We’ve considered several ways of paying to cut in line: hiring line standers, buying tickets from scalpers (票贩子), or purchasing line-cutting privileges directly from, say, an airline or an amusement park. Each of these deals replaces the morals of the queue (waiting your turn) with the morals of the market (paying a price for faster service).
Markets and queues—paying and waiting—are two different ways of allocating things, and each is appropriate to different activities. The morals of the queue, “First come, first served, have an egalitarian (平等主义的) appeal. They tell us to ignore privilege, power, and deep pockets.
The principle seems right on playgrounds and at bus stops. But the morals of the queue do not govern all occasions. If I put my house up for sale, I have no duty to accept the first offer that comes along, simply because it’s the first. Selling my house and waiting for a bus are different activities, properly governed by different standards.
Sometimes standards change, and it is unclear which principle should apply. Think of the recorded message you hear, played over and over, as you wait on hold when calling your bank: “Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received.” This is essential for the morals of the queue. It’s as if the company is trying to ease our impatience with fairness.
But don’t take the recorded message too seriously. Today, some people’s calls are answered faster than others. Call center technology enables companies to “score” incoming calls and to give faster service to those that come from rich places. You might call this telephonic queue jumping.
Of course, markets and queues are not the only ways of allocating things. Some goods we distribute by merit, others by need, still others by chance. However, the tendency of markets to replace queues, and other non-market ways of allocating goods is so common in modern life that we scarcely notice it anymore. It is striking that most of the paid queue-jumping schemes we’ve considered—at airports and amusement parks, in call centers, doctors’ offices, and national parks—are recent developments, scarcely imaginable three decades ago. The disappearance of the queues in these places may seem an unusual concern, but these are not the only places that markets have entered. According to the author, which of the following seems governed by the principle “First come, first served”?
| A．Taking buses. |
| B．Buying houses. |
| C．Flying with an airline. |
| D．Visiting amusement parks. |
The example of the recorded message in Paragraphs 4 and 5 illustrates ______.
| A．the necessity of patience in queuing |
| B．the advantage of modern technology |
| C．the uncertainty of allocation principle |
| D．the fairness of telephonic services |
The passage is meant to ______.
| A．justify paying for faster services |
| B．discuss the morals of allocating things |
| C．analyze the reason for standing in line |
| D．criticize the behavior of queue jumping |
Last week, we explained that the planet Mars had passed “opposition.” It passed a point opposite the Sun. This week, we tell about the planet’s surprising motion among the stars.
For thousands of years, people have recognized that planets travel among the stars. The planets generally follow the path taken by the Sun through the sky. The Sun’s path is called the ecliptic. The groups of stars along the ecliptic are called the Zodiac(黄道带).
The motion of the planets can be confusing at times. Everyone knows the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. But this is caused by the turning motion of the Earth. Planets generally move from west to east.
However, Mars will appear to move backward for about two months this year. This happens because the Earth is overtaking Mars on its way around the Sun. Mars began its backward, or westward, motion on May 11th. It will start moving eastward again on July 19th.
Mars’ apparent motion has been a mystery to astronomers for hundreds of years. Most early theories of tilt solar system argued that the Sun and planets turned around the Earth. But the sudden westward motion of Mars presented problem. Why would Mars move west for two months when it nears “opposition”?
In 1543, a Polish church worker named Nicolas Copernicus published a different theory. His theory said the Earth and planets moved around the Sun in perfectly circular orbits. Copernicus’ theory was simpler. But his Sun-centered system still did not explain the observed motion of Mars very well.
Finally, a German mathematician named Johannes Kepler published a complete theory of the motion of the planets in 1619. He had carefully studied the motion of Mars for many years.
Johannes Kepler discovered that the planets do not move in circular orbits around the Sun. Instead, they travel in flattened orbits called ellipses(椭圆). Mars’ elliptical orbit is the cause of its unusual brightening this year and its apparent large size.
During the next several weeks, you can see for yourself why the mysterious motion of Mars has caused so many people to wonder.
64.From the passage we can learn that _________.
A. the sun and planets generally travel westward
B. Kepler studied the orbit of the planets in 1619
C. Copernicus’ theory well explained the motion of Mars
D. the Earth’s turning motion causes the sun to rise in the east
65.On July 19th Mars _______.
A. will pass the “opposition”
B. appears to change its direction again
C. will begin to move westward
D. appears to change its orbit again
66.Why does Mars appear to be bigger and brighter when it passes “opposition”?
