Alibaba started taking the lead in China, simply enough, by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商)with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to identify: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its marketplaces attract 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year—and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets—not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing almost a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is secondary to consumer buying. Chinese retail（零售）buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping—big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how extensive the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.Alibaba’s advantage mainly lies in ___________.
| A．its big size |
| B．its business-to-business service |
| C．its not charging small sellers |
| D．its low price |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage?
| A．Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites |
| B．Alibaba will continue to develop. |
| C．Alibaba stands out as the best online site. |
| D．Alibaba acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers. |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．a new store | B．Alibaba |
| C．a business | D．a foreign website |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover. |
| B．Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites. |
| C．Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns more money than retail now. |
| D．TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Shopping online is TaoBao. |
| B．The influence of shopping online goes beyond traditional shopping. |
| C．Alibaba greatly influences people’s daily purchase in China. |
| D．How the author purchases online in China. |
III. 阅读 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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。
As goods and services improved, people were persuaded to spend their money on changing from old to new, and found the change worth the expense. When an airline equipped itself with jets, for example, its costs (and therefore air fare) would go up, but the new planes meant such an improvement that the higher cost was justified. A new car (or wireless, washing machine, electric kettle) made life so much more comfortable than the old one that the high cost of replacement was fully repaid. Manufacturers still cry their goods as persuasively as ever, but are the improvements really worth paying for? In many fields, things have now reached such a high standard of performance that further progress is very limited and very, very expensive. Airlines, for example, go to enormous expense in buying the latest prestige jets, in which vast research costs have been spent on relatively small improvements. If we abandon these vast costs we might lose the chance of cutting minutes away from flying times; but wouldn’t it be better to see airfares drop dramatically, as capital costs become relatively insignificant? Again, in the context of a 70 m. p. h. Limit, with lines of cars traveling so close as to control each other’s speeds, improvements in performance are actually irrelevant; improvements in handling are unnecessary, as most production cars grip（抓牢） the road perfectly, and comfort has now reached a very high level. Small improvements here are unlikely to be worth the thousands that anybody replacing an ordinary family car every two years may have spent on them. Let us instead have cars — or wireless, electric kettles, washing machines, television sets — which are made to last, and not to be replaced. Significant progress is obviously a good thing, but the insignificant progression from model-change to model-change is not.
1. The author is obviously challenging the social norm (社会规范) that ________________.
A. it is important to improve goods and services
B. development of technology makes our life more comfortable
C. it is reasonable that prices are going up all the time
D. slightly improved new products are worth buying
2. According to this passage, airfares may rise because ______________.
A. the airplane has been improved
B. people tend to travel by new airplanes
C. the change is found to be reasonable
D. the service on the airplane is better than before
3. According to the author, passengers would be happier if they ____________.
A. could fly in the latest model of good planes
B. could get tickets at much lower prices
C. see the airlines make vital changes in their services
D. could spend less time flying in the air
4. When manufactures have improved the performance of their products to a certain level, then it would be _______________.
A. justified for them to cut the price
B. unnecessary for them to make any new changes
C. difficult and costly to further better them
D. insignificant for them to cut down the research costs
5. In the case of cars, the author advises that we _____________.
A. cancel the speed limit B. further improve their performance
C. change models every two years D. improve their durability (耐久性)
(C)
YOUR mom might cook a bowl of noodles for you on your birthday. But in the US, a mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday.
Cupcakes are small, round cakes topped with frosting (糖霜). It has been an American tradition that moms bring cupcakes to the classroom to celebrate their child’s birthday.
But recently some doctors have called for this to be banned. They believe cupcakes contribute to child obesity.
Despite their good intentions, however, some people believe that experts are interfering (妨碍) with American culture. The cupcake is seen as American as apple pie — only prettier.
According to Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, the cupcake is the most democratic (民主的) of desserts. As they are small enough for one person, you don’t have to share your cupcake with anyone — it’s all yours. They are also all the same size, so there can’t be any cries of “she got the bigger piece!”
Each bite can taste different depending on how much icing you have. It is a lesson in self-determination. Some people eat only a little of the frosting every time, others have it all in just one bite.
