The most popular way to welcome the new year in the United States is to h
ave a big party. Some parties are at people’s homes. But in recent years, it has become more and more common
For Americans to go to a hotel or a club or a restaurant on the night of December the 31st. There they can have dinner, drink champagne ( a kind of wine), and dance.
Most New Year’s parties have something in common. First of all, they are usually noisy. People sing and bands (乐队)play. And often, guests pull a cracker（爆竹） when the clock strikes twelve at midnight. People think that loud sounds would drive away the evil spirits of the old year before the new year begins.
For many people New Year’
s Eve is the night when they can drink as much as they like. Some New Year’s celebrations have ended sadly for people who got drunk and had driving accidents. Radio’s and television’s announcements warn people of the danger of drunk driving. Some places offer free rides home for drunken people.
The biggest and noisiest New year’s party in the United States takes place at Times Square in New York City. Thousands of people gather there. Some of them ring bells or let off crackers. Others blow whistles or car horns. And at 12 o’cloIk, they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple lights up on top of a tall building.
Americans keep up one other important tradition as the new year begins. They make decisions about how to improve themselves in the year ahead. Experts say that the most common New Year’s decisions in the United states are to eat less. But many Americans also promise themselves to stop smoking, or stop drinking wine, or to be nicer to their friends and families.
Experts find fewer than ten percent of Americans carry out their New Year’s decisions. Few want to give up this tradition. Almost everyone seems to enjoy looking back over the year that has just ended and looking forward to a nice beginning of a new year. ,
72. The article is about _____.
A. some important traditions in the USA
B. when and where Americans welcome the new year
C. New year’s celebrations in the USA
D. American ways of life and their interests
73. On New Year’s Eve _____ in America.
A. parties are held in different places
B. people are encouraged to drink as much as they like
C. some places offer free rides home for everyone
D. people begin to shout as soon as they see a red apple
74. . Most new year’s parties are usually noisy, because______.
A. people sing songs B. bands play music
C. guests pull crackers D. people want to get rid of bad luck of the old year
75. In order to prevent car accidents _____ on New Year’s Eve.
A. many Americans prom
ise to stop drinking wine
B. drunken people are forbidden to drive, but can be driven home for free in some places
C. little wine is served at New year’s celebrations
D. people are warned of the danger of drinking too much
Don't believe all of the stereotypes (模式化的形象) you may have heard about Americans．Even the ones that are true in general may not be true about specific individuals or a large part of the population．For example，although Americans tend to be louder than people from other cultures(especially at athletic events)，many of the people you meet will be quiet and polite．Some people may be intolerant，but most will be pleasant and welcoming．Remember that American films and television exaggerate(夸张)in order to generate excitement，and so present a rather false picture of what 1ife in the United States is really like．Therefore，tourists in the US are not always on their best behavior．
Americans do tend to be more informal than people from other countries．It is common for Americans to wear casual clothing to school and to greet professors by first name．However，good manners and politeness are always appreciated．If you are polite，and dress a little more formally than your American friends，it will not be poorly thought of.
However，some businesses require their employees to wear a uniform or a suit．It would be improper to wear a T-shirt and blue jeans to a job interview．Some of the more prestigious restaurants require a coat and tie．Americans tend to dress up for cultural events(the opera，theater and ballet)and to dress down for athletic events．Formal wear is required at weddings and funerals，or any other event with religious event．If you rely on the stereotypes，you will likely put yourself into an embarrassing situation
60. The underlined sentence probably means .
A. Some of the stereotypes you may have heard about Americans are not true
B. You should not believe the stereotypes you may have heard about Americans
C. None of the stereotypes you may have heard about Americans should be believed
D. None of the stereotypes you may have heard about Americans should not be believed
61. The passage is probably written for .
A. businessmen
B. visitors to America
C. American students
D. American film--makers
62. The second paragraph suggests that .
A. most Americans are polite
B. people who are polite are welcome
C. casual clothing makes others uncomfortable
D. American students are impolite to their teachers
63. We can learn from the passage that .
A. American films are mostly poor comedies
B. it is good manners to wear blue jeans to a wedding
. Americans usually wear formal clothes in a theater
D. to dress formally makes others feel you are not easy to get on with
The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition－and I told the sisters: You take care of the other three. I take care of this one who looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand as she said just the words “Thank you” and she died.
