I fell in love with England because it was quaint(古雅)—all those little houses, looking terribly oldfashioned but nice, like doll's houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I've slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it's an ugly town now.
Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play
, and good manners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners—people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.
I regret that there are few comfortable meeting places. You're forced to live indoors. In Pairs I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.
As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a lot on taxis because I will not take public transport after 10 p．m. I used to use it, but now I'm afraid.
The idea of family seems to be more or less nonexistent in England. My family is well united and that's typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.The writer doesn't like London because she________.
| A．is not used to the life there now |
| B．has lived there for seventeen years |
C．prefers to live in an o ldfashioned house |
| D．has to be polite to everyone she meets there |
Where do people usually meet their friends in England?
| A．In a cafe. | B．In a restaurant. |
| C．In a nightclub. | D．In a pub. |
The underlined part “it” (in Para. 4)refers to________.
| A．a taxi | B．In a r estaurant |
| C．a bomb | D．public transport |
The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he________.
| A．felt lonely in England |
| B．had never been to France |
| C．was from a typical French family |
| D．didn't like the British idea of family |
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Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled---to $1.01 per pack---smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S.C., where the 7-bent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation. The price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys----13.8%,far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.
Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That’s true, But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
41. The text is mainly about___________.
A. the price of cigarettes B. the rate of teen smoking
C. the effect of tobacco tax increase D. the differences in tobacco tax rate
42. What does the author think is a surprise?
A. Teen smokers are price sensitive.B. Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.
C. Tobacco taxes improve public health. D. Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.
43. The underlined word "deter" in Paragraph 3 most probably means___________.
A. discourage B. remove C. benefit D. free
44. Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of________.
A. tolerance B. unconcern C. doubt D. sympathy
45. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.
B. Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill.
C. Future generations will be hooked on smoking.
D. Adults will depend more on their families.
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第二部分阅读理解(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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Where is that noise coming from? Not sure? Try living with your eyes closed for a few years. Blind people are better at locating sounds than people who can see, a new study says, without the benefits of vision the ears seem to work much better.
Previous studies have shown that blind people are better than others at reaching out and touching the sources of sounds that are close by. Researchers from the University of Montreal wanted to see if blind people were also better at locating sounds that are far away. Twenty-three blind people participated in the study. All had been sightless for at least 20 years. Fourteen of them had lost their vision before age 11. The rest went blind after age 16. The experiment also included 10 people who could see but were wearing blind-folds.
In one task, volunteers had to pick the direction of a sound coming from about 3 metres away. When the sound was in front of them or slightly off center in front, both groups performed equally well.
When sounds came from the side or the back, however, the blind group performed much better than the blindfolded group. The participants who had been blind since childhood did slightly better than those who lost their sight later.
Recognizing the locations of distant sounds can be a matter of life-or-death for blind people,say the researchers. Crossing the street, for instance, is much harder when you can’t see the cars coming.
Still, the researchers were surprised by how well the blind participants did, especially those who went blind after age 16. In another experiment, the scientists also found that parts of the brain that normally deal with visual information became active in locating sound in the people who were blind by age 11. These brain parts didn’t show sound-location activity in the other group of blind people or in the sighted people. The scientists now want to learn more about the working of brains of “late-onset” blind people.
36. The recent study shows blind people are better at telling ________________.
A. The sources of loud sounds. B. the locations of distant sounds
C. the direction of sharp sounds D. the distance of a sound in front of them
37. Which would be a proper title for the passage?
A. A Research on Blind People B. Where is That Noise Coming from?
C. Hearing Better in the DarkD. What If Living Without Your Eyes?
38. If people were asked to tell the direction of a sound from the side, who would perform best?
A. Those who are blind.B. Those who have gone blind since children.
C. Those who went blind at age 16. D. Those who are blindfolded.
39. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Whether to be able to locate the sounds can be of vital importance for the blind.
B. All the volunteers in the experiment are sightless.
C. All the participants did equally well when picking sounds from whatever direction.
D. The later people become blind, the better they can perform in telling the direction of sounds.
40. What do we know about that parts of brain dealing with visual information are active in locating sounds?
A. This happens in almost all the testers.
B. This only occurs in the people who were blind after age 16.
C. It remains nothing new to the scientists any more.
D. It remains a mystery why it is so.
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Star Wars Millennium Falcon
This is a gift that, if we’re being honest, many dads wants to own for themselves. This huge ship is the greatest Star Wars toy. It lights up and makes some noises. Every boy from 3 to 53 will absolutely like it, if they can find room for it. I dare say even a few grandfathers might go for it.
Biscuit----the Loving Pup
You may clearly know that a pet can be a great thing to a child’s development but you probably don’t think that you can take care of a dog properly. The robot dog Biscuit is less likely to exacerbate the disorder of your house and except for a few dead batteries, won’t leave any surprises on the floor. It will be a good playmate for your kids.
JVC KD—10 Headphones
It’s increasing common for kids to enjoy themselves on long journeys with a potable(便携式) DVD player or an iPod MPs, but the headphones that come with expensive electronics are seldom suitable for young ears. Kids should use JVC headphones that have a sound limiter that can be set by the concerned parent.