In recent years, eating a cupcake has become as trendy as having a cup of Starbucks coffee.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton jokingly promised on a talk show that if she was elected president, she would give everyone a cupcake on her birthday.
Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, explains that the rise of the cupcake is very much about going back to American national identity in food, which is all about comfort. “People want to think about when they and their country were innocent,” she said.
51. According to the passage, it has been an American tradition that ___________.
| A. a party for children on their birthday |
| B. A mom cooks a bowl of noodles for her children on their birthday |
| C. A mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday and brings it to the classroom |
| D. parents go travelling with their children on their birthday |
52. Why do doctors ask people to ban cupcakes on children’s birthday?
| A. Because they themselves don’t like cupcakes. |
| B. Because they think cupcakes are not so delicious. |
| C. Because they believe cupcakes will cause cries of “She got the bigger piece”. |
| D. Because they believe cupcakes are one of the causes to make children become fat. |
53. Which of the following is Not true according to Marion Nestle?
| A. The cupcake is more democratic than any other deserts in the US. |
| B. The cupcake is too small to share with others. |
| C. The sizes of cupcakes are the same so it’s equal to everyone. |
| D. Cupcakes will lead to child obesity so they should be banned. |
54. The underlined word “trendy” in paragraph 7 probably means ________.
| A. popular |
B. gentle |
C. delicious |
D. different |
55. Why did the writer mention Hillary Clinton and Ruth Reichl?
| A. To arouse the readers’ attention. |
| B. To show that cupcakes are becoming a popular to show kindness and comfort. |
| C. To make a comparison between them. |
| D. To give readers a general idea of cupcakes. |
(B)
British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007.
J.K.RowlinghasbeenspottedatcafesinScotlandworkingonadetectivenovel,aBritishnewspaperreportedSaturday.
TheSundayTimesnewspaperquotedIanRankin,afellowauthorandneighborofRowling's,assayingthecreatorofthe"HarryPotter"booksisturningtocrimefiction.
"MywifespottedherwritingherEdinburghcriminaldetectivenovel,"thenewspaperquotedRankinastellingareporteratanEdinburghliteraryfestival.
"ItisgreatthatshehasnotabandonedwritingorEdinburghcafes,"saidRankin,whois knownforhisownpolicenovelssetinthehistoricScottishcity.
RowlingfamouslywroteinitialdraftsofthePotterstoryintheScottishcity'scafes.Backthen,shewasastrugglingsinglemotherwhowroteincafestosaveontheheatingbillathome.
Nowshe'sBritain'srichestwoman-worth$1billion,accordingtoForbesmagazine-andhersevenPotterbookshavesoldmorethan335millioncopiesworldwide.
InaninterviewwithTheAssociatedPresslastmonth,RowlingsaidshebelievedshewasunlikelytorepeatthesuccessofthePotterseries,butconfirmedshehadplanstoworkonnewbooks.
"I'lldoexactlywhatIdidwithHarry-I'llwritewhatIreallywanttowrite,"Rowlingsaid.
46 What is JK Rowling famous for?
| A. detective novels |
B. crime fiction |
C. Harry Potter books |
D. love stories |
47 Which of the following is Not rue about Ian Rankin?
| A. He is a writer famous for police novels. |
| B. Most of the stories in his novels happened in the historic Scottish city. |
| C. It was Rankin himself who witnessed JK Rowing writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novels. |
| D. He told the British newspaper The Sunday Times about JK Rowling’s novels. |
48 Why did Rowling like to write the “Harry Potter stories” in the cafes?
| A. Because she was a romantic woman and the atmosphere in the cafes gave her lots of inspiration. |
| B. Because she was a single mother at that time and she wanted to find a husband there. |
| C. Because her children were so naughty at home and she had to go to a quiet place for her writing. |
| D. Because she thought that writing in a cafes could help her save some money. |
49 What can we learn from the passage?
| A. The seven Harry Potter series made JK Rowling a success. |
| B. JK Rowling had made enough money so she decided to stop writing. |
| C. Rowling planned to write new books because Harry Potter was not exactly what she wanted. |
| D. Ian Rankin and his wife earned money by telling reporters news about JK Rowling. |
50 What is the best title for the passage?
| A. Harry Potter and JK Rowing |
B. Ian Rankin, A Neighbour of JK Rowling |
| C. A Successful Woman JK Rowling |
D. JK Rowling writing Detective Novels |
Ⅲ. 阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从41—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
(A)
We're all connected. You can send an e-mail message to a friend, and your friend can pass it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could reach just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there.
