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。
Barack Obama，Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs－what do they have in common？They are，of course，all Americans. And according to a survey by social networking site badoo.com，they all best illustrate(举例说明)the word “cool”．
But just what does it mean to say someone is “cool”？ Most would answer that it is something to do with being independent-minded and not following the crowd.
Yale University art professor Robert Farris Thompson says that the term “cool” goes back to 15th century West African philosophy(哲学)．“Cool” relates to ideas of grace (优雅)under pressure.
“in Africa，”he writes，“coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness，silence，and life.”
The modern idea of “cool” developed largely in the US in the period after World War Ⅱ. “Postwar ‘cool' was in part an expression of war weariness...it went against the strict social rules of the time，”write sociologists Dick Pountain and David Robins in Cool Rules：Anatomy of an Attitude.
But it was the American actor James Dean who became the symbol for “cool” in the hugely successful 1955 movie Rebel Without a Cause. Dean plays a tough guy who disobeys his parents and the authorities. He always gets the girl，smokes cigarettes，wears a leather jacket and beats up bullies (欺凌弱小者)．In the movie，Dean showed what “cool” would mean to American young people for the next 60 years.
Today the focus of “cool” has changed to athletics stars. Often in movies about schools，students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die.
But many teenagers also think being smart is cool. Chess and other thinking games have been becoming more popular in schools.
“Call it the Harry Potterization of America－a time when being smart is the new cool，”writes journalist Joe Sunnen.Barack Obama，Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs are mentioned in the first paragraph to ________.
| A．introduce the topic |
| B．draw our attention |
| C．tell us what they have in common |
| D．tell us what is “cool” |
If you were considered “cool” in Africa in the 15th century，you________.
| A．thought and acted differently from the majority |
| B．had a calm and quiet attitude towards life |
| C．didn't observe rules and authorities |
| D．had all kinds of “bad” manners |
The heroes in Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die are likely to be those who ________.
| A．do very well in their studies |
| B．are very skilled at sports |
| C．are good at chess and other thinking games |
| D．have supernatural powers like Harry Potter |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
| A．It is generally considered “cool” to be independent-minded and not to follow the crowd. |
| B．“Cool” was used as early as the 15th century. |
| C．Disobeying one's parents and the authorities is considered “cool” among American young people nowadays. |
| D．Getting the first place in an exam can also be considered “cool”． |
What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．The origin of the word “cool”． |
| B．The kinds of people who are “cool”． |
| C．The changing meaning of the word “cool”． |
| D．How to be a “cool” person. |
Over 60﹪of pupils in South African schools choose English for learning and teaching, but only 7﹪of pupils speak English as their home language, a recent South Africa survey shows.
Out of the country’s 12.2 million pupils only 851,536 speak English at home, yet 7.6 million pupils choose English as their favorite language of learning and teaching. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language, spoken by over 3.1 million pupils. However, less than a third of them choose to be taught in Zulu. The same thing is true of Pedi-speaking pupils, only a third of such pupils choosing to be taught in their home language. Besides English,
Afrikaans is the only language that has more pupils choosing it as their language of instruction than it has pupils who speak it at home. In primary schools, most pupils will choose African languages. As early as grade four, many would choose English or Afrikaans in their lessons.
The rising number of English-learning pupils is mainly caused by social and cultural reasons. English is the most common spoken language in official and public life in South Africa, the survey reports. In April 2011, the leaders of higher education and training said that they would take some steps to improve the university teaching and prevent the continuing decline of African languages. They suggested that in future every South African university student could be required to learn at least one African language in order to complete their studies at school. We can learn from the passage that most South African pupils__________.
| A．speak English both at home and at school |
| B．are required to learn two languages at school |
| C．choose English as their primary school language |
| D．are expected to speak their native language at home. |
It can be inferred from the passage that__________________.
| A．Afrikaans is the most popular home language in South Africa |
| B．it’s easier for South African pupils to learn Afrikaans at school. |
| C．the number of South African pupils learning Afrikaans has increased |
| D．many South African pupils use Afrikaans at school instead of at home. |
The underlined word “decline” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “_________”.
| A．going downhill |
| B．spreading widely |
| C．growing upwards |
| D．developing further |
What is the survey in the passage mainly about?
| A．The use of native languages in South African families. |
| B．The language choice and use among South African pupils. |
| C．The progress in South Africa’s language teaching education |
| D．The spread of English at schools in South Africa. |
Pasta is the world’s favorite food. Asurveytaken in 17 countriesconfirmedthat pasta is what people like to eat most. Not only is pasta the number one food in its home country -Italy, but is alsoenjoyedin faraway places like the Philippines, Mexico andSouth Africa.
Pasta has become popular, for one thing, because it is cheap and easy to prepare. Just cook noodles or other forms of pasta, make a sauce to go with it and you’re finished. Many different types of meals can becreatedwith pasta. It tastes good and fills your stomach. It produces energy in the form ofcarbohydrates(碳水化合物)， which is whyathleteseat pasta regularly. Pasta can also be kept for a longer time. You don’t have to use it up at once.
Pasta has also become popular because it stands for the Italian way of life. People all over the world like it because it’s so simple. It has two basic ingredients(成分), wheatand water, just like bread.
Legend has itthat Marco Polo brought pasta back to Italy with him but this is not true. Arabs probably brought a noodle-likedishtoSicilyin the 8th century. Farmers have been growing wheat, the mainingredientof pasta, there for ages.
