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。
How much do you hate waiting for another beer in a crowded bar? Josh Goodman invented a pretty obvious solution —self-service beer taps. Goodman, 36, recalled the exact moment in late 2008 when his frustration boiled over. "I was hanging out with my friends at a Baltimore sports bar before an Orioles(金莺队) game," he said. "We just couldn't get another beer served to us quickly."
Even more than annoyed, Goodman was struck by how much money the bar must be losing. Almost immediately, he got to work on a self-service beer concept. Within a few months, Goodman had launched Pour My Beer in Chicago (where he'd relocated to be with his wife).
He invested （投资）$20,000 of his own funds and partnered with a U.S. manufacturer to make beer tables with two to four self-service taps. In February 2009, Goodman landed his first client（客户）: A Baltimore tavern. He spent the next two years growing the business and adding more bars and restaurants. In 2011, Pour My Beer introduced self-service "beer walls," which let people pour their own beer from taps on a wall.
Pour My Beer has expanded to over 200 restaurants and bars in 28 states and Canada. The concept will roll out in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport this week and in Italy and Brazil later this year. The tables start at $4,000 and the beer walls cost as much as $16,000. It generated more than $400,000 in sales in 2013 and doubled that in 2014. Goodman expects to take in close to $2 million in revenue this year(2015) —which would make it the company's first profitable（赚钱的）year. "Our business customers tell us that they've cut down on waste and they're selling twice as much beer on average," said Goodman.The underlined phrase “boiled over” in Paragraph 1 probably means__________.
| A．came to an end | B．was extremely unbearable |
| C．threw up | D．was too hot |
Josh Goodman decided to invent the self-service beer taps when__________.
| A．His friends advised him to do so. |
| B．He realized the loss in waiting for beers. |
| C．He set up Pour My Beer in Chicago. |
| D．His company started to make profits. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Goodman was a businessman before he invented the self-service beer taps. |
| B．Pour My Beer has expanded to over 200 restaurants in 28 states and Australia. |
| C．Goodman did his business all by himself at first. |
| D．Goodman’s company will make more profits in the future. |
Which of the following can best describe Josh Goodman?
| A．far-sighted | B．strong-willed |
| C．kind-hearted | D．bad-tempered |
Recently, the TV show Where Are We Going, Dad? has become one of China’s most popular TV shows, attracting more than 600 million viewers each week.
In this program, five celebrity fathers traveled to six countryside locations across China, including some villages in Beijing, Yunnan, Shandong, Hunan, Heilongjiang and a desert in Ningxia. They took care of their kids without the help of the kid’s mothers. At the same time, they also took part in different kinds of activities with their kids together, such as cooking, fishing and selling goods.
Why is the show so popular? “It reflects (折射) social reality. In big cities, fathers are always busy earning money and making achievements in their career. They don’t spare more time with their kids.” said Xie Dikui, general director of the show. As the father of a 3-year-old daughter, Xie said that he found his own heart being touched as he made it. “Although these fathers are busy, they are able to spare time for their kids. We can do better than them.”
This also happens in some rural areas in China. More and more men from rural areas are now working in big cities, leaving their kids at home under the Grandparents’ care.
“I have a son and a daughter in my hometown.” said Xu Canyong, a 33-year-old man working in Shantou, Guangdong Province. “They come to live with me only during summer and winter vacations. I miss them very much. I want to have them live with us in Shantou, but the cost of living here is too high.” said Xu.Five celebrity fathers have ever traveled to _______ with their kids.
| A．Beijing, Hunan and Heilongjiang |
| B．Hunan, Heilongjiang and Tibet |
| C．Yunnan, Ningxia and Hong Kong |
| D．Yunnan, Shandong and Gansu |
The TV show Where Are We Going, Dad? is popular mainly because _______ .
| A．the five fathers are all famous stars |
| B．there are many beautiful sights in it |
| C．Xie Dikui is a popular director in China |
| D．it reflects the problems about family education |
The underlined word “This” in Paragraph 4 refers to_________ .
| A．the TV show Where Are We Going, Dad? |
| B．the fact that fathers have less time with their kids |
| C．the trip of five celebrity fathers with their kids |
| D．the relationship between Xie Dikui and his daughter |
Xu Canyong can’t live with his two kids in Shantou because________ .
| A．he can’t afford to live there together |
| B．he has no time to look after his kids |
| C．Shantou is too far from his hometown |
| D．his kids are used to living with their grandparents |
From this passage, we may infer ________ .
| A．fathers will raise the kids instead of mothers |
| B．the five celebrity fathers will give up their own jobs |
| C．in some rural areas, more and more kids live with their grandparents |
| D．Mr. Xu often goes back to his hometown during summer and winter vacations |
Hit song Little Apple became so popular after it came out in late May. In China, you may hear it on a bus, or even in a small village.