A. It is overtaking the earth B. It follows the path of the sun
C. It moves in an elliptical orbit D. It travels in a circular orbit.
67.What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Recent Research into Mars B. The Surprising Motion of Mars
C. The Great Discovery on Mars D. The Wonderful Mystery of Mars
When someone gives you advice, listen without judgment, try to find value in what you’re hearing, and say: “Thank you”. This wise advice is easy to understand yet hard to practice. I’ll give you an example from my life when I totally blew it in term of practicing what I teach.
In my work I travel constantly. I always put off going to the airport until the last second. My wife, Lyda, was sitting next to me in the front seat. I was racing along and not paying much attention. Lyda cried out: “Look out! There is a red light up ahead.”
Being a trained behavioral science professional—who teaches others the value of encouraging advice—I naturally screamed at her: “I know there is a red light up ahead! Don’t you think I can see?” When we arrived at the airport, Lyda didn’t speak to me. I wondered why she seemed mad at me.
During the flight to New York, I did a cost-benefit analysis. I asked myself: “What was the cost of just listening when Lyda called out the warning? Zero.” I then reasoned: “What was the potential benefit? What could have been saved?” Several potential benefits came to mind, including her life, my life, and the lives of other people.
I landed in New York feeling ashamed of myself. I immediately called Lyda and told her my cost-benefit story. I convinced her: “The next time you help me with my driving, I am just going to say, ‘Thank you!’”
A few months passed, and I had long forgotten the incident. Again, I was racing off to the airport, when Lyda cried out: “Look out for the red right!” I was embarrassed, and then shouted: “Thank you!”
I’m a long way from perfect, but I’m getting better. My suggestion is that you get in the habit of asking the important people in your life how you can do things better. And be ready for an answer. Some people may tell you things like “Look out for the red light.” When this happens, remember that there is possibly some potential benefit. Then just say: “Thank you.”
60.What do we know about the author?
A. He is expert at behavioral science.
B. He is gifted in cost-benefit analysis.
C. He seldom takes his wife’s advice.
D. He often runs the red traffic light.
61.The underlined part “blew it ” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_______”.
A. became annoyed with the adviser B. forgot the practical method
C. failed to say “Thank you” D. lost personal judgment
62.It can be inferred from the passage that people _________.
A. tend to be defensive when given advice
B. intend to follow others’ suggestions
C. had better study behavioral science
D. should give their opinions patiently
63The purpose of the passage is to advise people to ________.
A. do a cost-benefit analysis in daily life
B. treasure others’ suggestions
C. learn from the author’s experiences
D. discover potential benefits
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题3分，满分60分）
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When it comes to intelligence, human beings are the top dogs of the animal kingdom. But in recent years, scientists have been documenting surprising intelligence and emotional depth in animals ranging from honeybees to elephants. Here are some amazing examples.
Artistic Monkey Business
Jannet Schmid, director of the Little River Zoo in Norman, Oklahoma, learned a lot about the intelligence of capuchin monkeys. She and her busband adopted a young male, named Bailey. The capuchin particularly liked taking car rides, insisting that he insert the key and ride in the front passenger’s seat.
Now Bailey has become a devoted painter. He uses brushes to create colorful, abstract paintings, and prefers not to be disturbed.
Prairie Dog Sound
Through a variety of birdlike sounds, prairie dogs warn each other of approaching creatures. They demonstrated a surprisingly complex communication system. In his 25 years of study, Slobodchikoff, a professor of biology, has recorded them pronouncing ten nouns including hawk, deer and coyote, a number of adjectives to identify color, size and shape, and even some verbs to indicate speed.
In an ongoing study, Slobodchikoff learns that their brain contains a very extensive vocabulary. He once used his best prairie dog sound to say coyote, and they just looked at him in anger as if he had said a bad word.
Ivy League Parrot
One African grey parrot Alex is said to have the cognitive abilities of a five-year-old child. Alex can identify 50 different objects, seven colors, five shapes, quantities up to six, and the concepts of bigger, smaller, same and different.
Also Alex is considered to make reasoned decisions. During an experiment, researchers gave Alex different-colored blocks in sets of two, three and six. When asked which color group had five blocks, Alex replied, “None.” And he answered the same in repeated tests. Obviously, he interpreted the concept of “none” as an absence of quantity all on his own. That’s a lot like a high school student answering questions on a quiz show.
56.Which of the following is true?
A. Bailey is as clever as a child of five.
B. The prairie dog loves taking car rides.
C. The capuchin monkey is fond of painting.
D. Alex develops a communication system.
57.The underlined word “coyote” in Paragraph 4 refers to ________.
