Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
Given that I teach students who are trained to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.
“Surgery(外科手术)”, one replied. I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job. One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it regrows. You can get at least 5 cm taller!”
At that point, I was shocked. I am short. I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of pain just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!
It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.
No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm(标准). Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost. In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.We can know from the passage that the author works as ________.
A.a professor | B.a model | C.a teacher | D.a reporter |
Many graduates today turn to cosmetic surgery to ________.
A.marry a better man/woman |
B.become a model |
C.get an advantage over others in job-hunting |
D.attract more admirers |
What was the author’s reaction towards the girl’s decision?
A.Excited. | B.Surprised. | C.Happy. | D.Angry. |
According to the passage, the author believes that ________.
A.everyone should pursue perfection, whatever the cost |
B.it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs |
C.media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery |
D.it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career |
What does the author think of his height?
A.He hates to be called a short man. |
B.He tries to increase his height through surgery. |
C.He always wears shoes with thick soles to hide the fact. |
D.He just accepts it as it is. |
D
Here are a few tips we’ve put together to help you learn English well.
Speak, speak, speak!
Practise speaking as often as you can—even speaking to yourself is good practice. Try recording yourself whenever you can. Compare your pronunciation with the master version, see how you can do better and have another try. If you do this several times, you will find that each version is better than the last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will make you keep working. Agree times to meet and set goals for the week, and test each other regularly.
Don’t get stuck by a word you don’t know
Practise improvising (即兴的) ways of getting your meaning across while speaking spontaneously (本能), even if you don’t know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. A basic example is the use of tenses. If you don’t know the past tense but want to talk about yesterday, use the verb in the present tense and use the word for “yesterday”. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to get your meaning across.
Language learning is also about intuition (直觉)
Guesswork is important in learning a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren’t expected to understand everything first time round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time. Learn to make maximum use of all the clues you can pick up. For example, what do the speakers sound like? Happy? Angry? Calm? Etc.
Build up your vocabulary
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take a maximum of six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, then come back to them later. Much of the vocabulary in the course is presented by topic.
And above all, have fun!
68. Why should one have himself recorded when practicing speaking?
A. To encourage others to start.
B. To record his own progress.
C. To improve his speaking.
D. To compare himself with others.
69. Which of the following is the most important in learning English?
A. Speaking. B. Pleasure. C. Intuition. D. Vocabulary.
70. It is important in Tip 3 that is helpful when you are learning English.
A. body language B. a good memory C. a good friend D. a proper dictionary
71. Which of the following seems NOT to be true in learning a language?
A. Practice makes perfect. B. A good beginning is half done.
C. Rome is not built in a day. D. Don’t run before you can walk.
C
The world’s first plastic magnet (磁性) to work at room temperature has passed the elementary test of magnetism. Its creators at the University of Durham in the UK have used it to pick iron filings (铁屑) from a laboratory bench.
In 2001, chemists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln claimed to have created the world’s first plastic magnet, but it only worked below 10 Kelvin (开氏温度). Other researchers have made plastic magnets, but generally they only function at extremely low temperatures, or their magnetism at room temperature is too weak to be business use.
So the Durham team can claim to have made the first plastic magnet that could be used in everyday products. One of the most likely applications is in the magnetic coating of computer hard discs, which could lead to a new generation of high-capacity discs.
Jerry Torrance, a material scientist who is an adviser to some of the world’s largest electronics and engineering companies, including IBM, describes the work as “a great scientific breakthrough”. However, he says that practical applications are probably still a long way off.
At first the new polymer (聚合物) showed little sign of magnetism, and after three months the researchers had reached the point where they felt that trying to induce (诱发) magnetism in this polymer was a waste of time. “Just as we were about to give up and try a different way, we decided to check the samples for a last time,” says Sean Giblin.
It was a fortunate decision, because over the months the original polymer had developed magnetic characteristics. Further groups of polymer proved its magnetism and ruled out the possibility that the magnetism had been caused by pollution. In addition, X-ray diffraction data (衍射数据) showed an increase in the straight line of the polymer chains over three months, which probably accounts for the increase in magnetism.
Although the polymer’s magnetism is weak compared with metal magnets, the researchers are confident that they can improve it. And in addition to computer hard discs, the team thinks that plastic magnets could have important medical applications because organic magnetic materials are less likely to be rejected by the body.
64. The plastic magnets made by the chemists from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and other researchers couldn’t be used in everyday products because .
A. they didn’t pass the elementary test of magnetism
B. they couldn’t pick up iron filings from a laboratory bench
C. they wouldn’t work at room temperature
D. they could only be used at high temperature
65. The increase in magnetism over the months is probably caused by .
A. checking the samples B. a wise decision
C. pollution
D. the increase in the straight line of the polymer chains
66. The plastic magnets could be used .
A. to compare with the metal magnets
B. to coat computer hard discs
C. to produce medicine
D. to lower the temperature
67. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Birth of Practical Plastic Magnet
B. The World’s First Plastic Magnet
C. A Fortunate Decision
D. The Applications of Plastic Magnets
B
Because he wrote his name so that it could be read easily, John Hancock has a place in the dictionary.
