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
Recently, one of my best friends, whom I’ve shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, spent the weekend with me. Since I moved to a new town several years ago, we’ve both always looked forward to the few times a year when we can see each other.
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with. She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how he experimented with drugs and was into other self-destructive behavior. I was blown away! She told me how she had been lying to her parents about where she was going and even stealing out to see this guy because they didn’t want her around him. No matter how hard I tried to tell her that she deserved better, she didn’t believe me. Her self-respect seemed to have disappeared.
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble. I felt like I was getting nowhere. I just couldn’t believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang with a bunch of losers, especially her boyfriend.
By the time she left, I was really worried about her and exhausted by the experience. It had been so frustrating, I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship，but I didn’t. I put the power of friendship to the final test. We’d been friends for far too long. I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself. I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer anything.
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation, and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend. I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face. It was one of the truly rewarding moments in my life. Never had I been so proud of a friend.
56. In the writer’s opinion, her friend ________.
A. was a girl with no self-respect
B. could find a better boyfriend
C. was brave enough to stick to her own choice
D. didn’t value the writer’s suggestion
57. What did the writer worry about?
A. She would lose the friendship with her.
B. Her friend’s parents would be worried about their daughter.
C. Her friend would get into great trouble with the boy.
D. Her friend’s boyfriend would be in great trouble.
58. We may leam from Paragraph 3 that the writer ________.
A. didn’t want to go anywhere else
B. hated her friend’s hanging with her boyfriend
C. couldn’t believe that her friend’s choice was acceptable
D. doubted that she could in any way help her friend
59. What can be concluded from the passage?
A. Friendship starting from childhood is not reliable.
B. Friendship is a cure for any injury in life.
C. Friendship should be everlasting once begun.
D. Friendship can have magical power in life.
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A—F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.
| A. Forecasting Research B. Well-known Weather Forecasters C. Severe Weather Events D. Weather Forecasting E. The Forecasting Process F. Historical Background |
The task of predicting the weather that will be observed at a future time is called weather forecasting. As one of the primary objectives of the science of meteorology, weather forecasting has depended critically on the scientific and technological advances in meteorology that have taken place since the latter half of the 19th century.
Throughout most of history, forecasting efforts at any given site depended solely on observations that could be made at the site. With the development of the telegraph in the mid-1800s, weather forecasters were able to obtain observations from many distant locations within a few hours of the collection of such data. Weather forecasting was revolutionized in the 1920s by the work of a group of Norwegian scientists. This group provided a consistent and empirically based description of atmospheric circulation systems. Current weather-forecasting techniques were initiated by the theoretical work of American meteorologist Jule Charney in developing numerical weather prediction. Experimental numerical forecasts in 1950 proved so fruitful that they were soon adopted on a practical basis. Since then, computerized systems based on numerical models have become a central part of weather forecasting.
The process of making a weather forecast can be separated into three steps: observation and analysis, extrapolation to find the future state of the atmosphere, and prediction of particular variables. The standard extrapolation technique is to assume that weather features will continue to move as they have been moving. In some cases the third step simply consists of noting the results of extrapolation, but actual prediction usually involves considerable efforts beyond this.
Great attention is paid to weather forecasts during times of severe events (blizzard, hurricane and typhoon, tornado), and so forth. Accordingly, the National Weather Service (NWS) commits significant resources to the forecast of such events. Blizzards or strong extra-tropical cycles are handled through the usual forecast information channels, with the local NWS office issuing special advisories as appropriate.
A number of new observing systems are being developed for forecasting purposes. These include the Next-Generation Radar digital weather radar, which is intended to detect motions towards or away from the radar installation. In addition, automated systems are being developed for taking observations at surface stations and on board buoys, ships, and aircraft. The communications, processing, and display systems intended to govern this torrent of further data are still being elaborated.
A new argument has been put forward as to whether penguins are disturbed by the presence of tourists in Antarctica.
