YoumayhaveheardthetermtheAmeri-优题课

All of my childhood and early, adult life, my mom weighed over 220 pounds (one pound =" 0.454" kilograms). I could feel the pain that my mom experienced with her fatness.
I was never uncomfortable about my mother, but I think she was uncomfortable about herself, and that feeling was painful for all of us. And she began to lose weight.
After more than twenty years of battling obesity（肥胖）, my mother completed a forceful eighteen-month diet that left her ninety pounds lighter than before. A new woman was born! At age twenty-eight, I got a new mom! For the first time, I met the woman my mother truly was, the beautiful little lady under the fatness. It wasn’t so much her new body that was the surprise, but rather her new spirit.
To celebrate her new size and to devote herself to dancing again, my mother joined a “Mrs. Forty-Plus” competition, where she would have to model, give a speech and provide a dance performance. She told our family that she did not care if she won — she simply had always wanted to perform on stage.
She told each one of us, “I’m not doing it to win; I’m doing it to dance!”
The competition was exciting! I prayed that my mom would win, but while watching her on stage I was simply overjoyed just by her effort. To me, she had already won. She posed to perfection, her speech brought tears to everyone’s eyes, and her performance was wonderful.
That night, at age fifty-three, my mother was crowned (为......加冕) “Mrs. Forty-Plus”. She was the first person in our family to ever win such a title.
64. The first two paragraphs mainly show that the author’s mom was __________.
A. experienced B. painful C. comfortable D. fat
65. After the author’s mom completed a forceful eighteen-month diet, she was about __________.
A. 85 kilograms B. 41 kilograms C. 130 pounds D. 90 pounds
66. In order to join in the “Mrs. Forty-Plus” Competition, the author’s mom has to do the following EXCEPT __________.
A. providing a dance performance B. telling a funny story about herself
C. giving a speech to a large number of people D. wearing special clothes to show to people
67. The underlined part in Paragraph 6 means that __________.
A. the author’s mom succeeded in modeling and speaking
B. the author’s mom’s performance was very wonderful
C. the author’s mom was not successful in modeling
D. the author’s mom succeeded in making a speech

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Clarion Suites Hotel Anchorage★★★
325 W. 8th Ave
Anchorage, AK 99501
Nightly Rates: $ 243~ $ 250
Walking distance to shopping, Alaska Railroad and museum Property has indoor pool and exercise room.
Free Parking/Exercise Gym/No Smoking Rooms/ No Pets Allowed/Indoor Pool/Restaurant/Wheelchair Access
Ramada Inn Anchorage Downtown AK★★★
115 East 3rd Avenue
Anchorage, AK99501
Nightly Rates: $ 79. 00~ $ 99.00
Located in the heart of downtown Anchorage, minutes away from shopping and restaurants, the Ramada Anchorage Downtown offers free shuttle service to/from the Anchorage International Airport and Downtown Railroad Depot, free High-speed Wireless Internet throughout the hotel and a free 24-hour fitness center. Free local paper and free USA Today are available.
Air Conditioned/Free Parking/Free Local Telephone Calls/No Smoking Rooms/No Pets Allowed/Free Airport Shuttle
Howard Johnson Anchorage★★★
239 West 4th Avenue
Anchorage, AK99501
Nightly Rates: $ 219.00~ $ 225.00
We are a 246 Room Full Service Hotel Centrally located downtown Anchorage, with free Parking, an Indoor Swimming Pool, and all Exercise Room. And you will find shopping within walking distance.
Free Parking/No Smoking Rooms/Free Newspaper/Over Sized Rooms/Indoor Pool/Wake-up Service/No Pets Allowed/Restaurant
Best Western Golden Lion Hotel★★★
1000 East 36th Avenue
Anchorage, AK99508
Nightly Rates: $150~ $190
The Best Western Golden Lion is conveniently located in Midtown Anchorage. Close to shopping, hospitals, theaters, government offices, and the University of Alaska. The Golden Lion is a full service hotel with restaurant, fitness room, and business center.
Fitness Center/Beauty Shop/Elevators/Fishing/Free Parking/Free Local Telephone Calls/No Smoking Rooms/Skiing/Pets Allowed
60. A disabled person with a wheelchair can choose __________.
A. Clarion Suites Hotel Anchorage B. Ramada Inn Anchorage Downtown AK
C. Howard Johnson Anchorage D. Best Western Golden Lion Hotel
61. How much money will you and your pet spend for two nights at least?
A. $ 486. B. $158. C. $ 438. D. $ 300.
62. If you want to be woken up, you should choose __________.
A. Clarion Suites Hotel Anchorage B. Ramada Inn Anchorage Downtown AK
C. Howard Johnson Anchorage D. Best Western Golden Lion Hotel
63. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Free Newspapers are offered by Best Western Golden Lion Hotel.
B. Howard Johnson Anchorage has a Beauty Shop.
C. The guests can ski in Clarion Suites Hotel Anchorage.
D. Ramada Inn Anchorage Downtown AK offers free local telephone call

