Nowadays, Chinese love to consume TV shows, particularly American TV shows. Some shows have become especially popular for certain reasons. When you meet Chinese people, try to mention these shows to strike up a conversation with them, as it is likely that they are fans of these shows.
1. The Big Bang Theory
Talk to any young Chinese person, and chances are that they are crazy about the lives of Sheldon, Raj, Howard, and Leonard. Many viewers describe themselves as in love with Sheldon, and they appreciate the science jokes and content on the show. People admire the young geniuses on the show and the large amount of funny jokes, but also recognizes the show’s message that being smart isn’t everything in life. The university lifestyle depicted on the show and the friendships and witty arguments between the main characters are especially attractive to Chinese audiences.
2. House of Cards
China is ridding itself of corruption(腐败) today. It’s no surprise, then, that a thrilling and brilliant drama about political corruption currently catches on in China. China is the top country where the show is being wildly pirated(盗版) on Chinese websites. The Chinese government has also featured prominently on the show. Even high-ranking Chinese political officials have been known to watch religiously this show and keep up with the exploits of Frank Underwood. Some Chinese politicians consider Underwood as a role model, fans create special videos to honor the show, and many viewers like to learn about American politics and society from the show, even though what they learn from the show may not be totally accurate. It’s interesting to wonder what a Chinese version of this show would be like.
3. Gossip Girl
China has become much wealthier in the last several decades, and people across the world always like to observe rich people’s lives and imagine themselves being rich as well. Like the Chinese movie series Tiny Times, Gossip Girl rose to fame in China because Chinese viewers enjoyed watching the lives of rich Westerners and living wealthily through the characters. Many Chinese fans also admired the romance between Chuck and Blair, and strongly supported them getting married. The show is full of passionate love affairs, pleasant young people, and brilliant drama that fascinated Chinese audiences.
4. Two Broke Girls
Many young Chinese viewers like following the struggles of Max and Caroline as they attempt to earn money and build their own cupcake business. This show has become extremely popular in China and is frequently downloaded online. One reason why this sitcom has been successful in China is that for many Chinese who are young like Max and Caroline, they must deal with the same problems in life. Finding work and earning enough money to join the middle class is difficult for many Chinese people today. The Chinese TV show WoJu (蜗居) shows a family working to save money for an apartment and dealing with many situations caused by poverty, wealth, and greed. Young Chinese work extremely hard to earn enough money to buy cars, homes, and find someone to marry, and they can easily sympathize with characters living in poverty and working towards similar goals.Para 1 suggests that ________.
| A．China has been open to America |
| B．American movie industry develops well |
| C．American shows are very popular in China |
| D．Chinese enjoy talking about American shows |
Viewers struggling for life probably sympathize with characters by watching ________.
| A．The Big Bang Theory | B．House of Cards |
| C．Gossip Girl | D．Two Broke Girls |
Which of the following is NOT right?
| A．The Big Bang Theory tries to convey that being smart means everything. |
| B．House of Cards is pirated more in China than other countries. |
| C．Gossip Girl and Tiny Times have a similar theme. |
| D．Two Broke Girls tells about a story of struggling for a better life. |
The underlined word “depicted” means ________.
| A．learned | B．described |
| C．made | D．accepted |
第二部分阅读理解（共两节；满分50分）
第一节阅读短文（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
New York, 10 November 5：27pm, yesterday. Biggest power failure in the city's history.
*Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. "There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn't let him. Firemen finally got us out."
* "It was the best night we've ever had.," said Angela Carraro. who runs an ltalian restaurant on 42nd Street. "We had lots candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full and all night, in fact, for after we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here."
* The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problems keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool. "All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted," said the manger of a store in downtown Manhattan. "They were worth $50,0000."
* The big electric clock in the lobby（大厅） of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started（滴答） again at 5：25 this morning. It was almost on time.
41．Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were _________.
A．nervous B．excited C．calm D．frightened
42．In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro ?
A．She had a taste of adventure.
B．Burning candles brightened the place.
C．Business was better than usual.
D．Many people stayed the night in her restaurant.
43．How long did the power failure last?
A．Nearly 12 hours. B．More than 12 hours.
C．Nearly 24 hours. D．More than 24 hours.
| Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
|
| 7:15 a.m. |
Body Power |
Aerobics |
Body Stretch |
Aerobics |
Body Burn |
Body Stretch |
|
| 10:30 a.m. |
Beginner Aerobics |
Beginner Aerobics |
Aerobics |
Body Stretch |
|||
| 12:30 p.m. |
Body Stretch |
Body Burn |
Aerobics |
Beginner Aerobics |
Body Burn |
||
| 3:00 p.m. |
Beginner Aerobics |
Body Stretch |
Body Burn |
Beginner Aerobics |
|||
| 4:45 p.m. |
Body Burn |
Aerobics |
Aerobics |
Body Power |
Body Power |
Body Stretch |
|
| 5:30 p.m. |
Aerobics |
Body Power |
Body Power |
Body Burn |
Body Stretch |
Body Power |
|
| 6:30 p.m. |
Aerobics |
Body Burn |
Body Burn |
Beginner Aerobics |
Body Power |
||
| 7:30 p.m. |
Beginner Aerobics |
Body Stretch |
Beginner Aerobics |
Aerobics |
Body Power: This class uses weights and aerobic movements (a form of very active physical exercise) to increase strength while burning fat. It is suitable for all levels for fitness.
