Hundreds of great books are published in America every year. And every year, editors, critics and other readers try to choose a list of favorites.
A few books showed up on list after list of the best fiction from this year. One of them was Ann Patchett's State of Wonder. Publishers Weekly described the novel as one "readers will hate to see end." The story centers on a drug researcher from Minnesota named Maria Singh. She travels to Brazil to investigate the death of a co-worker. Her search takes her deep into the Amazon area and danger. But she also goes deep into her own soul for a close look at who she is, what she has lost in her life and how she wants the future to look. Ann Patchett lives in Tennesee. She told Publishers Weekly magazine that the state is dense and leafy, like the Amazon jungle. She visited that area while doing research for the novel.
Chad Harbach's name was also all over the critics' best lists this year for his first book, The Art of Fielding. The New Yorker magazine praised the novel for the easy way it joins a love of baseball with a love of literature. The book is about a college baseball star. He suffers a mental crisis and begins to fail on the playing field as a result. But the book is about much more than the sport of baseball. It also is a story of love, loss, friendship and growing up. Chad Harbach says his own upbringing influenced the book.
The Marriage Plot also got a lot of attention this year. It is the third book from Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides. He spent almost ten years writing it. The Marriage Plot is also a story about becoming an adult. It follows the lives of three students in their final year of college and beyond. Leonard struggles with manic depression, Mitchell, with religious belief and Madeleine struggles with her feelings for both men.The underlined words "readers will hate to see end" mean _______.
| A．Readers don’t like Ann Patchett’s writing style. |
| B．Readers don’t like reading State of Wonder. |
| C．Readers love State of Wonder very much. |
| D．Readers don’t want to read the end of State of Wonder. |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．During the research Maris thinks a lot about her own thoughts and feelings. |
| B．The story focuses on a scientific research. |
| C．Maria Singh’s co-worker died of a serious illness. |
| D．The subject of Maria Singh’s study was supported by Publishers Weekly. |
It can be inferred that _______.
| A．Chad had mental problems in his childhood |
| B．Chad became famous for The Art of Fielding |
| C．more and more readers like Chad’s book |
| D．The Art of Fielding is only about the story of baseball. |
The following statements about The Marriage Plot are true except that ______.
| A．it took its author about 10 years to finish the book |
| B．it is about the lives of three college students |
| C．Mitchell in the story struggles with religious belief |
| D．its author’s character is similar to Madeleine’s |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．People’s reading preference. |
| B．Three famous writers. |
| C．The introduction of three well reviewed books. |
| D．The common features of interesting books. |
Pulling heavy suitcases all day in the summer is hard work, especially when you’re a thin 14-year-old. That was me in 1940 — the youngest and smallest baggage boy at New York City’s Pennsylvania Railway Station.
After just a few days on the job, I began noticing that the other fellows were overcharging passengers. I’d like to join them, thinking, “Everyone else is doing it.”
When I got home that night, I told my dad what I wanted to do. “You give an honest day’s work,” he said, looking at me straight in the eye. “They’re paying you. If they want to do that, you let them do that.”
I followed my dad's advice for the rest of that summer and have lived by his words ever since.
Of all the jobs I've had, it was my experience at Pennsylvania Railway Station that has stuck with me. Now I teach my players to have respect for other people and their possessions. Being a member of a team is a totally shared experience. If one person steals, it destroys trust and hurts everyone. I can put up with many things, but not with people who steal. If one of my players were caught stealing, he'd be gone.
Whether you’re on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family, if you can’t trust one another, there’s going to be trouble.
68. What can be inferred about the baggage boys?
A. They could earn much, but they had to work hard.
B. Many of them earned money in a dishonest way.
C. They were all from poor families.
D. They were all thin, young boys.
69. What does the father's advice imply?
A. It is wrong to give more pay to the passengers.
B. Don’t believe them if they are paying you more.
C. Don’t follow others to overcharge the passengers.
D. It is difficult to work hard and live as an honest boy.
70. The writer can't put up with stealing because he thinks that ______.
A. it is a totally shared experience
B. it is considered as the most dangerous
C. it does great harm to human relationship
D. it may lead to the loss of his sports team
71. It can be concluded from the text that ______.
A. his father's advice helped him to decide which job to take up
B. working in the sports team was his most important experience
C. he learnt much from his shared experience with his team members
D. his experience as a baggage boy had a great influence on his later life
Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks’ time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive （存活）if the rain is spread throughout the year, If it falls, within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a desert may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes （沙丘） are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern UnitedStates, cliffs （悬崖） and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing – very, very slowly – as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day, a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.
