street, who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening, the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud, and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car. In contrast to those people, the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days. The man in the black suit says he wants to die, and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home. The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more, and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days. It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever.
The “comings and goings” of the younger generation of my street are now mostly “goings” as friends and peers move on. Once upon a time, my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home. The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street. We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle. Things are different now, as my friends become adults and move on. Children who rode tricycles now drive cars. The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways. Some have gone away to college like me, a few got married, two went into the army, and one went to prison. Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days.
Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for now homes. For sixteen years, the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill. The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street. We spent hours there building forts, sledding, and playing tag. The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill. When the hill goes, the neighborhood will not be the same. It is a piece of my childhood. It is a visual reminder of being a kid. Without the hill, my street will be just another pea in the pod.
There was a time when my street was my world, and I thought my world would never change. But something happened. People grow up, and people grow old. Places changes, and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved. In a year or so, I will be gone just like many of my neighbors. I will always look back to my years as a child, but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction. It will be the happy, noisy, somewhat strange, but wonderful street I knew as a child.The writer finds it hard to accept the fact that _____________.
A.many of his good neighbors are growing old |
B.the lady next door who used to yell at him and his brother is now a widow |
C.the life of his neighbors has become very boring |
D.the man in his black suit even wanted to end his own life |
The biggest change on the writer's street is _____________.
A.removing the hill to make way for residential development |
B.the building of new homes behind his kitchen window |
C.the fact that there are much fewer people around than in the past |
D.the change in his childhood friends' attitude towards their neighborhood |
What does the writer mean by saying “my street will be another pea in the pod”?
A.his street will be very noisy and dirty |
B.his street will soon be crowded with people |
C.his street will have some new attractions |
D.his street will be no different from any other street |
Which could be a good title for the passage?
A.The Past of My Street will Live Forever |
B.Unforgettable People and Things of My Street |
C.Memory Street Isn’t What It Used to Be |
D.The Big Changes of My Street |
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Compulsive(强迫的)shoppers may have a new psychological excuse to blame for their wild shopping. Psychologists at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand are studying the “shop-till-you-drop” habit as a behavioral disorder similar to compulsive eating. Compulsive shoppers frequently buy more than they can afford or more than they need, and it causes them distress (苦恼).
“It becomes a problem when you are out of control,” psychology lecturer Neville Blampied said. “When you are feeling bad and blue, what do you do? Some people eat chocolate cake and ice cream. Some people take the credit card and go out to the shop.” Bank managers understand the problem because they have to deal with people who have to be persuaded to stop using their cards drawing money.
Compulsive shopping was first discovered in 1915, although it was then known as monomania. Few studies have been done on the problem.An advertisement in a Christchurch paper, calling for people to take part in an experimental treatment program designed by Mr. Wilson, attracted 10 replies. But the problem, said Mr. Wilson, is “clearly not rare”. He thinks that compulsive shopping should be treated with drugs. “As psychologists we are interested in non-drug treatments for behavioral difficulties,” Mr. Wilson said.
Compulsive eaters or shoppers get a kick from their habit. “Both activities provide an immediate kind of kick and you feel a bit better,” he said. “You have long-term problems, but human beings are extremely good at not seeing long-term problems and are very sensitive to short-term benefits,” he said.
The aim of the treatment was to help people find better ways of managing their emotions. The program, consisting of 10 one-hour weekly lessons and two follow-up treatments, is loosely based on teaching stress management.
“You often have to start to get people to correctly recognize their emotions. Not being able to know what you really feel weakens your ability to solve the problems connected with what’s making you feel that way,” Mr. Wilson said.
