Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they’ll say, “Success.” The dream of individual opportunity has been home in American since Europeans discovered a “new world” in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers: in Letters from an American Farmer (1782) he wrote. “We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered (无拘无束的) and unrestrained, because each person works for himself … We have no princes, for whom we toil (干苦力活)，starve, and bleed: we are the most perfect society now existing in the world.” The promise of a land where “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor” drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western territories.
Our national mythology (神化) is full of illustration of the American success story. There’s Benjamin Franklin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became American’s best-selling author with rags-to-riches tales. The notion of success haunts us: we spend million every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate with no money down,” and “dressing for success.” The myth of success has even invaded our personal relationships: today it’s as important to be “successful” in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business.
But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make it” also knows the fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the anonymous crowd. Under pressure of the myth, we become indulged in status symbols: we try to live in the “right” neighborhoods, wear the “right” clothes, eat the “right” foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.What is the essence of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur?
| A．People are free to develop their power of imagination. |
| B．People who are honest and work hard can succeed. |
| C．People are free from exploitation and oppression. |
| D．People can fully enjoy individual freedom. |
By saying “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor” (Line 10, Para. 1), the author means __________ .
| A．the more diligent one is, the bigger his returns |
| B．laborious work ensures the growth of an industry |
| C．a man’s business should be developed step by step |
| D．a company’s success depends on its employees’ hard work |
The characters described in Horatio Alger’s novels are people who ___________.
| A．succeed in real estate investment |
| B．earned enormous fortunes by chances |
| C．became wealthy after starting life very poor |
| D．became famous despite their modest origins |
It can be inferred from the last sentence of the second paragraph that ____________.
| A．business success often contributes to a successful marriage |
| B．Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life |
| C．good personal relationships lead to business success |
| D．successful business people provide good care for their children |
What is the paradox (说法) of American culture according to the author?
| A．The American road to success is full of nightmares. |
| B．Status symbols are not a real indicator of a person’s wealth. |
| C．The American Dream is nothing but an empty dream. |
| D．What Americans strive after often contradicts their beliefs. |
The UN Environment Programme says that rising temperatures could mean the end for some migrating animals.
Migrating or mobile animals move through several environments as they travel away from the cold of winter to warmer areas. Birds may fly from one part of the World to another, perhaps stopping at feeding grounds on the way. Whales and turtles(海龟) cover vast areas of ocean. The report says that changes in any one of the places which these animals use can cause serious harm. "Obviously these animals have developed their travelling patterns over thousands of years. But climate change is almost certain to be extreme over the next 25 to 50 years and it is extremely unlikely that these animals can change their habits fast enough, "said the report author Dr. Robert Hepworth.
Hardest hit by rising temperatures are turtles. Scientists have found that at higher temperatures, turtles produce far more female eggs than male ones. In parts of Malaysia, turtle birthing sites are producing only females, the report says. It also provides evidence that some turtles are more likely to develop cancer as the waters get warmer.
With birds, the main problem is climate-related damage to important areas at either end of the travels or at resting places along the way. About one-fifth of migrating birds are now in danger because of climate-related changes including rising sea levels, land loss and more violent storms, the report concludes.
Other animals picked out as particularly in danger include:
·the North Atlantic Right Whale, whose main food (tiny shrimp) is disturbed by the change in ocean flows.
·the White-Nose Dolphin, which is out-competed by other kinds of dolphins in warmer waters.
The report is not all bad news. Even with major climatic changes, protecting the environment can still help mobile animals to recover. "We need governments to start taking action at the national and international level. The clock is running," said Dr. Hepworth. And some animals are already adapting, with the report mentioning whales that are changing their feeding behaviour, finding new feeding grounds and new foods to eat.
1．What is the main topic of the text ?
A．The effect of climate change on migrating animals.
B．How animals are adapting to changes in temperature.
C．The actions required to save migrating animals.
D．The need for government policies to prevent global warming.
2．By saying "The clock is running" in the last paragraph, Dr. Hepworth means that" ______"
A．it may be too late to save some animals
B．it is time to start protecting the animals
C．there is not much time to solve the problem
D．it takes time to complete the actions
3．According to the report, how will global warming affect turtles in the future?
A．They will only produce female babies.
B．Their food supply will gradually disappear.
C．Some will suffer from higher rates of cancer.
D．They will be in greater danger because of more violent storms.
4．Which of the following is mentioned as a consequence of rising temperatures?
A．More storms will affect the ability of whales to find their feeding grounds.
B．20 percent of all birds are likely to die out because of land loss.
C．Migrating animals are likely to start adapting to the changes more quickly.
D．Warmer oceans will increase the competition between different kinds of dolphins.
5．What can be inferred about turtles from the text?
A．They are the only animals besides humans that suffer from cancer.
B．They have traditionally lived longer than other ocean-based animals.
C．Those born nearer a hotter area are more likely to be female.
D．Most kinds of turtles are likely to die out within 50 years.
Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself, Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we're the apple of our parents' eyes, and that our Grandmas think we're great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind's picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don't allow doubts to occur in it.
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It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative Self -image because you can't move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself． Well, roll up your sleeves and a change of it as your primary task． If you think you're silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor． If you think you're weak because you can't run a mile, get to the track and practice． If you think you're dull because you don't wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn't mean it's true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you'll know you're well on your way. Good luck!Faces show emotions. Psychology; computer science, and engineering researchers are joining forces to teach machines to read expressions. If they succeed, your computer may one day "read" your mood and cooperate. Machines equipped with emotional skills could also be used in teaching , robotics, gaming, security, and for psychological diagnoses(诊断).
