阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
I am a vegetarian（素食主义者）．Many people are quick to think of vegetarianism as strange behavior．I treasure our Earth, and since we only have one, we should protect it and the wildlife that lives on it．But that’s only one of the reasons to be a vegetarian．
Vegetarians may live longer, healthier lives．There is a connection between red meat consumption and various diseases．From an economic standpoint, it requires less land, money and energy to produce foods for a vegetarian diet．While there are many benefits to being a vegetarian, only a handful of those who attempt to adopt this lifestyle succeed．
The most important quality required to be a vegetarian is firmness since surrounded by the temptation of meat, we tend to give up vegetarianism easily．Creativity is almost as important as commitment．It’s easy to tire of eating nothing but salad． But with a little creativity and some soy products, almost any meal can become vegetarian-friendly．
Not everyone wants to be vegetarian．Accepting this is part of being a vegetarian with style．Forcing your beliefs on others is disrespectful．Stylish vegetarians should also be able to turn down a meaty dish politely without annoying their hosts．
Being a successful vegetarian has been easy for me, but it may not be so for others．a common mistake is quitting before your body has adjusted to the change．It can be difficult to keep the lifestyle in the beginning because of temptation．However, it fades over time．Another common mistake is quitting because you’ve been misinformed about the nutritional wisdom of being a vegetarian．That’s why it is vital to be educateD． Countless people will tell you that it’s impossible to obtain the nutrients and protein（蛋白质）your body requires without meat, but they are incorrect．People actually need only 44-55 grams of protein a day, and that is easily found in a vegetarian diet．Many meat eaters are consuming three times that amount, which is not beneficial．It leads to diseases．Vegetables can also supply all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs．However, if you’re still not convinced, you can take a multi-vitamin．
According to the passage, being a vegetarian helps ______．
| A．protect the wildlife |
| B．free people from diseases |
| C．rid people from strange behaviors |
| D．develop a better economy |
What’s the underlined word temptation in Paragraph 3 closest in meaning to?
| A．Unpleasant taste | B．Extreme attraction |
| C．Great consumption | D．Significant importance |
Stylish vegetarians do not ______．
| A．force others to be vegetarians |
| B．respect other people’s beliefs |
| C．turn down hosts gracefully |
| D．refuse an offer of meat |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Many people give up before their bodies can adjust to the transition． |
| B．Many people quit because they’re poorly educated about nutrition． |
| C．Consuming 150 grams protein a day can be harmful． |
| D．Vegetarians need multi-vitamins to keep healthy． |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Reasons why the author became a vegetarian． |
| B．Important qualities required to be a vegetarian． |
| C．Advantages and disadvantages of being a vegetarian． |
| D．Common mistakes on the way to being a vegetarian． |
What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority (优先) over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic/interest may have other choices.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical (合乎道义的) or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our mind or prey on our vulnerability. Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution (美国宪法).
10. According to the passage, persuasion means ________.
A. changing others’ points of view
B. exercising power over other people
C. getting other people to consider your point of view
D. getting people to agree with you and do what you want
11. The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means________.
A. win B. fail C. speak D. listen
12. The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.
A. a danger to societyB. difficult to do well
C. unwelcome behavior D. never successful
13. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A. how people persuade
B. why people persuade
C. that persuasion is both good and bad
D. that persuasion is important and it is all around us
A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.
The unpunctual man, on the other hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset as well as others’. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.
Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is a sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.
Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to doing one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.
5. What is an unpunctual person like?
A. He always does a thing when it should be done. B. He is always very busy.
C. He always does a thing at the wrong time. D. He always keeps the appointments.
6. Why is unpunctuality very harmful?
A. Because it makes a man lose many chances of doing important affairs.
B. Because it makes a man lose friends.
C. Because it makes a man work quickly.
D. Because it makes a man be more respected by others.
7. According to the passage, which is right?
A. The punctual person has no much work to do.
B. The unpunctual person is very rich. (from www.nmet168.com)
C. The unpunctual person is often respected by his friends.
D. The unpunctual person loses what can’t be regained again.
8. According to the passage, what are good manners when you are invited to a party?
A. Arriving at the appointed time. B. Arriving before all other guests.
C. Arriving after all other guests. D. Keeping all other guests waiting.
9. Why is a person always unpunctual?
A. He is too busy.B. He has too much work to do.
C. He does care much about time. D. He doesn’t manage his time properly.
Today, ultrasonic(超声的) waves are being put to work in laboratories and factories. If an ultrasound generator is placed in a liquid, the waves move the liquid back and forth hundreds of thousands of times each second. This causes materials to mix quickly or to dissolve(使分解，使溶解) in liquids. Paint manufacturers(制造商) use ultrasound to do a better job of blending colors. The companies that make film for your camera find that mixing chemicals by the use of sound waves will produce a more sensitive film.
