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。
Should we allow modern buildings to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. Not all historical buildings are attractive. However, there may be other reasons—for example, economic(经济的) reasons—why they should be preserved. So, let us assume that historical buildings are both attractive and important to the majority of people. What should we do then if a new building is needed?
In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style. Indeed, there are many examples in my own hometown of Tours where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings. As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate(影响) its surroundings too much, it often improves the attractiveness of the area.
It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt(破坏) the area they are in, but the same can be said of some old buildings too. Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas. I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative(保守的) and do not like change.
Although we have to respect people's feelings as fellow users of the buildings, I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward. If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different, even though that might be the more risky choice.What does the author say about historical buildings in the first paragraph?
| A．Some of them are not attractive. |
| B．Most of them are too expensive to preserve. |
| C．They are more pleasing than modern buildings. |
| D．They have nothing to do with the historic feel of an area. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the author?
| A．We should reproduce the same old buildings. |
| B．Buildings should not dominate their surroundings. |
| C．No one understands why people speak against new buildings. |
| D．Some old buildings have spoilt the area they are in. |
By “move things forward”in the last paragraph, the author probably means “_________”．
| A．destroy old buildings |
| B．choose new architectural style |
| C．put things in a different place |
| D．respect people's feelings for historical buildings |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To explain why people dislike change. |
| B．To warn that we could end up living in caves. |
| C．To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas. |
| D．To admit how new buildings have ruined their surroundings. |
When you visit America, you will see the word Motel on signs and notice boards. It is made up of “motor” and “hotel” and it is really a hotel for people who arrive by car (how-ever, you don’t need a car to stay at one). You have to pay when you arrive for your room, which usually has a bath. Meals are not provided, but there will certainly be a cafeteria (自助餐馆). Americans eat a lot of salads and sandwiches. Along the main roads there are a lot of motels. Each tries to offer more than next. Some provide television in every bedroom; others have swimming pools; and so on. Motels are especially useful when you are in the country, far from a town or city. You will also find them in the big National Parks.
In these great National Parks, you may meet guests you don’t expect to see. An American friend told me a little story. In the middle of a moonless night she heard strange noises outside her motel window in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Thinking it might be a thief, she jumped out of bed, opened the door and crept towards a dark shadow(阴影）. As she got close, she saw the thief. She was dreadfully frightened: it wasn’t a human thief — it was a big black bear. The bear was turning over some empty tins with its paw, looking for tasty bits of food. My friend decided to leave that particular thief alone!
There are also, of course, places called “rooming houses”, where they receive lodgers (房客). You will see such signs as Tourists or Rooms Rent, and you could try one of these. A word of warning — looking for a room in New York during the tourist season is like looking for gold on the moon! Which of the following is TRUE about motels?
| A．You can only find motels in the big National Parks. |
| B．They are free for people who arrive by car. |
| C．If you want to stay at a motel, you must have a car. |
| D．The word “motel” is formed by two words. |
Which of the following is NOT provided by motels?
| A．Baths. | B．Swimming pools. | C．TV. | D．Meals. |
The underlined word “crept” in the second paragraph probably means “______”.
| A．moved slowly | B．rushed out | C．threw away | D．ran fast |
The second paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．an interesting story |
| B．the experience of the author’s friend |
| C．we may meet animals in the National Parks |
| D．bears usually look for food at night |
From the last paragraph, we can learn that in New York during the tourist season ______.
| A．tourists can find gold there |
| B．tourists can have a sweet dream there |
| C．it is difficult to find a room there |
| D．there is warning for tourists to New York |
Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5：30 and at 6：30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last, the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door , she nearly tripped over (被绊倒)Sheba.
“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I've got no time for you now, but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously, she could hardly breathe. Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet (兽医).
When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.
“Listen, doctor, I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting, can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”
“Sure.” said the doctor.
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once moreentering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring.
“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately, ”said the doctor's voice. “I'm coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”
At that moment, a police car screeched (发出尖锐的声音)to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.
“She’s fine, Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now. ”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white—faced man, who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.
