阅读理解（共20小题，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑
In the past, people who graduated from college felt proud of their academic（学业的）achievements and confident that their degree would help them to find a good job.
However, in the past four years the job market has changed greatly. This year’s college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets. For example, Ryan Stewart, a graduate of San Jose State University, got a degree in religious studies, but he has not gotten any job offers. He points out that many people already working are getting laid off and don’t have jobs, so it’s even harder for new college graduates to find jobs.
Four years ago, the future looked bright for his class of 2006. There were many high-tech(“dot com”) job opportunities, graduates received many job offers, and they were able to get jobs with high salaries and benefits such as health insurance and paid vacations. However, “Times have changed. It’s a new market,” according to an officer of the university.
The officer says students who do find jobs started preparing two years ago. They worked during summer vacations, they have had several short-time jobs, and they majored in fields that are still paying well, such as accounting or nursing.
Even teaching is not a secure profession now. Ryan Stewart wanted to be a teacher. But instead he will probably go back to school in order to become a college teacher. He thinks college teaching could be a good career even in a bad economy.
In conclusion, these days a college degree does not automatically lead to a good job with a high salary. Some students can only hope that the value of their degree will increase in the future.
1. What did a college degree mean to people in the past?
A. It was a proof of their professional skills.
B. It would guarantee their quick promotion（升职）.
C. It built up their confidence in the job market.
D. It would help them to start an academic career.
2. Why does Ryan Stewart want to be a college teacher?
A. Teaching jobs are well-paid. B. He majored in teaching in the university.
C. College teaching is less challenging than high-tech jobs.
D. College teaching career won’t be influenced by economy.
3.It can be concluded from the passage that _____.
A. the value of a college degree has decreased now
B. new college graduates today can’t find any job
C. a college degree can still lead to a good job
D. graduates must prepare early to find jobs
When 18thcentury scientists first came across Australia’s platypus (鸭嘴兽)，they thought it was a trick.It is not surprising that the platypus made people confused.This funnylooking animal has feet and is a kind of warmblooded mammal(哺乳动物)．
While other mammals usually keep their blood at around 37 degrees，the platypus has a lower body temperature of 32 degrees.As to its appearance，the platypus’ mouth is not really like the duck’s; its mouth actually looks a bit softer.The platypus closes its eyes when swimming instead of watching its hunters.It uses its mouth to pick up outside information made by the creatures underwater.
Strangest of all，the platypus is a mammal that can lay eggs.And there is only one other kind of mammal that can lay eggs，the echidna(针鼹鼠) of Australia.Both the platypus and the echidna lay soft shelled eggs，and both feed their young with their own milk that comes out of their skin.These animals also walk in a way that is similar to crocodiles (鳄鱼)，with legs on the sides of their bodies rather than under them.
Though pretty in a special way，the platypus is actually one of the few mammals that are poisonous.A male platypus has knifelike bones on its back legs which have enough poison to kill a dog.
The platypus has the honor of being one of the oldest mammals in the world.Until the early 20thcentury，it was hunted for its fur，but it is now protected.Although the platypus is easily influenced by pollution，it is not under any immediate threat.What can we learn about the platypus?
| A．It has a lower body temperature than other mammals. |
| B．It only closes its eyes when underwater. |
| C．It’s the only poisonous mammal in the world. |
| D．It feeds its young on wild animal meat. |
Which of the following is NOT used as a comparison in the passage?