Little Apple is a song for the movie Old Boys: The Way of Dragon. The song’s huge success has also made more people see the movie. The comedy took US $17 million in its opening four days.
The song Little Apple is so popular. “After hearing it, it’s like “I’m brainwashed (洗脑)” by the song. So I came to see the film.” a man said.
“It’s a good story. But the reason I’m here at the cinema is the song Little Apple.” Hui Qing, a college student, said.
“Many people have come to see the movie, so we added more screenings for it. The film now accounts for 20 percent of the total screenings — It’s quite a good performance for a home-grown movie,” a cinema clerk said.
Old Boys: The Way of Dragon is based on an online short film called Old Boys. The 40-minute film about youth and dreams got nearly 70 million views on a video website, and was popular among people born in the 1980s or later.
“What is popular online is a good indication (迹象) of what will be popular with young people. And this movie is a good example,” businessman Chen Su said.
Some have criticized Little Apple for its low quality, but the song continues keeping popular.The movie Old Boys is a ______ .
| A．comedy | B．soap opera |
| C．sad movie | D．talk show |
Hui Qing went to see the movie Old Boys: The Way of Dragon because_____.
| A．she wants to be brainwashed |
| B．the movie has a good story |
| C．the movie has a good quality |
| D．she likes listening to the song Little Apple |
The video Old Boys online lasts_______.
| A．an hour | B．two hours |
| C．40 minutes | D．half an hour |
The video Old Boys online is about_____.
| A．life and old people | B．youth and dreams |
| C．life and dreams | D．dreams and hopes |
Some people don’t like the song Little Apple because _______.
| A．it is loud | B．it is noisy |
| C．it has low quality | D．it’s lyrics are bad |
When the swim season began, my 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and I cut a deal. She would go to practice three times a week, and I wouldn’t make her compete in swim meets.
Elizabeth does not like swim meets, she gets horribly nervous because she is afraid that she will do something wrong and let everyone down. she started to talk about quitting swimming, which broke my heart because she loves swimming. So I came up with the deal.
Recently, Elizabeth’s team announced a T-shirt relay, which works like this: One person from each relay team puts on a T-shirt and a pair of socks and swims 50 meters. She takes off the clothes and put them on the next person, who then swims 50 meters. This continues until everyone on the team has completed a lap.
It wasn’t exactly a meet, because it would involve only team members. But Elizabeth thought it was. I told Elizabeth I really wanted her to go. She fought back angrily but finally agreed.
When the day for the T-shirt relay arrived, Elizabeth was nervous. She was chosen to swim the anchor leg (最后一棒).By the last leg, Elizabeth’s team had built up a narrow lead. Then it was Elizabeth’s turn to swim.
Approaching the halfway mark, she was still in the lead. Then somebody noticed that one of Elizabeth’s socks had fallen off and was floating in the pool. “She has to get that sock on before the end of the race,” a swimming official told Elizabeth’s team,“ or you will be disqualified.”
Everybody on her team started shouting, “Elizabeth! Get the sock!” But she couldn’t hear them. Meanwhile, a girl in lane two was gaining on Elizabeth. Just then, a girl on my daughter’s team jumped in the pool, grabbed the sock, swam after Elizabeth and put the sock on Elizabeth.
With the sock finally on, Elizabeth swam her heart out for the last 15 meters and won! There was much celebration. And, for a few minutes, Elizabeth was the hero.
On the ride home, she relived her moment of glory again and again. She told me that if the T-shirt relay was an Olympic event, her team would win the gold medal, I told her that in my professional opinion, she Was absolutely right. What do we know about the T-shirt relay?
| A．Elizabeth was eager to attend it. |
| B．Elizabeth made full preparations for it. |
| C．Elizabeth thought she was sure to fail the relay. |
| D．Elizabeth agreed to attend it after a lot of persuasion. |
What happened to Elizabeth when she was swimming the anchor leg?
| A．The girl on the other team swam faster than her. |
| B．She was disqualified for breaking the rule. |
| C．She was too nervous to swim. |
| D．One of her socks fell off. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that Elizabeth_____.
| A．believed she was the best of her team. |
| B．Hoped to take part in the Olympics. |
| C．Overcame her fear of swim meets. |
| D．Was grateful for the girl’s help. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Born to be a swimmer | B．Swimming in socks |
| C．The swim season | D．Never give up! |
Nowadays it is common that people are buying more products and services than ever before through the Internet, so do Americans. And experts say the popularity of online sales is likely to spread to other countries. Online sales now represent as much as 10% of all retail sales in the United States. This has led traditional stores to seek new ways to keep their customers loyal.