A. a verb B. an animal C. a warning D. an adjective
58.The African grey parrot Alex can ________.
A. answer questions on a quiz show
B. understand the figure “7”
C. identify five colors and seven shapes
D. apply the concept of “none” correctly
59.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Animal communication B. Animal research
C. Animal intelligence D. Animal information
The $586 billion economic stimulus(刺激)package that China announced on Sunday may not be quite as large as it seemed at first sight, but it shows just how seriously the authorities in Beijing take the threat of a slowdown following the international financial crisis. On the face of it, the package of tax cuts, higher public spending, and easier credit makes up the largest such stimulus in history.
The new policy gives President Hu Jintao something to show fellow world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in Washington on Saturday as they seek ways out of the financial crisis.
“We must carry out the measures to ensure fast and stable economic development ,” Premier Wen Jiabao told government leaders on Monday. “They are not only for the needs of our own development but also our biggest contribution to the world.”
At first, stock markets(股市) jumped on news of the package, in the hope that if China’s economy continues to grow, it might help other nations go through the expected global decline in economy by offering a market for their exports.
The stimulus package is designed to reduce the effects of falling exports on China’s own economy, encouraging investment （投资）and consumption （消费）at home. That, the government says, should keep the world’s fastest-growing economy on a “steady and relatively fast” growth track despite the depressing international climate.
The State Council（国务院），China’s cabinet， said it would target spending over the next two years on low-income housing, rural construction, water and electricity supplies, technological innovation(创新)，and recovery from disasters such as the May 12 earthquake. If the plan is carried out, its focus on projects benefiting China’s poorer citizens, rather than on traditional large-scale industrial development, will strengthen the government’s policy of building a “harmonious society” that bridges the present gap between the rich and the poor.
72. China’s economic stimulus package ______ .
A. shows its serious attitude towards the international financial crisis
B. has stimulated the world’s economy greatly
C. mainly focuses on higher public spending
D. is as large as it seemed at first sight
73. According to Wen jiabao, China’s measures will ______.
A. make the world’s economy grow faster
B. ensure fast economic and cultural development in China
C. be only needed for China’s own development
D. be its biggest contribution to the world
74. How can the new policy reduce the effects of falling exports on China’s own economy? ______
A. By keeping China’s economy one of the world’s fastest growing ones.
B. By making China’s economy the fastest growing one in the world.
C. By encouraging investment and consumption at home.
D. By getting rid of the depressing international climate.
75. What’s the final aim of the new policy? ______
A. To build traditional large-scale industries.
B. To reconstruct the earthquake-hit area.
C. To build a harmonious society throughout China.
D. To provide housing for low-income people.
LOS ANGELES,July8（Xinhua）——Michael Jackson's burial remained a mystery as part of his brain is being held by the coroner's （验尸官）office for tests, an official said.
The late superstar's body was transported to an undisclosed place Tuesday after a star-crowded public memorial service at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. It is still unclear where and when the singer's body will be buried.
Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner said families often wait for mass of brain part to be returned before permitted burial. He said he understood no burial would take place immediately although he was not aware of instructions from the Jackson family. The coroner's office released a death certificate(证明) for Jackson Tuesday that listed the cause of death as "delay."
Michael Jackson，the King of Pop，was born on August 29，1958，and died on June 25，2009 after being rushed to a Los Angeles hospital from his rented house when his heart stopped functioning properly. A police investigation into his death is focusing on the possibility that his death was caused by a medication overdose（过量）, including possibly Diprivan, a powerful sedative (镇静剂)usually used for general anesthesia（麻醉）.
68. Why hasn’t Jackson’s burial been held? ______
A. The place to bury him isn’t sure.
B. His family didn’t give instructions
C. Part of his body is still being tested
D. The time to bury him is still being discusseded
69. The direct cause of the super popstar’s death is ______
A. that his heart stopped beating
B. due to a powerful sedative used for anesthesia
C. overdose of some medicine
D. the delay of being rushed to the hospital
70. Which statement is true? ______
A. No one can bury the body of one’s beloved without the government’s instructions.
B. Many popstars were involved in Jackson’s memorial service.
C. The police doubted whether Jackson was murdered.
D. Jackson died at home.
71. We can infer from the passage that______
A. The burial can’t happen without a death certificate.
B. Jackson’s family are skeptical (怀疑的)about Jackson’s death
C. Jackson was possibly murdered by his doctor
D. The brain part of all people’s body must be transported to be tested