The new lightweight(轻量的) type of washing machine uses ultrasonic waves to get clothes clean. Its special ultrasound generator is put into a pail of soapy water containing the soiled clothes. The sound waves drive the soapy water back and forth through the cloth so fast that everything is soon clean. There is also a new kind of dishwasher that works in much the same way.
Ultrasonic waves can shake a liquid so fast that tiny holes form all through it. The liquid is actually torn apart by this action. Almost as soon as these holes are made, they fall together again. The result is a powerful pounding action. In the dairy industry this is used for the double purpose of making homogenized(使均匀，使匀质) milk and sterilizing(使无菌) it at the same time. If you look at some raw milk with a microscope, you find that it is made up of little drops of butter fat floating around in a watery liquid. In order to make milk easier to digest, these fat droplets(微粒) may be broken up by forcing the milk through very small openings. The result is called homogenized milk. When the ultrasonic method is used, the sound waves not only break up the droplets but also kill the germs in the milk by pounding them to pieces. (from www.nmet168.com)
1. Why does a paint manufacturer use ultrasound to do a better job of blending colors?
A. Because it is cheap to use ultrasound to blend colors.
B. Because the waves move the liquid so quickly that it can make materials mix quickly or dissolve in liquids.
C. Because they can mix chemicals by the use of sound waves.
D. Because the waves can clean the paint.
2. What properties does ultrasound wave have?
A. Homogenizes and sterilizes the milk. B. Mix materials and break droplets.
C. Kill germs and sterilize milk. D. Move liquids quickly.
3. What exists in the raw milk?
A. Little drops of butter fat. B. Small holes.
C. Fat droplets and germs. D. Chemicals.
4. Where is ultrasound wave not used?
A. In the paint manufacture. B. In the shop mixing bread flour.
C. In the film-making company. D. In the dairy industry.
It is over 40 years since first atomic bomb was dropped on a major city in Japan. Yet even now its effects are showing themselves and may continue to do so for years to come. Much effort and human energy have been used to try to prevent such a terrifying thing from happening again. So far there is no guarantee that it will not. Countries which already possess nuclear knowledge and resources have bombs stored away which are powerful enough to wipe out all life on earth. But this is not all. Other countries, which previously were not so advanced in technology, are gradually buying materials that can be used for making atomic devices. This nuclear energy will naturally be of great value in helping the economy of poorer nations.
The generation of electricity through nuclear power came directly from the original work on the atom bomb. Because of the increase in demand for energy and the possibility of decreasing supplies of oil and natural gas, the interest in electricity has increased. One of the by-products of nuclear power stations is plutonium (钸) produced from unclear fuel: plutonium is ingredient (成分) in bomb-making. It means that there are far more opportunities for the manufacture of bombs.
This brings the problem to a full circle again. How can something so valuable and useful be controlled so that it works for the benefit and not the destruction of man?
9. The effects of dropping the first atomic bomb ________.
A. are not overB. may go on forever
C. could last much longer D. will not be over in the near future
10. The writer says that enough atomic bombs have already been manufactured to ________.
A. wipe out JapanB. last forever
C. act as a peace-keeping device D. destroy all living things
11. The advantage of less developed countries being able to make atomic devices is that it ______.
A. gives them more opportunities for work B. will help poor countries to become richer
C. will enable them to make better explosivesD. will be of great value to them
12. The second paragraph tells us that the increased demand for electricity today ________.
A. has led to the decrease in supplies of oil
B. means that more countries are interested in nuclear power
C. has increased the risk of accidental explosions
D. has increased the very means of producing more atomic bombs
After inventing dynamites(炸药), Swedish-born Alfred Nobel became a very rich man. However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards: literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, and peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony.
Nobel’s original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $ 30,000 to $125,000.
Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, the awards (gold medal, illuminated diploma, and money) are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges’ decision. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes.
No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II. Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes.
1. What did the first award ceremony take place?
A. 1895. B. 1901. C. 1962. D. 1968.
2. The Nobel prize was established to ________.
A. honor the inventor of dynamite B. recognize worthwhile contributions to humanity
C. resolve political differences D. spend money
3. In which area have Americans received the most awards?
A. Literature. B. Economics. C. Peace. D. Science.
4. Which of the following statement is NOT true?
A. Awards vary in money value.
B. Ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel’s invention.
C. Politics can be of importance in selecting the winners.
D. A few individuals have won two awards.