From the outer of New York to the heart of Singapore, nature is everywhere you’re not looking in some of Earth’s most crowded big cities. Outdoor adventure is often just a few stops on the train—or a short drive-away from the annoying crowds. Here are a few favorites to get you going:
Mount Hollywood Trail(林间小道, 乡间小路), Los Angeles
It’s not a skyscraper or a Ferris wheel, and there’s no expensive restaurant up top. But if you want an absolutely unforgettable, no-admission-charged, 360-degree view of the entire Los Angeles region, it’s yours. All you have to do is to walk a little. One of the preferred exercise routes, the Mount Hollywood Trail, is easily accessed from the parking lot of the famous Griffith Observatory; you see what you get at the end of this steep 1. 5-mile trail, which winds its way through the Griffith Park winds up to the mountain’s 1, 640-foot peak.
Bronx River, New York
It may not be on your Top 10 list of things to do when you finally get to the Big Apple, but exploring the almost-secret river that flows through one of New York’s most mysterious boroughs(自治市)is an unforgettable experience. The Bronx River Alliance, a non-profit group that has worked tirelessly to bring the much-abused river back to life, operates cycling and canoeing trips along the river, from the rugged Hunts Point section down near the harbor on up through the borough.
Southern Islands, Singapore
Believe it or not, tightly packed Singapore does have plenty of open space left. There are actual trails right in the middle of everything, if you know where to look. But to really get away from it all, the Southern Islands, a small group of little green dots just off the city state’s southern shoreline, are just the thing.
Lee Valley, London
This East London river valley changed last summer, when anyone near a television got an eyeful of Olympic Park, built directly in the middle of the valley. Inside the park, beautifully landscaped sections quickly became a favorite relaxation spot for games goers. At present, you’ll find miles of walking paths worth exploring. Start at the Waltham Cross train and follow the signposted walking route southbound, guiding you past important historic industrial areas, through interesting city neighborhoods, past the western side of Olympic Park and on to the Thames. If someone wants to enjoy an unforgettable experience for free, he can go to .
| A．Mount Hollywood Trail and Bronx River |
| B．Mount Hollywood Trail and Southern Islands |
| C．Lee Valley and Southern Islands |
| D．Bronx River and Lee Valley |
The writer of the passage wants to .
| A．inform the readers that nature exists in crowded big cities |
| B．appeal to more people to outdoor adventure |
| C．recommend several historical spots to readers |
| D．present various approach to outdoor adventure |
We know from the passage .
| A．it’s difficult to find a proper trail in packed Singapore |
| B．the Thames is not far away from the East London river valley |
| C．The Bronx River Alliance has succeeded in running the river |
| D．you may have trouble reaching the Mount Hollywood Trail |
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分, 满分40分）
A
While all my classmates seem to be crazy about a one-way ticket to Mars (火星), I’d rather say Mars is totally unsuitable for human existence. People won’t have enough food supplies there, and the terrible environment would make it impossible for them to live a long life. Besides, the journey won’t be safe. Can anyone explain to me just why people go to Mars, never to return?
Steve Minear, UK
Here are things you can think of: the desire to explore a foreign and unique environment, the excitement of being the first humans to open up a new world, the expectation of fame and glory…For scientists there is another reason. Their observations and research will probably lead to great scientific achievements
Donal Trollop, Canada
There are too many people on the earth. I think that some time before the end of the century, there will be a human colony on Mars. It will happen when people realize that two-way trips to the red planet Mars are unnecessary. Most of the danger of space flight is in the launches (发射) and landings. Cutting the trip home would therefore reduce the danger of accidents, save a lot of money, and open the way to building an everlasting human settlement in another world.
Enough supplies can be sent on ahead. And every two years more supplies and more people will be sent to the new colony. Mars has all the material for a colony to produce or make everything it needs, and Mars is far more pleasant than the other planets in the outer space.
Paul Davies, USA
56．The main purpose of Steve Minear’s wring is ___________.
A．to report his classmates’ discussion B．to invite an answer to his question
C．to explain the natural state of Mars D．to show his agreement on going to Mars
57．Which of the following best states Donal Trollop’ idea?
A．There is a plan to send humans to Mars.
B．There are many reasons for going to Mars
C．Scientists become famous by doing research on Mars.
D．It is possible to build an Earth-like environment on Mars.
