CANYOUIMAGINEHOWHARDITWOULDBETOREADSENTENCESLIKETHIS? Every one of us gets so used to punctuation marks that not many of us give them a second thought. Actually, the ancient Greeks wrote this way. The lack of punctuation marks probably didn’t bother good readers, though. As they read, they just put pauses where they fit best. Also at this time, sentences switched directions. A sentence read from left to right. The next one read right to left, and then left to right again, etc. The ancient Romans sometimes punctuated like this: They • put • something • that • can • separate • words • in • a • sentence. The word punctuation actually comes from this idea and the Latin word punctum, which means a dot.
When the 5th century arrived, there were just two punctuation marks: spaces and points. The spaces separated words while the points showed pauses in reading. Then in the 13th century, a printer named Aldus Manutius tried to standardize punctuation. He always used a period for a complete stop at the end of a sentence. He used a slash (/) to indicate a short pause. Over time, that slash was shortened and curled, and it became the modern comma (逗号).
Since that time, other marks have enlarged the punctuation family. The exclamation mark (感叹号) comes from the Latin word io. It means “exclamation of joy.” The question mark originally started out as the Latin word questio, meaning question. Eventually, scholars put it at the end of a sentence to show a question.
Punctuation even keeps changing nowadays. New marks are coming into existence, and old punctuation marks are used in new ways. Take for example the “interrobang”. This 1962 invention combines the question mark and exclamation mark for times when writers want both. For example, “She did what?” or “How much did you pay for that dress?” Obviously, the interrobang is not widely used or recognized yet, but its invention shows that English is not yet finished with its punctuation.From the first paragraph, we can know that _______.
A.good readers had trouble reading without punctuation marks |
B.a sentence always read from left to right in ancient Greece |
C.ancient Greeks switched the direction of punctuation marks |
D.the use of punctuation marks can date back to ancient times |
The passage is developed _______.
A.by time | B.by space |
C.by comparison | D.by importance |
We can learn from the passage that _______.
A.ancient Romans didn’t use any punctuation marks |
B.exclamation and question marks came from Latin |
C.spaces and slashes were already used before the 5th century |
D.Aldus Manutius first started to use commas |
What can be concluded from the last paragraph?
A.The combination of two marks will not work. |
B.It takes time for people to accept new punctuation marks. |
C.Old punctuation marks need to be standardized. |
D.Punctuation marks are still changing today. |
B
Our listener question this week comes from Abdullahi Farah, who wants to know about the life and work of Doctor Benjamin Carson.
Doctor Carson is an internationally recognized doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital for twenty-five years. At the age of thirty-three, he became one of the youngest doctors in the United States to hold that position. And he was the first African-American to have that position at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Ben Carson is known for his work as a brain surgeon for children. For example, in nineteen eighty-seven, he led a team of seventy doctors and nurses in an operation to separate two babies joined at the head. Earlier attempts by other surgeons on other babies had failed. Doctor Carson successfully performed the operation. Both babies were able to survive independently.
Doctor Carson has written four books. His first book, "Gifted Hands," tells the story of his life. Benjamin Carson was born in nineteen fifty-one in Detroit, Michigan.
As a boy, Ben was not a good student. In fact, he was the worst in his class. When his mother learned of his failing grades she asked her sons to read two library books every week. She limited the amount of time they watched television. And she told them to respect every person.
Ben Carson soon became the top student in his class. He went on to study at Yale University, one of the best universities in the country, and later to medical school at the University of Michigan.
Doctor Carson has received many awards and honors. Last year he received the nation's highest civilian honor. Former President George W. Bush presented Benjamin Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House.
