People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. “Today we’re looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow’s reality—the driverless car.” The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the US government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
“Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are making Hondas safer,” said Angie Nucci of Honda America. “A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes.” Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers, but don’t replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer．
“By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident,” Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. “It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first.”
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.
Which is the best title for the passage?
A. The Benefits of the Self-driving Cars
B. The Biggest Challenge of the Self-driving Cars
C. Safer or More Dangerous Self-driving Cars
D. Self-driving Cars—Science Fiction Future Is Near
The professor stood before his class of 30 senior biology students, about to pass out the final exam. “I have been honored to be your instructor this term, and I know how hard you have all worked to prepare for this test. I also know most of you are off to medical school or graduate school next fall,” he said to them.
“I can well understand how much pressure you are under to keep your grades up, and because I know you are able to understand this material, I am prepared to offer an automatic(自动的) “B” to anyone who would prefer not to take the final.”
In relief a number of students jumped up to thank the professor and left the class. The professor looked at the students who remained, and offered again, “Any other takers? This is your last chance.” One more student decided to go.
There were seven students left. The professor closed the door. Then he handed out the final exam. There were only two sentences typed on the paper: “Congratulations, you have just received an “A” in this class. Keep believing in yourself.”
I never had a professor who gave a test like that. It may seem like the easy way out of grading (评分) a lot of exams, but it’s a test that any teacher in any subject could and should give. Students who don’t have confidence in what they’ve learned are “B” students at best.
The same is true for students of real life. The “A” students are those who believe in what they’re doing because they’ve learned from both successes and failures. They have learned life’s lessons, whether from formal education or the school of hard knocks, and become better people.
Take your cue(榜样) from Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma: “It’s not the mountain we conquer (征服), but ourselves.” Don’t let the biggest limit be yourself.The professor offered an automatic “B” to those who would prefer not to take the final exam because _________.
| A．he liked the students who wanted to get a “B” |
| B．he believed they were able to pass the exam |
| C．he thought any teacher should give them a “B” |
| D．he thought it was the easy way of grading exams |
According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．22 students got a “B” in the final test without doing the paper. |
| B．Most of the students would go to medical school shortly after the exam. |
| C．There were actually no problems on the test papers for the students to work out. |
| D．The way the professor tested his students would not be suitable for other subjects. |
According to the writer, the test given by the professor was ________.
|
The point of the story is to advise readers _________.
| A．to pay attention to what they can do |
| B．not to miss any final exam at school |
| C．not to let themselves limit their growth |
| D．to surround themselves with confident people |
Timetable
| Menu |
|
| lFrench Slam $4.29 French toast, two eggs and style, two pieces of bacon and two sausage links. lSandwich with Salad or Soup $4.35 Chicken breast on bread. Served with your choice of garden salad, Caesar salad, vegetable beef  or soup of the day.lThe Classic Hamburger $4.99 Over 1/3 pound. Topped with tomato, red onions and cheese. |
lChicken-Fried Steak $5.09 A southern style! Golden-fried and covered with French cheese. lThe S  uper Bird® $5.49Thin flat pieces of chicken breast with Swiss cheese, bacon and tomato on bread. lChinese Chicken Sala  d $5.99Chicken breast, mushroom, green peppers and onions. Topped with tomatoes and fried noodles. Served with bread. |
If one wants to attend a business lunch in London at l2:00, the latest train that he should take at Oxford leaves at_____________.
|
Which of the following is TRUE of the membership card?
|
If one would like to have something fried, he may choose ________.
| A．Chicken-Fried Steak & The Super Bird® |
| B．French Slam & The Classic Hamburger |
| C．Chicken-Fried Steak & Chinese Chicken Salad |
| D．The Super Bird® & Sandwich with Salad or Soup |
T
he chart shows that from 2005 to 2008，______________.
| A．the percentage of the Spanish families with a computer rose 35 points |
| B．the number of the Black families with a computer was on the decrease |
| C．the percentage of the White families with a computer remained unchanged |
| D．the number of the Asian families with a computer showed the sharpest increase |
Susan Sontag (1933 — 2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything — to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords (格言), but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poorly-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In Notes Camp, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. Notes on Camp, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.
By conviction she was a sensualist (感觉论者), but by nature she was a moralist, and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s, it was the latter side of her that came forward. In Illness as Metaphor —published in 1978, after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed(被压抑的) personalities, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America, her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000．But it was as a tireless, all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.
“Sometimes,” she once said, “I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending …is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.
