【2015·上海】A
Look to many of history’s cultural symbols, and there you’ll find an ancestor of Frosty, the snowman in the movie Frozen. It appeared on some of the first postcards, starred in some of the earliest silent movies, and was the subject of a couple of the earliest photos, dating all the way back to the 1800s. I discovered even more about one of humanity’s earliest forms of life art during several years of research around the world.
For example, snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages, built with great skill and thought. At a time of limited means of expression, snow was like free art supplies dropped from the sky. It was a popular activity for couples to leisurely walk through town to view the temporary works of chilly art. Some were created by famous artists, including a 19-year-old Michelangelo, who in 1494 was appointed by the ruler of Florence, Italy, to build a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard.
The Miracle of 1511 took place during six freezing works called the Winter of Death. The city of Brussels was covered in snowmen—an impressive scene that told stories on every street corner. Some were political in nature, criticizing the church and government. Some were a reflection of people’s imagination. For the people of Brussels, this was a defining moment of defining freedom. At least until spring arrived, by which time they were dealing with damaging floods.
If you fear the heyday of the snowman has passed, don’t worry: I’ve learned that some explosive snowman history is still being made today. Every year since 1818, the people of Zurich, Switzerland, celebrate the beginning of spring by blowing up a snowman. On the third Monday of April, the holiday Sechselauten is kicked off when a cotton snowman called the Boogg is stuffed with explosive and paraded through town by bakers and other tradesmen who throw bread to the crowds. The parade ends with the Boogg being placed on a 40-foot pile of firewood. After the bells of the Church of St. Peter have rung six times, representing the passing of winter, the pile is lit. When the snowman explodes, winter is considered officially over—the quicker it is burnt down, the longer summer is said to be.According to the passage, why did snowmen become a phenomenon in the Middle Ages?
| A．People thought of snow as holy art supplies. |
| B．People longed to see masterpieces of snow. |
| C．Building snowmen was a way for people to express themselves. |
| D．Building snowmen helped people develop their skill and thought. |
“The heyday of the snowman” （paragraph 4） means the time when___________.
| A．snowmen were made mainly by artists |
| B．snowmen enjoyed great popularity |
| C．snowmen were politically criticized |
| D．snowmen caused damaging floods |
In Zurich, the blowing up of the Boogg symbolizes__________________.
| A．the start of the parade |
| B．the coming of a longer summer |
| C．the passing of the winter |
| D．the success of tradesmen |
What can be concluded about snowmen from the passage?
| A．They were appreciated in history |
| B．They have lost their value |
| C．They were related to movies |
| D．They vary in shape and size |
Jack lay, quiet and unmoving for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed (刺) him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg. Jack was getting a tattoo (纹身). His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too. Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today.
The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does. Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group. Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group. Some of these groups wear only brand-name clothes. Others wear tattoos. When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing.
The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America. A wide variety of media images show tattoos－people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailedand colourful patterns. These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status. As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value.
Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality. A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life.
As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos. A tattoo can be part of a group's uniform, a sign of fashion or an expression of individuality. The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself. For Jack, it was a mixture of all three.
1. Jack has got tattoos in order to .
A. show his great bravery B. gain a special experience
C. make himself more healthy D. be different from others
2. According to the passage, media images are linked to .
A. traditional lifestyle B. social positionC. cultural background D. public interest
3. We can infer from the passage that .
A. some people get tattoos out of pressure B. tattoo is related to religious belief
C. getting tattoos costs a lot of moneyD. most people with tattoos are artists
4 Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point C: Conclusion
Here is how your health risks increase at different BMIs(体重指数) if your waist circumference（腰围）is higher than 40 inches（102 cm） in men and 35 inches （88 cm） in women:
☆If your BMI is in the 18.5 to 24.9 range, or “Normal”, then a larger waist that is near or greater than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women can indicate that you are at “increased” risk.
☆If your BMI is in the 25 to 29.9 range, or “Overweight”, then a larger waist (less than or equal to 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women) can indicate that you are at “increased” risk. Above these sizes, the risk is considered “high”.
☆If your BMI is in the 30 to 34.9 range, or “Obese I”, then a larger waist (less than or equal to 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women) can indicate that you are at “high” risk. Above these sizes, the risk is considered “very high.”
☆If your BMI is in the 35 to 39.9 range, or “Obese II”, then a larger waist (less than or equal to 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women) can indicate that you are at “very high” risk. Above these sizes, the risk is still considered “very high”.
☆If your BMI is or in the 40 + range, or “Obese III”, then a larger waist (less than or equal to 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women) can indicate that you are at “extremely high” risk. Above these sizes, the risk is still considered “extremely high”.
1. People’s BMIs fall into ______ ranges.
A. 3 B. 4 C. 5 D. 6
2. How can we judge a man’s health risk according to the passage?
A. By his BMI. B. By his waist circumference.
C. From neither his BMI nor his waist circumference.
D. From both his BMI and his waist circumference.
3. If a woman’s BMI is 35 and her waist is 34, we can consider her health risk is _____.
A. normal B. high C. very high D. extremely high
4. The best title for this passage might be _____.
A. What Having a Bigger Belly Means. B. High Risks.
C. Measuring Belly Fat. D. Are You at High Risk?
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，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项，并将答案标在答题卡上。
The U.N. Climate Change conference opened in Copenhagen, Denmark on Dec.7th with some 15,000 delegates and observers from nearly 200 countries attending what is called the last best chance for an agreement to combat(与......战斗) global warming.
