Yes, it’s still 2015, but as USA Today says, “it’s never too early to plan your 2016 travels”. With so many hot destinations (目的地) around the globe, “where should I go?” can be difficult to answer. According to Lonely Planet, though, Brazil is a fine choice – on April 29, the travel guide named that country the top one to visit in 2016.
“As if endless strands of coast and mountains splashed with rainforest didn’t already add up to an unfair share of heaven (天堂), Brazil held one of the greatest sporting events in the world, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2016 Summer Olympics, another greatest one, will be followed ,” explained Lonely Planet.
Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America. It boasts (自豪拥有) the Amazon, the world’s largest jungle (丛林), which is home to a variety of plants and animals. But the great landscape (景色) is not the only thing Brazilians take pride in.
The colors green and yellow might make most people think of Brazil’s soccer team even more than its national flag. Soccer is more than a sport in Brazil; it’s a way of life. In fact, the World Cup brings Brazilians together. It is interesting to note that the general elections (大选) in Brazil are usually held during the same year as the World Cup. Political parties try to take advantage of the patriotic enthusiasm (爱国热情) created by soccer to inspire political energy.
Alongside soccer, samba is another emblem (象征) of Brazil. The country’s most traditional dance is highlighted every February at the Rio Carnival, which is one of the world’s biggest.
“Brazil has left its second-class nation status (地位),” said former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2009 after Rio de Janeiro was awarded the 2016 Olympics.
Brazil’s growing economy, fueled (刺激) by oil and aircraft factories, has made it more than just a nation of samba, soccer and beaches. These days, it might just be the best tourist destination in the world.Which of the following aspects are mentioned about Brazil in the article?
a. militaryb. Economy c. language and culture d. geography and population
| A．bc | B．bcd | C．acd | D．bd |
We can tell Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is ______ his country from his words.
| A．honest about | B．ashamed of |
| C．modest about | D．proud of |
Which is TRUE about Brazil?
| A．It is the largest country with the longest history in South America. |
| B．It will hold the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics in 2014. |
| C．Soccer and samba are two symbols of the country. |
| D．Its Amazon is the worlds largest jungle with the most beautiful landscape. |
The authors purpose in writing the article is to ______.
| A．explain why Brazil will be holding the two sporting events |
| B．give an introduction of Brazil as a tourist destination |
| C．give an objective review of Brazil as a nation |
| D．prove that Lonely Planets recommendation is right |
第三部分阅读理解（共10题，满分20分）
A
It was a winter morning， just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars， Trevor， my husband， had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival， he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor， he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike， a black Kona 18 speed， was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work， putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries （食品杂货）， saving us from having to walk along long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that， several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike， then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another， but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity （人性） as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we， too， can share with others. No matter how big or how small， an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
50. Why was the bike so important to the couple？
A. They used it for work and daily life. B. It was their only possession （财产）。
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed. D. The man’s job was bike racing.
51. We can infer from the passage that __________.
A. the couple worked 60 hours a week. B. people were busy before Christmas
C. the stranger brought over the bike D. life was hard for the young family
52. How did people get to know the couple’s problem？
A. From a stranger. B. From a newspaper.
C. From TV newsD. From radio broadcasts.
53. What do the couple learn from their experience？
A. Strangers are usually of little help. B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous. D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.
54. From this story， we can see humanity is __________.
A.selfish. B. commercial C. kind D. cold-hearted
D
Each nation has many good people who help to take care of others. For example, some high school and college students in the United States often spend many hours as volunteers in hospitals, orphanages or homes for the aged. They read books to the people in these places, or they just visit them or listen to their problems. Other young volunteers go and work in the homes of people who are sick or disabled. They paint, clean up, or repair houses, do their shopping and mow their lawns(修整草坪).
For boys who no longer have fathers, there is an organization called Big Brothers. College students and other men take these boys to basketball games or on fishing trips and help them to get to know things that boys usually learn from their fathers.
Such city has a number of clubs where boys and girls can go to play games or learn crafts. Some of these clubs show movies or organize short trips to the mountains, the beaches, museums or other places. Most of these clubs use a lot of high school and college students as volunteers. They are young enough to remember the problems of younger boys and girls.
Volunteers believe that some of the happiest people in the world are those who help to bring happiness to others.
67. What can you find volunteers doing in the United States according to the passage?
A. Helping passengers get on a bus. B. Guiding visitors in the park.
C. Helping old people in their daily life. D. Cleaning streets on weekends.
68. How do volunteers usually help patients or the disabled?
A. They do their shopping and other housework.
B. They cook, sew or wash their clothes.
C. They tell stories and sing and dance for them.
D. They clean, wash and repair their cars.
69. Why do most of the clubs use many high school or college students as volunteers? Because they ________.
A. have more free time than others
B. can understand them more easily
C. know how to work with younger people
D. are young and energetic to manage it
70. What might be the best title of this passage?
A. Please be happy with others.
B. How to be a happiest man in the world.
C. To help others to help yourself.
D. Give others a hand, and you’ll be happy.
C
At one time it was the dream of many little girls to become a nurse. Today, however, America is facing its worst nurse shortage since World War I. Recently about 2,000,000 nurses are needed and 60 percent of all hospitals in the US have shortages large enough to threaten(="say" that you will hurt somebody if they don’t do what you want) the quality of care provided. The demand for nurses spreads widely throughout the nursing field.