51. The underlined sentence in paragraph 1 means Sontag ______.
A. was a symbol of American cultural life
B. developed world literature, film and art
C. published many essays about world culture
D. kept pace with the newest development of world culture
52. She first won her name through _______.
A. her story of a Polish actress
B. her book Illness as Metaphor
C. her explanation of a set of difficult understandings
D. publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review
53. From the works Susan published in the 1970s and 1980s, we can learn that _______.
A. She was more a moralist than a sensualist
B. She was more a sensualist than a moralist
C. She believed repressed personalities mainly led to illness
D. She would like to re-examine old positions
54. According to the passage, Susan Sontag would agree to the ideas except _______.
A. We should try hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art.
B. Cancer can be defeated because it is a special problem of repressed personalities.
C. “Form” should be over “content”, “beauty” should be over “morals”.
D. We should defend the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.
55. What is the passage mainly about?
A. A lifelong watchword: seriousness.
B. How Susan Sontag became famous.
C. Susan Sontag is the symbol of American culture.
D. An introduction to Susan Sontag and her watchword.
A special education teacher and former police officer was honored by President Barack Obama at the White House as the 2009 National Teacher of the Year for his innovative（创新的）approach, community focus, and teamwork with other teachers. “In a global economy where the greatest job qualification isn't what you can do, but what you know, our teachers are the key to our nation's success,” President Obama stated.Mullen, a ninth-through twelfth-grade special education teacher at the ARCH School in Connecticut, is the 59th National Teacher of the Year. Mullen's goal is to provide passion, professionalism（职业特质）, and perseverance as an educator. “A teacher can receive no greater reward than the knowledge that he or she helped recover a lost student,” Mullen remarked. He will travel for one year as a full-time national and international spokesperson for education beginning June 1, 2009.The National Teacher of the Year Program focuses public attention on teaching excellence and is the oldest and most famous national honors program for teachers. “ACEI is a proud participant in the selection process for the National Teacher of the Year, and we are pleased to see Anthony Mullen selected. Mr. Mullen is a dedicated individual who possesses a wealth of talents and skills as a teacher. His devotion to young people, however, reaches beyond the call of duty. Mr. Mullen extends himself to adviser and guides children who need to know that they are not forgotten and that they, too, are unique and special,” stated ACEI Executive Director Diane Whitehead.ACEI is one of 15 national education organizations that select the National Teacher of the Year from among the state teachers of the year, including those representing the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra state departments.46. What is the passage mainly about? A. A White House ceremony.
B. An innovative teaching approach. C. The 2009 National Teacher of the Year. D. The national education organizations.47. We can learn from the first paragraph Obama stresses ____________. A. teachers’ role B. community lives C. teachers’ teamwork D. innovative approach48. According to Mullen, his success as an educator lies in ____________. A. being a full-time national and international spokesperson B. providing passion, perseverance and professionalism C. helping those who cannot find their way home D. helping the students achieve high scores49. Which of the following statements of Mr. Mullen is NOT true? A. He is totally devoted to the students. B. He gets the honor for his special talents. C. He is a talented teacher as well as an adviser. D. He encourages children to achieve a better future.50. It can be inferred from the passage that___________. A. the National Teacher of the Year Program hasn’t been well-known B. ACEI is the only organization in charge of selecting excellent teachers C. Mullen is devoted to teaching the students for the call of duty D. Mullen’s success may be due to his previous work experience.
III阅读(共两节，满分40分)
第一节阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在
题卡上将该项涂黑。
LONDON, England（CNN）--- The youngest person to sail solo around the world returned home Thursday from his 30,000-mile, 282-day ocean journey.Mike Perham, 17, sailed into Lizard Point in Cornwall, the southernmost point in Britain, at 9:47 a.m., his race team said.“It feels absolutely brilliant,” Mike told CNN by phone hours before crossing the finish line. “I'm really, really excited to be going across the line at last. It doesn't feel like long since I crossed it first.”Mike set off on his round-the-world trip on November 18, 2008. He has been sailing his yacht, TotallyMoney.com, single-handedly, though a support team has been sailing next to him along the way.The teen has now achieved the title of Youngest Sailor to Circumnavigate the Globe Solo, according to the Guinness World Records.Mike learned how to sail when he was seven years old from his father, Peter and at age 14, he sailed across the Atlantic alone.The teenager's school --- which Mike describes as “highly supportive” of his trip --- has redesigned his coursework to fit in with his trip. It also gave him some coursework to do during “quiet moments,” according to Mike's Web site.There haven't been many of those quiet moments. Repeated autopilot failures forced him to stop for repairs in Portugal, the Canary Islands, South Africa, and twice in Australia, according to his Web site.Bad weather in the Southern Ocean --- between Australia and Antarctica --- forced Mike to battle 50ft waves and 57 mph winds. He said at one point, a “freak wave” picked up the boat and turned it on its side.“My feet were on the ceiling at the time,” he told CNN. “That was a really hairy moment, and I was certainly thinking, ‘Why am I here?’ But we took the sails off and the day after I thought, ‘This is brilliant!’”Mike describes his father as his biggest hero, always supportive of what he wanted to achieve. Peter Perham said he wasn't too worried about his son facing dangerous situations at sea, as long as he knew what to do and stayed safe.
41. Mike Perham returned to Britain in ________.A. August B. SeptemberC. October D. November
42. Mike Perham is ________ that went on the round-the-world trip in the world up till now.A. the first B. the bravest C. the luckiest D. the youngest
43. We can infer from the passage that ________.A. the English school is the same as oursB. the English school doesn’t care for studentsC. the English school has a humane managementD. the English school gives students a lot of course work
44. According to the passage, Mike did anything EXCEPT ________ on his trip.A. regret B. worry C. abandon D. fear
45. The passage mainly tells us ________.A. Mike’s exciting sail trip around the globeB. how Mike’s father taught him to sail a boatC. why CNN wanted to report the news to the publicD. the introduction of the Guinness World Records
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