Pierre de Coubertin was born on January 1，1863，in Paris, France. As a child of a noble family, he received a good education and developed a strong interest in literature and history. He refused the military career planned for him by his family, as well as giving up a political career in order to serve his people better.
Coubertin was a very active sportsman and practiced the sports of boxing, fencing (击剑)，horse-riding and rowing. He believed that sport was the tool for moral energy and he defended his idea with rare tenacity (坚初).
His study of history made him wish the Olympics could still be held. He thought it was the ideal that everyone should try to reach. He was sure that bringing athletes together would make friendly relations between the countries. It was this idea that led him to announce at the age of 31 that he wanted to revive the Olympics.
He made this announcement in a meeting at the Union of French Societies of Athletic Sports, for which he was Secretary General (秘书长). No one really believed him and his statement was greeted with little passion. Coubertin, however, was not discouraged and on 23 June, 1894 he founded the International Olympic Committee(IOC)in a ceremony held at the University of Sorbonne in Paris. Demetrius from Greece became the first president of the IOC.
Two years later, in 1896, the first Olympic Games of the modern era was held in Athens. On that occasion Coubertin was elected the second president of the IOC and he remained president until 1925. Due to the 1st World War, Coubertin requested permission to establish the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, which was a neutral (中立的)country, Coubertin withdrew from the IOC in 1925 to devote himself to his pedagogical (教育学的)work, which he called his "unfinished symphony(交响乐)".
Coubertin suddenly died of a heart attack on September 2，1937, in a park in Geneva, and thus his "symphony" remained unfinished. The city of Lausanne had decided to award him honorary citizenship (荣誉市民)of the city, but he died just before the ceremony.
In accordance with Coubertin's last wish he was buried in Lausanne, although his heart was buried separately in a monument near the ruins of ancient Olympia. Pierre de Coubertin was not interested in ________ .
| A．literature |
| B．history |
| C．military |
| D．sports |
Coubertin wanted to revive the Olympic Games because ________ .
| A．he thought bringing athletes together would make friendly relationships between the countries |
| B．he knew he would be the 2nd president of the IOC |
| C．he loved history and sports so much |
| D．he thought everyone should try to reach the ideal that the Olympics could still be held |
"unfinished symphony(交响乐)" refers to ________ .
| A．the work Coubertin did for the IOC |
| B．the pedagogical work |
| C．the ceremony of awarding Coubertin honorary citizenship |
| D．the fact that Coubertin's heart attack never got well |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Coubertin was awarded honorary citizenship by the city of Lausanne before he died. |
| B．Coubertin worked as the president of the IOC for less than 20 years. |
| C．Coubertin devoted all his life to the sports career. |
| D．Coubertin's heart was buried in Greece. |
Vampires (吸血鬼), creatures of myth, have been around in one form or another for centuries. Terrifying but also attractive, they are as popular in the early 21 st century as ever, as the current popularity of Twilight series, and its hero Edward Cullen, show.
Vampires first appeared in fiction in the 1700s. in 1895 Irish novelist Bram Stoker published Dracula, introducing the world’s most famous vampire.
But just what is it about these drinkers of human blood that continues to fascinate us? Speaking to Eric Lewis of the Times and Transcript website, academic Deborah Wells said that vampires are “culturally adaptive”. “We create very different vampires to fit different times. Edward Cullen is not the same as Count Dracula,” she said.
Different as they are, Wells believes vampires are “the perfect containers into which we can pour our current cultural anxieties”, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is powerful, yet old and physically ugly. Stoker’s book dealt with fear of the fall of the British Empire, real fears in the day in which it was written.
According to the website Bookrags, today’s vampires have all our cultural desires, money, power and sexual attraction. Represented by Cullen, they are noble, handsome young men whom women find irresistible. What’s more, vampires challenge traditional ideas about death, science and parental authority. This may be why teenagers are drawn to vampire tales.
“In many ways, the vampire story shows up teenage concerns,” said wells. “The emotional intensity (强度) of the relationship with the vampire matches the intensity of how it feels to have your first real love affairs. Your first real love, it really feels like life and death.”
55．The best title for this passage should be_______.
A．Vampires may continue to drink our blood
B．Vampires have been around us for long
C．Why Twilight is so popular nowadays
D．We still like the story about vampires
56．What is the image of the vampire in Bram Stoker’s book?