45. The passage is probably taken from _____.
A. a radio B. a magazine C. TV D. a paper
46. What does the word “surgeons” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. nurses B. doctors C. hospitals D. points
47. Benjamin Carson’s change in study was largely because of ______
A. his hard work B. his teacher
C. his mother D. his father
48. What’s the aim to write the passage?
A. To call on us to learn from Benjamin Carson.
B. To praise Benjamin Carson for his achievements.
C. To show us how Benjamin Carson succeeded
D. To introduce Benjamin Carson’s life and work
第二部分阅读理解(共25小题;第一节每小题 2 分,第二节每小题1分;满分45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,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Diane Arbus is known for creating intense black and white photographs of very unusual people. She used a special camera that produced square shaped images. One art expert said Diane Arbus turned photography inside out. Instead of looking at her subjects, she made them look at her.
Diane Arbus was born in 1923 to a wealthy family in New York City. After finishing high school at the age of 18, Diane married Allan Arbus. Mr. Arbus worked in the advertising department of her father’s store.
It was Mr. Arbus who gave Diane her first camera. Diane soon decided to take a class with the famous photographer Berenice Abbott. The Arbuses eventually started taking photographs of clothing. These images were used as advertisements for Diane’s father’s store. After the birth of their daughter, Doon, the Arbuses started a business together. Their purpose was to photograph clothing fashions. Diane Arbus was the stylist. She would prepare the hair and faces of the fashion models who wore the clothing being photographed. Allan Arbus took the pictures.
The couple soon had jobs from important fashion magazines such as “Vogue” and “Harper’s Bazaar”. Their work was very successful during the 1950s. They became part of a group of artists that were helping to redefine visual culture. They were breaking with past traditions to create a new look for a new decade, the sixties.
But Diane was not satisfied with her secondary role. She wanted a more active part in making photographs. She wanted to explore her own artistic expression and freedom. To do this, she stopped working with her husband. Then she started taking photography classes at the New School in New York City.
Arbus’ teacher, Lisette Model, influenced her in many ways. She showed Diane how to use a camera like an expert. She also taught Diane to use her art to face her doubts and fears. Miss Model once said that Diane soon started “not listening to me but suddenly listening to herself.”
41. Diane Arbus got her first camera ______.
A. from her father B. from her husband
C. in a shop D. in the advertising department
42. Why did the Arbuses start a business together?
A. To film clothing fashions. B. To make their daughter happy.
C. To prove themselves. D. To make friends with more people.
43. The Arbuses ______ in the 1950s according to the passage.
A. were in charge of “Vogue” B. earned more than other artists
C. were recognized as great artists D. were proud of their achievements
44. We can learn from the last two paragraphs that ______.
A. Diane was hard to dealt with
B. Diane care more for freedom
C. Diane was tired of working with husband
D. Diane learned more from Lisette Model
E
About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.
He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and-WHUMP!-it hit the Jag’s shiny black side door! SCREECH…!!!! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!” Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That’s my new Jag, that brick you threw is going to cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?”
“Please, mister, please… I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!” begged the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop!” tears were streaming down the boy’s face as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled of the curb(路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the young businessman tried hard to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to the black, shining 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE-a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent(凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at you.
67.The boy threw a brick at the businessman’s car because ________.
A.he wanted to ask for some money
B.he envied the brand-new car very much
C.the businessman drove at a high speed
D.he wanted to get help from the driver
68.Which of the following is the right order of the story?
a.The younger brother threw a brick at Josh’s car.
b.The elder brother fell out of his wheelchair.
c.The younger brother begged Josh for help.
d.Josh lifted the elder brother back into his wheelchair.
e.Josh shouted at the younger brother.
A.b,a,c,e,d B.a,c,d,b,e
C.b,a,e,c,d D.a,c,b,e,d
69.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Josh was a kind-hearted man.
B.The two kids were Josh’s neighbors.
C.Josh would accept the money from the kids.
D.Josh’s new car broke down easily.
70.According to the passage, we must ________.
A.try to be more understanding seeing others in trouble
B.drive fast in a neighborhood street that is dangerous
C.try to get ready for the trouble in your future life
D.protect oneself from being hurt
D
Stonehenge(巨石阵)may have been a prehistoric health center rather than a site for observing stars or a temple in honor of the dead, scientists said yesterday. New evidence unearthed at the World Heritage Site in more than 40 years suggests that the monument was a place where the diseased and injured went in groups, seeking cures.
