If you want to cook something quickly, you heat it from both sides. That’s what’s happening to the West Antarctic ice sheet(南极洲西部冰盖). A new study reveals that the area under the ice sheet is far hotter than previously thought, fed by an unexpected flow of geothermal energy(地热能). While the CO2 we send out heats the atmosphere above the continent, earth is melting us ice from below.
If you were to drill (钻) deep at some place on the continents, you would find that the temperature increases about 25℃ for every kilometer deep into the hole on average. Scientists call this the geothermal gradient(地热梯度). Until recently, no one had drilled deeply enough through the West Antarctic ice to determine the geothermal gradient underground. For the new study, researchers drilled all the way through the ice and into the mud. They found that the geothermal gradient was about 200℃, which is several times the global average on continents. Few predicted this result, although it had been showed that the earth below the West Antarctic ice is unusually hot.
Even with the new discovery, though, we still don’t know exactly where the heat is coming from. One interesting possibility is volcanoes, which are under the ice. As recently as 2013, scientists were still discovering volcanoes under the ice in the area, and there may be many more.
Some people say that these volcanoes, rather than manmade climate change, are responsible for melting the area’s ice. While it’s true that heat coming from within the earth, including heat related to volcanoes, makes the melting faster, it is just one contributor to the loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet---not the main cause. Today’s study could help us understand how the whole system, including global warming, is melting the ice.What’s happening to the West Antarctic ice sheet?
A.The ice sheet is getting hotter and hotter. |
B.It is heated from below rather than from above. |
C.The ice sheet is producing a new kind of energy. |
D.It is melting from both sides. |
What can be learned from the second Paragraph?
A.It was the first time that researchers had tried to measure geothermal gradients. |
B.The geothermal gradient showed where the heat came from. |
C.The result was beyond the researchers’ expectations. |
D.Researchers never knew the earth under the West Antarctic ice was hot. |
The author would probably agree that ___.
A.the new discovery is unhelpful without a certain conclusion |
B.no volcano has been found to support the researchers’ idea |
C.volcanoes are the most important reason for the melting of the ice |
D.global warming is surely one reason for the melting of the ice |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.The West Antarctic ice sheet is in danger. |
B.Researchers are trying to stop global warming. |
C.The West Antarctic ice sheet’s melting will bring terrible consequences. |
D.It has been known how to stop the melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet. |
E
It is the last day of the school year and I stand empty – handed with no gift to give you.
It isn't that I haven't tried to think of something meaningful and special … quite to the contrary. For months I have combed shops and department stores, and even searched the Internet only to realize that nothing could measure up to the feelings of a mother’s grateful heart and a teacher’s loving devotion.
How I wish a colorful bundle of fresh wildflowers could reflect the beauty of your way with children! Jewelry would surely be nice, but what can I afford that would not grow quickly out of style? You deserve respect for your determination and creativity, your devotion and talent.
At the moment the first school bell rang last August, I placed in you my trust, believing you would teach my child and reserve respect for me as a parent. I added to that my constant and devoted wish that you would be reasonable and fair to set limitations and rules while offering my child a chance to learn self-control. I sincerely hope that your classroom would be a safe shelter for my child to grow and learn, which is a perfect mixture of self-discipline and controlled instruction. I prayed for your health and your happiness, and your ability to be supplied with the tools necessary to complete your task as a teacher and educator. I offered you my time as often as I could, and my support for your cause. Occasionally, I even offered you a challenge when I spoke my mind, sometimes standing firm, sometimes giving up with a renewed assurance or a “ wait and see” attitude!
I wish with all my heart I could put a delicate ribbon on a wrapped package and give you a “ something” to express my appreciation and affection, but I have nothing to give you that would be better than the precious gift I have ever had to offer and which you already so pleasantly accepted months ago-the one you have held close to your heart, laughed with and probably cried with, cheered and scolded – my child!
And today, as my child returns to my side for the summer, the gift I humbly give to you is found deep within my heart...
57.On the last day of the school year, the author has no gift to give the teacher, because .