A．Anxious but perfect.
B．Powerful, old and ugly.
C．Terrifying but also attractive.
D．Afraid of the fall of the British Empire.
57．According to the website Bookrages, today’s vampires_______.
A．desire money, power and sexual attraction
B．may not think highly of parental authority
C．dare to give up traditional ideas
D．are likely to be resisted by women
58．Which of the following statements is true according to Wells?
A．People need different vampires in different times.
B．Our current cultural anxieties are hidden in vampires.
C．The vampire story reflects the conches of the teenagers.
D．The relationship with the vampire equals your first real love.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
French people pride themselves on their delicious foods, such as cheese, baguettes and croissants (two kinds of food). In fact, food is an important part of French culture. Families and friends spend hours over the dinner table each night. It is the opposite of the fast – food habit common in other parts of the West.
It’s the reason why the French are very angry that a McDonald’s is opening beneath Paris’s most famous museum: the Louvre (卢浮宫). The mew restaurant will be the 1,142 nd McDonald’s in France, and will open in the underground approach to the museum. But many French people can’t understand why this American chain is opening in the heart of French culture.
However, McDonald’s is paying no notice to the complaint. McDonald’s now has 31,000 chains worldwide. Tourists are hungry, and opening chains in tourist spots pays well.
There is another chain threatening France’s heritage. This time it is coffee rather than burgers. As more and more Starbucks open in Paris, traditional French cafes are forced to close.
The trouble with American companies opening chains throughout the world is the destructive effect they can have on a country’s culture. How can a small, independent coffee shop compete with the multi – billion dollar chain? You can go to a Starbucks in any city in the world, but you can only go to a Parisian café in France.
Responsibility is with the tourists. A McDonald’s wouldn’t open so near the Louvre if it weren’t not going to make money. Similarly, a Pizza Hut wouldn’t overlook (俯瞰) Egypt’s Great Pyramid if no one wants to sit in it. Maybe next time you visit the Great Wall, you should think twice before ordering a Cappuccino in the Starbucks.
51．Why are the French very angry when a McDonald’s is opening beneath the Louvre?
A．Because they will spend many hours in McDonald’s.
B．Because French food culture is very impressive.
C．Because they also have the fast – food habit.
D．Because they are proud of their own food.
52．The McDonald’s will be located in the underground approach to the museum because_______.
A．the complaints of the French are useless
B．opening a chain in tourist spot is rewarding
C．McDonald’s tends to be in the heart of culture
D．it will help to attract more tourists for the museum
53．What is the trouble with American companies opening chains all over the world?
A．The traditional stores of a country are forced to fight back.
B．The traditional stores of a country become dependant.
C．They have negative effect on a country’s culture.
D．The multi – billion dollar chain can’t be matched.
54．The author suggests that the tourists can_______.
A．decide whether the multiple stores of America are successful or not
B．order a Cappuccino in the Starbucks when they visit the Great Wall
C．sit in a Pizza Hut when they visit Egypt’s Great Pyramid
D．enter the McDonald’s when they visit the Louvre
A growing number of consumers, especially young people , are adopting more Western habits when it comes to spending money—by favoring credit cards over savings.
A survey of 11,500 people in 18 cities by The Nielson Company found the credit card market had witnessed a major change in recent years.
“Today’s consumer is clearly not interested in saving for a rainy day, as may have been the case in the past,” Bega Ng, director of financial services research with the company said. “Consumers have been adopting Western habits and attitudes in almost every way—including saving and spending habits. Consumers in their 20s spend tomorrow’s cash to fund today’s needs.”
The report found consumers aged 18 to 24 were the most eager credit card users.
Although the report did not give the amounts credit card users in each of the 18 cities spent, it mentioned the example of Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian Province, where consumers put an average of 50 percent of their monthly incomes into their credit card accounts to indulge(沉湎于) in cashless shopping.
Included in the survey for the first time, Xiamen is reported to have a fast growing penetration rate(渗透率) for credit cards, with four out of ten consumers now owning at least one card. With more than half of cardholders in Xiamen owning two or more cards, it is catching up with key “tier one” cities, the report said. The report did not make known the figures in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Last year, the same Nielson survey showed Shanghai had the biggest population of credit card holders, with citizens owning 1.8 credit cards on average. Half of them use credit cards at least once a week, the survey said.
