Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some kind: football, hockey, golf, or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and steep mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women are willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks on high mountains? This astonishment is caused probably by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport, not a game. There are no man-made rules, as there are for such games as tennis and football. There are, of course, rules of a different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team sport”. Then we are mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock surface linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
A mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. This sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve his skills year after year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty, and most international tennis champions are in their early twenties. But it is not unusual for a man of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they probably climb with more skills than waste less effort.Why is mountaineering not a game?
| A．Because it is dangerous. |
| B．Because it has no man-made rules. |
| C．Because it is unfamiliar to many people. |
| D．Because so few people go in for this sport. |
Mountaineering can be called a team sport because ______.
| A．it is an Olympic event |
| B．teams compete against each other |
| C．there are five climbers on each team |
| D．mountaineering may depend on their opponents(对手) when in danger |
Mountaineers compete against _____.
| A．nature |
| B．high mountains |
| C．other mountaineers |
| D．international standards |
The last paragraph mainly tells us that _____.
| A．a mountaineer improves his skill constantly |
| B．a good mountaineer may be an elderly one |
| C．mountaineering is different from other sports |
| D．an elderly man climbs the highest mountains in Alps |
In this passage the author intends to _____.
| A．tell us to have sports |
| B．introduce us to sports |
| C．tell us to go mountaineering |
| D．introduce us to mountaineering |
C
People laugh and people cry．But it is thought that emotions such as anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed．The shedder of tears （落泪者） is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause．The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears．But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive （适得其反）．
Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears．Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that increase survival．
Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others （as a crying baby might from its mother）, the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help．Vo-cal （出声的） cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention．So, it appears that there must be something special about tears themselves．
Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in easing stress． University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently separated two important chemicals from emotional tears．Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion．Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance．
Other researchers are looking into the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs．At Tulane University's Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr．Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of "dry eye" syndrome （综合症）and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants．What does the phrase "both those responses" in Paragraph 1 refer to ?
| A．Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness． |
| B．The embarrassment and unpleasant feelings of the observers． |
| C．Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears． |
| D．The tear shedder' s apology and the observer' s effort to stop the crying． |
It is known from the first paragraph that____．
| A．shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to Americans |
| B．crying may often result in tragedy |
| C．crying usually wins sympathy from other people |
| D．one who sheds tears in public will be blamed |
What does the author say about crying?
| A．It is a pointless physiological response to the environment． |
| B．It must have a role to play in man' s survival． |
| C．It is meant to get attention and assistance． |
| D．It usually produces the desired effect． |
From the passage we can infer that____．
| A．it is unnatural for people to shed tears |
| B．we can reduce our stress by shedding tears |
| C．shedders of tears can' t get help by crying loudly |
| D．unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival |
B
My old digital camera broke down, so I wanted to buy a new one．Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand．So I went on the Net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store．There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list．And it was on special offer．Oh joy．I pointed at it and asked an assistant, "Can I have one of those? " He looked perturbed（ 不安）．"Do you want to try it first? "he said．It didn' t quite sound like a question．"Do I need to?" I replied, "There's nothing wrong with it．" This made him look a bit offended and I started to feel bad．"No, no．But you should try it," he said encouragingly, "Compare it with the others．
I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box．With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time．But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model．
But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice．In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen．The assistant seemed a sincere man．So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers．．．and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well．Why do we think that new options still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine．The shop assistant insisted that the writer should ____．
| A．trust him and stop asking questions |
| B．try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it |
| C．get more information about different companies |
| D．compare the camera he had chosen with the others |
What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"（ Paragraph 2）?
| A．He should get a 50% discount． |
| B．The price of the camera would soon fall． |
| C．The quality of the camera was not good． |
| D．The price of the camera was unreasonably high． |
The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he ____．
| A．knew very little about it |
| B．wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best |
| C．didn' t trust the shop assistant |
| D．had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers |
It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, __．
| A．we waste too much money on cameras |
| B．cameras have become an important part of our daily life |
| C．we don' t actually need so many choices when buying a product |
| D．famous companies care more about profit than quality |
A
Though the Web is becoming increasingly popular, the TV never fails to attract people．Do you know which television network is the largest in America? It is not ABC, CBS, or Fox．Nor is it one of the cable net-works such as CNN, which carries only news and news stories．It is not ESPN, the all-sports cable net-work, or even MTV, which is famous for its music videos．Rather it is PBS, Public Broadcasting System, a non-profit public broadcasting TV service．PBS has 349 member television stations in the U．S．and some member stations by cable in Canada．
PBS only attracts a minority of all TV viewers, about 2 percent．The industry leader, NBC, however, attracts 11 percent of viewers．But the growth of public television in the past two decades has been dramatic．This is especially noteworthy （值科关注） when one considers that public television stations must often survive on very limited budgets, on viewers' donations, and on private foundations and some governmental funding．
The level of quality of PBS programs, whether in national and international news, entertainment, or education, is excellent．Almost a whole generation of children throughout the world is familiar with Sesame Street and the characters of The Muppet Show．PBS is especially well known for the quality of its many educational TV programs．Over 95 percent of all public television stations have tale-courses．These courses are accepted and supported by more than 1,800 colleges and universities throughout the US．Each year, over a quarter of a million students take courses this way．According to this article, PBS received part of its funding from___．
| A．the audience |
| B．public schools |
| C．advertising agencies |
| D．other television stations |
What is PBS most famous for?