What has become of these women in white? The answer lies in not one but several causes. One possibility is the fact that women have greater career options(职业选择). In the past, women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices: nursing or teaching. Today, more women than ever are in the work force, but their choices have greatly increased. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. In fact, women today are found in nearly every field of work. Nursing has been left behind, as women move on to jobs with higher pay and greater status(地位). A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as “just a nurse”. Teachers may be also at fault. Many high school students are actually being steered(劝导) away from nursing, told by teachers that they are “too bright to be a nurse”.
Americans are living longer than ever and requiring more medical attention. In fact, the number of elderly patients has almost doubled in the past twenty years. Obviously a larger population requires more nurses. AIDS and other diseases have caused more and more people to need nursing care. Usually fatal diseases mean long hospital stay, that is to say, more nurses are needed to care for these patients. It is estimated that the demand for nurses will be doubled the supply in the coming ten years.
63. Why is America facing its worst nurse shortage?
A. Because American health conditions are becoming worse and worse.
B. Because more and more women prefer to be teachers and doctors.
C. Because women have been provided with many different jobs.
D. Because women no longer choose to be nurses.
64. The passage tells us that high school teachers are at fault for ___________.
A. not mentioning the worst nurse shortage in the US
B. introducing jobs with higher pay and greater status to their students
C. not asking the government to raise the nurses’ payment
D. persuading the students not to be nurses
65. The author wrote this passage in order to __________.
A. describe the unequal treatment of women in the US
B. warn people to pay more attention to the nursing problem
C. tell us women’s free choice of jobs today
D. call on women not to be nurses
66. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. High school students think themselves too bright to be nurses.
B. Women in the US have greater career choice than those in other countries.
C. Of all the hospitals in the world 60 percent more nurses are badly needed.
D. Nursing used to be a popular job among women.
B
You’re shopping for a high-priced product, but have limited money. How to make the best use of your money? Here are some steps you can take to become a smart shopper.
Step 1. Before buying a high-cost product, think about:
·why you are buying the product
·how often and when you will use the product
·what the main use of the product is
·why you need this product now, not later
Step 2. To choose the best product, you need to research and find out:
·what companies make the product
·the differences in each company’s product
·what others say about the product
It can be very helpful to know what other people say about a product you want to buy. Product reviews often describe problems. Reviews also tell how people use the product. List product information so that you can refer to it before you decide to buy
Step 3. To find the best price for the product you want to buy, you need to compare:
·prices of the product
·brand(商标) names and store names
·places to buy your product (in stores, online, etc.)
·product labels(标签) and information
Step 4. As you get ready to buy, search your local newspaper and the Internet for special offers. Many sales are offered around holidays or at the end of a season. Wait to see if there will be a holiday or end-of-season sale before you buy. Check to see if you can get a lower price for the product you want to buy.
These steps will help you become a smart shopper. If you follow them, you should get the best deal. Remember, the more you know, the less someone can take advantage of you.
60. This is a piece of advice for those who want to buy________.
A. advertised goods B. goods on sale
B. online products D. expensive products
61. Why should you go through related product reviews before shopping?
A. To decide where to buy the product.
B. To find out why you need the product.
C. To find shops offering best price for the product.
D. To have a full knowledge of the product
62. Which of the following is the CORREST order of smart shopping?
a. Watching for sales.
b. Finding out your purpose of shopping.
c. Researching your product.
d. Making comparisons before shopping.
A. b c d a B. b d c a C. c d a b D. c a d b
第三部分阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. “Yes, honey. Of course,” she said.
“Can we write him a letter?”
She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, “Yes.”
My heart jumped. “How? Does the mailman go there?” I asked.
“No, but I have an idea.” Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.
“Just wait, honey. You’ll see” Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, what Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive, I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.
She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped(缠绕) the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.
“Okay, on the count of three, darted(猛冲) upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the clouds.
Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he’d persevere, dart up, and finally transcend(超越) this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white sky and I prayed that his strength was hereditary(遗传的). I prayed to be a balloon.
56. When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother ________.
A. felt it hard to answer B. thought her a creative girl
C. believed it easy to do so D. found it easy to lie
57. When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________.
A. jumped with joy B. became excited
C. started writing immediately D. was worried that it couldn’t be delivered
58. In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?
A. A terrible disease. B. An unforgettable memory.
C. The hard time her father had D. Her father’s smile.
59. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The strong red balloon B. An unforgettable experience.
C. Fly to heaven D. A great father.