67. What is this article mostly about?
A. Signs of compulsive shopping. B. Studies of compulsive shopping.
C. comparison of compulsive shopping and compulsive eating.
D. An experimental treatment program designed by Mr. Wilson.
68. The underlined word“it”in the first paragraph most probably refers to ______.
A. compulsive eating B. a new psychological excuse
C. the study done by Blampied D. the behavior of wild shopping
69. Which of the following is considered important in treating compulsive shoppers?
A. Teaching them to manage their money better.
B. Teaching them to understand their emotions.
C. Persuading them not to draw money from the bank.
D. Treating them with right drugs.
70. When the writer says that compulsive shoppers get a kick from their habit, he means that they ______.
A. feel distressed after their wild shopping
B. feel better after treatment from psychologists
C. are better able to deal with stress problems
D. have a feeling of excitement after shopping
.Suppose you want to bring home a new cat and are looking for a way to really make it feel at home. Actually, all you need to do is buy some nice cat furniture and have it in place by the time you bring it into your home.
The first thing that you should prepare is a cat house. Two to three feet off the ground is the best height. If you don’t have enough room for a cat house, a cat bed is also a nice choice.
Once you have a nice spot where your cat can go to feel safe, then it’s time to get cat furniture that offers your pet a nice place to play. One nice choice is cat trees. Scratching posts (猫抓板) are another great idea if you are short on space, but still want to give your cat a nice place where it can claw (抓) at instead of your own furniture.
If you’re looking for a great way to shop for cat furniture, simply turn on your computer and do some online shopping. In no time will you be able to browse (浏览) all the offerings from many online stores. What’s great is that you can easily compare products and their prices, so you can get what you want at the best possible price. And, probably the nicest thing about online shopping is that your purchases may be shipped right to you, so you don’t have to waste time making a trip to the store.
So, if you have brought a new cat into your home, make sure that home is an inviting one by buying some new cat furniture. Without it, your cat might feel lost and unsafe, which you definitely do not want to happen.
63. What should you do first before you bring a cat home?
A. Buy a cat house and some cat furniture.
B. Find a proper place for the cat to sleep.
C. Learn how to take care of the cat.
D. Know how to buy cat furniture online.
64. According to the author, the first concern for a cat house is __________.
A. its height B. its size C. its price D. safety
65. What is the best choice for your cat to play with if you have little room?
A. The cat bed. B. Scratching posts.
C. Your own furniture. D. Cat trees.
66. What is the author’s advice on shopping for cat furniture?
A. Compare products and their prices and get the cheapest ones.
B. Try to save time and money when you buy cat furniture.
C. Do some online shopping and get products with reasonable prices.
D. Buy furniture that can be shipped to you as quickly as possible.
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Books, software, and videos, no matter what you are looking for, if you turn on a computer and log (登录) on the Internet, you are sure to find something.
E-books are all over the Internet; some are free, and some are not. E-books are basically electronic books you can read without having to carry heavy books and look through all the pages. Now authors not only sell regular books in bookstores but also sell e-books on the Internet. Some e-books are sold on CDs, too.
You can get all types of software right from the Internet. After you download it, you have it. It is so convenient that you can get it even without leaving the house. These are the advantages we have in today’s high-tech world.
We can find videos of different people. There are so many websites with videos that it would take you some time to actually go through them all. The cool thing about videos is that some people have their own websites or their own spaces where they can upload videos of their families or of different events and allow other people to view them. It is amazing.
The Internet is an exciting place and it plays a big part in our lives today. You can even pay your bills on the Internet if that’s what you want to do. The marketing industry is also doing a lot better because of the Internet. Companies can communicate very quickly with each other over the Internet.
60. What can we know about the videos online according to the passage?
A. They are making human rights harder to protect.
B. They can include a lot of personal information.
C. They allow viewers to get to know each other more easily.
D. It’s a waste of time to watch videos online.
61. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. people have to pay to download software
B. people usually pay their bills on the Internet these days
C. the Internet allows people to communicate more quickly
D. a lot of people still like paper books
62. The purpose of the passage is to______.
A. suggest that people start reading e-books on the Internet
B. advise people to form good computer habits
C. introduce many uses of the Internet
D. discuss problems people have online
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第三部分:阅读理解 (共两节,满分40分)
第一节:(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
One night about nine o’clock, Dr. Eyck, a surgeon, had a phone call from Dr. Haydon at the hospital in Clens Falls. The surgeon was asked to go there at once to operate on a very sick boy who shot himself while playing with a gun.
