In December, 2010, many American newspapers publish a list of the best books of the year. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen is one of the most repeatedly praised books on this year's list of favorites. It tells about the ups and downs of the Berglund family over many years. Mr. Franzen fills the book with sharp observations about American politics, culture and society.
Jennifer Egan's book A Visit from the Goon Squad takes place in 13 chapters over 40 years. The story moves back and forth in time, from different viewpoints. One main character is former rock musician Bennie Salazar who works for a record company. The other main character is a troubled young woman named Sasha who works for Bennie. The reader learns about their pasts and those of their friends.
The main character in The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman is a failing English Language newspaper published in Rome, Italy. Each chapter of the book tells about a reporter or editor working for this paper. Their stories are filled with intelligence and great personality.
Two of the most popular nonfiction books of 2010 were about rock and roll stars. Just Kids is by rock singer Patti Smith. It tells about her friendship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the 1960s and 1970s before they became famous. Life is the autobiography of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. It is an honest and exciting look at the development of rock and roll and the wild times this famous band has experienced.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand tells about a man named Louis Zamperini. She tells about his extraordinary survival story after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during World War Two.
Stacy Schiff has received great praise for her book Cleopatra: A Life. It tells about one of the most misrepresented and famous women in his story, Cleopatra. She ruled ancient Egypt about 2,000 years ago. One critic said Ms. Schiff has brought Cleopatra to life again by unearthing her story from centuries of lies.The following books are related to music EXCEPT________.
A.The Imperfectionists | B.A Visit from the Goon Squad |
C.Just Kids | D.Life |
If your major is the history of ancient Africa, you may pay attention to ________.
A.Freedom by Jonathan Franzen |
B.Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand |
C.The Imperfections by Tom Rachman |
D.Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff |
Which book will give you a practical understanding of the USA?
A.Life | B.Cleopatra: A Life |
C.Freedom | D.A Visit from the Goon Squad |
The last sentence of the passage implies that ________.
A.Stacy Schiff is an archaeologist |
B.the critic finds the character in the book very real |
C.the critic speaks highly of Cleopatra in history |
D.Stacy Schiff tells a story about an imaginary Egyptian queen |
Tired of Working in Your Country?
With over 500 instructors and 20 years of experience, we are the leader in the field of teaching foreign languages. We now have positions open in Osaka starting September/October 2004 for instructors of English, German, Spanish and French.
○Teach many different kinds of classes using the latest technology in small classes of up to 3 students.
○Accommodation (住宿), and other necessary documents (文件) will be ready before you leave.
○Applicants will teach their first language only.
○Excellent teacher training programs.
If you are young with a university degree and are willing to experience different cultures, apply (申请) now. Experience in teaching is an advantage but not specially required. Knowledge of the Japanese language is not necessary but good English skills and practical computer knowledge are basic requirements.
Apply with C. V. and send letters to:
NOVA France, Mr. Sampy (IHT3/2)
34, Bd. Haussmann, 75009 Pads, France
Fax: 33148014804
Or visit our website: www. teachjp. com
The manager expects to meet and talk with successful applicants in Pads in June and July.
64. What is the purpose of the text?
A. To make clear the requirements for Japanese teachers.
B. To introduce a language school in Japan.
C. To hire language teachers to work in Japan.
D. To describe working conditions in Japan.
65. We know from the text that those who are going to Japan will ________.
A. get trained for the job B. teach English only in Osaka
C. receive a degree from a university D. have free accommodation
66. Before going to Japan, you need ________.
A. to find a place to live B. to see the manager of NOVA France
C. to take some computer courses D. to write a letter to Japan
67. If you want to work in Japan you should ________.
A. know how to use computers B. present good teaching plans
C. speak several languages D. have some working experience
There is a saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” What one person considers beautiful may not be beautiful to another. When we talk about beauty in people, we often refer to their physical attractiveness. Of course, a beautiful or handsome face is pleasant to look at. But to me beauty is not only something that pleases the eyes. but also pleases the other senses and the mind. I think true beauty makes you see beyond the lovely sight. It will give you insight (深刻的了解) or realization of something interesting beyond just the outward appearance.
The most memorable “beautiful people” are those who have attractive personalities behind the pretty faces. In one of my previous classes, there were two beautiful girls. Sue and Lin. Both had almost perfect faces and slender(纤细的) figures. But Lin was used to getting her own way. She felt that her looks could help her get anything she wanted, especially among the boys. Sue, on the other hand, treated her beauty in a matter of-fact way and she was nice to everyone. She was also a member of the debating team. Her personality was mostly accepted by others and it made her a more outstanding beauty than Lin.
Inner beauty is another kind of beauty that attracts people greatly. People who have this kind of beauty have attained(获得) inner peace. They care about their fellowmen, and try to right the injustices in this world, Two well-known personalities who exemplify this are Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa. Mandela is willing to sacrifice his life and freedom to obtain equal rights for the blacks in South Africa. Mother Theresa’s mission is to help the poorest of the world’s poor. This inner beauty makes the world a better place.
60. When we talk about beauty in people, we often refer to ________.
A. the beauty of eyes B. something beyond the lovely sight
C. something that pleases our eyes D. inner beauty
61. What does the underlined sentence “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” mean?
A. Beauty is a matter of a person’s taste and judgement.
B. Beautiful people are very popular.
C. Everybody hopes for beauty.
D. Beauty attracts people’ s eyes.
62. According to the passage, why did the author think Sue was more beautiful than Lin?
A. Sue had a perfect face B. Sue had a good character.
C. Sue became more and more slender. D. Lin treated her beauty in a matter-of-fact way.
63. What’s the author’s opinion on beauty?
A. Beauty is a perfect face and a slender figure.
B. Beauty is something that pleases the eyes.
C. Beauty is an attractive personality behind the pretty faces.
D. Inner beauty doesn’t attract people.
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,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Sometimes you make a wish, but when it comes. you decide you don’t want it. That’s what happened with Micky’s “birthday wish”.