| A．The crocodile. |
| B．The echidna. |
| C．The duck. |
| D．The dog. |
The characteristics of the platypus that have been described in the passage include________．
a．the color of its skin
b．the way it gets information
c．its walking pose
d．its strange appearance
| A．b－c－d |
| B．a－b－c |
| C．a－c－d |
| D．a－b－d |
We can learn from the last paragraph that the platypus is________．
| A．hunted for its meat |
| B．in danger of extinction |
| C．endangered because of air pollution |
| D．wellprotected now |
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling.Recycling in the home is very important of course.However，being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need.We are dealing with the results of that_overconsumption in the greenest way possible，but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005.It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK.In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment.The UK，for example，is running out of areas for burying this unnecessary waste.If such packaging is burnt，it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect.Recycling helps，but the process itself uses energy.The solution is not to produce such items in the first place.Food waste is a serious problem，too.Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need.However，a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue ，encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags，for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets.It is about all of us.We have learned to associate packaging with quality.We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality.This is especially true of food.But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products，which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope.As more of us recycle，we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material we are collecting.We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture，but we have a mountain to climb.What does the underlined phrase“ that overconsumption” refer to?
| A．Using too much packaging. |
| B．Recycling too many wastes. |
| C．Making more products than necessary. |
| D．Having more material than is needed. |
The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show________．
| A．the tendency of cutting household waste |
| B．the increase of packaging recycling |
| C．the rapid growth of supermarkets |
| D．the fact of packaging overuse |
According to the text，recycling________．
| A．helps control the greenhouse effect |
| B．means burning packaging for energy |
| C．is the solution to gas shortage |
| D．leads to a waste of land |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality. |
| B．Supermarkets care more about packaging. |
| C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging. |
| D．Other products are better packaged than food. |
Global warming is when the earth heats up，the temperature rises.It happens when greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide，water vapor，nitrous oxide (二氧化氮)，and methane (沼气) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere，which increases the temperature.This is like when heat is trapped in a car.On a very hot day，the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot.This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car，by going through the windows，but it can’t get back out.Once the light is inside the car，it is trapped and the heat builds up，just like it does in the earth’s atmosphere.This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth.The heat and light can get through the atmosphere，but it can’t get out.As a result，the temperature rises.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us.The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on.Without it，the earth would be freezing，or on the other hand it would be burning hot.We would not get the sun’s heat and light to make the night somewhat warm.During the day，especially during the summer，it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter (过滤) it，so people，plants，and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it，if there gets to be too many gases，the earth can get unusually warmer，and many plants，animals，and people will die.They would die because there would be less food (plants like corn，wheat，and other vegetables and fruits)．This would happen because the plants would not be able to take in the heat.This would cause us to have less food to eat，but it would also limit the food that animals have.Gradually，people，plants，and animals would all die of hunger.
People are doing many things to try to stop global warming.One thing people are doing is carpooling.Carpooling is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to.This minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car.
Another thing that people are doing is being more careful about leaving things turned on like the television，computer，and the lights.A lot of people are taking time away from the television，and instead，they are spending more time outdoors.This helps our planet out a lot.Now，more people are even riding buses，walking to school，and riding their bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.
Planting trees and recycling also help.If you recycle，less trash goes to the dump，and less trash gets burned.As a result，there are fewer greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere.Although adults do many things to help stop global warming，kids can do just as much.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to________．
| A．light |
| B．heat |
| C．temperature |
| D．greeenhouse effect |
By the example given in Paragraph 1，the author wants to________．
| A．explain how greenhouse gases work |
| B．show his feeling in a car in hot summer |
| C．tell us cars are causes of greenhouse gases |
| D．say that there are greenhouse gases in every car |
What is the effect of atmosphere?
| A．It only traps the heat of the sun. |
| B．It works the same way as greenhouse gases. |
| C．It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold. |
| D．It prevents all the light from the sun shining on the earth. |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．If there is greenhouse effect，all the plants will die. |
| B．Human beings are likely to disappear from the earth. |
| C．Crops can’t take the heat if there is greenhouse effect. |
| D．Although greenhouse effect is necessary，too much of it causes us to die. |
Reuters—By 2010 ，the world may need to cope with as many as 50 million people who have fled their homeland，not for political or economic reasons but because the environment has been so badly changed that it cannot support life.The statement has been released by the United Nations to mark UN Disaster Reduction Day.
