On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that 42% of Americans could be overweight by 2030. Our expanding bodies not only lead to a medical problem, but also endanger personal safety in some situations—in an airplane crash, for example, according to a recent article in The New York Times.
The New York Times’ Christine Negroni reports that engineers and scientists are questioning whether airplane seats are designed to protect overweight travelers. Government standards（标准） for airplane seat strength—first set more than 60 years ago---require that the seats be made for a passenger weighing 170 pounds. Today, the average American man weighs nearly 194 pounds and the average woman 165 pounds. Negroni reports:
“If a heavier person completely fills a seat ,the seat is not likely to behave as designed during a crash,”Robert Salzar,the leading scientist at the Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia. “The energy that is built into the aircraft seat is likely to be overpowered and the passengers will not be protected properly”.
“Nor would the injury be limited to that passenger only,” Dr. Salzar said. “If a seat or a seat belt fails,”he said, “those people who are seated nearby could not be safe from the uncontrolled movements of the passenger.”
Most complaints（投诉） about airplane seats focus on their lack of comfort and high ticket price, and whether overweight passengers should be made to buy two seats. But The New York Times’ article bring up another reason to feel anxious about flying. Investigators（调查者） got in touch with the airplane seat and seat belt makers, but they refused to talk about the problem. Experts agreed that crash testing should be done .Both airplane seats and seat belts should be tested, they said.
Fortunately, however, according to Nora Marshall, a senior adviser at the National Transportation Safety Board, the board’s investigators have never seen an accident involving a commercial plane in which the weight of a passenger was a problem.What is the article in The New York Times mainly about?
| A．The size of airplane seats and seat belts |
| B．Safety of overweight airplane passengers |
| C．Airplane crashes |
| D．A medical problem caused by being overweight |
Robert Salzar would probably agree that_________.
| A．overweight passengers should buy two seats |
| B．the government should help produce safer planes |
| C．standards for airplane seat strength should be raised |
| D．passengers should know how to protect themselves |
What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．Experts | B．Passengers |
| C．Investigators | D．The airplane seat makers |
We can learn from the text that_________
| A．airplane seat makers have taken action now |
| B．there are few complaints about airplane seats |
| C．those seated near the overweight may suffer too |
| D．only a small number of airplane accidents result from the overweight |
what is the best title for the text?
| A．Why do passengers Feel Anxious about Flying? |
| B．Will 42% of Americans Be Overweight by 2030? |
| C．When Will the Overweight Enjoy Their Flight? |
| D．Are Airplane Seats Safe Enough for the Overweight? |
C
In tough economic times, school counselors (顾问) don’t just wait for students to come to their offices in search of college brochures, health pamphlets or other help. These days, they are looking for at-risk kids to prevent personal or academic troubles before they arise. Nowadays, students and families need the guidance more than ever.
Counselors play a steadying role in schools as the economy weighs on families, college admission becomes even more competitive, immigration continues to reshape the population and state-testing pressures many students. They use computers to search through attendance data, grades and standardized test scores for kids who might need extra help.
Schlatter, director of guidance and counseling at Prince William County’s Woodbridge Senior High School, has checked attendance records against grades and test results to start peer groups (同年龄群体) for students who are failing classes but not skipping them. She said group counseling is another way to reach more students though it can be difficult. “Kids really do start helping and sharing with each other.”
At Fairfax High School, counselors found through surveys that students who transferred (转学) to the school after ninth grade enjoyed school significantly less than those who had been there all four years. The counseling staff set up a special program and group for new arrivals in response, said Marcy Miller, the school’s director of student services. Counseling staff members also have started small study groups for students to prepare for state Standards of Learning exams, which Miller said have helped raise test scores. She said that some of the newest counselors have had some of the freshest ideas.