58．Paul Davies points out that _______.
A．humans need only a one-way ticket to Mars
B．two-way trips to Mars will be made safe soon.
C．it is easy to reduce the danger and cost of flights to Mars
D．It is cheap to build an everlasting human settlement on Mars
59．What does Paul Davies think of human existence on Mars?
A．Humans will have to bring all they need from the earth.
B．Humans will find Mars totally unsuitable for living.
C．Humans can produce everything they need.
D．Humans can live longer in the colony on Mars.
E
The Middle East countries and other world powers have been facing major political tensions (紧张) which have made the stability (稳定) of the oil prices very unforeseeable. Each day the prospect (前景) of oil prices has become more and more unclear.
Water fuel has been developed as an alternative (替代) source of fuel which has fast become popular around the world. This exciting technology has various advantages. More than 70 percent of the Earth is covered with water and this fuel source does not produce any harmful pollutants or dangerous emissions either. They in fact also double the mileage of the cars that are powered by them.
Water fuel technology has been known to be the best additional form of fuel source for petrol (汽油) or other fuel sources. However, any say that this technology can be only an additional source and not a replacement is totally incorrect and misleading. Such ideas have been suggested by those who look down on this technology. On the contrary, this technology has numerous benefits such as it does not produce any harmful emissions which can affect the climatic changes. It further helps to reduce the level of noise produced by the engines.
Various researches reflect that running costs on fuels for automobiles can be easily saved up to 40 percent with the help of water cell technology. This technology can easily work on various cars powered by gas. It can also be used for trucks, vans and other vehicles. The tap water can also be easily used directly and you do not need any special water that is specifically treated to be used for this purpose. You can easily find a lot of details so that you can adapt your car to use the technology.
57. We can learn from the first paragraph that the price of oil ______.
A. is going down at present B. has been rising for a long time
C. is unstable for political reasons D. is decided by powerful countries
58. People holding the opposite idea think that ______.
A. the world climate won’t be influenced by fuel
B. the engines will give out less noise than before
C. petrol can’t be completely replaced by water fuel
D. water fuel can’t act as an additional source for gas
59. We can learn from the text that ______.
A. the Middle East countries are at peace now
B. a new kind of energy has been found recently
C. vehicles using the new technology cost much more
D. the world will be cleaner with the use of the new fuel
60. What is the best title for the text?
A. Water fuel — Lower Cost B. Water fuel — a Safer Choice
C. Water fuel — a Long Way to Go D. Water Fuel — Becoming a Reality Now
D
You’ve probably heard of the butterfly effect that small changes in one place can lead to great damage elsewhere. The Toy Story II, Made-in-China, appearing on the internet, TV screens and front pages of newspapers worldwide since August, was a live show. China’s fame as “the world’s factory” was badly damaged this summer by a small, but powerful magnet (磁铁), and colorful paints on toys.
Mattel, the world’s largest toy company in the US, on August 14 announced the biggest recall (召回) of toys in its history. Among the recalled products were 17.4 million toys that had a design problem. They contained a small, powerful magnet that could harm children if it was swallowed. Another 2.2 million toys were recalled because of impermissible levels of lead (铅) in their paint.
Although the designing problem has nothing to do with where the toys were made, the reports in the western media of the recall started to draw a horrible picture in many American parent’s minds.
The toy recall issue followed shortly after recalls earlier in the year of Chinese-made pet food and toothpaste and left users all over the world worried about buying anything labeled (贴上标签) “Made-in-China”.
The recall of the toys teaches Chinese companies that quality is extremely important. However, many of the complaints by western countries about Chinese goods reflect complicated feeling
s about the growing Chinese economy, culture differences and various political systems.
However, more than 100 US multinational companies from many industries, including Boeing and Microsoft, signed a letter to the US Congress on September 28, to say no to the proposal against China. “Imposing (加强) unfair barriers to trade in the name of product safety is not a solution,” the companies wrote.
Toys are made for children to learn about the reality world and become more mature (成熟), however, the Chinese version of Toy Story helps lots of adults learn about responsibility, importance of quality, understanding, communications, and more.