Sparrow-kids Routemaster Kit
Sparrow-kids Kit makes a huge range of craft(工艺) tools. There are lots of pretty but achievable projects for young girls to take up their (safe plastic) needles and sew.
Holz Wooden Airport
It might be said that Britain doesn’t need another airport but when it’s a traditional wooden toy like this all of you would agree that it’s a good thing. Treated with a little care, this play-set could easily entertain your young air traffic controllers.
68. The underlined word “ exacerbate” in the second paragraph can be replaced by _____.
A. worsen B. improve C. protect D. cure
69. Which was the gifts is designed mainly for girls?
A.Holz Wooden AirportB. Sparrow-kids Routmaster Kit
C. Star Wars Millennium, Falcon D. Biscuit---the Loving Pup
70. The five things listed in the passage are ______.
A. presents for the whole family B. gifts mainly for children
C. craft tools for children D. the latest high-tech products
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Recently, the most popular topic among people in Zhongguancun has been: How far is Zhongguancun away from Silicon Valley (硅谷)? Can Zhongguancun be the next Silicon Valley?
People think that the day is not far when Zhongguancun will become a Silicon Valley. This is because Silicon Valley has two famous universities, Stanford and Berkeley universities, and Zhongguancun also has two universities, Peking and Tsinghua universities. Silicon Valley and Zhongguancun are gathering places for engineers. Silicon Valley has a group of well-known American high-tech companies including Intel and Hewlett-Packard, and Zhongguancun has famous companies such as Lenovo and Founder. Silicon Valley is good at science and technology, especially the information industry, while Zhongguancun is known as an electronics street.
However, Silicon Valley is still a far dream for Zhongguancun. Silicon Valley is a product of the market economy, while Zhongguancun is a government-led industrial group. Silicon Valley has an investment system of its own, while Zhongguancun is mainly a trading center for information products, a sales center and a market center. The Silicon Valley people have special and useful ideas. It’s important because of people’s innovation and adventure. All of the people have a good inter-personal relationship network, which enables Silicon Valley business starters to quickly get more money they need, find partners and grow.
The people in Zhongguancun think more about fund-raising, and give little thought to other factors. Some managers don’t understand the idea of market well. This can bring about many problems and can easily lead to failure. Now the basic task for Zhongguancun is to know the demands of the market and the users.
Now, many overseas talents who are returning home are people who once studied, lived and worked in Silicon Valley. A group of first-class universities have taken part in the development of Zhongguancun. It’s believed that Zhongguancun can become the next Silicon Valley, but it doesn’t need to copy Silicon Valley in every way. Zhongguancun can become a Silicon Valley with Chinese characteristics.
64. According to the passage, what is Hewlett-Packard?
A.An American high-tech company in Silicon Valley.
B.A famous American company in Zhongguancun.
C.The most famous university in America.
D.The headquarters of Silicon Valley.
65. Which of the following is WRONG about the differences between Zhongguancun and Silicon Valley?
A.Zhongguancun is a government-led industrial group.
B.Silicon Valley has an investment system of its own.
C.The Zhongguancun people don’t have lots of ideas of innovation and adventure.
D.Some managers in Silicon Valley don’t understand the idea of market well.
66. What does the author suggest in the fourth paragraph?
Chinese should bravely face some failure.
Chinese should think more about fund-raising.
Chinese should understand the demands of the market and the customers.
Chinese should have a quicker development in science.
67. What is the main idea of this passage?
A.China develops more slowly than America in science and technology.
B.The possibility that Zhongguancun becomes a Silicon Valley is discussed.
C.Americans have a better inter-personal relationship network than Chinese.
D.Some methods are put up to enlarge the competitive ability of Zhongguancun.
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Why do men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men's hearts go into rapid decline when they reach middle age.
The largest study of the effects of ageing on the heart has found that women's longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age.
"We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age," said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
"Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat. Between the age of 20 and 70, one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men," said Goldspink. "This is part of the ageing process. "
What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells. A healthy 70-year-old woman's heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one's.
"This gender difference might just explain why women live longer than men," said Goldspink.
They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80, focusing on healthy persons to remove the confusing influence of disease.
The team has yet to find why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart, said Goldspink.
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular exercise. Goldspink stressed that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age.
60. The underlined word "longevity" in the second paragraph probably refers to ____.
A. health B. long life C. ageing D. effect
61. The text mainly talks about ______.
A. men's heart cellsB. women's ageing process
C. the gender difference D. hearts and long life
62. If you want to live longer, you should ______.
A.enable your heart to beat much faster
B. find out the reason for ageing
C.exercise regularly to keep your heart health
D.prevent your cells from being lost
63. We can know from the passage that ______.
A.the reason why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart has been found out
B.scientists are on the way to finding out why the male heart loses more of the cells
C.the team has done something to prevent the male from suffering the greater loss
D.women over 70 could lose more heart cells than those at the age of 20