Yunfei, 30, from Beijing, said she spent at least 2,000 yuan a month by credit cards, most of which went on daily necessities and dining out.
69.Which of the following best shows the young urbanites’ idea of consumption?
A. Using credit cards in every way.
B. Spending tomorrow’s cash for today’s needs.
C. Owning more cards for cashless shopping.
D. Saving money for future use.
70.How is the situation of credit card use in Xjamen?
A. Forty percent of the consumers own at least one card.
B. Credit card users use up most of their monthly income.
C. The number of credit card users is larger than that in Guangzhou.
D. Over half of the consumers use two or more cards.
71.Which city had the largest number of credit card users according to a previous survey?
A. Xiamen. B. Beijing. C. Shanghai. D. Guangzhou.
72.What is the main idea of the survey reported by Nielson Company?
A. Most credit card users are young people aged 18 to 24.
B. Western habits have a big influence on the Chinese people.
C. The number of credit card users is growing rapidly in Chinese cities.
D. Chinese consumers are no more interested in saving money.
New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk（收缩）. It’s now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communication’s equipment is greatly enhanced by foreign language skills.
Deeply involved with this new technology is a breed of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic(国内的) business efforts.
Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive(行政的) ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being “out of sight and out of mind.” He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superior will have greater confidence in his or her ability to cope back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more common.
Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn’t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate(候选人) the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal.
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s principal language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign clients(客户) over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset to the firm.
65. What is the author’s attitude toward high-tech communications equipment?
A. Critical. B. Indifferent. C. Negative. D. Positive.
66. With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment, business people_________.
A. have to get familiar with modern technology
B. are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations
C. are placing more importance on their overseas business
D. are eager to work overseas
67. In this passage, “out of sight and out of mind” (Para. 3) probably means _________.
A. being unable to think properly for lack of insight
B. being totally out of touch with business at home
C. missing opportunities for promotion when abroad
D. leaving all care and worry behind
68. According to the passage, what is an important consideration of international corporations in employing people today?
A. Connections with businesses overseas. B. Ability to speak the client’s language.
C. Technical know-how. D. Business experience.
Do you ever run out of great books to read? So what should I read next? Is fast-paced crime fiction your thing?
Try the new Patricia Cornwell book, Scarpetta （Putnam）. She is such an able writer and handles complex forensic（法庭的） intelligence with ease. You need to be prepared, though, for the world you're entering—this isn't for the faint of heart, let's say.
If peace is more your thing, try Mary Pipher's wonderful new book, Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World （Riverhead）. Mary is a lovely, comfortable writer who takes the reader through her personal awakening after reputation and fortune came her way. Even if you've never experienced life as a bestselling writer （as she has done, in her book years back, Reviving Ophelia）, you'll totally understand and sympathize with her renewed need for privacy, distance and quiet.
What if you want a straightforward, totally thrilling read with vivid characters, set about World War II? You cannot go wrong with Jim Lehrer's new novel, Oh, Johnny （Random House）, about a young Marine whose life is changed forever when he meets a woman on his way to war. His relationship with her lasts him through danger and hardship, and there's an impressive ending. See our interview with the productive novelist/newsman in the current issue of Reader's Digest （March, on stands now）, by the way, for insight into the very talented Mr. Lehrer and what interests him.
Well, what about something wickedly funny and totally offbeat? Does the name Carrie Fisher do anything for you? Try her vivid and new life in Hollywood and elsewhere, Wishful Drinking （Simon & Schuster）. Be prepared for humor as sharp as knives.
61. What does the writer want to tell us by the underlined sentence?
A. The world is complex and hard. B. Scarpetta is a thriller.
C. The fiction is hard to understand. D. Society is hard to fit into.
62. Which of the following is true of Mary Pipher?
A. She is an adventurous writer. B. She doesn’t care about fortune.
C. Her books normally sell well. D. She can help you achieve writing skills.
63. To get further information about Jim Lehrer, you may________.
A. go to Reader’s Digest issued in March B. go to Random House
C. analyze the characters in Oh, Johnny D. read the novel Oh, Johnny
64. Which book isn’t directly based on the writer’s own life?__________________
A. Seeking Peace. B. Reviving Ophelia.
C. Wishful Drinking. D. Oh, Johnny.