The worldwide sales of pasta have risen sharply over the past decade. Italy leads the pasta-eatingcommunityof the world. The Italians are the number one consumers followed by Venezuela and Tunisia.In which country do people eat pasta most?
| A．Mexico | B．Venezuela | C．The Philippines | D．South Africa |
Sports people often have pasta because_________.
| A．it costs less money |
| B．it can be kept longer |
| C．it provides proper energy |
| D．it contains no carbohydrates |
One reason why pasta is favored is that_______.
| A．people like a simple lifestyle |
| B．it smells just like bread |
| C．it is rich in nutrition |
| D．Italian food stands for fansition. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The origin of pasta |
| B．Italians’ love for pasta |
| C．Pasta is changing people’s way of life |
| D．Pasta—the world’s favorite food |
International students studying in the UK
The UK has a long history of welcoming international students to study in its universities and colleges. In the UK last year there were over 104,000 international students. Choosing which university or college to go to was like a life-changing decision. Do as much research as possible so that you choose the right course for the right reason.
How to apply for higher education
All applications for higher education courses are made using our online application system, which is available 24 hours a day. You fill in the application form online and it does not need to be completed all at once. Please see the When to Apply page to check the dates by which we should receive your completed application.
Choosing a higher education course to study
Try to do a lot of research when deciding which courses to apply for. You will probably want to find out even more before you accept an offer of a place on a course. When you accept an offer of a place, make sure that all of your questions have been answered. Ask teachers if there is anything to prepare before the course starts. They may suggest that you look at certain books on the course reading list or that you improve your computer skills.
Other help and advice
Unistats is a website that can help you to research subjects and universities before deciding where to apply. You can compare subjects, compare universities and explore useful information about getting a job after graduation. Unistats has statistical (统计的) information on universities, colleges, subjects and teaching style.
Yougo is a student-only networking site where you can meet other applicants online and talk about what you hope to study and the university you hope to attend.
If you have any questions, please call us at 0044-330-333-0230.One who wants to get into a university in the UK________.
| A．must have a good reason to study abroad |
| B．can make an application on the Internet |
| C．should create more learning programs |
| D．will be asked to send a plan to a teacher |
We can learn from the passage that it is a wise idea to ________.
| A．learn basic computer skills in the UK when possible |
| B．get to know as many teachers as possible in the UK |
| C．do much research before choosing a college major |
| D．borrow certain books before going abroad to study. |
Unistats is a website that works to help students ________.
| A．select the best university and subject |
| B．meet other teenage students online |
| C．study further after finishing a course |
| D．compare colleges at home and abroad |
What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To give information about higher education in the UK. |
| B．To describe the types of universities across the UK. |
| C．To introduce the UK education system to students. |
| D．To attract international students to study in the UK. |
A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She bought a book and a bag of cookies in the airport shop, and found a place to drop.
She was interested in her book, but the man sitting beside her grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid an argument.
So she ate the cookies noisily and watched the clock, as the cookie thief diminished (使……变少) her stock. She was getting angrier as the minutes passed, thinking,“Oh, brother, if I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken your eyes.”
With each cookie she took, he took one, too. When only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half, and he ate the other. She got it from him and thought, “ This guy has some nerve (胆量) and he’s also rude. Why didn’t he even show any gratitude?”
She had never known when she had been so angry. She gathered her bag and headed for the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate (忘恩负义者).
She boarded the plane and then she sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached in her bag, she was shocked— there was her bag of cookies. “If mine are here,” she thought, “the others were his. It’s too late to apologize.”Why did the woman ignore it when she found the man eating the cookies?
| A．She didn’t want to get into an argument. |
| B．She was full of pity for the man. |
| C．The man was dangerous and brave. |
| D．She was too careless to notice it. |
When offered her half of the last cookie, the woman______.
| A．felt a bit disappointed. |
| B．felt deeply thankful. |
| C．considered the man unthankful. |
| D．saw the man as his brave brother. |
We can infer that the man________.
| A．might have returned the bag of cookies secretly. |
| B．tried to share his cookies with the woman. |
| C．was thankful for the woman’s kindness. |
| D．was really a thief. |
Hello! My name is Lisa, and I am a lioness. I live on the open grasslands of Africa with my family. Lions living in a group are called a pride.
My father is strong and powerful. He and his cousin are the leaders of our pride. The other members are my mother, her sisters, and their children.
The area where a pride lives is big! We roar (咆哮) to tell each other where we are and to warn strangers to stay away.
Meet my new baby brother. His name is Leon. See the spots on his fur? We lions are born spotted or striped (有条纹的). As we grow older, the spots gradually disappear.
Lionesses usually spend their entire lives with their birth pride, but Leon will leave when he is about three years old. He’ll run around with a male (雄性的) friend or relative for a few years until they take over a pride of their own.
But for now, we have lots of fun together. We often play and fight for hours, which can help us practice skills that we will need for hunting. )
We lions keep ourselves very clean. Just like a house cat, I clean my fur (毛with my tongue. We clean for each other, too, to show we’re friends.
Lions like to sleep for most of the day. We hunt in the cool evening. Female (雌性的) lions hunt more often than male lions. We work together as a team. At the right moment, we attack and kill our prey. Then we share it. Male lions usually eat first. Females eat next. Baby lions are the last to eat. The smallest one gets the least food.
Since we are full, it’s time to go to find a nice place for a sleep. Bye!Lisa in this passage is the name of _____.
| A．a girl | B．a male lion | C．a female lion | D．a pride |
According to the passage, Leon _____.
| A．hunts more often than his sisters |
| B．will have spots on his fur for the whole of his life |
| C．will leave his birth pride when he is about three |
| D．will take over his birth pride when his father dies |
The underlined word “prey” in the passage probably means _____.
| A．the animal that is hunted | B．the animal that is dangerous |
| C．the animal that is powerful | D．the animal that is ill |
The passage is written for _____.
| A．doctors | B．tourists | C．children | D．hunters |