阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
C
In early October, thousands of people around the globe stepped outside to gaze at their local night sky. As part of an event called the Great World Wide Star Count, adults and kids of looked for one of two constellations(星群)—Cygnus in the Northern Hemisphere and Sagittarius in the Southern Hemisphere. The observers recorded how many stars they saw and how bright the stars were, and then posted their results online.
The Star Count was part of global effort to help scientists learn more about how light pollution affects our view of the night sky. Whether participants saw thousands of stars—or just a dozen—depended a lot on whether they were surrounded by darkness or by twinkling city lights.
Dark spots on the map, above, show the locations of people who participated in the first annual Great Worldwide Star Count. Over 2 weeks, people in 64 countries made 6,624 observations.
On a clear night, with no clouds, moonlight, or artificial lights to block the view, people can see more than 14,000 stars in the sky, but when people are surrounded by city lights they're lucky to see 150 stars.
If you've ever driven toward a big city at night and seen its glow from afar, you're witnessed light pollution. It occurs when light from streetlights, office buildings, signs, and other sources streams into space and illuminates the night sky. This light makes many stars invisible to people on Earth.
Dust and particles of pollution from factories and industries worsen the effects of light pollution. When these particles float into the atmosphere, light ricochets(跳飞)off of them and scatters even more.
Light pollution doesn't fly affect star visibility. It can harm wildlife too. Scientists don't entirely understand how animals navigate at night, but it's clear that artificial light can attract them, making them go off course. There's increasing evidence, for example, that migrating birds use sunsets and sunrises to help find their way.Why did do many people look at the local sky?
| A．To enjoy the beauty of the stars. |
| B．To develop their interest in Astronomy. |
| C．To help scientists do a research on light pollution. |
| D．To get the exact number of star in the sky. |
When people are surrounded by artificial lights, ________.
| A．they can find more stars in the sky |
| B．the stars might appear more clearly |
| C．the stars seem to be bigger |
| D．they can find far fewer stars |
What does the word “illuminates” probably means in this passage?
| A．make...bright |
| B．make...invisible |
| C．make...beautiful |
| D．make...clear |
How does light pollution affect birds?
| A．It does great harm to their eyes at night. |
| B．It mistakes them the way when they migrate. |
| C．It can enable them to see their routes clearly. |
| D．It can make them find their way easily. |
According to the maps above, which continent has fewest participants in the Star Count?
| A．North America. |
| B．Australia. |
| C．South America. |
| D．Africa. |
One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (引文) showing how it was used.
This was a huge task, so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.
But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum (精神病院) for the Criminally Insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave
goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary _________.
| A．came out before minor died |
| B．was edited by an American volunteer |
| C．was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary Murray |
| D．included the English words invented by Murray |
How did Dr. Minor contributed to the dictionary?
| A．He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers. |
| B．He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray. |
| C．He went to England to work with Murray. |
| D．He provided a great number of words and quotations |
Why did Dr. Minor refuse to visit Oxford?
| A．He lived far from Oxford |
| B．He was shut in an asylum |
| C．He was busy writing a book |
| D．He disliked traveling |
Prof. Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because __________.
| A．They had a common interest in words |
| B．They both served in the Civil War |
| C．Minor recovered with the help of Murray |
| D．Murray went to America regularly to visit Minor |
Lots of people buy books and products from Amazon, an online seller. They offer and pay over the Internet and the books are shipped through the mail or a delivery service like FedEx.
One day, people could get their Amazon deliveries from an “unmanned aerial vehicle”—a timely vehicle that looks like a toy helicopter. And instead of waiting days to get the parcel, it could be at the buyer’s home in half an hour or less. The company is working on a fleet of tiny vehicles they call “Prime Air”. The vehicles are also known as “octocopters”. On their website, Amazon says, “One day, Prime Air Vehicles will be as normal as seeing a mail trucks on the road today.”
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on safety regulations for unmanned flying vehicles like the Prime Air copters. Those regulations will make sure the copters are able to fly safely where they need to go. Once the FAA has put its rules in place, which could be as early as 2016, Amazon will be ready with its fleet of tiny flyers. The process could take as many as five years.
The new delivery service would likely be available only in the United States, at first. The copters the company is testing now can handle packages up to five pounds (2.3kg) and they have a range of 10 miles (16 kilometers).
Other companies are also looking at using unmanned flying vehicles to deliver their products. For instance, Domino’s Pizza in the U.K. released a video showing a “DomiCopter”, delivering a pizza. That video may have been a publicity stunt（噱头）. In any case, just like Prime Air’s octocopters, the DomiCopters don’t have clearance（许可）to take off just yet.For what purpose does Amazon want to use the Prime Air?
| A．To predict the sales volume. |
| B．To check the delivery service. |
| C．To shorten the delivery period. |
| D．To remind people to order online. |
What do we know from Amazon’s words in paragraph 2?
| A．The Prime Air Vehicles will still travel on the road. |
| B．The Amazon’s delivery system needs to be improved. |
| C．The Prime Air Vehicles will be widely put into use soon. |
| D．The creation of the Prime Air Vehicles was inspired by the mail trucks. |
The Prime Air Vehicles will be regulated by the U.S.’s FAA for __________.
| A．the design plans |
| B．the delivery price |
| C．the driver’s training |
| D．the safety assessment |
What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us about the new delivery method?
| A．Its safety | B．Its delivery ability |
| C．Its appearance | D．Its moving speed |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．The new delivery service has attracted more customers. |
| B．The designer of Amazon has promoted “Prime Air” to other company. |
| C．Another unmanned vehicle has been put into use by a British pizza company. |
| D．Unmanned vehicles could possibly be developed and employed by more companies. |
Since my family were not going to be helpful about my taking a cooking job, I decided I would look for one all by myself and not to tell them about it till I’d got a permanent one.
