The History of the Games
Olympia
Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, is in the western part of the Peloponnese which, according to Greek mythology, is the island of “Pelops”， the founder of the Olympic Games. Imposing temples, votive buildings, elaborate shrines and ancient sporting facilities(设备) were combined in a site of unique natural and mystical beauty.
Olympia functioned as a meeting place for worship and other religious and political practices as early as the 10th century BC. The central part of Olympia was dominated by the majestic temple of Zeus, with the temple of Hera parallel to it. The ancient stadium in Olympia could hold more than 40 000 audience, while in the surrounding area there were auxiliary(辅助的) buildings which developed gradually up until the 4th century BC. and were used as training sites for the athletes or to house the judges of the Games.
The Games and religion
The Olympic Games were closely linked to the religious festivals of the cult of Zeus, but were not a total part of a rite. Indeed, they had a secular character and aimed to show the physical qualities and development of the performances accomplished by young people, as well as encouraging good relations between the cities of Greece. According to specialists, the Olympic Games owed their purity and importance to religion.
Victory ceremonies
The Olympic victor received his first awards immediately after the competition. Following the announcement of the winner's name by the herald,_a Hellanodikis (Greek judge) would place a palm branch in his hands, while the audience cheered and threw flowers to him. Red ribbons were tied on his head and hands as a mark of victory.
The official award ceremony would take place on the last day of the Games, at the elevated vestibule of the temple of Zeus. In a loud voice, the herald would announce the name of the Olympic winner, his father's name, and his homeland. Then, the Hellanodikis placed the sacred olive tree wreath, or “kotinos”， on the winner's head. When did Olympia become the site of the Olympic Games?
A. In the 10th century BC.
B. Before the 4th century BC.
C. After the 4th century BC.
D. It was not mentioned here.Which one is true according to the passage?
| A．Zeus is the founder of the Olympic Games. |
| B．The ancient stadium in Olympia was used as training sites for the athletes in the 10th century. |
| C．The Olympic Games have much to do with the religion. |
| D．The Olympic victor would receive a golden medal. |
Can you guess the meaning of this word “herald” in the passage?
| A．The author. |
| B．The headmaster. |
| C．The announcer. |
| D．The manager. |
When the athletes won the game, ______.
| A．they were awarded immediately after the competition |
| B．they were awarded twice: The first, immediately after the competition; the second, on the last day of the game |
| C．they were awarded on the last day of the game |
| D．they were awarded on the last day of the game or immediately after the competition |
Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh．The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21．Hundreds more are missing or feared dead．
The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhakfi as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country．The government has since banned all ferries and other boats from traveling at night during the April-May stormy season. One of the ferries，MV Mitali，was carrying far more people than it was supposed to. About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300，police said．The second ferry carried about 100 passengers．
“The number of deaths is certain to rise．”said an official in charge of the rescue work．“No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived.” Ferries in Bangladesh don’t always keep passenger lists，making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board． Besides the ferry accidents，at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes，falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats． Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh，as are boating accidents．Ferry disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people． Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures, too many passengers in boats and not enough checks on weather conditions．Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh．It is a country covered by about 230 rivers．Some 20,000 ferries use the nation’s Waterways every year．And many of them are dangerously overcrowded．Since 1977, more than 3,000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents．
63．________ passengers was MV Mitali designed to carry?
A.500 B.100 C.400 D.300
64．Officials blame boating accident on ________
A. strong winds． B. bad weather conditions．
C. the blockages of waterways． D. the lack of safety measures．
65．Which of the following statements is NOT true of the two ferry disasters?
A. They were overcrowded． B. They sank on April 21．
C. The exact number of deaths could be easily determined．
D. They sank somewhere near Dhaka．
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59．The above is most probably________．
A．a report B．a letter C．an announcement D．an advertisement
60．Whom might the writing be mainly for?
A．An important person in a firm． B．An employee of a firm．
C．The boss of a company． D．Readers of a newspaper．
61．Why would the pay be doubled?