63. We can learn from the passage that __________.
A. counselors don’t wait for kids to come to ask for help now
B. counselors are trying to help people with economic problems
C. counselors have made college admission less competitive
D. counselors are trying to reach more kids in need of help
64. The author uses the example of Fairfax High School to show that ________.
A. counseling work is obviously effective
B. many students transfer there for help
C. new arrivals will no longer skip classes
D. counseling means little to new arrivals
65. What would the author most probably discuss in the following part?
A. What assistance they can offer.
B. The significance of their counseling job.
C. Other approaches to counseling at-risk kids.
D. The barriers of counseling the students with troubles.
66. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A. Guiding Hands Find New Ways B. Small Study Groups Raise Test Scores
C. Transferred Students Need More Help D. Tough Times See More At-risk Kids
B
Modern Manners
Philip Howard answers your questions on contemporary etiquette (礼仪)
Philip Howard,
When my friend and I (two ladies of a certain age) go out to have a meal, she always leaves an extremely large tip. At times, the tip will equal the amount of one of the main dishes—sometimes it comes to about 30 per cent of the bill. I feel 15—20 per cent is adequate for services offered and depending on the type of restaurant. At a cafe I would like to leave 15 per cent or a bit more depending on the service and etc. A larger tip would be appropriate if we are in a big city or a nicer place. My friend says “Well, I am sure they are not driving a Mercedes (奔驰汽车).” Well, neither am I, and how does she know? Who is correct and how can I make changes? I might add I do truly feel tipping should be based on good service, and also if you frequent a place and know the staff a larger tip is OK. I would never hesitate to tip a waitperson. I always leave to the higher side.
Yours,
Barbara Bade
Barbara Bade,
Americans are more generous tippers than the British. I suspect that 10 per cent for a tip is about normal in the UK. Tipping is a strange survival in our age of supposed equality and minimum wages. Your friend has a generous nature and deep purse. I do not see why you cannot let her tip whatever she wants, and do your own thing. I agree that a tip should be a reward for good service and general good feeling. If the service is rotten and the meal a disaster, we should withhold a tip and explain why we are doing so. Few of us have the chutzpah (厚颜) to do this. Sensible restaurants have a box for tips, so that they are shared out among the staff, including those in the kitchens whom we do not see. (I trust that the management does not receive the money as extra profit.) I look forward to the day when waiters and other servants are paid a good enough living wage, so that they do not have to depend on the generosity of strangers to survive. To wait at table is just as honorable a way to earn a living in this wicked world. If you are pleased with the meal and cheerful service, you should tip as handsomely as your purse affords. I don’t suppose that your waiter / waitress is driving a Mercedes, even in the States.
Yours,
Philip Howard
60. We can learn from the first letter that Barbara prefers ___________.
A. changing her own ideas on how to tip waiters
B. leaving a bigger tip to the familiar waitpersons
C. eating at a café rather than in a nice restaurant
D. saving as much money as possible for herself
61. It can be inferred that Barbara’s friend tips waiters heavily ________.
A. to show that she is well off B. because they are thought to be poorly paid
C. to show that she is generous D. because they have offered her full service
62. Besides quality of service, Philip regards __________ as principles of tipping.
A. taste of food and amount of one’s money
B. taste of food and the number of servants
C. generosity of strangers and the number of servants
D. amount of one’s money and generosity of strangers
第二部分阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
A
President Barack Obama has apologized for a gaffe (失言) in which he described his bowling skills as akin to participants in the Special Olympics, a sports program for people with intellectual disabilities.
Obama made the mistake during an interview on Thursday night on “The Tonight Show” with host Jay Leno, the first time a sitting U.S. president had been on the show.
Talking about living in the White House, Obama said he had been practicing his bowling in the home’s bowling alley and had scored a 129 out of a possible 300.
It was an improvement on the embarrassing 37 he had rolled during a stop on the presidential campaign trail a year ago. “It’s like—it was like Special Olympics or something,” Obama said.
The Special Olympics is a global nonprofit organization serving some 200 million people with intellectual disabilities, with a presence in nearly 200 countries worldwide.
Soon after the Jay Leno interview, Obama telephoned Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologize.
Shriver told ABC’s “Good Morning America” television show that Obama had apologized “in a way that I think was very moving” and that he said “he did not intend to humiliate (羞辱) the population, didn’t want to embarrass or give anybody any more reason for pain or kind of suffering.”
Shriver said people should gain a lesson from the incident.
“I think it’s important to see that words hurt. Words do matter. And these words in some respect, can be seen as humiliating or a put-down to people with special needs, do cause pain. And they do result in stereotypes,” Shriver said.
White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama “made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to look down upon the Special Olympics.”
“He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world,” Burton said.
56. What does the underlined word “akin” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. skillful B. similar C. appealing D. superior
57. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Obama loves sports and is especially gifted at bowling.
B. Obama apologized for his remarks via ABC’s TV show.
C. The Special Olympics are for various disabled people.
D. The Special Olympics don’t intend to make any money.
58. What does Shriver mean by saying people should gain a lesson from the incident?
A. Disabled people cannot be humiliated. B. One should be careful with his words.
C. An apology for wrong words is wanted. D. Words matter even more than actions.
59. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. Obama receiving a TV interview B. Obama looking down on the disabled
C. Obama apologizing for his gaffe D. Obama being attacked for his words
D
It had been a long time since I had been to Jacksonville, Florida.I had driven to town hoping to see the old barber shop where my hair had been cut as a child.
I parked my truck and decided to try and locate a telephone to see if the Florida Barber College had moved to a new location.
