More and more people take part in marathons these days – over 30,000 people will run the London Marathon this weekend, for instance. But it’s not just the 26 miles and 385 yards that could be a daunting prospect. “I have to admit to being completely frustrated by the blocking and for 18-19 miles was just keeping away from people and being held up,” one participant grumbled after the 2012 London Marathon. “I had to overtake a lot of people and ended up with bruised（淤肿的）forearms from all the elbows,” said another.
How do such crowding problems arise, and could they be reduced? Some researchers believe that we can find the answers through a more familiar system in which jams appear – road traffic flow. Martin Treiber, of the Technical University of Dresden in Germany, has previously developed models for traffic flow. One of the first attempts to model traffic flow was made in the 1950s by James Lighthill and his collaborator Gerard Whitham of Manchester University. They considered the traffic as a kind of liquid flowing down a pipe, and looked at how the flow changes as the fluid gets denser(浓稠). At first the flow rate increases as the density increases, since you simply get more stuff through in the same period of time. But if the density becomes too high, there’s a risk of jams, and the flow rate drops sharply.
Treiber’s model of a marathon uses this same principle that the flow rate first increases and then decreases as the density of runners increases, thanks to an sudden switch from free to crowded flow. He assumes that there is a range of different preferred speeds for different runners, which each maintains throughout the race. With just these factors, Treiber can calculate the flow rate of runners, knowing the “carrying capacity”(承载能力)at each point on the route.
This allows Treiber to figure out how blocking might depend on the race conditions – for example, for different starting procedures. Some marathons start by letting all the runners set off at once (which means those at the back have to wait until those in front have moved forward). Others assign runners to various groups according to ability, and let them start in a series of waves.
Treiber has applied the model to the annual Rennsteig half-marathon in central Germany, which attracts around 6,000 participants. The traditional route had to be changed in 2013, because the police were no longer willing to close a road to ensure that runners could cross safely. It could pass either over a 60m wooden bridge or through a tunnel. Treiber used his model to predict the likely blocking caused in the various options. The model predicted that a mass start would risk an overload of runners if the bridge were to be used. Only by moving the starting point further back from the bridge could the danger be avoided – and even then, if some of the numbers assumed in the model were only slightly inaccurate, there was still a risk of jams at the bridge. On the other hand, no dangerous blocking seemed likely for the tunnel route. The run organizers consulted Treiber’s team, and eventually chose this option.What is the worst thing while running a marathon?
| A．The long distance. | B．Too many participants. |
| C．The dangerous blocking. | D．Serious injuries in forearms. |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．James Lighthill is the first expert trying to model traffic flow. |
| B．The denser the flow is, the faster the flow rate becomes. |
| C．The flow rate increases in the beginning because fewer people passed together. |
| D．The flow rate increases first and then decreases later when the flow is too denser. |
What is NOT true about the Rennsteig?
| A．It has much less participants than the London Marathon in 2014. |
| B．It has a shorter distance than the London Marathon. |
| C．The route was changed because the traditional one is not safe any longer. |
| D．The participants running this marathon will pass a tunnel because this choice is safer. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Make a comparison between marathon and road traffic. |
| B．Running a marathon is somewhat dangerous if it is not well organized. |
| C．Introduce a new technology to solve the blocking problem in marathon. |
| D．Some advice for people who are to run a marathon. |
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
For many people Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. One of the reasons people love it so much is that you get presents. But like presents, Christmas needs to be unwrapped so that you can understand the true meaning behind the day.
Many Chinese believe everyone in Western countries celebrate this holiday. That is not true. Christmas is an important religious holiday for Christians. December 25 represents the birthday of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the son of God.
Christianity (基督教) is a very popular religion in America and Europe. However, there are many other religions, too. People who celebrate those religions don’t celebrate Christmas. But during the winter season they usually have their own important holiday. That is why when talking to a foreigner it is safer to say, “ Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” because you never know his/her religious background.
The image of a fat, happy man in red---Santa Claus---has come to represent the idea of goodness and love instead of religious part or the “Christmas spirit”. Santa Claus is based on a man named Saint Nicholas who was a 4th century Greek Christian.
Saint Nicholas bought presents for children and gave them away anonymously(匿名地). This is where the idea of gift on Christmas began. But the Santa Claus didn’t exist until the 19th century when an American named Thomas Nast drew cartoons of him. So really, Santa has nothing to do with the religious holiday.
In fact, some people who celebrate Christmas don’t really care about Santa Claus.
Christmas is a special day for Christians but the ideas of being good and loving your neighbors are not limited to Christianity. So buy a gift for your friend, tell your mother you love her and have merry Christmas. I mean ,”Happy holidays!”