60. Many plants may survive in deserts when__________________.
A. the rain is spread out in a year B. the rain falls only in a few weeks
C. there is little rain in a year D. it is dry all the year round
61. Sand dunes are formed when___________________.
A. sand piles up gradually B. there is plenty of rain in a year
C. the sea has dried up over the years D. pieces of rock get smaller
62. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is____________.
A. too much sand B. more sand than before
C. nothing except sand D. something else besides sand
63 It can be learned from the text that in a desert ____________.
A. there is no rainfall throughout the year B. life exists in rough conditions
C. all sand dunes are a few feet high D. rocks are worn away only by wind and heat
Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers （青少年）. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son: suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut.” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up （蜷伏）with me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds. “In fact, parents are first on the list.” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years.” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should crate chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.
56．“The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son .
A．is always busy with his studies B．doesn’t want to be disturbed
C．keeps himself away from his parents D．begins to dislike his parents
57．What troubles Tina and Mark most is that .
A．their daughter isn’t as lovely as before
B．they can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly
C．they don’t know what to say to their daughter
D．their daughter talks with them only when she needs help
58．Which of the following best explains “the wall of silence” in the last paragraph?
A．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends.
B．Teenagers do not want to understand their parents.
C．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents.
D．Teenagers talk little about their own lives.
59．What can be learned from the passage?
A．Parents are unhappy with their growing children.
B．Parents have suitable ways to talk with their teenagers.
C．Parents should be patients with their silent teenagers.
D．Parents should try to understand their teenagers.
Welcome to Adventureland!
Everyone loves Adventureland! The Parks and Exhibitions were built for you to explore（探索）, enjoy, and admire their wonders. Every visit will be an unforgettable experience. You will go away enriched, longing to come back. What are you going to do this time?
The Travel Pavilion
Explore places you have never been to before, and experience different ways of life.
Visit the Amazon jungle（丛林）village, the Turkish market, the Tai floating market, the Berber mountain house and others. Talk to the people there who will tell you about their lives, and things they make. You can try making a carpet, making nets, fishing…
The Future Tower
This exhibition shows how progress will touch our lives. It allows us to look into the future and explore the cities of the next century and the way we’ll be living then. Spend some time in our space station and climb into our simulator（模拟装置）for the Journey to Mars!
The Nature Park
This is not really one park but several.
In the Safari Park you can drive among African animals in one of our Range Cruisers: see lions, giraffes, elephants in the wild. Move on to the Ocean Park to watch the dolphins and whales. And then there is still the Aviary to see…
The Pyramid
This is the center of Adventureland. Run out of film, need some postcards and stamps? For all these things and many more, visit our underground shopping center. Come here for information and ideas too.
63．The Travel Pavilion is built to help visitors .
A．realize the importance of traveling B．become familiar with mountain countries
C．learn how to make things such as fishing nets
D．learn something about different places in the world
64．If you are interested in knowing about what people’s life will be, you may visit .
A．the Travel Pavilion B．the Future Tower C．the Safari Park D．the Pyramid
65．If you want to get a toy lion to take home, where will you most likely go?
A．The Pyramid. B．The Nature Park. C．The Future Tower. D．The Travel Pavilion.
International Studies （BA）
Key features
● Recognizes the “global community”（国际社会）
● Has close connections with practical research
● Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups
About the course
The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states. It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.
The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries. You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems.
Related（相关的）courses
BA （Hons） Community Management
BA （Hons） Public Policy and Management
Employment possibilities
International organizations
International business
Earth Science （BSc）
Key features
● Based on key courses and the latest research findings
● Pays much attention to practical skills
● Offers chances for fieldwork（实地考察）
About the course
The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind. Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources.
The course covers geography and geology. You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year.
Related courses
BSc （Hons） Geograhpy
BSc （Hons） Geology
Employment possibilities
Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industries
64．International Studies is a course in ________.
A．international polities B．international business
C．international systems D．international bodies
65．After taking the course of International Studies, the students will _______.
A．become practical and open-minded B．have a greater ability to discuss theories
C．know how to settle international problems
D．have good jobs in any international organizations
66．Earth Science, as described in the second text, ________.
A．is attractive because of the chances for fieldwork
B．pays more attention to practical skills than theories
C．is built on important courses and the results of recent studies
D．encourages students to play a role in using natural resources
67．It can be inferred that the above two texts are written for the students who _______.
A．enjoy research work B．plan to choose courses
C．study in the UK D．are interested in overseas fieldwork