Do you love Beats headphones, True Religion jeans, and UGG shoes? These are some of the most popular brands (牌子) around. They are also expensive. But some experts say they are not much better than cheaper brands.
For example, Jim Wilcox works for Consumer Reports. He tested all kinds of headphones. He says that $80 Koss Pro headphones provide basically the same quality and comfort as Beats. So why do people pay twice or even 10 times as much for the hottest brands?
Experts say it's because fashionable, expensive brands send a message. Brands say “I belong” or “I can afford it.”
Some people think that expensive brand names are worth the price. They say that some designer clothes really are top quality and that they last longer than cheaper brands. Some teenagers choose to wear popular brands because these brands make them feel good about themselves.
Alexandra Allam, 17, likes to buy brand-name products. “I'd rather spend the extra money to get something I know I'll be satisfied with,” she says. Her friend Emmy Swan agrees, saying “As long as you can afford it, it seems reasonable to buy what you want.” But not all teenagers agree. “Spending hundreds of dollars for designer sunglasses is stupid and unreasonable,” says Daniel Steinbrecher, 16. “It's fake (假的) happiness.”
People who are against wearing expensive brand names say that many designer brands aren't any better. “It's wasteful to buy things just because they are popular,” says Edmund Williams, 15. “You'll feel better if you buy things because you like them. If you have extra money to spend, it would be better to give it to people in need.”
The example of Jim's report wants to tell us _____.
| A．popular brands make people comfortable |
| B．Koss Pro headphones are better than Beats |
| C．the hottest brands are of the highest quality |
| D．lesser-known brands may offer the same quality as name brands |
According to experts, people choose the hottest brands probably _____.
| A．to show off |
| B．for their better quality |
| C．for their better designs |
| D．to belong to a special group |
What does Edmund think of expensive brands?
| A．They are not worth the price. |
| B．They make him feel confident. |
| C．They need to improve their quality. |
| D．They pay too much attention to personal likes. |
The text is mainly about _____.
| A．how to buy things reasonably |
| B．the competition between brands |
| C．the different values of teenagers |
| D．whether expensive brands are worth high prices |
第三部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（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和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering form an incurable disease with days numbered.
The girl was assigned to an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits.
Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company , telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip (动脉滴注)，she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others.
But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere (干涉), unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma (昏迷) a few times.
When rescued from the latest coma, the old man said to the doctor as his last wish, “I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies?”
But the doctor knew that her family was well-off and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father’s car.
When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man , the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $500 to the doctor, saying, “The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling . ” Now he got the answer to the puzzle . In the last period of his life , the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need .
56．If you’re a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, what kind of people do you have to attend to?
A．The patients in need of help
B．The people suffering from cancer
C．The patients without many days left
D．The people suffering from diseases
57．What can we infer about the old man ?
A．He had a lot of savings
B．He was suffering from cancer
C．He often lost his temper before meeting the girl
D．He asked the doctor to help the girl finish her study
58．What can we know from the passage?
A．The doctor told the old man the truth
B．The old man’s children were wealthy
C．The girl’s father encouraged her to accept the money
D．The girl didn’t accompany the old man when he died
59．What is the real reason resulting in the old man’s mental improvement?
A．The girl’s comfort and care
B．The pleasure of being helpful people in need
C．People’s understanding
D．His children’s progress
More than an eye candy
Parents in Beijing are ready to go a little further to please their children now that the new China Science and Technology Museum has opened its 198-seat 4D theater.
The 4D theater, which opened last month (December ), is the third cinema the museum has opened to the public since its relocation to the National Olympic Park in September.
YAOX Entertainment, a Taiwan-based company producing 3D，4D，special effects and animated films, is responsible for providing the films in the coming month.
As for 3D films, audiences have to wear special goggles while watching these movies. In addition, viewers can feel wind, a rainstorm, or waterfall, and the seats will move according to the plot.
Admission for adult visitors is 30 yuan per person, 20 yuan for students and children.
The new China Science and Technology Museum, 5 Beijing Donglu, Chaoyang District.
Film introduction
U-Bugs Adventure: Under attack in an air-sea fight, a German U-boat from World War II dives deep for protection. The strong tides take it to a mysterious ancient city at the bottom of the. Suddenly, a giant sea monster takes on the sub(潜水艇) and during the struggle it falls into an energy light-beam zone, and is transported through a time tunnel to meet with Zheng He’s 14th century fleet sailing to the West. Duration: 15 minutes
Dog & Bugs: A dog sees some bees buzzing around and wonders: “How can I fly in the sky as free as those bugs?” Then, he sprouts a pair of wings, just like the bees, and flaps his wings to join them and collect some honey. Duration: 15 minutes
Virus to Go: This film is about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is like a terrorist attack, causing extensive contamination(大范围的感染). Because of human neglect(忽视), the SARS virus cannot be stopped and causes harm to an entire city. Fortunately, at the last minute, man finds a way to solve the crisis. Duration: 15 minutes
68．The underlined word“goggles”means．
A．a type of watch B．a kind of glasses
C．ear-protecting equipment D．a piece of jewellery
69．If you happen to be interested in Sci-fi & history films, most probably should be your cup of tea.
A．the mew China Science and Technology Museum B．U-Boat Adventure
C．Dog & Bugs D．Virus to Go
70．In which section of an English newspaper can you find the information above?