A．Because two persons are doing one job of the same．
B．Because the important job is worth double pay．
C．Because it is necessary that the injured person should be paid．
D．Because the double pay is for two persons．
62．Travelers Insurance Company ________ for a person insured．
A．will pay for all the cost of treatment
B．will pay the weekly income or even that of lifetime
C．won’t get much from the firm
D．will provide everlasting pension as well as medical expense
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，共两节, 满分30分）
第一节: 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。
Perhaps the most famous theory, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistle．He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed．In other words, we learn our looks ---- we are not born with them．A baby has generally unformed face features．A baby, according to Birdwhistle, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around ---- family and friends．This helps explain why the people of some areas of the United States look so much alike, New Englanders or Southerners have certain common face features that cannot be explained by genetics．The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after．In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after new teeth are set．For many, this can be well into grown-ups．A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look somewhat alike．We learn our looks from those around us．This is perhaps why in a single country there are areas where people smile more than those in other areas．In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently．In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less．Many Southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peachtree Street in Atlanta．People in largely populated areas also smile and greet each other in public less than do people in small towns．
56．Ray Birdwhistle believes physical appearance
A．has little to do with culture． B．has much to do with culture．
C．is ever changing． D．is different from place to place
57．According to the passage, the final mouth shape is formed ．
A．before birth． B．as soon as one's teeth are newly set
C．sometime after new teeth are set． D．around 15 years old．
58．Ray Birdwhistle can tell what area of the United States a person is from by
A．how much he or she smiles． B．how he or she raises his or her eyebrows
C．what he or she likes best． D．the way he or she talks．
Personal Growth
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process.
People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外部的，表面的) result or product that can easily be identified and measured. The worker who gets a promotion, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language — all these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts.
By contrast, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since by definition it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way. The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they gain new experiences and face unexpected difficulties. In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept.
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to confront (正视) the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first. How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is essential to our ability to grow. Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, then we tend to take more chances and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences. Do we think we’re shy and indecisive (优柔寡断)? Then we may hesitate, move slowly, and not take a step until we know the ground is safe. Do we think we’re slow to adapt to change or that we’re not smart enough to deal successfully with a new challenge? Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all.
These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary for us to change and grow. If we do not confront and overcome these internal (内部的) fears and doubts, if we protect ourselves too much, then we cease (停止) to grow. We become trapped inside a shell of our own making.In the author’s eyes, one who views personal growth as a process would _______.
| A．succeed in climbing up the social ladder |
| B．judge his ability to grow from his own achievements |
| C．face difficulties and take up challenges |
| D．aim high and reach his goal each time |
When the author says “a new way of being”, he is referring to ________.
| A．a new approach to experiencing the world | B．a new way of taking risks |
| C．a new method of understanding ourselves | D．a new system of adapting to change |
For personal growth, the author supports all of the following EXCEPT _______.
| A．curiosity about more chances | B．promptness (迅速) in self-adaptation |
| C．open-mindedness to new experiences | D．avoidance of internal fears and doubts |
The best title for this passage should be _________.
| A．Growth — Product or Process | B．Facing New Challenges |
| C．Two Basic Ways of Growth | D．Overcoming Internal Fears |
Last year, a report by a committee of education experts said that a lot of American students cannot write well. The report noted the concerns of business leaders and teachers. The experts said that more students should have to pass a writing test before they can finish high school. They pointed out that major college entrance tests are changing now to include a writing part.
Educators know that teaching students to write well is not easy. One problem is the amount of time needed to read through large amounts of work. So some companies have developed computer programs. These can grade student writing much more quickly than a person can. Writing tests can also cost less to carry out by computer than paper-and-pencil. These computer systems are known as e-readers. They use artificial (人工的) intelligence to think in a way like teachers. In the state of Indiana, computer grading of a statewide writing test began with a test of the system itself. For two years, both a computer and humans graded the student writing. Officials say there was almost no difference between the computer grades and those given by the human readers.
The entrance test commonly used by business schools, the GMAT, already uses e-readers. The GRE and TOEFL tests might start; officials are deciding. The GRE is the Graduate Record Examination. TOEFL is the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
Systems are also being used to grade writing in college classes. The computers read a few hundred examples of student writing already graded by humans. Then the systems compare new writings against those already examined.
How do teachers feel all about this? Many say machines can never do the job as well as people can. A computer can find spelling and grammar mistakes. But these teachers say it can never really understand what a writer is trying to say. Critics say a program cannot follow a thought or judge humor or understand a beautifully expressed idea.
But inventors of the programs say computer grading guarantees that each piece of writing is graded in the same way. They also say the systems are meant to judge knowledge more than creativity.What do the teachers think of the computer system?
| A．They think highly of the computer systems. |
| B．They think that computers cannot grade writing as well as people. |
| C．They believe that computers can understand a writer’s idea well |
| D．They are glad computers will spare their effort to correct students’ school work. |
From the first paragraph we can conclude that _________.
| A．American students’ writing ability is being improved |
| B．American students’ writing ability is not satisfactory |
| C．business leaders and teachers are not worried about students’ writing |
| D．all college entrance tests will include a writing part |
Which of the following is NOT the advantage of e-readers?
| A．Saving much of teachers’ time. | B．Saving a lot of money. |
C．Being fair and objective. | D．Appreciating humor and beauty |
The best title of this passage might be _________.
| A．Computer-graded Writing | B．Human-graded Writing |
| C．How to Improve Students’ Writing | D．Advantages of E-readers |