In the US and Britain, the slogan around colleges was “Save water. Shower with a friend.” Now, Wuhan University has come up with another system for the campus bathhouse. It charges students for the amount of time in a shower. Before entering the bathhouse, students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card. The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on. It pauses when a button is pressed for soap. An integrated circuit (IC) card reader at each tap shows the time. No money, no water. The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system, which charged 1 Yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower. The university used about 320 tons of water daily under the old system, but only 160 tons now.
Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided. Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race. Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower. Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and they’re still covered in soap. They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time.
“It’s a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card,” said Ren, a freshman in Wuhan University. The university is also considering some students’ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after they’ve finished the shower. Not surprisingly, some are complaining about losing the hour shower. But many students say the move helps them develop a water-saving sense.
Without the time limits, most students tended to shower for 30 to an hour in the bathhouse.
Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes. “In my experience, 10—20 minutes is enough,” said Dai Zhihua, a third-year student who usually takes 8 minutes.
A similar system has been installed in other universities. Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September. The bathing fee there is 0.2 Yuan per minute. One male student responded by setting a record with a two-minute shower.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Students buy the time of their showers. |
| B．The clock times the student’s bathing except when the bather pauses for soap. |
| C．If money runs out, there will be no water. |
| D．Having finished bathing, the student has to pay for it. |
The underline word “flaw” (Paragraph 3) most probably means __________.
| A．fault | B．advantage | C．pity | D．perfection |
Since the new system has performed, __________ of water can be saved.
| A．a quarter | B．one third | C．one half | D．two thirds |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．the new operation can raise students’ environmental awareness |
| B．the new operation can solve the water crisis |
| C．a similar operation has been set in other universities |
| D．the university has saved a lot of water by using the new system |
In which column can you find this passage?
| A．Culture. | B．Society. | C．Campus Life. | D．Lifestyle. |
D
Can it be true that Australian men spend more time during the week brushing their teeth than they do alone with their children?
A new study from the University of New South Wales has discovered that during the working week, Aussie fathers only spend an average of just over a minute each day alone with their children．Australian mothers, on the other hand, spend three hours a week looking after their children — a much
greater disparity （悬殊） than in other countries like America, Denmark, Italy and France, where couples divide the child-care more evenly．
These findings will upset those who want to shake off the perhaps unfair image of Australia as a land of old-fashioned male chauvinism （大男子主义）．
According to the study, Australian fathers appear to like the fun aspects of parenthood, but shy away from the drudgery．So while they tend to be happy taking the kids to the park or to sports events, they are unlikely to participate regularly in feeding, bathing, or taking the kids to school．In short, parenting is seen as a woman's job and a man's hobby in Australia．
Many people believe that in Europe the last twenty years have seen the arrival of the so-called "new man" — the man who is willing to share the housework and child-care．The "new man" never misses his children's school plays and he always gets home in time to read their bedtime story．Indeed, a questionnaire conducted in the UK indicated that almost 70 of British women thought that men were as good at raising children as women．
That's something for Aussie men to think about while they are brushing their teeth!
68．The underlined word "drudgery" refers to ______．
A．enjoyable activity B．easy job C．social responsibilityD．boring work
69．In Australian parenting, ______．
A．both fathers and mothers take it as a hobby
B．neither fathers nor mothers spend enough time on child-care
C．parents don't share the same amount of child-care
D．fathers don't like the kids at all
70．The passage says that the "new man" would ______．
A．go home right after work B．spend more time on their work
C．read stories to their children D．do all the housework
71．According to the passage, Australian fathers should
A．spend more time with their kids B．know more about their family
C．learn from their wivesD．stay at home longer
C
Where do you want to travel this year? What are some of your favorite vacation spots? See some places we have picked as the top destinations for 2010．
● Sri Lanka
The island feels like one big tropical zoo: elephants roam freely, water buffaloes （水牛） idle in paddy fields and monkeys swing from trees．And then there's the beautiful coastline．Among the most scenic is Nilaveli Beach in the Tamil north．Vacationers can lie on poolside hammocks （吊床） under palm trees or swim in its crystal-clear waters．Or they can order cocktails at the Nilaveli Beach Hotel．
● Shanghai
Following up on Beijing's successful Olympics, Shanghai is expecting 70 million visitors to its World Expo．From May 1 to Oct．31, more than 200 nations and regions will turn a two-square-mile site by the city's Huangpu River into an architectural playground: Switzerland will be represented by a building shaped like a map of that country, while England is in the celebrated hands of the designer Thomas Heatherwick．However, by contrast, the United States pavilion might be mistaken for a suburban （郊区的） office park．
● Copenhagen
Last year, thousands of environmentalists challenged world leaders in Copenhagen for the climate summit, but the Danish capital has already emerged as one of the world's greenest, and maybe coolest, cities．In Copenhagen, long, flat roads all have bicycle paths where locals cycle around the city．Away from all the modernism and the happy cyclists, cultural thrill-seekers are being attracted to the district of Norrebro, where the city's young crowd the cafes and galleries or dance in local clubs until the early hours．
64．According to the passage, visitors to the place with natural beauty can have ______．
A．a vacation on the palm beach
B．a great time in busy local clubs
C．a feast for the eyes of architectural wonders
D．a chance to see an environmentally friendly city
65．Which of the following statements is TRUE about the 2010 World Expo?