Their aim is to find common ground, including on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, promotion and transfer of new more eco-friendly technology and the necessary funding to make this possible, especially for the less developed and poorer nations.It also means coming up with long term vision and cooperation for the future.
Most scientists believe the warming trend is mainly caused by human activity, especially the use of fossil fuels and the cutting down of forests. Skeptics say global warming is part of a natural cycle of climate change.
In Copenhagen, experts and officials alike are putting the emphasis on what people and governments can do to cut the emission of greenhouse gasses.
Scientists say a 25 to 40 percent cut in carbon-dioxide emissions is needed to control global warming. The European Union, China, and India have already pledged(保证) reductions. The United States is waiting for Congressional approval for a proposal put forward by the Obama administration.
Barack Obama, President of the United States said, “Each of us must do what we can when we can to grow our economies without endangering our planet -- and we must all do it together. We must seize the opportunity to make Copenhagen a significant step forward in the global fight against climate change.”
Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of South Africa said, “Worldwide, we have the chance to start turning the tide of climate change, but only if all governments commit themselves to a fair, binding(有约束力的) and sustainable climate agreement in Copenhagen.”
1. From the first paragraph we can infer that___________.
people think that this conference is of no use
this conference is the last one to be held about the climate change
before this conference some countries fight against each other.
people expect a final agreement will be achieved
2. Which is NOT included in the aim of this conference?
A. To reduce the emission of the greenhouse gases.
B. To develop the agriculture and industry of the developed countries.
C. To cooperate with each other for the future.
D. To transfer new more eco-friendly technology.
3. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The United States refuses to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
B. The European Union is waiting for a proposal put forward by Obama.
C. China and India have already agreed to cut carbon-dioxide emissions.
D. South Africa doesn’t think much of this conference.
4. What is Obama’s attitude according to his words?
A. Doubtful. B. Positive. C. Negative. D. Regretful.
While I was having dinner with a well-known author and lecturer, our conversation drifted to money．“I have enough money,” he told me casually．“I don’t need any more money．”
“Of course you can say that,” I thought to myself．“You get fifteen thousand dollars for a lecture．”
Then I caught my thought process, and pondered（仔细考虑）more deeply on his statement．Is he satisfied because he has a lot of money, or does he have a lot of money because he chooses to be satisfied?
I know people with more money than this man, and they still don’t have enough．And I know people with very little money, and they always have enough．So is enoughness something that happens to us when we reach a certain level, or is it an experience we can choose and celebrate at any time?
My friends Adrian and Carey live in a humble cottage in the rainforest．They have quite a modest income, no telephone, and they walk around naked most of the time．I think they are the happiest people I know．They wake up with the sun, love each other very much, and welcome guests with a full and open heart．They appreciate every moment of their lives, have no distraction games going, and are not waiting for the big break around the corner．When I am with them, the predominant（主要的）feeling I have is, “It’s all right here—why would anyone want anything more?”
Ram Dass used to say, “There are three kinds of people in the world: those who say, ‘Too much!’; those who say, ‘Not enough!’; and those who say, “Ah, just right!’”; Since “too much” of one thing implies “not enough” of another, there are really only two approaches to life: lack or contentment．
1．From the first paragraph, we can infer that the lecturer ___________．
A．was living a happy life B．was careless about his money
C．was satisfied with his life D．was rich enough to live a happy life
2．We learn from the underlined part that ____________．
A．it’s money that is of importance B．it’s not money but the attitude that matters
C．we don’t have to have much money D．we won’t have enough money in life
3．What does the author think of Adrian and Carey’s life?
A．They have no guests．
B．They have all they want．
C．They live a very hard life．
D．They live a very happy life．
4．Which of the following best suits the passage?
A．Nothing is better than a contented mind．
B．Where there is a will, there is a way．
C．Practice makes perfect．
D．Better late than never．
Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people – society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community．We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course．We were brainwashed．We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us．As Oscar Wilde puts it，“Most people are other people．Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions，their lives a mimicry（模仿），their passions a quotation．”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are，it makes us feel good．We long for this good feeling like a drug—we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can．Therefore，we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives，failing to do the things we really want to．Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting theirfix（一剂毒品），we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval．
But just as with any drug，there is a price to pay．The price of the approval drug is freedom--the freedom to be ourselves．The truth is that we cannot control what other people think．People have their own agenda，and they come with their own baggage and，in the end，they’re more interested in themselves than in you．Furthermore，if we try to live by the opinions of others，we will build our life on sinking sand．Everyone has a different way of thinking，and people change their opinions all the time．The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process．
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way--make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think．We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values—not values imposed from the outside by others，but innate values which come from within．If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others，we will live a more authentic，effective，purposeful and happy life．
1．What Oscar Wilde says implies that ___________．
A．we have thoughts similar to those of others
B．most people have a variety of thoughts
C．other people’s thoughts are more important
D．most people’s thoughts are controlled by others
2．What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph?
A．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom．
B．We may lose ourselves to please others．
C．We need to pay for what we want to get．
D．The price of taking the drug is freedom．
3．It can be concluded from the passage that _________________．
A． it’s better to do what we like B．we shouldn’t care what others think
C．we shouldn’t change our own opinions D．it's importan
t to accept others’ opinions
4．The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his arguments mainly by ___________．
A．analyzing causes and effects B．providing examples and facts
C．discussing questions D．making suggestions