When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it’s amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak contemptuously of the poor old Romans because they relished the orgies of slaughter that went on in their arenas. We may despise them because they mistook these goings on for entertainment. We may forgive them condescendingly because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority really justified? Are we any less blood-thirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don’t the spectators who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remains as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungey lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of sophisticated arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long age; sports which are quite as barbarous as, say, public hangings or bearbaiting.
It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull-fighting, that we should be prepared to sit back and watch two men batter each other to pulp in a boxing ring, that we should be relatively unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames. Let us not deceive ourselves. Any talk of ‘the sporting spirit’ is sheer hypocrisy. People take part in violent sports because of the high rewards they bring. Spectators are willing to pay vast sums of money to see violence. A world heavyweight championship match, for instance, is front page news. Millions of people are disappointed if a big fight is over in two rounds instead of fifteen. They feel disappointment because they have been deprived of the exquisite pleasure of witnessing prolonged torture and violence.
Why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? You may well ask. The answer is simple: they are uncivilized. For centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually and emotionally – admittedly with little success. But at least we no longer tolerate the sight madmen cooped up in cages, or public floggings of any of the countless other barbaric practices which were common in the past. Prisons are no longer the grim forbidding places they used to be. Social welfare systems are in operation in many parts of the world. Big efforts are being made to distribute wealth fairly. These changes have come about not because human beings have suddenly and unaccountably improved, but because positive steps were taken to change the law. The law is the biggest instrument of social change that we have and it may exert great civilizing influence. If we banned dangerous and violent sports, we would be moving one step further to improving mankind. We would recognize that violence is degrading and unworthy of human beings.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s opinion of nowadays’ human beings is
| A．not very high. | B．high. |
| C．contemptuous. | D．critical. |
The main idea of this passage is
| A．vicious and dangerous sports should be banned by law. |
| B．people are willing to pay vast sums money to see violence. |
| C．to compare two different attitudes towards dangerous sports. |
| D．people are bloodthirsty in sports. |
That the author mentions the old Romans is
| A．To compare the old Romans with today’s people. |
| B．to give an example. |
| C．to show human beings in the past know nothing better. |
| D．to indicate human beings are used to bloodthirsty. |
.How many dangerous sports does the author mention in this passage?
| A．Three. | B．Five. |
| C．Six. | D．Seven. |
The purpose of the author in writing this passage is
| A．that, by banning the violent sports, we human beings can improve our selves. |
| B．that, by banning the dangerous sports, we can improve the law. |
| C．that we must take positive steps to improve social welfare system. |
| D．to show law is the main instrument of social change. |
Vocabulary
relish 从……获得乐处，享受
orgy 狂欢，放纵
arena 竞技场，活动或斗争的场所
blood-thirsty 残忍的，嗜血的
bear-baiting 逗熊游戏
bull-fight 斗牛
batter 猛击，连续地猛打/捶，乱打
pulp 成纸浆，成软块
burst into flames 突然燃烧起来/着火
grim 令人窒息的，简陋的
coop up 把……关起来
难句译注
bear-baiting 逗熊游戏。这是一种十六、十七世纪流行于英国的游戏――驱狗去咬绑着的熊，很残忍，后被禁止。
…two men batter each other to pulp in the boxing ring.
【结构简析】batter one to pulp =" beat" one to a pulp 狠揍某人，打瘫某人
【参考译文】两个人在拳击场内彼此狠揍，知道一个人被打倒在地，爬不起来。
…unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames.
【参考译文】眼见一辆或多辆赛车相互撞击，突然烧起来而无动于衷。
A world heavy weight championship match is front page news.