A.she has no time to think of something meaningful and special
B.she cannot find something that can properly express her feelings
C.there is nowhere to buy a colorful bundle of fresh wildflowers
D.she thinks it unnecessary to express her feelings to the teacher
58.According to the author, the best gift for the teacher is_________
A.her child B.her respect C.her present D.her support
59.The underlined sentence in the passage implies that the author hopes that .
A.the teacher can teach her child patiently
B.the teacher will not be too strict with her child
C.the teacher will teach her child enough self - control
D.the teacher can stand firm in the teaching
60.This passage is most probably adapted from__________.
A.a novel B.a letter C.a paper D.a report
D
Sadness is unpleasant, and in a society where personal happiness is prized above all else, there is little tolerance for falling in despair. Especially now we’ve got drugs for getting rid of sad feelings — whether it’s after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one. So it’s no surprise that more and more people are taking them.
But is this really such a good idea? A growing number of voices from the world of mental health research are saying it isn’t. They fear that the increasing tendency to treat normal sadness as a disease is playing fast and loose. Sadness, they argue, serves a useful purpose—and if we lose it, we lose out. Yet many psychiatrists insist not. Sadness has a nasty habit of turning into depression they warn. Even when people are sad for good reason, they should take drugs to make themselves feel better.
So who is right? Is sadness something we cannot live without or something horrible never to touch?
There are lots of ideas about why feeling sad should become part of human life. It may be a kind of self-protection, as other primates (灵长类) also show signs of sadness. A losing monkey that doesn’t show sadness after it loses a fight may be seen as continuing to challenge the winning monkey — and that could result in death.
In humans sadness has a further function: we may display sadness as a form of communication. By acting sad, we tell other community members that we need support.
Then there is the idea that creativity is connected to dark moods. There are plenty of great artists, writers and musicians who have suffered from depression or disorder. Scientists found that people with signs of depression performed better at a creative task, and negative moods make people think deeply over the unhappy experience, which allows creative processes to come to the front. There is also evidence that too much happiness can be bad for your career. A doctor found that people who scored 8 out of 10 on a happiness test were more successful in income and education than 9s or 10s. The happiest people lose their willingness to make changes to their lives that may benefit them.
53.The underlined word “this ” refers to ________.
A.taking medicine B.falling in despair C.losing a job D.feeling sad
54.The author believes sadness is ________.
A.a good thing for people’s health B.something horrible never to touch
C.a necessary function of humans’ D.always to be treated as depression
55.Some animals show their sadness in order to ________.
A.cheat their enemy B.protect themselves
C.comfort the loser D.challenge the winner
56.We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A.people with great creativity tend to be happier
B.unhappy experiences contribute to a greater career
C.too much happiness can be bad for your career
D.the happiest people are the most successful ones
C
Have you ever picked a job based on the fact that you were good at it but later found it made you feel very uncomfortable over time? When you select your career, there’s whole lot more to it than assessing your skills and matching them with a particular position. If you ignore your personality, it will hurt you long-term regardless of your skills or the job's pay. There are several areas of your personality that you need to consider to help you find a good job. Here are a few of those main areas:
1) Do you prefer working alone or with other people?
There are isolating(使孤立) jobs that will drive an outgoing person crazy and also interactive jobs that will make a shy person uneasy. Most people are not extremes in either direction but do have a tendency that they prefer. There are also positions that are sometimes a combination of the two, which may be best for someone in the middle who adapts easily to either situation.
2) How do you handle change?
Most jobs these days have some elements of change to them, but some are more than others. If you need stability in your life, you may need a job where the changes don't happen so often. Other people would be bored of the same daily routine.
3) Do you enjoy working with computers?
I do see this as a kind of personality characteristic. There are people who are happy to spend more than 40 hours a week on a computer, while there are others who need a lot of human interaction throughout the day. Again, these are extremes and you'll likely find a lot of positions somewhere in the middle as well.
4) What type of work environment do you enjoy?
This can range from being in a large building with a lot of people you won't know immediately to a smaller setting where you'll get to know almost all the people there fairly quickly.
5) How do you like to get paid?
Some people are motivated by the pay they get, while others feel too stressed to be like that. The variety of payment designs in the sales industry is a typical example for this.
