For a while, my neighborhood was taken over by an army of joggers(慢跑者). They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces.
“Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every morning. “You’ll feel great.”
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood hogging army. I’m alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet take a real pounding(重击)running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts.” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week; it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?
He felt it was worth a try.
He was very fond of it.
He was strongly against it.
He thought it must be painful.From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood _____.
jogging became very popular
people jogged only during the daytime
Alex organized an army of joggers
Jogging provided a chance to get togetherThe underlined word “them” (paragraph 4) most probably refers to _____.
| A．heart attacks |
| B．back problems |
| C．famous joggers |
| D．physical weaknesses |
Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?
He dislikes doing exercise outdoors.
He found it neither healthy nor interesting.
He was afraid of having a heart attack.
He was worried about being left alone.From the writer’s experience, we can conclude that _____.
not everyone enjoys jogging
he is the only person who hates jogging
nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit
jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport
第二部分：阅读理解（第一节20小题，第二节5小题；每小题2分，满分50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。
The other day, I bought six packages of ink for my printer, then I found a deal on better ink at the local computer store, so I went back to the $1 Store to exchange the ink for some other items.
I put the ink into a plastic bag and tied it up. When at the store, I immediately showed the bag to a clerk and told her that I was returning some items, but she was obviously very busy. Then without thinking much, I just put the bag into a cart and started shopping.
I was making my way through the crowd when a female employee suddenly yelled to stop me. I was told not to be allowed to carry a plastic bag of items around in the store and my bag should be checked.
I was astonished. There was no need for her to yell. I opened the bag and showed her the receipt. “I’m returning these to exchange for some other items,” I said.
“You should learn how to follow store regulations. Leave this bag here with the clerk. You can have it back when you check out”.
I was embarrassed and did as told to. I felt like a shoplifter. By the time I had finished shopping and exchanged the items, I was angry and then went looking for her. I wanted an apology. I found her finally and asked what her name was. She yelled at me again, “Ursula!” and stormed away.
Having got home, I called the store’s headquarters. I described my unpleasant experience. A customer service representative responded, “We will not tolerate such behavior. Give me your phone number and I will call you back.”
Two days later, I received a phone call from the representative, “I’m sorry,” she said, “but there is no one at that store named Ursula. Can you describe her? I’ll find out who she is. We do not tolerate rude behavior, nor do we tolerate lying to customers.”
By this time, I had calmed down, so I told the representative to forget about it.
41.The author wanted to exchange the ink for some other items because he found _______.
the ink was too expensive
he didn’t need so many packages
it could not match his printer
there was better ink in another store
42.It can be inferred that _______.
the $1 Store had a very good business
the $1 Store sold items of poor quality
the clerks in the $1 Store were impolite
check-out items couldn’t be exchanged
43. Which of the following is the right order according to the story?
I found I was cheated.
I left the plastic bag with the clerk.
I finished shopping and exchanged the items
A female employee stopped me and yelled at me
I called the store’s headquarters
A. d, a, c, b, e B. b, c, d, e, a C. d, b, c, e, a D. c, b, d, a, e
44. At the end of the story, _______.
A. the female employee apologized to me
B. Ursula was found out and lost her job
C. the representative forgot the matter
D. I forgave the female employee
Iceland has the highest birth rate in Europe, the highest divorce rate, and the highest percentage of women working outside the home. Such statistics are often evidence of a miserable, chaotic（混乱的）society, with loads of children, broken homes and absent mothers. But Iceland is the exception – its citizens are the happiest in the world.
Perhaps the country's geographic location contributes to Icelanders' happiness. Located in the middle of the North Atlantic, with Greenland as its nearest neighbor, Iceland is free from the taboos（禁忌）that cause so much trouble elsewhere. For instance, people who divorce are not looked down upon by society.
Icelanders are offsprings（后代）of the Vikings, a north European people who invaded European coasts from the 8th through the 10th century. This tradition of getting out into the world lives on in modern-day Iceland. Practically all Icelanders have studied or worked abroad, and most speak English.
Perhaps as a result, Iceland's economic policies blend the best of those from Europe with the US to create its own welfare system.
"Many of us have lived in the US, and studied there," said the Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde. "We have both taken from them and found that naturally we share the can-do attitude—— that if you work hard, anything can be done."
Indeed, the country is rich in writers, painters, film makers and musicians. There's Sigur Ros, a post-rock band, and also a national symphony orchestra that plays to the highest standards all over the world. Half the population appears to have written a book.