Previous research by scientists from Keil University in Germany monitored Adelie penguins and noted that the birds’ heart rates increased dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30 meters away. But new research using an artificial egg, which is equipped to measure heart rates, disputes this. Scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge say that a slow moving human who does not approach the nest too closely, is not viewed as a threat by penguins.
The earlier findings have been used to partly explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of certain types of penguins near tourist sites. However, tour operators have continued to insist that their activities do not adversely affect wildlife in Antarctica, saying they encourage non-disruptive behavior in tourists, and that the decline in penguin numbers is caused by other factors.
Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research Institute spent three southern hemisphere summers at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin behavior towards humans. “A nesting penguin will react very differently to a person rapidly and closely approaching the nest,” says Nimon. “First they exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and then they often flee the nest leaving it open for predators (掠夺者) to fly in and remove eggs or chicks.” The artificial egg, specially for the project, monitored both the parent who had been ‘disturbed’ when the egg was placed in the nest and the other parent as they both took it in turns to guard the nest.
However, Boris Culik, who monitored the Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon’s findings do not invalidate his own research. He points out that species behave differently – and Nimon’s work was with Gentoo penguins. Nimon and her colleagues believe that Culik’s research was methodologically flawed because the monitoring of penguins’ responses needed capturing and restraining the birds and fitting them with beart-rate transmitters. Therefore, argues Nimon, it would not be surprising if they became stressed on seeing a human subsequently. According to the passage, what overall message is presented?
| A．No firm conclusions are drawn. |
| B．Neither Culik’s nor Nimon’s findings are of much value. |
| C．Penguin reduction is closed related to tourist behavior. |
| D．Tourists are not responsible for the fall in penguin numbers. |
Which ONE argument of the following is stated in the passage?
| A．Penguins are harder to research when they have young. |
| B．Tour operators should encourage tourists to avoid Antarctica. |
| C．Not all penguins behave in the same way. |
| D．Penguins need better protection from tourists. |
What do you notice about the views presented in the passage?
| A．They are groundless. |
| B．They are factual. |
| C．They are descriptive. |
| D．They are conflicting. |
What does the underlined word (final line) probably mean?
| A．later on |
| B．carmly |
| C．separately |
| D．in the same place |
A casual employee is one who is engaged and paid as such by agreement between the employer and employee. There is a three-hour minimum payment for each period of engagement and a four-hour minimum engagement on a Public Holiday. No notice of termination is required. For night work between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday to Friday a penalty of $1.28 per hour (or part of hour) shall be paid with a minimum of $4.37 for any one day on which such hours are worked.
Meals: Casual employees whose engagement extends for five hours or more shall be provided with a meal free of charge, or shall be paid in lieu of $5.00 ($6.00 from 1 May 1996)
Casual employment over eight hours: Paid at the overtime rate of full time employees.
Payment of wages: By mutual consent either weekly or on termination of engagement.
Annual leave: Pro-rata Annual Leave entitlement for casuals is on the basis of 1/12th of earnings. Many employers pay this inclusive with the hourly rate. If this is not done, it should be paid on termination of services or at the end of 12 months’ service.
Special clothing: A casual employee is required to provide and wear a black and white uniform or an equivalent standard specified by the club (e.g. blue and white, cook’s clothing, etc.) this includes how tie and cummerbund if required by the employer. The employer may launder all uniforms, or pay the employee and allowance of $1.00 per engagement ($1.20 from 1 May 1996) for general staff. Cooks shall be paid $1.50 per engagement ($1.70 from 1 May 1996).Casual employees must be given a free meal or a meal allowance if they ______.
| A．work after 7:00 a.m. | B．work over five hours a day |
| C．have had 12 months’ service | D．are paid $5.00 |
In casual employment, notice of termination is ______.
| A．not possible | B．not necessary | C．provided | D．paid in lieu |
Which of the following sentences best sums up the situation of casual staff?