Aerobics: This is a low to middle level of difficulty in aerobic class. It is good for beginner to average levels of fitness.
Beginner Aerobics: This class has a low level of difficulty and simple aerobic movements. It is mainly for people who have not exercised before or who are just returning after a long break of injury.
Body Stretch(hold your arms or legs out straight and tighten your muscles): This is a relaxation class which stretches all the muscle groups. It is suitable for all levels of fitness. People who exercise regularly or have a stressful (压力)lifestyle would also greatly improve their health in this class.
Body Burn: This is a high level of difficulty in aerobic class that mainly aims at fat burning. It is only for those people with a very high level of fitness.On Wednesday the fitness class at 6: 30 p. m. is ___
| A．Aerobics | B．Body Power | C．Body Burn | D．Beginner Aerobics |
The two classes that are suitable for all levels of fitness are___.
| A．Aerobics and Body Power | B．Body Power and Body Stretch |
| C．Body Burn and Aerobics | D．Body Stretch and Beginner Aerobics |
Lena wants to go to the City Gym on Saturday. She has not exercised for a long time. The best time for her to go would be ___.
| A．3:00p.m. | B．5:30p.m. | C．7:15a. m. | D．7:30p.m. |
The main goal of the Body Burn is to___.
| A．reduce stress | B．reduce fat | C．increase strength | D．increase muscle size |
A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane. People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days. They may also have problems thinking clearly and remembering.
Recently a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain reported the findings of his jet lag study, which involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines. They had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas.
The researcher took some saliva from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone(荷尔蒙) that increases during stress (紧张). He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen. And he took pictures of their brains to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes (脑叶).
It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones.
The researcher believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory.
Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently (永久性的) affect memory.According to the text, jet lag _________.
| A．can cause difficulties in speaking |
| B．can make people feel tired for a few weeks |
| C．can be only found in flight attendants |
| D．can be caused by flying over several time zones |
It can be inferred from the text that _________.
| A．the conclusion is refused by many scientists |
| B．scientists fear that this research is not done properly |
| C．every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests |
| D．the women who were examined in the research were not healthy |
From the result of the research we can see that _________.
| A．the women who have longer rest at home show better memory |
| B．the women who fly in short time have smaller right temporal lobes |
| C．the women who have longer flights fail the memory test |
| D．the women who rest more than 14 days produce less hormones |
What is the subject discussed in the text?
| A．The cause of jet lag. | B．A story of a group of flight attendants. |
| C．The importance of having enough rest after flights. | |
| D．A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain. |
We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen? "When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy (嫉妒) my luck?" "And Paul-why didn't he pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?" When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it's too late.
Why do we go wrong about our friends - or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don't really listen we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You're a lucky dog." that's being friendly. But "lucky dog"? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. But bringing in the "dog" bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn't think you deserve your luck.
"Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up (包藏) in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn't important. It's telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven't got a date for Saturday night.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture (姿态)? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people to you may save another mistake.This passage is mainly about ____.
| A．how to interpret what people say |
| B．what to do when you listen to others talking |
| C．how to avoid mistakes when you communicate with people |
| D．why we go wrong with people sometimes |
According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that ____
| A．we fail to listen carefully when they talk | B．we tend to doubt what our friends say |
| C．people usually state one thing but means another | |
| D．people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say |
In the sentence "Maybe he doesn't see it himself." In the second paragraph, the pronoun “it” refers to _____
| A．being friendly | B．a bit of envy | C．lucky dog | D．your luck |
When we listen to a person talking, the most important thing for us to do is____.
| A．notice the way the person is talking | B．take a good look at the person talking |
| C．mind his lone, his posture and the look in his eyes | |
| D．examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner, his tone and his posture |
Excused from recycling(回收利用) because you live in a high rise with a rubbish chute (垃圾道)? You won't be for long. Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for those living in tall buildings to use the chute and recycle too .
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leads to a pie-shaped container with six boxes that can turn around when operated. The system , which fits in the same space as the chute and container now in use, enables glass , plastic , paper , metal , and other rubbish to go into separate boxes .
The system is controlled from a board next to the chute door. The board has a button for each class of recycling materials (as well as for unrecyclables). At the press of a button, a microcomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables
Sorting(分类) recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materials recovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting . Such equipment often makes recycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted . Shantzis believes his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective.The purpose in writing this text is _________.
| A．to encourage people to recycle their rubbish |
| B．to introduce a recycling system for high rises |
| C．to describe the use of computer technology in recycling |
| D．to explain the need for rubbish collection in high rises |
When he says "You won't be for long" the writer means that _______.
| A．you'll soon be living in a cleaner building |
| B．rubbish chutes will become out of date before long |
| C．you won't wait long for your turn to recycle rubbish |
| D．it won't be long before you'll have to recycle your rubbish |
Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to ___________
| A．lock the other floors' chute doors | B．check if the container is full |
| C．press the correct button | D．break up the rubbish |
The biggest advantage of this new system is that _________
| A．it reduces the cost of recycling | B．it saves time and space |
| C．it saves money for people living in high rises | |
| D．it makes better use of the existing recovery equipment |