【参考译文】世界重量级冠军赛总是头版头条新闻。
写作方法与文章大意
作者采取先对比、后分析的写作手法。先是今人和古罗马人对暴虐体育上对此两者都欣赏。后者坦率成人“欣赏暴力体育”，前者施以各种接口、实际都是嗜血成性者。第二段进一步剖析今人欣赏暴虐体育的种种实例，最后指出改善“暴虐”的根本嗜为改善法律采取积极的步骤，法律才能施以巨大的文明影响，否则人类很难改变。
阅读理解（共20小题：每小题2分，满分40分）
On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the trees. In Spain, the New Year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds a bag of grapes. When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes. In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the New Year.This story is about New Year’s Eve in_______.
| A．Italy | B．Spain |
| C．Japan | D．All of the above |
People in Spain welcome New Year by _______after twelve.
| A．eating grapes | B．eating noodles |
| C．throwing the old things | D．watching the sunrise. |
People in both Spain and Japan _______ to bring in the New Year.
| A．throw things away | B．get together |
| C．eat some food | D．climb a mountain |
Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _______.
| A．look at the stars |
| B．look for New Year’s wishes |
| C．see the sun coming up |
| D．have a rest |
The people in _______ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food.
| A．Japan | B．China | C．Spain | D．Italy |
（This selection was originally published in 1992. Pluto （冥王星） is no longer classified as a planet.）
Pluto is in many ways the strangest of the planets. It is small and has a large moon（called Charon）. Its orbit（轨道） is unusual, which may cause it to have seasons in the sense that when it is close to the sun, the liquid （液体）methane（甲烷）on its surface boils to form a kind of atmospheric haze（烟雾）. When the planet moves farther away from the sun, it starts to snow solid（固体） methane.
Pluto is not dark. Despite its great distance from the sun, the surface of Pluto is probably as bright as a moonlit night on Earth. The reason is all that methane, which is as white as newly fallen snow.
The discovery of Pluto was more accident than design. The American astronomer Percival Lowell had predicted the existence of a ninth planet（he called it Planet X）based on what he took to be irregularities in the orbit of Neptune. Today astronomers argue that these "irregularities" weren't real, but the result of instrumental error. Nevertheless, Lowell produced predictions about where Planet X ought to be（although, to be honest, the predictions changed occasionally when he redid the calculations）.In any case, in 1930 Clyde Tombaugh, doing a systemic sky survey that would have found the planet no matter where it was, discovered the planet we now call Pluto. By coincidence, its position was pretty close to where Lowell's last prediction said it should be. Was it just luck? We'll never know．On Pluto's surface, liquid methane boils to form an atmospheric haze, which would be most similar to ____.
| A．light | B． darkness |
| C．liquid | D．steam（水蒸气） |
What effect is produced by including the question "Was it just luck?" at the end of the text?
| A．The question encourages the reader to think about why Pluto is a strange planet． |
| B．The question encourages the reader to think about how planets are discovered． |
| C．The question suggests that all discoveries are luck, not just design． |
| D．The question suggests that other planets were found in different ways． |
What contributes to the brightness of Pluto?
| A．Methane on its surface. | B．Its great distance from the sun. |
| C．Light from its moon, Charon. | D．Its closeness to the sun. |
The text mainly wants to ____．
| A．give a brief introduction of Pluto |
| B．talk about the discovery of Pluto |
| C．prove the exact position of Pluto |
| D．describe the strangeness of Pluto |
Well-known as gourmets（美食家），the French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world's rich nations，according to a study published on Monday.
The average French person sleeps almost 9 hours every night，more than an hour longer than Japanese and Korean，who sleep the least in a survey of 18 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development （OECD）. Despite their siesta（午睡）habit，Spanish rank only third after Americans, who sleep more than 8.5 hours. And while more and more French people prefer fast-food chains these days or wolf down a sandwich at their desk, they still spend more than two hour’s a day eating.
