There are 67 counties in the state of Alabama. Each county is rich with history and its own unique stories. Colbert County, located in the northwest corner of the state, has its share of exciting stories and claims to statewide fame. The county was created on February 6, 1867, and Tuscumbia became the county seat (the town in which the offices of the county government are located).
One of the most famous residents of Tuscumbia was Helen Keller. Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880. Her home was a white frame cottage built by her grandparents. Since ivy (常春藤) grew everywhere, the house was called Ivy Green. It was here, at the water pump in the backyard, that Keller learned the word “w-a-t-e-r” with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Visitors to Ivy Green can walk under boxwood trees that are 150 years old. The home has furniture that the Keller family used. It also has Keller’s Braille (盲文) books and her original Braille typewriter.
Spring Park is Tuscumbia’s most popular park and favorite tourist attraction. This park has the world’s largest manufactured waterfall called Coldwater Falls. The Spring Park Light and Water Show is an amazing sight to see. It takes place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at sundown. The water appears to dance to music and colored lights. The music played during the show is recorded by singers and musicians from Alabama.
Fame Recording Studios is in the city of Muscle Shoals in Colbert County. The studio is the first successful recording studio in Alabama. It is best known for creating “Southern rock,” “Southern soul,” and “county soul.” Well-known performers like Aretha Franklin and musical groups such as Alabama and Lynyrd have made recordings at this studio.
Visitors can continue to explore music in Alabama by visiting the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia. Built in 1990, this site recognizes the musical talents of more than 500 Alabama residents in a wide variety of musical styles, including country and rhythm and blues.
Truly, Colbert County has a lot of wonderful locations to visit. Guests will not be disappointed in a visit to this delightful place.Which of the following is TRUE about Alabama and music?
A.Alabama musicians have established exhibits for visitors. |
B.There are a great many talented musicians in Alabama. |
C.Music is the most important industry in Alabama. |
D.Alabama residents enjoy listening to music. |
How many locations related to music in Colbert County are mentioned in the text?
A.1. | B.2. | C.3. | D.4. |
The author writes the text mainly to persuade the reader __________.
A.to learn from Helen Keller |
B.to visit businesses in Alabama |
C.to stop for a visit in Colbert County |
D.to listen to Southern styles of music |
The text is most probably taken from __________.
A.a story book | B.a book review |
C.a personal diary | D.a travel magazine |
It is well known that the Japanese people’s love of fish is almost as a bee’s interest in honey. As fish populations were decreasing, fishing companies were forced to fish further and further away from the shore. Then they had a big challenge-how to keep the fish fresh for longer. So they decided to keep the fish stored in freezers on the boats. But the public did not like frozen fish. So again the fishing companies had a new bigger challenge. What they decided to do was to have fish tanks on their boats. After catching fishes, they would put them in the tanks and keep them living there until they got back to shore. But in this protected environment, lacking predators (掠食者),the fish stopped moving around. The Japanese public felt these dull fish did not taste fresh, which had an unpleasant effect upon sales. Once again the fishing companies had an even bigger challenge ...
Stop for a minute! Before we go any further, I would like to ask “What are your challenges? How do you handle an unexpected challenge?” May I think it this way that you should try to attack your challenges? Conquer them with a Swiss Army knife. Take the most proper and simple tool that you can adopt to deal with your situation.
Now back to our story. How did the Japanese finally figure out the fresh fish problem?Sharks! You might think the same. Sharks were caught and put into the tanks with other fishes. Don’t sharks eat fish? Well, they do eat a few fish, but they did also keep more fish active and alert (警觉的) The fish stay fresh because they are challenged.
Now, try to keep yourself fresh by finding your own shark to offer yourself a challenge in your own business and career.
1.The main reason for the fishing company to fish in the far sea is that_________.
A. the fish resource near the shore was decreasing
B. the fishes farther away from the sea tasted fresher
C. people would prefer eating fresh fishes to less fresh ones
D. it was getting harder and harder to keep fishes fresh
2.The relationship between fishes and sharks is similar to that between_________in nature.
A. dogs and catsB. monkeys and mosquitoes
C. wolves and antelopes D. children and lions
3.The underlined part of the last paragraph means “_________.”
A. If you went fishing, you might do as the fishing companies did
B. Try to find a big shark, and you will meet your challenge
C. To succeed in life, you should always be ready to meet challenges
D. Sharks are usually compared to the challenges in people’s life
4.The purpose for the author to write the passage is to_________.
A. tell the readers “no pains, no gains”
B. tell the readers how the Japanese keep the fish fresh
C. suggest readers looking for challenges to make progress
D. advise readers to find something difficult to do
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meeting, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition(过渡), that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough, But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my new found “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all, My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment (责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war, Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
1.What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
A. To stay away from busy schedules. B. To write some great books.
C. To do some voluntary work D. To plan for his future.
2.Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
A. He missed his students in that country.
B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.