Scientists recently tested that idea in a study involving 24,000 people. Participants had to try to get a message forwarded to one of 18 randomly chosen people. Each participant started by sending one e-mail to someone they knew. Recipients could then forward the e-mail once to someone they knew, and so on.
Targets, who were randomly assigned by researchers from Columbia University in New York, lived in 13 countries. They included an Australian police officer, a Norwegian veterinarian, and a college professor.
Out of 24,000 chains, only 384 reached their goal. The rest petered out, usually because one of the recipients was either too busy to forward the message or thought it was junk mail.
The links that reached their goal made it in an average of 4.05 e-mails. Based on the lengths of the failed chains, the researchers estimated that two strangers could generally make contact in five to seven e-mails.
The most successful chains relied on casual acquaintances rather than close friends. That's because your close friends know each other whereas your acquaintances tend to know people you don't know. The phenomenon, known as the strength of weak ties, explains why people tend to get jobs through people they know casually but aren't that close to.
So, start networking and instant messaging now. As they say in show business: It's all about who you know.
41. If you want to get into touch with a stranger in the world, how many e-mails might it take for the message to reach him/her?
| A. 5 to 7 |
B. 18 |
C. 13 |
D. 384 |
42. Which of the following is Not true about the test?
| A. 24,000 people took part in the study and sent e-mails to people they knew. |
| B. The 18 targets were chosen by chance. |
| C. About 98.4% of the mails didn’t reach their goal because some people were too busy or they mistook the message for junk mail. |
| D. The targets come from 13 countries, such as Australia, Norway and New York. |
43. What does the word “estimate” mean in the passage?
| A. make sure |
B. suppose |
C. think over |
D. imagine |
44. Why do people tend to get jobs more easily through casual acquaintances than close friends?
| A. Because close friends don’t talk with each other so much. |
| B. Because casual acquaintances can help you know more people and make more friends. |
| C. Because close friends don’t spend so much time gathering together. |
| D. Because casual acquaintances are kinder and more willing to help others. |
45. In which part of a newspaper will readers read this passage?
| A. Culture |
B. Entertainment |
C. Information and Technology |
D. Health |
On April 24th, another natural disaster—the oil spill(泄露) in the Gulf of Mexico, happened. Millions of dollars have been used to help stop the spill and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil．Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea．
But governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage．Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run.
Of all of today’s environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious．Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material．In the end, it breaks down naturally．In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Scilly Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean．If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened．
However, we should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil．Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power（太阳能）, electricity, hydrogen, and so on．Much of this research, in the past, was stopped by the oil, gas, and coal．
If the world’s millions of cars were 10% more efficient（高效的）,we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year．If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too．What is the passage mainly talking about?
| A．Oil spills pollution． | B．What oil pollution is． |
| C．Oil tanker accidents. | D．How to reduce oil pollution. |
How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people believe?
| A．By giving a description． | B．By making an argument． |
| C．By giving an example． | D．By drawing a diagram(图表)． |
What does the underlined word "risk" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．Transportation depending more on oil． |
| B．Poisonous oil breaking down naturally． |
| C．Millions of tons of oil spilling into the sea． |
| D．More environmental damage being caused． |
Which suggestion is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?
| A．We should build safer tankers in the near future． |
| B．We should develop new technologies to cut oil use． |
| C．Tankers should not be allowed to sail near the coastlines． |
| D．Countries should build more oil pipelines under the sea． |
Where can you read this article?
| A．In a story book． |
| B．In a science magazine． |
| C．In a novel. |
| D．In a brochure． |