C
My mom has eyes in the back of her head. She also taught me from an early age to be suspicious of strange men, especially when they give you presents. One day, a “nice man” bearing flowers managed to steal 20 euros from her purse, while she was holding it in her hands. “He said he was collecting for a church charity so I pulled out a euro,” she explains, “He said ‘no, no, that’s too much’ and offered to look in my purse to find a smaller coin. He must have slid out that 20 euro note at the same time. I did not even notice until an hour later. I felt so stupid.”
According to neuroscientists, the key requirement for a successful pickpocket is not having nifty (熟练的) fingers, it’s having a working knowledge of the loopholes (漏洞) in our brain. The most important of these loopholes is the fact that our brains are not set up to multi-task. Most of the time that is a good thing — it allows us to filter (过滤) out all but the most important features of the world around us. But a good trickster can use it to against you. This kind of trick involves capturing all of somebody’s attention with other movements. Street pickpockets often use this effect to their advantage by manufacturing a situation that can not help but overload your attention system. Other strategies are more psychological. Pickpockets tend to hang out a “beware of pickpockets” sign, because the first thing people do when they read it is check they still have their valuables, helpfully giving away where they are. And in my mom’s case, the thief’s best trick was not coming across like a pickpocket. “He was a very nice guy and very confident. Not someone that would cause you to suspect,” she says. Apollo Robbins, a stage pickpocket, said smart move, like moving your hand in an arc motion rather than a straight line, is another popular strategy employed by tricksters.
At last, it should be pointed out that most thefts are opportunistic. The skill level of most thieves is far less than you think. But they are opportunistic enough to keep up with new technology.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．People’s brains are not designed to multi-task. |
| B．People’s brains can filter out all but the most important features. |
| C．Somebody’s attention can be distracted by a certain trick. |
| D．Somebody’s overload attention system. |
How did the pickpockets manage to cheat the mother ?
| A．He had such smart motion that she didn’t notice that. |
| B．He looked so reliable that she didn’t suspect him. |
| C．He made her focus her attention on what he said instead of being cheated . |
| D．All the above. |
In the author’s opinion, _________.
| A．people’s brains have many loopholes |
| B．thieves are more skillful than opportunistic |
| C．signs reminding people of pickpockets can play a negative role in protecting valuables |
| D．his mom’s losing money is nothing but a by-accident experience |
What will the author probably talk about next?
| A．Mom’s another suffering |
| B．Pickpockets concerning new technology |
| C．Pickpockets’ tricks |
| D．Apollo Robbins’ stage pickpockets |
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I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble. I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn’t understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk.
Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed(解散). As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things.
Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated in the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl’s test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn’t talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued to believe that I had cheated in the test.
44. The girl wanted to borrow a pen, because ____ .
A. she had not brought a pen with her B. she had lost her own on her way to school
C. there was something wrong with her pen D. her own had been taken away by someone
45. The teacher saw all this, so she asked the boy ____ .
A. to go on writing his paper B. to stop whispering
C. to leave the room immediately D. to stay behind after the exam
46. The thing(s) emphasized in her talk was(were) ____ .
A. honesty B. sense of duty C. seriousness D. all of the above
47. The boy knew everything ____ .
A. the moment he was asked to stay behind B.when the teacher started talking about honesty
C. only some time later D. when he was walking out of the room
.
It’s only 4 hours flying time from Sydney, but a world away. What better place to rest than a country where the only place people hurry is on the football field and things are done in “Fiji time”?
Viti Levu---Great Fiji---is the largest island. Here you’ll find the capital Suva and the international airport at Nadi. Vatoa, on the other hand, is a tiny island in the farthest part of Fiji. Then there are 331 other islands, many of them with places to stay.
With less than a million people living on islands, you’ll never feel crowded. And with a climate that changes only for five degrees between seasons, there’s never a bad time to come.
From cities to villages, from mountains to beaches, from water sports to wooden artworks, Fiji can give you more adventures and special experiences than you could find almost anywhere in the world.
Whenever you come, wherever you go, you’re sure to see some unforgettable events. From war dances to religious songs. From market days to religious days. It’s not just staged for tourists; it’s still a part of everyday life in Fiji. And any one of us can enjoy Fiji’s spirit by being part of the traditional sharing of yaqona, a drink made from the root of a Fiji plant.
So why not join us for the experience of a lifetime?
72. Where is the international airport of Fiji?
A. In Suva. B. In Sydney.
C. On the island of Vatoa.D. On the island of Viti Levu.
73. What does the text tell us about Fijian people?
A. They invented “Fiji time” for visitors.
B. They stick to a traditional way of life.
C. They like to travel from place to place.
D. They love taking adventures abroad.
74. One of the things that make Fiji a tourist attraction is __ .
A. its comfortable hotels
B. its good weather all year round
C. its exciting football matches
D. its religious beliefs
75. Where can we most probably read this text?
A. In a personal diary.
B. In a science report.
C. In a travel magazine.
D. In a geography textbook.
.