A．Millions of people will visit Shanghai in seven months．
B．Switzerland has built something that looks like a map of the world．
C．The building of England is designed by Thomas Heatherwick．
D．The US pavilion reminds people of downtown New York．
66．This passage is probably printed on the ______ page of a newspaper．
A．real estate B．entertainment C．travelD．weekend
67．Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A．A Trip to the World Expo B．The Places to Go in 2010
C．Join the Copenhagen Climate Summit D．The Most Visited Travel Destinations
B
At 3,500 metres, La Paz, Bolivia, is the highest capital in the world．Many roads are in bad condition and accidents are frequent．One road in particular, is considered the most dangerous in the world．On one side there is a sudden drop, which is so great that anyone inside the vehicle is lucky to survive．
But thanks to one man, the death toll （人数） has fallen．Timoteo Apaza is a man who lives in a village near the most dangerous part of the road, known as "the Devil's Bend"．Timoteo has an unusual job — he is a human traffic signal．Every morning he stands on the bend and directs the traffic．When two vehicles approach from opposite directions, they can't see each other, but they can see Timoteo．Actually no one pays him to do the job．Sometimes drivers give him a tip so that he has just enough money to live on．But often they just pass by, taking the human traffic signal for granted．
So why does he do it? Before Timoteo volunteered to direct the traffic, he had been a driver．Then one day he was driving a lorry load of bananas when he came off the road at a bend and fell three hundred metres down the mountain．Somehow he survived, but was in hospital for months．Then, a few years later, he was called out in the night to help pull people out of a bus crashed at the Devil's Bend．This last experience had a profound effect on Timoteo．He realized that he was lucky to be alive himself, and felt that it was his mission in life to help others．So every morning, week in, week out, from dawn to dusk, Timoteo takes up his place on the bend．
60．Where does Timoteo work?
A．In a small mountainous village． B．At the busiest part of a road．
C．On a farm growing bananas． D．At the side of a dangerous road．
61．The road is so dangerous mainly because ______．
A．it is steep and in bad condition B．it is high up in the mountain
C．there is heavy traffic D．it is often very foggy
62．What does Timoteo get for his job?
A．No payment at all．
B．A small salary from the government．
C．A small amount of money from some drivers．
D．An award from the local people．
63．Why does Timeteo voluntarily direct the traffic?
A．He loves to be a traffic policeman．
B．He feels it his duty to help the drivers．
C．He isn't qualified to do anything else．
D．He can't drive the lorry any more．
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分；满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。
A
The first time I saw Carlos, I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid．It was Carlos．
"My, you're tall," he exclaimed． Of course, the class began to laugh．Annoyed, I walked to my seat without a word．
I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest．That would be the last straw．To my relief．Reed was studying and did not seem to be aware of it．I didn't know why I considered Reed my friend．Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I．
"Take that seat," Mr．McCarthy told the newcomer, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room．
Carlos smiled broadly．"But I need a couple of dictionaries．" Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him．He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side．
It was the school election that made me think of Carlos again．Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice-president．"How come?" I kept asking myself．"How come this shrimp （虾） who's only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?"
So when I met Carlos this morning, I said to him, "It doesn't seem to bother you — being short, I mean．" He looked up at me．"Of course I mind being short．But there isn't anything I can do about it．When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I decided to make the best of it．My motto is — don't be afraid to be yourself．"
56．This passage is mainly about a short boy who ____________．
A．won the school election B．is ashamed of his height
C．has learned to accept his size D．is embarrassed by the class
57．From the story, we can see that Carlos is ________．
A．shy but diligent B．humorous and confident
C．proud and popular D．honest but sensitive
58．Paragraph 4 suggests that the author ______．
A．cared much about Reed's attitude
B．thought Reed was the same as the others
C．couldn't stand Carlos playing tricks on her
D．hoped Reed was laughing with the others
59．According to the passage, what happened after the election?
A．Carlos and the author argued with each other．
B．Carlos and Reed became very good friends．
C．The author changed her attitude toward Carlos．
D．Carlos was elected president of the student committee．
B
Studies show that laughter is something that makes you feel calm or relaxed for both physical and psychological wounds though it may seem futile to laugh in the face of pain and fear.
When Dan Rather interviewed comedian Bill Cosby just one week after his son, Ennis, was killed, Cosby said, “I think it is time for me to tell people that we have to laugh. You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, you can survive it.”
Call it a flashlight for dark times: laughter just seems to adjust attitude better than anything else. Inspirational speaker Steve Rizzo recalls a TV interview with an injured firefighter a few days after 9.11．The man had fallen more than 30 stories in one of the towers and had broken a leg. Everyone was crying, and the reporter asked, “How is it that you’ve come out of this alive?” He looked at her and without missing a beat, said, “Look, lady, I’m from New York and I’m a firefighter; that’ all you need to know.”
“Everyone laughed and though the laughter was only a couple of seconds,” says Rizzo. “Sometimes that’s all you need to catch your second breath. Laughter gives you that couple of seconds. You’re sending a message to your brain, and the message is: If you can still laugh even a little among the pain, you are going to be OK.”
Of course, there is a difference between laughing off a serious situation and laughing off the fear that results. The firefighter was doing the latter, states Rizzo, the author of Becoming a Humorous Being, and so should we. “If there is anything we have learnt from 9.11, it’s how precious life really is,” she says. “We have to send a message that our spirit won’t die. One important thing that unites us is our ability to laugh.”
60．The writer uses the examples of the comedian and the firefighter to show .
A．laughter is a good way to get rid of pain and fear
B．laughter is the best way to cure psychological wounds
C．it is your attitude that decides whether you can survive the pain or not
D．laughing off a serious situation is different from laughing off the fear that results
61．We can infer from the passage that Steve Rizzo is .
A．a reporterB．a soldier C．a firefighterD．a doctor
62．The underlined word futile in the first paragraph means .
A．hopeless B．useless C．careless D．worthless
63．From the passage, we can know that Americans are .
A．really inspired after 9.11 B．hardly united after 9.11
C．nearly surprised by 9.11D．greatly hurt by 9.11