Anyway, these are a great starting point for you. I've seen it over and over again with people that they make more money over time when they do something they love. It may take you a little longer, but making a move to do what you have a passion for can change the course of your life for the better.
49.This passage mainly talks about the importance of _______.
A.different jobs B.personalities C.personal skills D.job’s pay
50.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Isolating jobs usually drive people mad.
B.Interactive jobs make people shy easily.
C.Extreme people tend to work with others.
D.Almost everyone has a tendency in jobs.
51.What is the missing word about a job search in the following chart?
A.Design B.Skills C.Cooperation D.Hobbies
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52.What is the best title for this passage?
A.Lifestyles and Job Pay B.Jobs and Environment
C.Job Skills and Abilities D.Personalities and Jobs
B
Ever since I was a small girl in school, I’ve been aware of what the school textbooks say about Indians. I am an Indian and, naturally, am interested in what the schools teach about natives of this land.
One day, I read that a delicacy(美味) of American Indian people was dried fish, which , according to the textbook, tasted “like an old shoe, or was like chewing on dried leather.” To this day I can remember my surprise, my anger and my sadness at reading these words. We called this wind-dried fish “sleet-shus”, and to us, it was our favorite delicacy and, indeed, did not taste like shoe leather, and didn’t rot our teeth and bring about the various dietary problem that trouble Indian people in modern times. It took many hours of long and hard work to cure the fish in just this particular fashion. Early fur traders and other non-Indians must have agreed, for they often had this food as they traveled around isolated areas.
I brought the textbook home to show it to my father, leader of my tribe at that time. On this particular day, he told me in his wise and modest manner that the outside world did not understand Indian people, and that I should not let it prevent me from learning the good parts of education.
At a later time in my life, I had brought a group of Indian people to the country fairgrounds to sell Indian-made arts and crafts. My group was excited to make some money by selling Indian handicrafts. We thanked the man who showed us to our booth and told him it was nice of him to remember the people of the Indian community. The man expanded a little and remarked that he liked Indian people. “In fact,” he went on to state, “we are bringing some professional Indians to do the show!”
As we stood there in shock, listening to this uninformed outsider, I looked at my dear Indian companion, an eighty-year-old woman who could well remember the great chiefs of the tribe who once owned all the land of this country before the white man came bringing “civilization”, which included diseases and pollution. My friend said not a word, but took the hurt as Indian people have done for many years.
Of course, we all knew that the “professional Indian” were not Indians at all, but dressed in leather and dancing their own dances. And, anyway, how does one become a “professional Indian”?
45.Which of the following statements about “sleet-shus” is true?
A.It tasted like an old shoe.
B.Eating it was like chewing on dried leather.
C.It was delicious but bad for our teeth.
D.It must have brought pleasure to Indians as well as early business men.
46.What does the writer mean by saying “how does one become ‘a professional Indian’”?
A.Only the Indians know how to become professional Indians.
B.The outside civilization can help and Indian become a professional Indian.
C.An Indian is a born professional Indian.
D.The outside civilization can help white people become professional Indians.
47.After reading the passage, you don’t know __________.
A.what the writer’s profession is
B.what upset the writer and her friend at the county fair
C.why the writer went to the county fair
D.the writer’s attitude to the so-called civilization
48.This story is primarily about ___________.
A.customs of native Americans
B.how textbooks describe native Americans.
C.misunderstanding between people from different cultures
D.how an Indian becomes a “professional Indian”
第二部分:阅读理解(第一节 20小题,第二节5小题;每题2分,满分50分)
第一节: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。
A
What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere-on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble – maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature – he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”
41.The whole passage is in a tone of _________.
A.humor and affectionB.respect and harmony
C.ambition and expectation D.confidence and imagination
42.By saying “he has five thumbs on each hand.”, the author means .
A.he has altogether five fingers B.he is slow, foolish and clumsy
C.he becomes clever and smart D.he cuts his hand with a knife
43.According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except _________.
A.ice cream B.comic books C.Saturday mornings D.Sunday schools
44.What does the writer feel about boys?
A.He feels curious about their noise. B.He is fed up with these creatures.
C.He is amazed by their naughtiness. D.He feels unsafe staying with them.