Thirteen-year-old Shanna Wilkinson saved the life of Holly, a sheepdog, who was very young. Holly was a tiny and very weak dog. According to the vet, there was little chance that Holly could survive. But with Shanna’s love and care, Holly grew into a strong, healthy adult dog with a special skill that would save Shanna’s life more than once.
At seventeen, Shanna got a kind of illness. She began having seizures(疾病发作) repeatedly, often as many as nine times a day. Because she couldn’t predict when the seizures would occur, every moment was dangerous for her. Every day she was in danger--- it was risky for her to simply cross the street, much less drive a car.
Just when it seemed as if Shanna would have to live indoors forever, her mother noticed something strange happened. Several times a day, the dog would begin whimpering(呜咽) and pulling Shanna’s leg. At first, no one was sure what was wrong with her. But they soon realized that Holly’s strange behavior always occurred before one of Shanna’s seizures began. Amazingly, Holly is able to predict exactly when the seizures will occur, even though Shanna herself never sees them coming.
Luckily, no matter how mysterious the dog’s talent is, Holly’s help has made life a billion times better for her owner.
“I feel comfortable and safe going out in public, and I can know when my seizures will come because of Holly, ” Shanna says. “Holly has really given me back my independence and I can live a normal life.”
68. What do we learn about the dog Holly?
A. She can get recovered herself.
B. She is larger than most dogs.
C. She would have died without Shanna’s care.
D. She was fed well when Shanna saved her.
69. It was impossible for Shanna to driver a car because ___ .
A. she was too young to drive
B. she had no sense of direction
C. her seizures would come suddenly
D. she didn’t know the traffic rules
70. According to the passage, how does Holly help Shanna?
A. She can make Shanna know when the seizures come.
B. She can help Shanna by sending for a doctor.
C. She can stop Shanna from going out in public.
D. She can help Shanna when she gets injured.
71. The underlined word “them” in the third paragraph probably refers to ___ .
A. Shanna’s family B. Holly’s behaviors
C. Shanna’s actions D. Shanna’s seizures
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The computer is fast, and never makes a mistake, while people are too slow, and full of mistakes sometimes. That’s what people often say when they talk about computers. For over a quarter of a century, scientists have been making better and better computers. Now a computer can do a lot of everyday jobs wonderfully. It is widely used in factories, hospitals, post offices and airports. A computer can report, decide and control in almost every field. Many computer scientists are now thinking of making the computer “think” like a man. With the help of a person, a computer can draw pictures, write music, talk with people, play chess, recognize voices, translate languages and so on. Perhaps computers will one day really think and feel. Do you think the people will be afraid when they find that the computer is too clever to listen to and serve the people?
64. The best title for this passage is ___ .
A. Computer B. Computer scientists
C. The Future World D. Talk with Computers
65. Which of the following can computers not do now?
A. Draw pictures. B. Talk.
C. Invent new things. D. Serve the people.
66. What will happen in the future?
A. Most jobs will be done by the computer.
B. People will no longer use computers.
C. Computers will be used only to talk with people.
D. All computers will be put into prison.
67. The passage is written to ___ .
A. warn people of the danger of the computer
B. tell people about the computer
C. tell people about computer scientists
D. show how to use the computer
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It was Christmas, and there was a big party in the house. Guests came and went, but the party went on. Then the bell rang. Several people shouted, “come in!” A small man opened the front door and came in. Nobody knew him but the host went to meet him and took him to have a drink. The man sat there happily for an hour and drank. Then suddenly he stopped and looked at the host. “Do you know me?” he said. “Nobody asked me to this party. I don’t know you. I don’t know your wife and I don’t know any of your guests. My wife and I wanted to go out in our car, but one of your guests’ car was in front of our gate, So I came here to find him and my wife is waiting in our car for me to come back.”
60. When the bell rang, the guests ___ .
A. were shouting B. were singing and dancing
C. were enjoying themselves D. were waiting for the small man
61. The host __ after the small man came in.
A. was glad to see himB. asked him to have a drink
C. didn’t find him D. knew who he was
62. The small man went to the house ___ .
A. to find a man B. to have a drink
C. to have a party D. to see what was happening
63. Perhaps the small man’s wife got ___ because ___ .
A. hungry; he drank too much
B. surprised; he couldn’t find the man
C. lonely; he didn’t take her to the party
D. angry; he kept her waiting for a long time