That means their meals are twice as long as those of the average Mexican, who spends just an hour a day on food，the OECD’s “Society at a Glance” report on work, health and leisure(休闲) in Asia, Europe and North and South America found. The Japanese manage to spend close to 2 hours a day eating and drinking, placing them third behind New Zealanders．
Despite the limited time, Americans spend eating each day---about an hour and a quarter---U.S．obesity(肥胖) rates are the highest in the 30 members of OECD. The Japanese like to spend their rare free time watching TV or listening to the radio. This takes up 47 percent of leisure time in Japan. Norwegians spend the most time at leisure，just over a quarter of their day，while at the low end，Mexicans spend just 16 percent of their time having fun．
The OECD has 30 members. The survey covers only the countries for which proper figures were available.As to eating time，the CORRECT order is______.
| A．The French > New Zealanders> Japanese> Mexicans |
| B．Mexicans> The Japanese > New Zealanders > The French |
| C．The French > The Japanese > New Zealanders > Mexicans |
| D．New Zealanders > The Japanese >Mexicans> The French |
In the 30 members of OECD，U.S ranks first at______
| A．sleeping time | B．leisure |
| C．eating time | D．obesity-rates |
The main purpose of the text is______．
| A．to show which country spends the least time on sleeping |
| B．to tell us the French is leisure-loving gourmets |
| C．to show a survey about the time of leisure，sleeping，eating in some countries |
| D．to make a comparison to find out the best living styles of OECD countries |
How does the author develop the whole text ?
| A．By analysing cause and effect. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By making predictions. |
| D．By following the time order. |
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Hotel Amenities：Parking，Heated Pool, Television with Cable, and Coffee Maker in Room．Which hotel gives a price promise?
| A．Baymont Inn Ft . Lauderdale． |
| B．Beach Plaza Hotel． |
| C．Baymont Inn Hotel． |
| D．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
In which hotel parking is the cheapest?
| A．Baymont Inn Ft . Lauderdale． |
| B．Beach Plaza Hotel． |
| C．Baymont Inn Hotel． |
| D．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
If you ______ , you will probably go to Beach Plaza Hotel．
| A．enjoy seeing films without leaving your hotel room |
| B．are fond of swimming in heated water |
| C．want to eat food cooked by yourself in the hotel |
| D．are a cigarette smoker |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the ads?
| A．All of the three hotels provide television with cable． |
| B．You can keep your money in the room safe in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel． |
| C．In Beach Plaza Hotel a 24-hour maid is available． |
| D．While staying in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel, you can surf the Internet． |
Sharks have been swimming in the ocean for millions of years. They were on Earth even before dinosaurs! At the top of the world’s ocean’s food chain, sharks help keep the population of other ocean animals in balance. A large drop in the number of sharks can cause serious problems for all ocean animals. Saving sharks makes sense!
Many people are afraid of sharks. But most sharks are harmless. Only a small percentage of sharks are known to attack humans. It adapt(适应) well to new habitats and eat whatever is available. However, today, sharks are in trouble. Nearly one-third of the 400 shark species are in danger of extinction, largely due to over-fishing. Each year, tens of millions of sharks are caught and killed just for their fins(鳍). The fins are used to make shark fin soup.
Humane Society International (HSI) joined with the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program and Beijing Zoo to protect sharks. An exhibit at the zoo, “the Price Behind the Taste-----Protect Sharks. Don’t Eat Shark Fins”, was designed to tell people that shark finning is cruel and unnecessary. It’s hoped that the activity will help put an end to the practice.
Shark fin soup is also eaten in the United States. In fact, the numbers of some shark species in US waters have dropped 90 percent in the last 30 years. To slow the fall, laws against the sale of shark fins have been passed in several states, including Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and California.What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Ocean animals are at the top of the food chain. |
| B．Sharks play an important role in the ocean |
| C．Sharks are an old species in the ocean. |
| D．Sharks are being caught and killed. |
According to paragraph 2, sharks are in trouble because ______.
| A．they often attack humans. |
| B．their food is being polluted. |
| C．they are being caught for food. |
| D．their habitat is being destroyed. |
The underlined part “the practice” in Paragraph 3 refers to _______.
| A．shark finning | B．shark protection |
| C．the program of HIS | D．the exhibit at Beijing Zoo |
What do we know from the text?
| A．There are 400 shark species in the United States. |
| B．It’s illegal to eat shark fin soup in the United States. |
| C．Most sharks are not interested in a human for dinner. |
| D．Sharks are very particular about their habitats and food |