53. The author mentions the butterfly effect at the beginning of the passage to ______.
A. explain what the butterfly effect is
B. tell the readers what causes the butterfly effect
C. say that the toy effect is similar to the butterfly effect
D. compare the differences between the butterfly effect and the toy effect
54. Which of the following are the reasons mentioned to have caused the recall?
a. The picture on the toys.
b. The designing problem.
c. The colorful paints on toys.
d. The materials toys are made of.
e. The small powerful magnet on toys.
A. abe B. bde C. bce D. acd
55. Boeing and Microsoft signed a letter to the US Congress because ______.
A. the growing Chinese economy makes them afraid
B. the Chinese companies have realized the importance of quality
C. the Toy Story has made some Chinese companies suffer great losses
D. they think it’s unfair to impose barriers in the name of product safety
56. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Made in China. B. Butterfly Effect.
C. Western Media. D. Toy Story.
C
As kids, my friends and I spent a lot of time out in the woods. “The woods” was our part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse. If I went to a friend’s house and found him not at home, his mother might say, “Oh, he’s out in the woods,” with a tone of airy acceptance. It’s similar to the tone people sometimes use nowadays to tell me that someone I’m looking for is on the golf course or at the gym, or even “away from his desk.” For us ten-year-olds, “being out in the woods” was just an excuse to do whatever we feel like for a while.
We sometimes told ourselves that what we were doing in the woods was exploring (探险). Exploring was a more popular idea back then than it is today. History seemed to be mostly about explorers. Our explorations, though, seemed to have less system than the historic kind: something usually came up along the way. Say we stayed in the woods, throwing rocks, shooting frogs, picking blackberries, digging in what we were briefly persuaded was an Italian burial mound.
Often we got “lost” and had to climb a tree to find out where we were. If you read a story in which someone does that successfully, be skeptical: the topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight, and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees. There were four or five trees that we visited regularly — tall beeches, easy to climb and comfortable to sit in.
It was in a tree, too, that our days of fooling around in the woods came to an end. By then some of us has reached seventh grade and had begun the rough ride of adolescence (青春期). In March, the month when we usually took to the woods again after winter, two friends and I set out to go exploring. We climbed a tree, and all of a sudden it occurred to all three of us at the same time that we really were rather big to be up in a tree. Soon there would be the spring dances on Friday evenings in the high school cafeteria.
48. The author and his fiends were often out in the woods to ______.
A. spend their free time B. play golf and other sports
C. keep away from their parents D. escape from doing their schoolwork
49. What can we infer from paragraph 2?
A. The activities in the woods were well planned.
B. Human history is not the result of exploration.
C. The author explored in the woods aimlessly.
D. Exploration should be a systematic activity.
50. The underlined word “skeptical” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. calm B. doubtful C. serious D. optimistic
51. From the last paragraph, we can learn that ________.
A. they usually didn’t go to the woods in winter
B. the author and his friends are of the same age
C. all high school students would go dancing on Friday evenings
D. they stopped going to the woods because they were adults now
52. How does the author feel about his childhood?
A. Happy but short. B. Lonely but memorable.
C. Boring and meaningless. D. Long and unforgettable.
B
Among the most popular books being written today are science fictions (小说). Hundreds of titles are published every year and are read by all kinds of people. Furthermore, some of the most successful films of recent years have been based on science fiction stories.
It is often thought that science fiction is a fairly new development in literature, but its forefathers can be found in books written hundreds of years ago. These books were often concerned with the presentation of some form of ideal society, a main subject which is still often found in modern stories.
Most of the classics of science fiction, however, have been written within the last one hundred years. Books by writers, such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, to mention just two well–known authors, have been translated into many languages.
In an age where science fact frequently overtakes (超过) science fiction, the writers may find it difficult to keep ahead of scientific advances. Those who are clear-sighted to see how the ways are going, however, may provide a valuable lesson on how to deal with the problems which society will unpreventably face as it tries to master its new technology and come to terms with a continually changing view of the world.
45. It can be concluded that modern science fiction ______
A. is worse than that in the past
B. shows the writer’s viewpoints
C. tells stories about men from other planets
D. has been written only by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells
46. From the article we get the impression that science fiction ______.
A. is popular
B. is a fairly new development in literature
C. reflects the technical advances in the past
D. describes thing
s that happen in developed countries
47. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Science fiction is based on successful films.
B. Science fiction often overtakes science fact.
C. Writers may find it easy to keep ahead of scientific advances.
D. The writer who can see clearly the way we are going will give us valuable instructions.