"Mind Reader", a system developed by Rosalind Picard at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, uses input from a video camera to do real-time analysis of facial expressions. It reports on whether you seem "interested" or “agreeable” or if you're "confused".
The system can help people detect others' emotions. Picard says this means we could teach a machine to be as sensitive as a human. In fact, a machine can be even smarter: than people since it can tell if a person is lying or just "performing" by analyzing one's facial movements. Jeffrey Cohn, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh, uses the Facial Action Coding System to detect human emotions. "The face is always visible," Cohn says, "People communicate a lot about feelings and thoughts through facial expression."
Cohn studied a videotape of criminal who professed to be sad about the murder of several family members and tried to pin the blame on some one else． But Cohn saw no real sadness in the woman's face. Sadness is a combination of facial action units that are difficult to do voluntarily. This means, even though your mouth lies, your face doesn't, and the machine will know it all.
1．People can know a person's emotions from his _____.
A．body movement B．facial expressions
C．psychological reactions D．mood and attitude
2．Recent technology development makes ______ by machines possible.
A．mind reading B．body reading
C．face reading D．mood reading
3．According to the passage,______.
A．people can no longer tell lies before the new machine
B．people still can tell lies in front of the new machine
C．people have different emotions before the new machine
D．sadness is often difficult to be seen
4．The underlined word "professed" most probably means_______.
A．to pretend something as true B．to acknowledge
C．to show D．to prove
5．From the passage we can infer that ________.
A．the technology still needs improvement.
B．people can do everything with the new machine .
C．face reading technology is nothing new.
D．face reading technology will be widely used in the future.
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。
As many as 20% of all children in the United States suffer from some form of the learning disorder called dyslexia（读写困难症）.
Experts on dyslexia say that the problem is not a disease． They say that persons with dyslexia use information in a different way. One of the world's great thinkers and scientists Albert Einstein was dyslexic． Einstein said that he never thought in words the way that most people do. He said that he thought in pictures instead. The American inventor Thomas Edison was also dyslexia. Dyslexia first was recognized in Europe and the United States more than 80 years ago. Many years passed before doctors discovered that persons with the disorder were not mentally slow or disabled. The doctors found that the brains of persons with dyslexia are different, In most people, the left side of the brain — the part that controls language — is larger than the right side. In persons with dyslexia, the right side of the brain is bigger. Doctors are not sure what causes this difference. However, a research has shown that dyslexia is more common in males than in females, and it is found more often in persons who are left-handed.
No one knows the cause of dyslexia, but some scientists believe that it may result from chemical changes in a baby's body long before it is born. They are trying to find ways to teach persons with dyslexia． Dyslexia persons think differently and need special kinds of teaching help. After they have solved their problems with language, they often show themselves to be especially intelligent or creative.
1．Einstein and Edison are spoken of in the passage to prove that ________.
A．they suffered from dyslexia
B．they succeeded because of dyslexia
C．they are neither slow in thinking nor disabled
D．dyslexia is not a disease
2．Who is the most unlikely to suffer from dyslexia?
A．Left-handed persons . B．Inventors.
C．Females. D．Males.
3．Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
A．Once persons with dyslexia have their language problems solved, they will be intelligent
and creative.
B．The left brain of the person with dyslexia is larger than the right side of brain .
C．People have no idea of the cause of dyslexia .
D．Experts think the cause of dyslexia may be related to chemical changes in baby's body long before its birth.
4．The passage mainly talk about ______.
A．some form of the learning disorder B．a serious disease
C．the intelligence of the great people . D．the teaching help to persons with dyslexia.
5．The persons with dyslexia ________.
A．are some kinds of sick persons B．are mentally slow
C．think differently from common people D．are all males
第二节：阅读表达（满分15分）
Youth is a kind of wealth. It will gradually disappear with the time passing. We must treasure the time when we are young in order not to waste the most valuable things in our life.
What can we do not to waste our youth? In my opinion, the first thing is to realize our value, our ideas. I believe that everyone has his or her own ideas, maybe he or she wants to be an artist, drawing beautiful pictures; maybe to be a manager, setting up a big company; maybe to be a doctor, saving patients’ lives; maybe to be a singer,________. No matter what our ideas are, we must try hard to achieve them. When we are young, we are full of vitality( 活力 ).We have the best conditions in our lives, good memories, good understanding and so on. We should make full use of these conditions to study more in order to enrich our mind so as not to make our ideas only dreams forever.
For another, we should do as many things as possible we want to do (of course, they must be lawful) to enrich our lives, making it colorful and gathering many different experiences which are worth recalling when we are old.
Then when we are really old, when we can not move any more , we can be proud of our achievements, can recall those things we have experienced and we can say we have no regret in our lives.
So, now, act, for ourselves when we are young.
61. What is the best title of this passage? (Please answer within 10 words)
_____________________________________________________________.
62. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one? We will be proud and have no regrets when we are old.
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63. Please fill in the second paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.( Please answer in 10 words )
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64. According to the passage, which thing do you think is better in not wasting your youth? Why? ( Please answer within 30 words )
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65. Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
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