阅读理解
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Scottish pupils recently were part of a new scheme that allowed them to take their exams online. Those examinations provided a glimpse of the future in May when 120 candidates in 10 centers in Scotland sat in front of computers to take a multiple-choice online exam. Although candidates were using a computer mouse instead of a pen, in all other ways the exam was the same as normal.
Exam rooms were set out to ensure that only the candidates and the teachers were able to see the individual screens. The online answers were sent directly to a safe area. According to the students at St Ninian’s in East Renfrewshire who took an online French exam, it was definitely the most motivated they had ever felt when taking an exam.
“I could go as fast as I wanted to, rather than as slow as everyone else wanted to,” said one. “It was better than looking back and forth between the questions,” said another. One pupil even described it as fun.
Their head teacher, Dorothy Graham, was not so surprised, “They are so used to doing things on computers that it seems natural for them. The boys liked it because they didn’t have to worry about how neat their work was.” The only things that worried her were power cuts and systems’ crashing.
It’s thought that online exams could be the norm (常态) in about five years. However, last year there were warnings about computerizing exams in England and Wales. It’s thought that it could be unfair to some students if they come from homes without access to a computer. In the first paragraph the underlined word “candidates” probably means _________.
| A．teachers who are supposed to prepare the test |
| B．people who grade the students’ papers |
| C．teachers who oversee the students in the exam rooms |
| D．pupils who take the online exam |
Pupils who take this kind of exam _________.
| A．do not need to write the answers down |
| B．must write the answers clearly with a mouse |
| C．have to answer the questions very quickly |
| D．can answer the questions for as long as they like |
Why do people think it is unfair to some students without computers at home?
| A．Because they are not able to take the exam at home. |
| B．Because they can’t be allowed to take the exams if they don’t have computers at home. |
| C．Because they can’t operate computers as well as those who have computers at home. |
| D．Because they are worried about how neat their work is. |
According to the head teacher, pupils won’t be able to take the exam if _________.
| A．they don’t have a computer at home |
| B．the computer system breaks down |
| C．the teacher sees individual screen |
| D．they take pens into the exam rooms |
We can learn from the passage that it is mainly about ________.
| A．computers in modern schools |
| B．taking exams online |
| C．testing computers in classroom |
| D．taking a multiple-choice exam |
The English language is changing fast,thanks to the rapid progress of technology. We all have a rapid choice: we can either bury our heads in the sand and spend the rest of our lives wishing Shakespeare were alive and well. Or we can embrace (拥抱) the new English,enter into the spirit of the Internet age called Weblish.
“You can’t avoid it,for the simple reason that whenever a new variety of language comes along,it inevitably (不可避免的) impacts（冲击）on the language as a whole.” says Dr. David Crystal, honorary professor of linguistics（语言学）at the University of Wales in Bangor, whose book Language and the Internet has just been published.
The trouble with keeping up with the new English is not so much that there are so many new words but that the old words no longer mean what we thought they did. In the past, if someone said they did not have Windows, you would have to suppose they lived in a cave.These days,it is probably because they use a Mac(which is a computer, not a rain coat). Spam is as disliked as it ever was ,but it once meant an unappetizing（引不起食欲的）canned meat.It now stands for unwanted “junk” email. Spellings are changing, too. Not only is text-messaging playing “hvc wth vrbs” (havoc（混乱）with verbs), but the conventions of email communication place little emphasis on “perfect speaking”.
Weblish loves to see nouns happily become verbs(“please bookmark this site”),and verbs become nouns (“Send me the download”). Verbs and prepositions are regularly thrown together to become new nouns or adjectives(e.g. dial-up, logon, print-on-demand, pull-down, upload), while others are created from simply pairing nouns: cyberspace, Etl, hyperlink, netspeak.The best title of this passage would be______.
| A．Keep Up with the Latest Weblish | B．Keep Up with the Latest Development |
| C．Newly Invented English Words | D．Technology and English |
We can infer（推断）from the first paragraph that ______.
| A．Some people wish Shakespeare were still alive |
| B．people may have different attitudes towards Weblish |
| C．all people welcome Weblish |
| D．Weblish is not popular among people |
The author thinks the main difficulty for people in keeping up with Weblish is that ______.
| A．old words have new meanings |
| B．there are so many new words |
| C．the technology is changing too fast |
| D．Weblish words are full of spelling mistakes |
Dr. David Crystal would probably agree that ______.
| A．people should not accept Weblish |
| B．Weblish can cause misunderstandings among people |
| C．Weblish will destroy the English language |
| D．people should know something about Weblish |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnection between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment（蚕食）?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids, can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity and cognitive（认知的）skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents — and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters（培养）leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite of passage（通过仪式）.
Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will _________.
| A．be less healthy both physically and mentally | B．keep a high sense of wonder |
| C．be over-protected by their parents | D．change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is _________.
| A．the fault on the part of their parents | B．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| C．the natural experience in their growing up | D．the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to _________.
| A．blame children for getting lost in computer games |
| B．show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
| C．encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
| D．inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.
During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare’s play “The Comedy of Errors”, Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play “Macbeth”, Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（强度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.
Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city’s tradesmen. Shakespeare’s knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.
It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare’s works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of “critic”, “mountaineer” and “eyeball”. Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including “pomp and circumstance（装腔作势）” from “Othello”, “full circle（绕圈子地）” from “King Lear”, etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into every major language in the world.
Shakespeare became a wellknown writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off.From the passage, we can see that ________.
| A．Shakespeare was hardworking when he was a student |
| B．many of Shakespeare’s works were influenced by earlier writings |
| C．the experience of living in London had no effect on Shakespeare’s works |
| D．Shakespeare became rich later because of the popularity of his works |
Why could Shakespeare’s works survive his time?
| A．Because there were so few people writing plays in his time. |
| B．Because he produced too many works that nobody else could do. |
| C．Because his works were rich in imagination and language. |
| D．Because he was a rich and influential person of his time. |
Shakespeare’s greatest influence should be on .
| A．paintings | B．television |
| C．the English language | D．music and dance |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and his works |
| B．the main features and styles of Shakespeare’s plays |
| C．Shakespeare’s greatest influence on the world culture. |
| D．how culture influenced Shakespeare and he influenced culture. |
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted. O’Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome（唐氏综合症）and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored! Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five（致礼）salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.”Which is the most correct description of the author’s son? He was _________.
| A．brave | B．sympathetic | C．honest | D．proud |
The underlined word “hush” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “_________”.
| A．cheer | B．laughter | C．silence | D．cry |
Why did the author hold his breath when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
| A．Because his son might get angry with Mike | B．Because Mickey cheated everyone |
| C．Because his son would accept the fact | D．Because the score was out of his expectation |
We can infer from the passage that Mickey .
| A．was hated by his own team |
| B．was excited when he realized the fault |
| C．was warm-hearted and played soccer for both teams |
| D．was cared about by his teammates |
There’s no shortage of web sites offering deals-everything from daily deals to members-only private sales. But when it comes to real jaw-dropping deals, there’s one company that seems to have figured out a way to really deliver.
The company is called Quibids and they auction（拍卖）the hottest, in-demand electronics like Apple ipads and ipods, as well as other items like gift cards from the top retailers（零售商）. Unlike other sites, the prices people pay are nowhere near retail. How low are the prices?
$ 33.84 for a new Apple ipad 32 GB（retail $ 600）
$ 22.10 for a new Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera（retail $ 1070）
Our first reaction on seeing these prices was disbelief. After all, how could Quibids possibly afford to sell these items for so little ---- surely they must be losing a lot of money.
That’s where its unique business model comes into play. You see, for every bid a buyer places for an item on Quibids, the company collects a small fee from the bidder. The fee to bid is only about 60 cents, but based on the volume of sales and bids, the company is able to collect enough to make up for the ridiculous prices the items sell for.
But best of all, participating in the Quibids auction is incredibly fun. Because each bid costs a little to place, shoppers can strategize when to place their bids. Each auction has a strict time limit. When you place your bid, the system adds a little time to the auction to see if any other bids come in. If you have the winning bid when the clock runs out ---- you win the item for that price.
But the best part of Quibids may be the “Buy-It-Now” feature. This allows bidders who did not win an auction to still buy the product they want and apply the cost of the bids they placed as a discount on the regular product price. So you still get the item and the bids you placed previously in the auction don’t cost you anything!According to the passage, the success of Quibids mainly lies in .
| A．how its buying and selling is conducted | B．the change in people’s shopping model |
| C．the quality of the goods and service | D．their willingness to risk losing money |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．other retailers will be out of business | B．winning a bid is not just a matter of luck |
| C．Quibids only sell popular electronics | D．the prices on Quibids are the lowest |
A buyer who bid twice for a $ 20 MP4 can get one from “Buy-It-Now” for .
| A．$ 21.2 | B．$ 20 | C．$ 19.4 | D．$ 18.8 |
Which might be the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．Buy Products for Next to Nothing | B．How to Buy New Must–have Electronics |
| C．The Most Successful Shopping Website | D．Tips on Shopping Online |