56. Christians believe December 25 represents the birthday of _________.
A. Santa Claus B. God C. Jesus Christ D. Thomas Nast
57. In the passage, the author thinks __________.
A. Santa Claus was a real person in the past
B. everyone should believe in Christianity
C. all people in Western countries celebrate Christmas
D. Santa Claus has nothing to do with Christmas holiday
58. What is “the true meaning” in the first passage?
A. For many people Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year
B. The Westerners have different religious backgrounds
C. Some like to say “Merry Christmas”, and others like to say “Happy holidays”
D. Being good and loving our neighbors are the virtues of all humans
59. What is the CORRECT explanation of Santa Claus?
A. He was a Greek Christian in the 4th century
B. He was an American who was born in the 19th century
C. His image represents the “Christmas spirit”
D. He was a cartoon figure drawn by Thomas Nast
St Paul’s Cathedral
Ludgate Hill, EC4
Underground: St Paul’s; Bus: 6,8,11,15,22,25
Open: Daily 8:00—19:00 (17:00 from Oct. to Mar.) . Entrance free
Designed by the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren, St Paul’s Cathedral was built following the Great Fire of London of 1666, which destroyed the gothic cathedral on the site at that time. It is crowned by a magnificent dome and its choir (唱诗班) is internationally famous. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married here in 1981.
Buckingham Palace
South end of the Mall (SW1)
Underground: St. James’s Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park; Bus: 2, 11, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 29, 30, 38, 52, 73, 74, 137
Buckingham Palace is the official residence of t
he monarch (君主) for much of the year. (When the monarch is in residence, a flag flies over the palace.) The Mall is a very impressive wide street, leading from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.
Note: As the palace is the monarch’s official residence, it is not open to the public.
The Tower of London
Tower Hill, EC3
Underground: Tower Hill; Bus: 42, 78
Open: Mon—Sat.9
Parts of the Tower of London are over nine centuries old, as building began under William the Conqueror in 1078. Famous as a prison in the distant past, the Tower has also been a royal residence, a zoo and an observatory, among other things. It is now a museum and many thousands of people visit it every year in particular to see the Crown Jewels.
Westminster Abbey
Broad Sanctuary, SW1
Underground: Westminster, St James’s Park; Bus: 3, 11, 12, 24, 29, 39, 53, 59, 76, 77, 88, 109, 155, 168, 170, 172, 184, 503
Open: Daily 8:00—18:00 (Mar.—Dec, Tuesday till 20:00)
Entrance free
A Benedictine abbey which already existed on the site was rebuilt by Edward the Confessor and consecrated in 1065. On the way to its present form, the abbey was extended in the 13th—16th centuries, with the two west towers being added in the 18th. There are many famous tombs in the abbey, including that of the unknown Warrior and those of ma
ny poets and writers.
71. These texts are most probably taken from ______.
A. a history book about London
B. a guidebook for visitors to London
C. a book about London’s churches and cathedrals
D. a book describing London’s development
No.11 bus can take you to all three of these places:
A. St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London
B. St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace
C. St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace
D. Westminster Abbey the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace
73. You can see the inside of all the buildings except ______.
A. St Paul’s Cathedral B. The Tower of London
C. Westminster Abbey D. Buckingham Palace
74.If you travel by Underground, you can visit two places by getting off at one station. What are the two places?
A. Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey
B. Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral
C. Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London
D. The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral
75.Among these four famous buildings, _____ is (are) free of charge.
A. The Tower of London
B. Buckingham Palace
C. Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral
D. The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral
One of the most popular American singers of the twentieth century was Elvis Presley. He made the rock ”n” roll music popular all over the world, He sold millions of records and made many successful films, and he helped change the direction of popular music in the 1960s.
Elvis Presley was born in a poor family in 1935, His parents were simple country people who often took him to church, where he learned to sing, and he never forgot the kind of songs that he used to sing in church as a child.
When he was young, Elvis moved from Toledo to Memphis in Tennessee, where he attended high school, but he was not a good student, His only real interest was singing. He began to sing in the style that is called “country and western”.
In 1955 he recorded some songs for his mother’s birthday. The people at the recording studio liked his singing and his music. It was country and western music, but it also sounded a little like the music which black people used to sing in the American South. It was called “blues”.
Shortly after that, Elvis met Tom Parker, who became his manager and arranged (安排) concerts for him across the United States and new recordings as well. Soon Elvis became famous around the country. Later Elvis went to Hollywood and began to appear in films such as Love Me Tender and King Creole.