A．News B．Business C．Entertainment D．Sports
BEIJING, May 29 — the US pop star Michael Jackson appeared in public in Tokyo on Saturday, accepting a music award and thanking “all the people who believe in me ”.
Introduced to an adoring（崇拜的）crowd as “the king of pop, the king of rock and the king of soul ”, Jackson flashed a quick “peace” sign as he walked onstage to the sound of one of his biggest hits —“Thriller”.
“I’m honored to be in Japan again and I’m very happy to be among the Japanese people because I love them very much,” Jackson said in a brief appearance at MTV Japan’s Legend Award ceremony（仪式）at Yoyogi Olympic Stadium, “Thank you for your belief.”
“Jackson also plans to visit Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong,” spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain said on Thursday.
Bain said, “The star plans to visit orphanages（孤儿院）,tour the city of Tokyo, and meet with members of the Asian business communities during his trip.”
Bain said that Jackson planned to return to recording and hoped to release（发行）a new album（专辑）in 2007. Meanwhile, she said he had planned to raise some money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
67. This report may appear on the “” page of a newspaper.
A. Business B. Entertainment C. Sports D. Travel
68. The report mainly tells us .
A. Jackson accepted a music award B. Jackson’s tour to Asia
C. Jackson will visit orphanages D. Jackson plans to release a new album
69. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Jackson is glad to be in Japan again
B. “Thriller” is one of Jackson’s famous songs
C. Jackson plans to visit Singapore before Japan
D. Jackson is good at both pop songs and rock music
70. It can be inferred （推断）from the passage that Michael Jackson .
A. is a popular Japanese singer
B. is disappointed with the orphanages’ situations
C. has done a lot of things for the victims of Hurricane Katrina
D. is very busy during this Asian trip
When former American President Bill Clinton travelled to South Korea to visit President Kim Young Sam, he repeatedly referred to the Korean president’s wife as Mrs. Kim. By mistake, President Clinton’s advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese. Clinton had not been told that, in Korea, wives keep their family names. President Kim Young Sam’s wife was named Sohn Myong Suk. Therefore she should be addressed(写姓名地址) as Mrs. Sohn. President Clinton arrived in Korea directly after leaving Japan and had not changed his culture gears. His failure to follow Korean customs gave the impression that Korea was not as important to him as Japan.
In addition to Koreans, some Asian husbands and wives do not share the same family names. This practice often puzzles English-speaking teachers when talking with a pupil’s parents. They become puzzled about the student’s correct last name. Placing the family name first is common among a number of Asian cultures.
Mexican naming customs are different as well, When a woman marries, she keeps her family name and adds her husband’s name after the word de (of). This affects how they fill in forms in the United States. When requested to fill in a middle name, they generally write the father’s family name. But Mexicans are addressed by the family name of the mother. This often causes puzzlement.
Here are a few ways to deal with such difficult situations: don’t always think that a married woman uses her husband’s last name, Remember that in many Asian cultures , the order of first and last names is reversed(颠倒). Ask which name a person would prefer to use . If the name is difficult to pronounce, admit it, and ask the person to help you say it correctly.
63. The story of Bill Clinton is used to ________________.
A. improve US-Korean relations B. introduce the topic of the text
C. describe his visit to Korea D. tell us how to address a person
64. The word “gears” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________________.
A. action plans B. naming customs C. travel maps D. thinking patterns
65. When a woman marries in Mexico, she ____________________.
A. continues to use her family name B. uses her husband’s given name
C. shares her husband’s family name D. adds her husband’s name to hers
66. To address a married woman properly, you’d better ________________.
A. use her middle name B. use her husband’s first name
C. ask her which name she likes D. change the order of her names
When we can see well, we do not think about our eyes often. It is only when we can not see perfectly that we come to see how important our eyes are.
People who are nearsighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes. Many people who do a lot of close work, such as writing and reading, become nearsighted. Then they have to wear glasses in order to see distant things clearly.
People who are farsighted face just the opposite problem. They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty reading a book unless they hold it at arm’s length. If they want to do much reading, they must get glasses too.
Other people do not see clearly because their eyes are not exactly the right shape. This, too, can be corrected by glasses. Some people’s eyes become cloudy because of cataracts. Long ago these people often became blind. Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them.
When night falls, colors become fainter to the eyes and finally disappear. After your eyes have grown used to the dark, you can see better if you use the side of your eyes rather than the centers. Sometimes, after dark, you see a small thing to one side of you, which seems to disappear if you turn your head in its direction. This is because when you turn your head, you are looking at the thing too directly. Men on guard duty sometimes think they see something moving to one side of them. When they turn to look straight at it, they can not see it any more, and they believe they were mistaken. However, this mistake happens because the center of the eye, which is very sensitive in daylight, is not as sensitive as the sides of the eye after dark.
59. We don’t know that our eyes are of great importance until ________.
A. we think about our eyes B. we cannot see clearly
C. we wear glasses D. we have to do much reading
60. According to the passage, a ________ is more likely to be nearsighted.
A. student B. runner C. guard D. worker
61. People who are farsighted ________ .
A. cannot do a lot of close work without glasses
B. can only see things that are very close to their eyes
C. have difficulty reading a book if they hold it at arm’s length
D. have the same problem as the nearsighted people
62. To see a small thing at night, it is better to look ________ .
A. with wide open eyes B. with half shut or narrowed eyes
C. straight at it D. in a slightly different direction