Taking Lynne for example, she made good use of the Internet. she used the Internet to buy everything she needed for her Wedding and holiday gifts for her husband and stepdaughter. Other than food, 90% of her purchases were made on her home computer. “I find that, by being able to go online, choose the things that I need, and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, I eliminate all the driving, all the crowds, all the noise of that, and I usually get a better selection.”
There are a lot of people like her. Experts say American online shopping hit records in both November and December. 57% of Americans have bought something electronically. Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales will hurt their business. Cornell University marketing professor Ed Melaughlin says they can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. The stores could also offer things that are difficult to ship. Besides, some stores can please customers by offering to repair electronic products.
Bill Martin is the founder of Shopper Trak. His business helps stores learn about their customers. He said, “There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision, you know, that takes place. Often you need that last sense of “Boy, this is exactly what I want before you are ready to part with money, and you can't always get that online. It's a rather cold process.”
While e-commerce worries some business owners, the only worry for delivery services is keeping up with the number of packages. UPS manager Dana Kline says her company is very busy at this time of the year.
UPS is so busy that it has filled 55,000 temporary work positions during the holiday season. The purpose of this passage is to tell us ________.
| A．the challenge online owners are faced with |
| B．the difference between online sales and traditional sales |
| C．the challenge e－commerce causes to traditional sales |
| D．the trouble that customers often meet when purchasing online |
The example of Lynne is mentioned in the passage to show________.
| A．online sales will replace traditional sales sooner or later |
| B．online business has changed many Americans' life |
| C．traditional stores can't offer enough food to their customers |
| D．traditional stores find new ways to keep their customers loyal |
The underlined word “eliminate” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “________”.
| A．include | B．decrease | C．avoid | D．discourage |
It is implied in Bill Martin's words that ________.
| A．store owners should learn more about their customers |
| B．traditional stores can provide goods to buyers more quickly |
| C．some owners are using websites to persuade people to visit their stores |
| D．traditional stores offer a social experience that some people enjoy |
Apparently everyone knows that global warming only makes climate more extreme. A hot, dry summer has caused another flood of such claims. And one of the players that benefit the most from this story is the media: the idea of “extreme” climate simply makes for more exciting news.
Consider Paul Krugman writing breathlessly in The New York Times about the “rising incidence of extreme events.” He claims that global warming caused the current drought in America’s Midwest, and that supposedly record-high corn prices could cause a global food crisis(危机)。
But the United Nations’s latest assessment tells us precisely the opposite—there has an overall slight tendency toward less dryness in North America. Moreover, there is no way that Krugman could have identified this drought as being caused by global warming without a time machine since climate models estimate that such detection will be possible by 2048, at the earliest.
And, fortunately, this year’s drought appears unlikely to cause a food crisis, as global rice and wheat supplies are plentiful. Moreover, Krugman overlooks inflation(通货膨胀)：Prices have increased six-fold since 1969.So, the inflation-adjusted price of corn was higher throughout most of the 1970s.
Finally, Krugman forgets that concerns about global warming are the main reason that corn prices have skyrocketed since 2005.Nowadays 40 percent of corn grown in the United States is used to produce ethanol(乙醇)，which raises the price of corn –at the expense of many of the world’s poorest people.
Bill Mickbben similarly worries in The Guardian About the Midwest drought and corn prices.He confidently tells us that fierce wildfires from New Mexico and Colorado to Siberia are “exactly” what the early stages of global warming look like.
In fact, the latest study on global wildfire suggests that fire incidence has declined over the past 70 years and is now close to its preindustrial level.
When well—meaning campaigners want us to pay attention to global warming, they often end up making overstatements. And exaggerated(夸张的) claims merely fuel public distrust and unconcern. That is unfortunate, because global warming is a real problem, and we do need to address it.In what way do the media benefit from extreme weather?
| A．They can give voice to different views. |
| B．They can make themselves better known. |
| C．They can choose from a greater variety of topics. |
| D．They can attract people’s attention to their reports. |
What is the author’s comment on Krugman’s claim about the current drought in America’s Midwest?
| A．It will eventually get proof in 2048. |
| B．It is based on an erroneous climate model. |
| C．So far there is no way to prove its validity. |
| D．A time machine is needed to tell if it is true. |
What is the chief reason for the rise in corn prices according to the author?
| A．Inflation rates have been skyrocketing since the 1970s. |
| B．A considerable part of corn is used to produce green fuel. |
| C．Climate change has caused corn supply to drop markedly. |
| D．Demand for food has been rising in the developing countries. |
What does the author think of the exaggerated claims in the media about global warming?
| A．They lead to public distrust about science. |
| B．They create confusion about climate change, |
| C．They are strategies to raise public awareness. |
| D．They do a disservice to addressing the problem. |