Our family tradition is that you make a wish before you blow out the birthday candle. After he blew out the candle. Micky told us that his wish was to win a prize in the Pine Ridge-match. We quickly told Micky, “If you tell people your wish. your wish won’t come true.” So we lit the candle again, and he made another wish.
Micky and Paul were both supposed to start playing at 5:30.
When Micky reported to the check-in table, the game organizers told him his opponent (对手) had phoned and said he was coming late. The officials told Micky he could choose not to play and be declared the victor of the first round of competition.
But Micky said he didn’t want to win by not playing. He wanted the experience of playing a great player.
Finally, the beast showed up. He was tall, smiling and relaxed. His serve (发球) was like lightning.
Micky had some good returns, but he lost quickly, 6-1, 6-0.
We congratulated Micky on having some good returns and a few great serves. And we noted that he had won the first game.
“I didn’t win that game,” Micky said. “I think he just gave it to me at the beginning because he arrived late.”
“It was a birthday present.” I said, smiling.
“No, I refused my birthday present,” Micky said. In his eyes, his “birthday present” had been the chance to win by his opponent’s being late.
Micky ended up winning the “consolation prize(鼓励奖)” a small prize that we didn’t know existed until Micky earned it by being undefeated in the consolation bracket (档次).
We’ll’ never know what Micky’s second wish was - the wish he didn’t share with us.
It seems to me that no matter how many birthdays you celebrate, as long as you enjoy challenges, you will never be “old”.
56. What kind of person is Micky?
A. A person who always gives up. B. A person who is afraid of challenges.
C. One who enjoys challenges. D. One who is selfish.
57. Why did Micky lose the match?
A. Because he gave up a good chance. B. Because he let the others know his birthday wish.
C. Because he was proud of himself. D. Because his opponent played much better than him
58. The prize Micky won was ______.
A. one he had expected B. not a well-known one
C. a famous one D. one he thought meaningless
59. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.
A. enjoying challenges is helpful for one to keep “young”
B. one will become old as he celebrates his birthdays
C. one will stay young by continuously celebrating his birthdays
D. challenges can make one never get old
Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people – society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course.We were brainwashed.We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us.As Oscar Wilde puts it,“Most people are other people.Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions,their lives a mimicry(模仿),their passions a quotation.”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are,it makes us feel good.We long for this good feeling like a drug—we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can.Therefore,we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives,failing to do the things we really want to.Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting theirfix(一剂毒品),we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.
But just as with any drug,there is a price to pay.The price of the approval drug is freedom--the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think.People have their own agenda,and they come with their own baggage and,in the end,they’re more interested in themselves than in you.Furthermore,if we try to live by the opinions of others,we will build our life on sinking sand.Everyone has a different way of thinking,and people change their opinions all the time.The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process.
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way--make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think.We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values—not values imposed from the outside by others,but innate values which come from within.If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others,we will live a more authentic,effective,purposeful and happy life.
67.What Oscar Wilde says implies that________.
A.we have thoughts similar to those of others
B.most people have a variety of thoughts
C.other people’s thoughts are more important
D.most people’s thoughts are controlled by others
68.What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph?
A.Changing opinions may cost us our freedom.
B.We may lose ourselves to please others.
C.We need to pay for what we want to get.
D.The price of taking the drug is freedom.
69.It can be concluded from the passage that________.
A. it’s better to do what we like
B.we shouldn’t care what others think
C.we shouldn’t change our own opinions
D.it's important to accept others’ opinions
70.The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his arguments mainly by________.
A.analyzing causes and effects
B.providing examples and facts
C.discussing questions
D.making suggestions
An Australian company, Smart Car Technologies, has developed a system that lets drivers know when they're speeding. When the technology becomes commercially available, it could help lead-footed drivers avoid tickets and also save lives. The company that developed the product hopes to convince Australian government agencies to put the technology into use in their automobile fleets.
The product, called Speed Alert, links real-time location data and speed obtained with the help of GPS to a database of posted speed limits stored in a driver's PDA or programmable mobile phone. The setup of the product does not need to be hooked up to a car's speedometer. In fact, it is entirely portable. It will also work with newer phones and PDAs that have built-in GPS receivers. If a driver exceeds the speed limit, the speed is shown and an alert sounds.
Michael Paine, an Australian vehicle design engineer and traffic safety consultant, was hired to analyze the product. He told Live Science that his colleagues in the road safety field are “very enthusiastic” about what they're now calling “intelligent speed alert.” Other research, according to Paine, shows that 40 percent of all traffic deaths involve speeding. There is also a potentially controversial future use: “Since the system is so portable, it would be easy to make it a requirement for teenage drivers to always use a speed alert device when driving,” Paine said. “The system even has the capability to record speeding violations, so parents can monitor their teenage drivers.”The product will soon go on sale in Sydney.
63.What's the purpose of the new product?
A.To introduce some improvement in cars.
B.To inform us of the new car system.
C.To popularize the built-in car system.
D.To limit certain drivers to safe driving.
64.“Lead-footed” in the first paragraph probably refer to the ones ________.
A.who drive too carelessly B.that drive too slowly
C.who are partly disabled D.that drive extremely fast
65.The second paragraph mainly talks about ________.
A.how the product is programmed B.why the system becomes popular
C.the functions of GPS in cars D.the project of the built-in product
66.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Future Speed Alert B.New In – Car Device Against Speeding
C.Warning for Adventurous Drivers D.Progress in Car – making Science