But Elvis found it difficult to live with success. Like many other famous people, He began to take drugs and his health started to suffer. When he died at an early age of 42 in 1977,his many millions of fans were shocked, “The King Is Dead!” the newspaper said, But today his memory and his music live on and will always be remembered as the King of Rock “n” roll.
66. From the passage, we can see________________.
A. the church songs didn’t help Elvis develop his own style
B. Elvis forgot his church music at a later age
C. Elvis didn’t get any help from his parents
D. the church songs helped Elvis’ development in his singing
67. Who was Tom Parker?
A. A manager of a bank B. A famous singer
C. Elvis’ manager D. Elvis’ best friend since childhood
68. What caused Elvis’ death?
A. His singing too much B. His taking the drugs
C. His parent’s death D. Tom Parker’s help
69. What was Elvis’ music style like most?
A. Only country and western
B. Only country and blues
C. Both western and church music
D. Not only country and western but also a bit “blues”
70. Which is the right order of Elvis’ life?
a. Elvis learned to sing at church
b. Elvis gave concerts all across America
c. Elvis recorded some songs for his mother’s birthday
d. Tom Parker became his manager
e. Elvis went to high school in Memphis
f. Elvis was born in Toledo
A. f; a; e; c; d; b B. f; a; c; e; d; b
C. f; e; a; d; b; c D. f; e; a; c; d; b
I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn’t be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries. A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date.
We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile—warm and reassuring—and I returned her gift by smiling back.
“Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers,” she said.
“Yes, she’s special,” I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out. “It’s only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she’s ‘the one’.” Jokingly, I added, “The only problem is that I can’t figure out why she’d want to date a guy like me.”
“Well, I think she’s very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her,” the woman said. “My husband used to bring me flowers every week—even when times were tough and we didn’t have much money. Those were incredible days; he was very romantic and –of course—I miss him since he’s passed away.”
I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said, “You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a special lady.” I handed her the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.
It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just bought. “Have a wonderful evening,” I said. I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.
I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the story. A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her—that was the night that I won her heart.
61. Why was the writer in a hurry that day?
A. He was to meet his girlfriend. B. He had to go back to school soon.
C. He was delayed by an elderly lady. D. He had to pick up some groceries.
62. What does the underlined phrase “her gift” (Paragraph 2) refer to?
A. Her words. B. Her smile. C. Her flowers. D. Her politeness.
63. Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?
A. She told him a nice story. B. She allowed him to pay first.
C. She gave him encouragement.D. She liked flowers very much.
64. Which of the following is Not True?
A. Strangers in Boston seldom have small conversations.
B. The girlfriend was very angry because the writer was late.
C. The old lady’s husband has passed away.
D. The writer and his girlfriend got married at last.
65. What is the message conveyed in the story?
A. Flowers are important for a date.
B. Small talk is helpful.
C. Love and kindness are rewarding (有回报的).
D. Elderly people deserve respecting.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
Perhaps the most amazing building put up in the 19th century was the Crystal（水晶的）Palace which was built in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal Palace was different from all the other buildings in the world, for it was made of iron and glass. It was one of the biggest buildings of all the time and a lot of people from many countries came to see it. Plenty o
f good
s were sent to the exhibition from all parts of the world. There was also a great deal of machinery on show. Though in those days, travelling was not as easy as it is today, steamboats carried thousands of visitors across the Channel from Europe. On arriving in England, they were taken to the Crystal Palace by train. There were six million visitors in all, and the money from the exhibition was used to build museums and colleges. Later, the Crystal Palace was moved to the South London. It remained one of the most famous buildings in the world until it caught a fire and was destroyed in 1936.
56. People from many countries came to the Crystal Palace mainly to _________________.
A. go shopping B. visit an exhibition
C. pay a visit to the queen D. enjoy the Crystal Palace itself
57. The Crystal Palace was unusual because ____________________.
A. it was the biggest building in the world then B. so many visitors had been there
C. it was built with iron and glass D. it was burnt down at last
58. The money from the exhibition in the Crystal Palace was contributed to _________________.
A. decorating the Crystal Palace B. building museums and colleges
C. buying steamboats to carry visitors D. building highways to the Crystal Palace
59. According to the passage, the Crystal Palace ______________in 1936.
A. was burned down in a terrible fire B. was damaged in a snowstorm
C. was moved away to the south of London D. was destroyed in an earthquake
60. We can infer from the passage that the writer ________________________.
A. believes that the Crystal Palace is very useful
B. thinks that the Crystal Palace is pretty wonderful
C. expects the splendid Crystal Palace to be rebuilt
this year
D. considers that the rebuilding of Crystal Palace is a waste of money