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和D)中，选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡将该项涂黑。
Tears are nature’s way of making us feel more comfortable. When our eyes is made uncomfortable by some small pieces of pollution, or when we are cutting onions, or when we are worn out and “red-eyes” from over work and late hours, tears form in our eyes to clean and refresh them.
Tears are also a sign of strong emotion. We cry when we are sad and we cry when we are happy.
And tears seem to be uniquely human. We know that animals also experience emotion fear, pleasure, loneliness, but they do not shed (流) tears.
Biologically speaking, tears are actually drops of saline fluid, which is a little bit salty, produced by a gland (腺) in the body. Because salt is an important part, tears may actually constitute（构成）the most conclusive evidence that the human animal is the end product of a long evolutionary process that began in the sea.
And it is clear that, in addition to the emotional benefits, the shedding of tears has a specific biological function as well. Through tears, from our body we can get rid of certain chemicals which build up in response to stress and create a chemical imbalance in the body. Crying actually makes us feel better by correcting that imbalance and making us feel good again. And thus the emotional and the biological functions of tears merge (合并) into one and make us even more “human” than we would otherwise be.
56. According to the passage, human beings may have originated（起源）in __________.
A. the sea B. the salt C. chemicals D. animals
57. Which of the following is NOT a function of tears?
A. Biological. B. Emotional. C. Political. D. Chemical.
58. According to the article, which of the following is unique to humans?
A. The feeling of loneliness. B. The state of feeling good.
C. The ability to shed tears. D. The feeling of fear.
59. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
A. Tears are a sign of strong emotion.
B. Tears are always making us feel more comfortable.
C. Tears are uniquely human.
D. Tears have certain biological function.

When we Americans shop at the grocery stores today, we don’t seem to be surprised at the sight of strawberries in the winter or perfect tomatoes from Holland. In the space of a generation, we’ve become accustomed to eating food that’s never grown roots in local soil. In fact, most produce(农产品) grown in the United States travels an average of 1,500 miles before it gets sold.
Trucking, shipping and flying in food from around the country and the globe has a very bad effect on the environment and on public health. Take grapes for example. Every year, nearly 270 million pounds of grapes arrive in California, most of them shipped from Chile to the Port of Los Angeles. Their 5,900-mile journey in cargo ships and trucks gives off 7,000 tons of global warming pollution each year, and enough air pollution to cause dozens of asthma(哮喘) attacks and hundreds of missed school clays in California.
The way we eat has a great influence on the health of the planet. By choosing to eat lower on the food chain, and focusing on local and organic(有机的) produce, we can reduce global warming and air pollution, avoid poisonous chemicals, support local farmers and enjoy fresh, tasty food.
People are rediscovering the benefits of buying local food. How your food is grown, stored, transported, processed and cooked can all influence how it affects climate and the environment. Transportation-related influences are particularly important for imported foods. NRDC calculated the transportation influences of importing fresh produce and wine widely consumed in California. They directly compared the climate and air quality influenced by importing these foods instead of growing and consuming them in California. Their analysis shows that—all else being equal—locally grown foods are a better choice.
72. From the passage we can learn that most produce sold at the grocery stores in the US .
A. is grown by local farmers B. is from foreign countries
C. comes from far away D. is out of season
73. What would be the effect of transportation of foods?
A. It pollutes the foods during the transportation.
B. It makes the cost of the foods much higher.
C. It makes the foods less fresh and tasteless.
D. It causes air pollution and global warming.
74. Which of the following may have a bad effect on the health of the planet?
A. Eating higher on the food chain. B. Eating locally grown foods.
C. Eating more organic produce.D. Eating fresh and tasty foods.
75. The main purpose of the passage is .
A. to help the local farmers grow and sell their produce
B. to tell people that imported foods are less healthy
C. to warn people of the harmfulness of food transportation
D. to get local people to reject the imported foods

“You’re going to the United States to live? How wonderful! You’re really lucky!”
Does this sound familiar? Perhaps your family and friends said similar things to you when you left home. But does it seem true all the time? Is your life in this new country always wonderful and exciting? A great many facts show that it’s not easy for newcomers to adjust to life in a new culture. They have to experience culture shock.
What causes culture shock? Maybe the weather is unpleasant. Perhaps the customs are different. Perhaps the public service systems such as the telephone, post office, or transportation are difficult to figure out and you make mistakes. The simplest things seem difficult. The language may be difficult. The food may seem strange to you. If you don’t look similar to the natives, you may feel strange. You may feel as ff everyone is watching you. In fact, you are always watching yourself.
Everyone experiences culture shock in some form or another. But culture shock comes as a surprise to most people. A lot of the time, the people with the worst culture shock are the people who never had any difficulties in their own countries. They were active and successful in their community(社区). They had hobbies or pastimes which they enjoyed. When they come to a new country, they do not have the same positions or hobbies as they already had in their countries. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity. They have to build a new self-image.
Culture shock produces a feeling of disorientation(晕头转向), which may be homesickness, imagined illness, or even paranoia(偏执症). When people feel the disorientation of culture shock, they sometimes feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the unfamiliar environment. They want to create an escape within their room to give themselves a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to familiarize the person more with the culture. Familiarity and experience are the long-term ways to settle the problem of culture shock.
67. Who is the passage mainly for?
A. The family and friends of those who came to the US.
B. Those who have got rid of culture shock.
C. People who have just moved to a foreign country.
D. People who can easily adjust their life in the US.
68. The underlined part “you are always watching yourself’” (in Paragraph 3) means .
A. you are always feeling homesick
B. you are always worried too much about yourself
C. you are always looking at yourself in the mirror
D. you are always nervous about meeting other people
69. Which of the following would be a case of culture shock for newcomers?
A. They have trouble using public telephones.
B. Their positions or hobbies stay the same.
C. They are active and successful in the new community.
D. They have got used to the life in the new country.
70. Which of the following may cause newcomers to lack a sense of security?
A. A new identity. B. Local food.
C. A new serf-image. D. Strange environment.
71. The best way for the newcomers to overcome culture shock is____.
A. to stay inside to protect themselves
B. to make a study of the new hobbies
C. to adapt themselves to the new environment
D. to ask people for help when having difficulties