More people are made homeless by environmental disasters than by war，according to the research by the Red Cross.That reality is proved by the earthquake in Pakistan.
The widely publicized disaster has brought aid from the global community，according to Janos Bogardi，director of the United Nations University，Institute for Environment and Human Security.“If we can move swiftly in and give them a new start where they are，then they may stay in the area.Otherwise，they become environmental refugees (难民)．Environmentalrelated migrations are most acute in SubSaharan Africa，but they also affect millions of people in Asia and India.Meanwhile，the United States is witnessing increased pressure from victims of mismanaged and worsening soil and water conditions in Mexico and Latin America.”he says.
Janos Bogardi says these refugees suffer from the impact of gradual environmental change—global warming，sea level rise，air and water pollution and more intense storms，floods and droughts that degrade the land.This is a slow process，but unfortunately a process that is very difficult to go backwards once final damage is done.
Janos Bogardi says they are calling on the global community to recognize the serious situation of environmental refugees and to work together to lessen the impact of environmental disaster.What may be the best title of the passage?
| A．Environmental refugees—an international problem |
| B．50 Million environmental refugees by 2010 |
| C．The cause of environmental disasters |
| D．Global aid pouring in |
The underlined word “acute” in Paragraph 3 most probably means________．
| A．serious |
| B．impossible |
| C．slow |
| D．rare |
According to the passage，the following are the main reasons for migrations except________．
| A．earthquake |
| B．water conditions |
| C．global community |
| D．worsening soil |
Which is TRUE according to Janos Bogardi?
| A．Water conditions in Mexico and Latin America are the worst in the world. |
| B．People have to settle down in another new area when a disasterhappens. |
| C．Environmentalrelated migrations mostly happen in developed countries. |
| D．In some areas，people migrate elsewhere due to destroyed soil. |
The library is one of the most popular places at a western university.Students turn to it for research，conversations about class，and many other services.
Compared with Chinese libraries，college libraries in the US and UK tend to offer more resources.A postgraduate at Yale University can borrow as many as 225 books at a time.
In addition to borrowing books，there are online and electronic resources.These include a database search of popular and academic material，such as LexisNexis Academic，which offers items from newspapers and magazines.
Although books and articles are the items that students ask for most frequently，some libraries provide audio and video recordings，maps and sheet music(活页乐谱)．At some schools，teachers and tutors put electronic copies of their teaching PPTs on the library web to give easier access for students.
Another useful service in western college libraries is the Interlibrary Loan.This allows a student at one school to borrow books from another school.The loan request is made through the student’s college library，which gets the book，gives it to the user and arranges for its return.
Technology has brought more services to students and has made libraries attractive.Some universities have services for students to send messages through the computer or mobile texts to ask the library staff for information.
Earlier this year，Harvard University introduced a new Scan and Deliver service，allowing students to make requests for parts of books and articles.Requests made through the system are handled by library staff.The student receives an email with an Internet link to the scanned pages.The service is free and all material comes within four days.
It used to be that libraries didn’t allow food or drinks.But that rule is changing and many of them now contain a cafe so students can spend as much time as they want in the library.
Actually，some US university libraries are now allnight affairs，or have at least one study room open all night.In western college libraries a postgraduate can________．
| A．have a free drink or a meal |
| B．borrow as many books as they want |
| C．ask questions and get answers from their tutors |
| D．access not only books but other study resources |
LexisNexis Academic is the name of a ________．
| A．guide |
| B．library |
| C．database |
| D．university |
Which of the following are mostly needed by students in western libraries?
| A．Books and articles. |
| B．Audio and video recordings. |
| C．Maps and sheet music. |
| D．Tutors’ teaching PPTs. |
How can a college student borrow books from other colleges’ libraries?
| A．By going to these libraries. |
| B．By getting them through the Internet. |
| C．By borrowing them through their own library. |
| D．By sending messages through the computer or mobile texts. |
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