"Iceland has harsh（恶劣的） nature, with its bitter ever-changing weather,” said Haraldur Jonsson, a painter, sculptor and video and performance artist. “We cannot escape it. So we find ways________. We have to have a rich internal（内在的）life to fill the empty spaces."
57．It is commonly believed that high birth rate and divorce rate will bring about ________.
A．social problems B．happiness
C．a unique welfare system D．modern way of life
58．The underlined word "blend" in the fourth paragraph means .
A．combine B．correct C．compare D．compete
59．Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the reason for Icelanders’ happiness?
A．Geographic location. B．A rich internal life.
C．National pride. D．Freedom from taboos.
60．The most suitable phrase to fill in the blank in the last paragraph is .
A．to get rid of it B．to have it changed C．to get away from it D．to live with it
When I say “work is rest”, some people will say I’m crazy. But that’s the way it is—we need to rest. Without rest, we will die. At a minimum, we won’t have the energy to work.
Nobody forces us to be so stupid about this. We just don’t know how to rest properly. We rest in ways that are not restful, even stressful. Some of our ways of rest interfere (妨碍) with our working energy. Instead of sleep, we go to the movies and clubs, drink or have a smoke with friends. This is because we misunderstand the meaning of “rest.”
We should remember that rest means not working, both physically and mentally. Only then is it real rest. When tired, rest. It’s simple. Actually, dogs and cats are smarter about this than people. People are stupid enough to rest in ways that destroy their capacity (能力) to work.
Rest and work always go together. There must be a balance: work during the day and rest at night. When the sun comes up, one has plenty of strength to work well and enjoy it. In other words, rest is a kind of investment, so that one has the strength and energy to continue working. So we need rest to work, recognizing that we can’t have one without the other. Rest is what recharges our batteries. We need enough time to charge up adequately to the tasks we undertake. Thus, we need to rest correctly; otherwise, illness will occur and also can affect the efficiency of our work.
Rest can’t be skimped. Without enough rest, good work is impossible. This is why we say that rest is another kind of work.
53. Which of the following is the best rest according to this passage?
A. Going to the movies and clubs.
B. Drinking or having a smoke with friends.
C. Sleeping at home.
D. Playing cards with family members.
54. The underlined word “skimped” in the last paragraph most probably means _____.
A. not supplied with enough of what is needed
B. strengthened in spite of the conditions
C. recharged during the time of working
D. invested without any of the cost
55. We can know from this passage that _____.
A. dogs and cats are smarter than we human beings
B. rest can make us work more efficiently
C. it’s not proper to sleep in the daytime for people.
D. rest is more important than work for people
56. Which of the following is the main idea of this passage?
A. Rest is another kind of work.
B. How to form the habit of sleeping.
C. Sufficient rest leads to success.
D. Why people need to rest.
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47. Mrs. Meikle wants to .
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48. How many selling ads are there in the chart?
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People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields or other historic remains. Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. Most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.
Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money for the sun because they have so little of it. People in cities like London, Copenhagen and Amsterdam spend much of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the year it rains. This is the reason why the Mediterranean (地中海) has always attracted them. Every summer many people travel to Mediterranean resorts (度假胜地) and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason. Sun!
The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies of Mediterranean countries. Italy's 30,000 hotels are booked without a break every summer. And 13 million people visited French beaches, parks, and roadsides. Spain's long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit there yearly, or one tourist for each person living in Spain.
But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can deal with. The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. None of this, however, is ruining anyone's fun. Obviously, visitors don't go there for clean water. They allow traffic jams and endure crowded beaches. They don't even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is , the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it's still better than sitting in cold Berlin, London, or anywhere else.
64. The writer seems to infer that Europeans travel mostly for the reason that _____.
A. they want to see historic remains
B. they wish to escape from cold, dark and rainy days
C. they would like to take pictures in front of famous places
D. they are interested in different cultural and social customs
65. According to the passage, which of the following countries attracts more tourists than the others?
A. Italy. B. Greece. C. France. D. Spain.
66. The underlined part in Passage 3, "one tourist for each person living in Spain" means _____.
A. all the 37 million people living in Spain are tourists
B. every person living in Spain has to take care of a tourist
C. every year as many tourists visit Spain as there are people living in that country
D. every family in Spain is visited by a tourist every year
67. According to the passage, which of the following might ruin the tourists' fun at Mediterranean resorts and beaches?
A. Polluted water B. Crowded buses C. Rainy weather D. Traffic jams