“My God, ” said Joanne,“how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar.” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat：it turned out to be three human fingers.”What was Joanne supposed to do at 6：30？
| A．To walk her dog. | B．To see her doctor. |
| C．To attend a club meeting. | D．To play tennis with her friends. |
Joanne wanted to get back to her home again __________ . .
| A．to dress up for the meeting | B．to phone the police station |
| C．to catch the badly hurt burglar | D．to wait for her dog to be cured |
From the passage, we can infer that________ . .
| A．Sheba fought against the burglar |
| B．the police found the burglar had broken in |
| C．Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting |
| D．the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog |
In this passage, the writer intends to tell us that the dog is _________.
| A．clever | B．friendly | C．frightening | D．devoted |
The underlined word “a burglar” in the last paragraph probably means ________.
| A．a cleaner | B．a physician | C．a thief | D．a murderer |
Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. |
| B．People who work in London prefer to live in the country. |
| C．Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London. |
| D．Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London. |
One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.
| A．getting a small flat with a garden | B．having a small flat with a garden |
| C．renting a small flat without a garden | D．buying a small flat without a garden |
When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
| A．who live in the country |
| B．who have spent time working in the garden |
| C．who have a garden of their own |
| D．who have been digging, planting and watering |
People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live it outside London.
| A．their life was meaningless | B．their life was invaluable |
| C．they didn’t deserve a happy life | D．they were not worthy of their happy life |
The underlined word “rest” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．the rest time | B．the rest people |
| C．the rest of the country | D．the rest of the parks and of the sea |
Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California’s Santa Ana Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home. I couldn’t reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I’d just head east.
A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. “Four more lights,” she said. There was another bus I could take from there. This clearly was going to be a long night.
She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for. After waiting for 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its windshield（挡风玻璃）.It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver.
“I just can’t leave you here,” she said. “This isn’t the nicest place. I’ll give you a ride home.”
“You’ll drive me home in the bus?” I asked, puzzled.
“No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said.
“It’s a long way,” I protested.
“Come on,” she said. “I have nothing else to do.”
As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. “I’m just passing the favor along,” she said.
When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t accept it. “That wouldn’t make it a favor,”she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”Why did the writer say that he would have a long night?
| A．He wondered how long he had to wait for the next bus. |
| B．No driver would give him a ride. |
| C．He didn’t know the routes. |
| D．He perhaps would have to take a taxi. |
Judging from the context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was .
| A．very quiet and peaceful |
| B．dark without street lights |
| C．neither clean nor beautiful |
| D．a little unsafe |
Why did the writer change his mind after waiting for 30 minutes at the end of the route?
| A．No bus would come at the time. |
| B．A taxi ride would be more comfortable. |
| C．He became impatient and a bit worried. |
| D．He knew the driver would never return. |
The bus driver hoped that the writer .
| A．would pass the good deed along |
| B．would keep her in memory |
| C．would give the money to others |
| D．would do her a favor |
Some scientists say that animals in the ocean are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings. The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.
Decibels(分贝) measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of 120 decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decible level of 195 would have the same effect.
Some scientists have suggested setting a noise limit of 120 decibles in oceans. They have observed that noises above that level can frighten and confuse whales.
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that loud noises could seriously injure some animals. The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing, which seriously affected the whales’ ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected(感染的).
Many researches whose work depends on ocean sounds disagree with a limit of 120 decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.
Scientists do not know how many and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists suspect that noise is a greater danger than they previously believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.The second paragraph mainly tells us that the noises on land and in water .
| A．are both from human activities. |
| B．both do harm to sea animals |
| C．are measured differently |
| D．have the same effect on humans |
As to(依据) the effects of noises on whales, which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．They are deaf to noises. |
| B．Noises at a certain level may hurt them. |
| C．They are easily confused by noises. |
| D．Noises will limit their ability to reproduce. |
Many researchers think that the noise limit of 120 decibels would .
| A．protect whales from noises |
| B．benefit them a lot in their research work |
| C．do good to their health |
| D．increase industrial output |
What will scientists most probably do in the future?
| A．Count the number of sea animals. |
| B．Stop their research on the ocean. |
| C．Study the effect of different noises. |
| D．Protect sea creatures from harmful noises. |