I could not help but examine my conscience before her and I asked what I would say if I was in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more－she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face. So did that man whom we picked up from the drain, half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for”，he said at the end . And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming anybody, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel－this is the greatness of our people. And that is why we believe what Jesus has said: I was hungry, I was naked, I was homeless, I was unwanted, unloved, uncared for, and you did it to me.
And with this prize that I received as a Prize of Peace, I am going to try to make the home for many people who have no home. Because I believe that love begins at home and if we can create a home for the poor I think that more and more love will spread. And we will be able through this understanding love to bring peace, be the good news to the poor, the poor in our own family first, in our country and in the world. When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied. I have removed that hunger. But to a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out from society, that poverty is so full of hurt and so unbearable… And so let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love, and once we begin to love each other naturally we want to do something.
56. What can be learned from the second paragraph?
A. The woman should have paid more attention to herself.
B. The man couldn’t blame anyone.
C. The author is religious.
D. The man died in the street.
57. The purpose of this passage is .
A. To appeal for more donation for the poor.
B. To call on the public to love each other.
C. To tell the readers the poor are wonderful.
D. To express how moved the author is to receive the prize.
58. is NOT inferred from the passage?
A. The author has few supporters.
B. The author was somewhat surprised at what the man said.
C. The author is delighted to help others in trouble.
D. The author may agree to solve social problems in soft ways.
59. What’s the best title of this passage？
A. Have Sympathy for the Poor
B. The Poor are Wonderful
C. Smile and Love
D. Relieve Poverty
How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings
Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical(经验的，实证的) basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation.
Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room's ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.
In additions to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant's ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.
Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.
Recent study on room lighting design suggests that dim(暗淡的) light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.
So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. "We have a very limited number of studies, so we're almost looking at the problem through a straw(吸管)," architect David Allison says. "How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That's what we're all struggling with."
What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research?
A. Light. B. Ceilings. C. Windows. D. Furniture.
The passage tells us that ______.
A. the shape of furniture may affect people's feelings
B. lower ceilings may help improve students' creativity
C. children in a dim classroom may improve their grades
D. students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ______.
A. the problem is not approached step by step
B. the researches so far have faults in themselves
C. the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect
D. research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns
70. Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point SP: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
Some say everyday miracles(奇迹) are predestined(注定的)----the right time for the appointed meeting. And it can happen anywhere.
In 2001, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York. It was an early evening in late July. Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game. Swinging his bat back and forth, giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give. The boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest. His heart stopped.
When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid. Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute, her shift(换班)at the hospital had been changed to see her son’s performance. She was given the night off. Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and giving chest compressions. And he revived in the end.
After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life. He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time.
Kevin, now 18, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table. He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat. She was choking.
Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands. Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts. The food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed. The color began to return to her face.
"The food was stuck. I couldn't breathe," she said. She thought she was dying. "I was very frightened."
Who was the woman?
Penny Brown.
63. The author wrote the passage to show us that_______.
A. miracles are predestined and they can happen anywhere
B. whoever helps you in trouble will get a reward one day
C. God will help those who give others a helping hand
D. miracles won’t come without any difficulty sometimes
64. Why did Penny Brown change her shift and was given the night off that night?
A. She was invited to give the players directions
B. She volunteered to give medical services
C. She was a little worried about his son’s safety
D. She came to watch her son’s game and cheered him
65. The underlined word “revived”(paragraph3) most likely means______.
A. came back to life B. became worse C. failed D. moved
66. When Kevin knew the woman was Penny Brown, probably he first felt _____.
A. happy B. surprised C. sad D. worried
The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet…… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically（身体上）.
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brains to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale （秤）instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients (营养成分). Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemicals that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological and physical harm that comes from using them.
59. From Paragraph 1, we learn that ______.
A. diet products fail to bring out people’s potential
B. people have difficulty in choosing diet products
C. diet products are misleading people
D. people are fed up with diet products
60. One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to ______.
A. try out a variety of diet foods
B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods
C. pay attention to their own eating habits
D. watch their weight rather than their diet
61. In Paragraph 3, “gain comes without pain” probably means ______.
A. losing weight is effortless
B. it costs a lot to lose weight
C. diet products bring no pain
D. diet products are free from calories
62. Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products ______.
A. are over-consumed
B. lack basic nutrients
C. are short of chemicals
D. provide too much energy
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