After walking about a block I saw an open shoe store.I walked inside and asked if I could use their telephone book.Unable to find a listing for the Barber College, I picked out the number of a local beauty salon, hoping they might tell me if the barber college was still in business.The number was busy, so I decided to wait and try again in a few minutes.
As the salesman and I stood talking the front door opened and a young man about twenty came into the store pushing himself in a wheelchair.“I need a new pair of shoes,” said the customer.As he turned the corner, there was a blanket across his lap.I was shocked to see that the young man had no legs.
“A gift for a friend?” I asked the boy.“No,” he replied.They are for me,” he continued, with a smile on his face.I just smiled back and watched to see what would happen next.
“What type of shoe would you like?” asked the clerk.“How about a pair of cowboy boots?”The man pointed to the back wall where three or four pairs of boots were displayed.The salesman, sharply turning, headed off to the backroom.
“Isn’t this fun?” the boy asked me.I moved my hand to let him know that I did not understand his question.“When I was a kid, my parents used to buy me a new pair of shoes every year.That was such a wonderful feeling.Something I have never forgotten.The smell of the leather and the pride I felt when I walked around the store showing off my new shoes.”
The salesman came walking down the aisle with a large box.He sat it down on the floor, took out one boot and handed it to the young man.The boy closed his eyes.He placed the boot against his nose, and drew in a large breath.I did not know what to say as tears began to fall on the young man’s cheeks.“What type of accident did you have?” I asked him.“Farm accident,” he said, as he tried to clear his voice.
“Do you want the cowboy boots?” the salesman asked him.
“Oh, yes!” he answered.
“I see buying a new pair of shoes still gives you that good feeling you talked about,” I told the young man, as I smiled.
“Yes it does.” he said “And I may have someone, and his feet to share it with some day.”
67. Why did the young man want to buy a new pair of shoes?
A. Because he bought a pair every year.
B. Because he wanted to send a new pair to a friend.
C. Because he hoped to keep it for memory.
D. Because he enjoyed the feeling of possessing a new pair.
68. The author writes about the barber shop at the beginning of the article in order to _______.
A. introduce the background of the story
B. see if the Barber College had moved to a new location
C. find a listing for the Barber College D. pick out a local beauty salon
69. How did the author feel when he saw a young man without legs buying a pair of shoes?
A. Unexpected. B. Proud. C. Sympathetic. D. Superior.
70. What can you conclude from the passage?
A. The young man was a stubborn person. B. The author was a man of understanding.
C. The cowboy boots were fashionable then. D. The disabled envied much those healthy.
C
Shaping the Future of TV
Nobody can predict the future of TV with any certainty but some major figures in the industry have recently put forward their thoughts on what will shape TV of the future.
The shaping of a personalized television future is starting to take place, says Intel. The chip giant, who makes the processors found in most personal computers, states that by 2015 there will be just over 12 million devices using IPTV services that will be capable of connecting to over 500 billion hours of TV & video.
This supports the idea to make television a more social, personalized and readily accessible device available anywhere through IPTV services. As more and more people consume TV & video through various mediums, there is now a greater need to distribute and manage this content.
As such, companies like TV Genius are accepting this announcement made at Intel’s Developer Forum (IDF) in the USA by their chief technology officer, Justin Rattner.
With such a variety of content likely to become available, technology firms will need to assist in making personalized TV recommendations more readily accessible.
Mr. Rattner, speaking to the BBC said, “TV will remain at the centre of our lives and you will be able to watch what you want and where you want. We are talking about more than one TV-capable device for every man and woman on the planet. People are going to feel connected to the screen in ways they haven’t in the past.”
One way in which this will happen will also be assisted by a more united service of material combining including video content, internet content, broadcast content, and personal content.
This content will become much more accessible through remote devices like mobile phones using IPTV technology. This means that users will be able to watch their favorite programs away from the traditional media hub, the home.
63. The author uses the passage mainly to ________.
A. recommend a new type of TV B. introduce a possible shape of future TV
C. describe the function of future TV D. support the new type of TV
64. We know from the passage that the future TV might have major features like _______.
a. being capable of connecting to many more hours
b. changing the shape very easily c. receiving programs at any place
d. displaying the advanced materials
e. using services accessing the Internet, video, radio, etc
A. a, b, c B. c, d, e C. a, c, e D. b, c, e
65. The underlined word “this” in the third paragraph refers to __________.
A. Intel, the chip giant B. TV and video
C. readily accessible device D. Widely used IPTV services
66. We can infer from the passage that _________.
A. the present TV will disappear in the near future
B. the future TV will have a beautiful look
C. people are developing the technology of TV very quickly
D. people will spend more time watching TV at home