| A．Cable services． |
| B．Generous donations． |
| C．Tele-courses． |
| D．Live news broadcasts． |
Which of the following is TRUE about public television stations ?
| A．The majority of their viewers are minority people． |
| B．Ninety-five percent of their programs are tele-courses． |
| C．They are shrinking in number because they make no profits． |
| D．Their courses are accepted by many universities in America． |
Which of the following has the highest percentage of viewers?
| A．ABC | B．PBS |
| C．NBC | D．Fox |
Bright blue Citi Bikes are becoming a fine sight in the New Yorker street. New Yorkers are gradually getting used to more pedaling（骑车的) passengers on those blue Citi Bikes. But what about local bike shops ? Is City Bike booming at their expense? At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca, a manager who gave his name as "Ben W." said the shop has seen an increase in its overall sales due to the bike-share program. "It's getting more people on the road, more people learning about the sport and getting involved," he said. An employee at Danny's Cycles in Gramercy said Citi Bike is a good option for people in a city famed for its traffic jams and aggressive drivers. "They can try out a bike without buying one:' James Ryan said.
Rentals are not a big part of the business at either Gotham Bikes or Danny's Cycles. But for Frank's Bike Shop, a small business on Grand St., the bike-share program has been bad news. Owner Frank Arroyo said that his rental business has decreased by 90% since Citi Bike was launched last month. Arroyo's main rental customers are European tourists, who have since been drawn away by Citi Bikes.
However, Ben said the bike-share is good for bike sales at his shop. "People have used the bike-share and realized how great it is to bike in the city, then decide that they want something nicer for themselves," he noted.
Christian Farrell of Waterfront Bicycle Shop, on West St. said at first he was concerned about bike-share, though, he admitted, "I was happy to see people on bikes."
Farrell's early concerns were repeated by Andrew Crooks, owner of NYC Velo, at 64 Second Ave. "It seemed like a great idea, but one that would be difficult to put into use:' Crooks said of Citi Bike. He said he worried about inexperienced riders' lack of awareness of biking rules and strong negative reaction from non-cyclists. However, he said, it's still too early to tell if his business has been impacted (影响) .
While it's possible bike-share will cause a drop in business, Crooks agreed that the idea is a positive step forward for New York City.What is the author's chief concern about the increasing use of Citi Bikes in New York?
| A．Whether local bike shops will suffer. |
| B．How non-cyclists will respond to it. |
| C．Whether local bike businesses will oppose it. |
| D．How the safety of bike riders can be ensured. |
What happened to Gotham Bikes as a result of the bike-share program?
| A．It found its bike sales unaffected. |
| B．It changed its business to rentals. |
| C．It saw its bike sales on the rise. |
| D．It rented more bikes to tourists. |
Why is the bike-share program bad news for Frank's Bike Shop?
| A．Its customers have been drawn away by Citi Bikes. |
| B．It cannot meet the demand of the bike-share program. |
| C．Its bike prices have to be lowered again and again. |
| D．It has to compete with the city's bike rental shops. |
What is the general attitude of the local bike shops towards Citi Bike?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Negative. |
| C．Uninterested. | D．Approving. |
Teamwork is all about working together to achieve a common goal or purpose. Is teamwork out of date? Why is it so hard to effectively conduct teamwork in those things?
One way we employ teamwork in everyday lives is by becoming a parent. It is a parent's job to teach their children and the basic skills and give them the knowledge they need to be successful in life. For example, the mother teaches her children manners and good health skills, while the father teaches them how to catch a ball or drive a car. However, in today's society, we find that more and more parents are experiencing that the teamwork is a one-sided thing. According to a report, there are 13.7 million single parents raising their children in the US and this could be due to the fact that parents don't take responsibility for their children, so they leave one parent to do it alone. This is a sad fact, but it reflects that effective teamwork is losing ground in the parenting aspect of our everyday lives.
Another place where teamwork affects us greatly is in our jobs. It doesn't matter if you are a small or large company; if you have at least one employee and yourself, then teamwork will be present. I have noticed that with the current economic recession（衰退期）, people are racing to grab jobs but the quality of people's work has gone down greatly. It just appears to me that people do not take pride in their work any more. They want to get to work as fast as they can, just to receive the paycheck, but their quality standards fly right out the window. So I think teamwork is losing its ground in the workforce. There are too many people who want to work independently and forget they are a part of a team.
As you can see, we run into the aspects of teamwork in just about everything we do. Do you believe teamwork is really losing ground in today's society? I think it is.Why does teamwork disappear in the parenting aspect of our daily life?
| A．Parents have no time to spare with their children. |
| B．Parents have no chances to teach their children about it. |
| C．Many children are often brought up by a single parent. |
| D．Many children are independent to deal with their matters. |
Teamwork is losing ground in workforce mainly because -
| A．workers don't like to work together with others |
| B．workers' sense is affected by economic recession |
| C．workers want to prove they are more capable |
| D．fewer workers are employed to save money |
The author wants us to believe his opinion by_ _．
| A．listing some data |
| B．giving some examples |
| C．asking some questions |
| D．analyzing some cases |
The underlined phrase "fly right out the window" in Paragraph 3 means_______ .
| A．disappear | B．improve |
| C．increase | D．matter |