The doctor was soon on his way to Clens Falls. It was 60 miles away. And it was snowing heavily in the city. The surgeon thought he could get there before 12 o’clock.
A few minutes later, the doctor was stopped by a man in an old black coat. Gun in hand, the man ordered the doctor to get out. Then the man drove the car down the road, leaving the doctor in the falling snow.
It was after 2 o’clock in the morning when the doctor arrived at the hospital in Clens Falls. Dr. Haydon told him that the boy had died an hour before.
The two doctors walked by the door of the hospital waiting room. There sat the man in the old black coat with his head in his hands.
“Mr. Cuninghan,” said Dr. Haydon to the man, “This is Dr. Eyck. He is the surgeon who walked all the way from Albany to save your boy.”
56. Dr. Haydon asked Dr. Eyck to come to Clens Falls because _____.
A. Dr. Eyck knew the boy was wounded by a shot
B. The boy needed the help of a surgeon
C. Dr. Eyck was the boy’s father
D. Dr. Eyck was Haydon’s friend
57. The surgeon was late because ________.
A . his car was taken away B. the weather was rather terrible
C.Clens Falls was too far from Albany D. he was stopped by the police
58. Choose the right order of the following events given in the story. a. Dr. Eyck was asked to come to the hospital in Clens Falls.
b. Dr. Eyck arrived at the hospital.
c. The boy shot himself.
d. The boy died.
e. The man in an old coat reached the hospital.
f. Dr. Eyck was robbed of his car.
A. c, e, f, a, b, d B. a, c, f, d, b, e C. c, a, f, e, d, b D. a, c, f, e, d, b
59. The boy could have been saved if ______.
A. he had not been sent to the hospital B. his father hadn’t arrived in time
C. Dr.Eyck had arrived earlier than the man
D. Dr. Eyck had arrived there two hours earlier
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The most popular way to welcome the new year in the United States is to have a big party. Some parties are at people’s homes. But in recent years, it has become more and more common
For Americans to go to a hotel or a club or a restaurant on the night of December the 31st. There they can have dinner, drink champagne ( a kind of wine), and dance.
Most New Year’s parties have something in common. First of all, they are usually noisy. People sing and bands (乐队)play. And often, guests pull a cracker(爆竹) when the clock strikes twelve at midnight. People think that loud sounds would drive away the evil spirits of the old year before the new year begins.
For many people New Year’s Eve is the night when they can drink as much as they like. Some New Year’s celebrations have ended sadly for people who got drunk and had driving accidents. Radio’s and television’s announcements warn people of the danger of drunk driving. Some places offer free rides home for drunken people.
The biggest and noisiest New year’s party in the United States takes place at Times Square in New York City. Thousands of people gather there. Some of them ring bells or let off crackers. Others blow whistles or car horns. And at 12 o’cloIk, they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple lights up on top of a tall building.
Americans keep up one other important tradition as the new year begins. They make decisions about how to improve themselves in the year ahead. Experts say that the most common New Year’s decisions in the United states are to eat less. But many Americans also promise themselves to stop smoking, or stop drinking wine, or to be nicer to their friends and families.
Experts find fewer than ten percent of Americans carry out their New Year’s decisions. Few want to give up this tradition. Almost everyone seems to enjoy looking back over the year that has just ended and looking forward to a nice beginning of a new year. ,
72. The article is about _____.
A. some important traditions in the USA
B. when and where Americans welcome the new year
C. New year’s celebrations in the USA
D. American ways of life and their interests
73. On New Year’s Eve _____ in America.
A. parties are held in different places
B. people are encouraged to drink as much as they like
C. some places offer free rides home for everyone
D. people begin to shout as soon as they see a red apple
74. . Most new year’s parties are usually noisy, because______.
A. people sing songs B. bands play music
C. guests pull crackers D. people want to get rid of bad luck of the old year
75. In order to prevent car accidents _____ on New Year’s Eve.
A. many Americans promise to stop drinking wine
B. drunken people are forbidden to drive, but can be driven home for free in some places
C. little wine is served at New year’s celebrations
D. people are warned of the danger of drinking too much