| A．The employers of casual staff are well protected by regulations. |
| B．Casual staff need to provide their own uniforms. |
| C．The rights and conditions of casual staff are clearly specified. |
| D．The conditions of casual staff are as good as those of full-time staff. |
All over the world, libraries have begun the Herculean task of making faithful digital copies of the books, images and recordings that preserve the intellectual effort of humankind. For armchair scholars, the work promises to bring such a wealth of information to the desktop that the present Internet may seem amateurish in retrospect. …
Librarians see three clear benefits to going digital. First, it helps them preserve rare and fragile objects without denying access to those who wish to study them. The British Library, for example, holds the only medieval manuscript of Beowulf in London. Only qualified scholars were allowed to see it until Kevin S. Kiernan of the University of Kentucky scanned the manuscript with three different light sources (revealing detail not normally apparent to the naked eye) and put the images up on the Internet for anyone to peruse (阅览). Tokyo’s National Diet Library is similarly creating highly detailed digital photographs of 1,236 woodblock prints, scrolls and other materials it considers national treasures so that researchers can scrutinize them without handling the originals.
A second benefit is convenience. Once books are converted to digital form, patrons can retrieve them in seconds rather than minutes. Several people can simultaneously read the same book or view the same picture. Clerks are spared the chore of reshelving. And libraries could conceivably use the Internet to land their virtual collections to those who are unable to visit in person.
The third advantage of electronic copies is that they occupy millimeters of space on a magnetic disk rather than meters on a shelf. Expanding library buildings is increasingly costly. The University of California at Berkeley recently spent $46 million on an underground addition to house 1.5 million books – an average cost of $30 per volume. The price of disk storage, in contrast, has fallen to about $2 per 300-page publication and continues to drop.The best title for this passage would be __________.
| A．Three Benefits of Libraries |
| B．Libraries Going Digital |
| C．Space-saving E-learning |
| D．Security of Electronic Reading |
Which paragraph(s) in the text offer(s) further explanation of the central idea?
| A．Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 | B．Paragraphs 3 and 4 |
| C．Paragraphs 2 and 4 | D．Paragraph 4 |
Which one of the following is mentioned as the advantages of E-libraries
| A．Old manuscripts can be moved more easily |
| B．Materials can be examined without being touched |
| C．Fewer staff will be required in libraries |
| D．Libraries will be able to move underground |
What does the word ‘scrutinize’ probably mean?
| A．keep for a while | B．reprint | C．restore | D．examine carefully |
阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的要求答题(请注意问题后字数要求)。
Giving gifts is not a normal part of Britain business culture．Indeed，British business colleagues are qoite likely to feel embarrassed to receive any gift at all．The only exception would be at the conclusion of a desl when it might be appropriate to give a unique souvenir to mark the occasion. Such items might be gold，silver，or porcelain with a suitable inscriptiop．A-gain，to avoid embarrassment on the part of the recipient，the object must be restrained, tastefuI，and not too expensive．
Small gifts such as a lpen Or a book would be suitable gifts of genuine gratitude，and flowers or wine suffice to thank junior colleagues for their services．
Ahernatively，it will often be appreciated if you invite your hosts，or others yoU wish to thank，out for a meal or tO the theatre．
It is always good form to buy a round of drinks for your colleagues after work．This is also the most common way of celebrating someone's birthday．
Business gifts are never exchanged at Christmas but it may be appropriate to send a card，particularly as an．expression of thanks to your business associates but also as a means of maintaining valuable contacts．Bear in mind that the UK postal services was founded at about the same time as the old railways so ensure that your cards are mailed in good time．
If you are invited to a British home，it is standard practice to bring wine，flowers or chocolate for your hosts．The usual European warnings apply when giving flowers：no red roses or white lilies．
If you know that you are going to stay with a family，it is a good idea to bring something ．If you are unprepared，then your time in your host's house should allow you to think of something they would really appreciate even if you have to mail it from home on your return．What's the best title of the passage?(within 8 words)
How do colleagues often celebrate each other's birthday in Britain based on the passage?(within 15 words)
Fill in the black in the last paragraph with proper words．(within 5 words)
Is it always appropriate to bring flowers when you visit a British home?Why?(within 15words)
Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 into Chinese．
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