C. He was concerned about the people there.
D. He was not satisfied with his retired life.
3.The underlined part “the tables have turned”(Paragraph 5) means that the writer_________.
A. improved the situation in his school
B. felt happy to work with students again
C. became a learner rather than a teacher
D. changed his attitude toward his retired life
4.What does the writer think of his retired life now?
A. Disappointing B. Troublesome C. Promising D. Meaningful
There are several reasons for hair loss in women. However, in most cases, treatment is quite effective. Female hair loss patterns in women are not as easily recognizable as they are in men. A woman may experience it temporarily(暂时地) due to pregnancy or illness, although they may experience it for other reasons.
Hair loss can be due to a variety of factors, including a genetic tendency ( which is not genetically linked to just one parent—both parents contribute to the tendency to lose hair).
Women who are experiencing hair problems seem to have more limited choices than men. There are some female hair loss treatments that are available such as the Tricomin System which is a topical treatment that is nutrition based. Shen Min for Women is another natural treatment that contains herbs (草药) that are said to stimulate(刺激) hair growth and even restore hair that is graying to its natural color.
The majority of the popular, proven hair loss treatments are only intended for men and are not suitable for women. True, a woman’s hair issue is different from a man’s. The biological makeup is different and the needs are different. Women have different needs and their bodies react in different ways to environmental changes, physical illness and even the treatments that are available. There are many natural treatments such as vitamin and mineral supplements that are said to stimulate hair growth, but, for the most part, these claims are currently unproven.
One of the first and most important factors to effectively treating is to get a diagnosis from a doctor. Talk to your doctor about any symptoms that you may be experiencing in addition to the thinning hair. Stress, weight loss or gain, illness and depression, all of these can be contributing factors.
1. It can be learned from the 1st paragraph that ___________.
A.usually hair loss is hard to heal
B.female hair loss is more common than the men’s
C.women tend to suffer from hair loss during the pregnant period
D.only illness contribute to hair loss
2 Which of the following statements matches the text about the two treatments?
A.Both are to solve the problem of male hair loss.
B.Tricomin System is effective in speeding the growth of the new hair
C.Shen Min is an updated way of treating hair loss
D.The former is nutrition-based, while the latter is medicine-based.
3. The reasons for the differences between the female and male hair loss problems do not include ______________.
A.The biological structure and composition of the hair
B.The wants and needs
C.The reactions and responses to the outside changes
D.The approach to taking exercise
4. The natural treatments __________.
A.include vitamin and mineral supplements
B.are applied to keep the hair healthy
C.have been proved useful
D.are the most commonly-used ways
What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers(制造商) to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream— as well as for developing over 75 flavors .
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job; after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No— there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up about 12℉. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy— working at one cool job.
1. According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the “cool field”, it is helpful to __________.
A. keep a diary of work
B. have a degree in related subjects
C. have new ideas every day
D. find out new flavors each day
2. What does Harrison do first when tasting ice cream?
A. He stirs the ice cream. B. He examines the color of the ice cream.
C. He tastes the flavor of the ice cream. D. He lets the ice cream warm up.
3. Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?
A. Tasting with Eyes B. Flavors of Ice Cream
C. John Harrison’s Life D. One Cool Job
Finally, this week’s comedy “Tomorrow’s Another Day” at the Cambridge MGM cinema, is another one in the long line of successes from director Peter Hamin.
This one has an unusual story line. Just imagine this; one day Mickey Style , a TV reporter, goes off to make a program about an exciting film festival in Canada. On his first morning there he wakes up, the sun is shining, the birds are singing , and life just couldn’t be better. He works through the day , goes to bed; wakes up the next morning… to find it’s the same day! The same sun, the same birds singing in the same tree, the same people saying and doing exactly the same things, day after day, He is caught in a place where time has simply stood still, where there will be no tomorrow.
This could be very serious, but it’s not. It’s an extremely funny film, which made everyone, including your reviewer (评论家) , laugh out loud. It has the silliest ending , and the audience loved it! Sabetha Tayior is great as the generous bank manager, yes, really, although Hollywood probably won’t give her any prizes. So if you want to forget your troubles, this is the film for you.
1.What is the writer trying to do in the text? _________
A. To give his or her opinions about an actor.
B. To give his or her opinions about a film.
C. To describe a Canadian film festival.
D. To describe his or her strange experience.
2. Why would somebody read the text? ___________
A. To enjoy the extremely funny jokes.
B. To find the answer to a problem.
C. To find out more about a cinema.
D. To choose their evening’s entertainment.
3. What is the writer’s opinions of “Tomorrow’s Another Day”? ___________
A. It’s serious B. It’s exciting C. It’s successful D. It’s terrible
4. Where was Mickey Style when something strange happened to him? _________
A. On a working trip B. At the office
C. On holidays D. At the movies