After a two-week dig, scientists have concluded that Stonehenge was “the ancient healthcare centre of southern England” because of the existence of “bluestones”---the smaller columns of dolerite(辉绿岩)that formed an earlier stone structure.
By dating pieces of remains to around 7330BC, Tim Darvill, of Bournemouth University, and Goff Wainwright, of the Society of Amtiquaries have found that hunter-gatherers were at the site on Salisbury Plain 4,000 years earlier than thought. The first stage of Stonehenge, a round earthwork structure, was built around 3000BC. Professor Wainwright added: “I did not expect the degree of complexity we discovered. We’re able to say so much more about when Stonehenge was built and why---all of which changes our previous understanding of the monument.”
The research reveals the importance of the henge’s famous bluestones. Hundreds of bluestone chips gathered at the site have led the team to conclude that the bluestones were valued for their curing effects---the key reason that about 80 of them, each weighing up to 4 tons and a half, were dragged more than 150 miles from the Preseli Hills to Wiltshire. After years of research, Professors Darvill and Wainwright have concluded that, for thousands of years, the Preseli mountain range was home to magical health centers and holy wells.
Even today there are those who believe in the curing powers of the springs for coughs and heart disease, and people who use crystals and bluestones for self-curing. Radiocarbon tests have also revealed that the construction of the original bluestone circle took place around 2300BC, three centuries later than originally thought. Interestingly, on the same day died the “Amesbury Archer”---a sick traveler from the Swiss or German Alps who had an infected knee---whose remains were discovered about five miles from Stonehenge. The professors believe that he was a devoted religious person who was hoping to benefit from the curing powers of the monument.
63.Stonehenge is recently believed to be a place for people .
A.to recover from poor health B.to observe star movements
C.to hold religious ceremonies D.to gather huge bluestones
64.What can be inferred about Stonehenge from the passage?
A.The springs could cure coughs and heart disease best.
B.The new discovery was the same as what had been expected.
C.Some huge bluestones were not produced at Stonehenge.
D.The original bluestone circle was thought to be constructed around 2000BC.
65.The sick traveler in the passage is supposed to be .
A.a devoted religious person from Stonehenge
B.one of the earliest discoverers of Stonehenge
C.the first explorer to test the magical power of bluestones
D.a patient trying to cure his infection at Stonehenge
66.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A.Stonehenge: A New Place of Interest B.Stonehenge: Still Making News
C.Stonehenge: Heaven for Adventurers D.Stonehenge: Still Curing Patients
C
Several years ago I worked in an office, which I had a locust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull, unfortunately this happened to be the room assigned to me and I was depressed by it for quite some time.
When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree. Secretly, I was very happy because I had thought it had died.
One morning when I opened the window for fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent floating into my office but I couldn’t name it. Suddenly, I realized it was the locust tree! The tree that I thought dead was blossoming in full glory.
From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew forming on the locust tree blossoms and every year was eager to see spring again.
During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, but allowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned into many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times I thought to take photos but never did. Then I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life it became a great regret that I had not done so.
Actually, many times in our lives, we think we own something, therefore we don’t cherish it. We don’t feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don’t want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!
59.The author of the passage employed a writing way ________.
A.of holding and releasing B.that released first, then held
C.that held first, then released D.that was not holding or releasing
60.What the author wanted to tell us is that ________.
A.not being delighted for what you have got and not feeling pity on the lost
B.think twice before you leap
C.treat everything calmly
D.cherish what you’ve owned
61.The reason the author came to the office early is ________.
A.to enjoy the dew B.to finish her work early
C.to do some cleaning D.to avoid the burning sun
62.The underlined word “so” in the fifth paragraph perhaps refers to ________.
A.that I couldn’t see the tree any longer B.that I should have taken some photos
C.that I had to leaveD.that the tree died