John Hancock was a wealthy man who helped the patriots in the American Revolution. He was president of the Continental Congress. He was also governor of Massachusetts and one of the first men of sign the Declaration of Independence. Yet he is remembered best for his large signature.
The story is told that when Hancock sat down to sign the Declaration of Independence, he said that he would write his signature large enough for John Bull to read without his glasses. Hancock’s signature on the Declaration is four the three-quarter inches long—an inch longer than his usual signature.
Today John Hancock can be used to mean any person’s signature.
60. The passage is mainly about .
A. the American Revolution B. John Hancock’s handwriting
C. how an American expression began
D. signing the Declaration of Independence
61. Hancock is remembered best because he .
A. was governor of Massachusetts
B. helped the patriots in the Revolution
C. signed his name in large letters
D. was president of the Continental Congress
62. John Bull is .
A. another name for Uncle Sam B. England’s Uncle Sam
C. a name that stands for England D. both B and C
63. According to the dictionary, a John Hancock is a .
A. governor B. man who sign petitions
C. strong patriot D. person’s signature
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
A
The desire to make exploration is born with man. Wherever his imagination goes, man also has a strong wish to go. A large part of human history is connected with the exploration of the world in which we live. Again and angina people have set out with surprising courage and patience to look into unknown regions and lands to see what had not yet been seen, to make known the unknown. With kites, balloons and aircraft they left the ground to pass through the lower atmosphere. Now the outer space receives their attention.
Why should man take the trouble of conquering space? It is hard to list the specific practical benefits that will result in. But one knows, form past experience in other areas, that man will surely see and discover new thing s in space that will increase or scientific knowledge, and this new knowledge will find its way into valuable practical uses. What we learn about man himself, from his experience in space, and from the effects of space and the space flight environment on him, will be extremely valuable. The new techniques developed to carry out the exploration of space, and to keep man alive in space, will certainly find practical uses in everyday life in some way. The areas that will benefit are manifold. They include communication, generation of power, transportation and travel, food production, materials, fuels and many others. But to say definitely just what the practical results will be is almost impossible.
56. The main idea of the first paragraph is that .
A. man desire to explore what is unknown
B. man often goes wherever his dreams to go
C. man is no longer interested in the study of the land and sea now
D. man’s history is his exploration of the world
57. The underlined word “manifold” in the second paragraph probably means .
A. vast B. various C. valuable D. practical
58. The author seems to be in favor of .
A. doubting the necessity of the space exploration
B. the exploration of space
C. exploring more in space than in sea
D. his experience in space
59. The underlined phrase “practical results” refers to the results .
A. that are obtained from experience
B. that can be learned as knowledge
C. that can be made use of
D. helping us make further exploration
D
Every August on the island of Heimaey, young people often take a walk along the street throughout the night. Why their parents allow them to stay out ? The children of Heimaey are going to save young puffins ---- small black-and-white seabirds.
The cliffs(悬崖)above the town are home to a large group of puffins . The birds dig holes all around the cliffs . These holes are their homes. The young stay in the holes for about seven weeks. Then they begin to leave . Some move slowly on their undeveloped wings and feet down to the sea around Heimaey. There they swim, which they can do naturally , and learn to dive for fish . Others, however, may lose their way at night and find themselves in the town instead. On the ground, the young birds are in trouble. Because their wings are fully developed, they cannot take off quickly to sea and safety. The birds then become a good meal for cats and other animals .
For many years, islanders have help the young puffins. At night in late August, children carrying thick paper boxes and lights hurry out to catch puffins . They spend most of the night running after the birds. They put the birds they've caught into boxes and take good care of them .
The next morning the children take the puffins to the sea and set them free. The bird will live at sea until they are at least two years old. Then they will return to the cliffs to build homes of their own.
The children of Heimaey look forward to August !
16.Every August the children of Heimaey are allowed to stay out all night.
A.to catch puffins and take them home B.to save puffins from danger
C.to drive puffins away D.to run after puffins for pleasure
17.The young puffins that lose their way are in the danger of ______.
A.being killed by hunters B.knowing nothing about the sea
C.being eaten by animals D.having no fish to eat
18.The children put the seabirds into boxes and ______.
A.look after them carefully for several days, then set them free
B.set them free when they grow bigger and can take off to sea and safety
C.carry them to the sea right away to set them free
D.they don' t set them free until the next morning
19.The children look forward to August because ______.
A.they enjoy playing the game of running after seabirds
B.it' s time for them to go out at night to save puffins
C.it' s time for them to catch seabirds
D.they like to stay out at night to catch puffins
20.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A.Once a year the children are allowed to stay out at night to have a good time .
B.The earlier home for the young puffins is in the cliffs, not in the sand of shores .
C.Young puffins make their way down to the sea when they are about seven weeks old.
D.The young birds that get to the sea will stay there for at least two years before they return to the cliffs .