I had seen an agency advertised in a local paper, so as soon as there was no one about to say “Where are you going?” I rushed out of the house in search of it. I was wildly excited, and as nervous as if I were going on the stage. Finding the place quite easily, I tore up three flights of stairs, and swung breathlessly through a door which said “Enter without knocking, if you please.”
The simple atmosphere of the office calmed me, and I sat down on the edge of a chair. The woman at the desk opposite looked carefully at me. Then she questioned me in a low voice. I answered softly and started to feel helpless. She wondered why I was looking for this sort of job, so I felt I had to give her the idea of a widowed mother struggling against poverty. But I felt more helpless when she told me that it would be difficult to get a job without experience or references. Suddenly, the telephone on her desk rang. While having a mysterious conversation, she kept looking at me. Then I heard her say:
“In fact, I’ve got someone here who might suit.” She wrote down a number, and my spirits rose as she held out the paper to me, saying: “Ring up this lady. She wants a cook immediately. Cook a dinner for ten people tomorrow. Could you manage that, I wonder?”
“Oh, yes,” say I—never having cooked for more than four. Then I rushed out and called the lady, Miss Cathy. I said confidently that I was just what she was looking for. “Are you sure?” she kept saying. Anyway she decided to employ me and a permanent position if I carried out the promise of my self-praise. I asked her what tomorrow’s menu was to be.
“Just a small, simple dinner: lobster cocktail, soup, turbot Mornay, fruit salad and a savory.” In a rather shaken voice I promised to turn up in good time tomorrow and rang off.What did the author feel on her way?
| A．Excited but worried. |
| B．Nervous and excited. |
| C．Easy and curious. |
| D．Helpless but excited. |
Why didn’t the woman give the author the job at first?
| A．Because the woman found that the author didn’t respect her. |
| B．Because the woman realized that the author made up a story. |
| C．Because the author hadn’t been a cook before or got a reference. |
| D．Because the woman had already hired a more suitable cook. |
According to the passage, what would the author most probably do after the call?
| A．Read some cookery book. |
| B．Call her family and tell them the news. |
| C．Go to the woman’s house. |
| D．Buy what the woman told her at once. |
The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia. When people talk about it, you can hear a word invented in Japan, “DINKS”, which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, the cost of a house is extremely high. A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $3000,000 (though prices have fallen). For a flat with one bedroom, one dining-room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, the couple will pay about $900 a month. What’s more, if they want to have a child, the child’s education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5,000 a year. In such a situation, it’s difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working increases rapidly because they enjoy their jobs. However, if they want to have children, they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby, they expect women with babies to give up their jobs. In short, if they want to bring up children properly, both parents have to work, but it is hard for mothers to work. Indeed, women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word, Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible. What is the main problem being discussed in the passage?
| A．The small number of newborn babies. |
| B．The changing social situation of women. |
| C．The high prices of houses and education. |
| D．The necessary steps of Asian government. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．It is easy for a couple to afford a child in Asia. |
| B．The prices of houses in Asia are quite low now. |
| C．Fewer and fewer married women want to have a job. |
| D．The word “DINKS” appeared in an Asian country. |
To buy a flat and send a child to kindergarten, how much will a couple pay each year?
| A．$5,000. | B．$5,900. |
| C．$10,800. | D．$15,800. |
The writer seems to believe that Asian governments should ________.
| A．let women stay at home and have a baby |
| B．allow only one of the parents to go out to work |
| C．care for the growing needs of women for jobs |
| D．punish the companies that permit women to leave |
Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat. However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time – about eight hours after you wake up – your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.
In many parts of the world, people take naps(小睡) in the middle of the day. This is especially true in warmer climates(气候), where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional, people often suffer less from problems such as heart disease.
Many working people, unfortunately, have no time to take naps. Though doctors may advise taking naps, employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance, however, here are a few tips about making the most of your nap. Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up. A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward. This can also happen if you sleep for too long. If you do not have enough time, try a short nap – even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful.Why do people feel sleepy in the early afternoon according to the text?
| A．They eat too much for lunch. |
| B．They sleep too little at night. |
| C．Their body temperature becomes lower. |
| D．The weather becomes a lot warmer. |
If you get up at 6:30 am, what is the best time for you to take a nap?
| A．About 12:30 pm. | B．About 1:30 pm. |
| C．About 2:30 pm | D．About 3:30 pm |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Just for a Rest |
| B．All for a Nap |
| C．A Special Sleep Pattern. |
| D．Taking Naps in Warmer Climate. |