第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A sixth of undergraduates in Beijing this year have registered at driving schools. The students, mostly from majors such as business management or international trade, will finish their driving courses within 20 days or so.
Training costs have dropped to 2,600 yuan for students, according to the Haidian Driving School in Beijing. The price is not really low, but students will accept it, seeing it as an investment in their future. Familiarity with the operation of computers and fluent English are the basic skills graduating students need to find a job. But a driver’s license has become another factor.
“In the job market, owning a driver’s license sometimes strengthens a graduating student’s competitiveness for a good position,” says Zhou Yang, an undergraduate at the China University of Political Science and Law.
Cars will become a necessary part of many people’s lives in the coming years, and it is difficult to get a license after graduation because of the pressures on working people’s time. “Having a full-time job after graduation offers limited time to learn to drive. We senior students have plenty of spare time, plenty of opportunities to learn,” Zhou says.
Xu Jian, an official at the driving school, said undergraduates were very capable and serious, and could grasp in an hour what ordinary people took four hours to learn. In this driving school, middle-aged people, young women and college students are the main learners.
To get a driver’s license, a beginner is now required to have at least 86 hours’ practice before the final road test.
56. ________ in Beijing want to learn to drive.
A. Half the undergraduates
B. Many undergraduates
C. Most undergraduates
D. Most of the undergraduates who learn business or international trade
57. The undergraduates are learning to drive mainly because ________.
A. they need this skill to find a good job
B. they like to drive cars
C. most of them are from rich families
D. most of them will be able to buy cars in the future
58. Which of the following is likely to be Xu Jian’s opinion of students’ learning to drive?
A. He thought it was better to learn it at college than at work.
B. He thought it was a waste of money and time to learn to drive.
C. He thought they could learn to drive faster.
D. He thought they would spend three times more time to learn to drive than ordinary people.
59. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Students Pay Less to Learn to Drive Now
B. Students Learn to Drive
C. Better to Learn to Drive at Colleges
D. Welcome to the Driving School
Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves – all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph.
1. Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956)
Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery.
Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous.
Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized (麻醉) his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein. He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart.
2. Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005)
Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that gastritis was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid. But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori.
So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting each morning – he indeed had gastritis.
3. Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011)
This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer.
Steinman knew he couldn’t yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity.
With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies. Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.What’s the main purpose of the article?
| A．To introduce a few Nobel prize winners who did experiments on themselves. |
| B．To list difficulties that scientists went through in order to make important discoveries. |
| C．To explain why some scientists chose to experiment on themselves. |
| D．To introduce some dangerous experiments that Nobel prize winners did on themselves. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
| A．Forssmann’s experiment ended in failure. |
| B．Forssmann had the pipe pushed all the way into his heart. |
| C．Barry Marshall succeeded by drinking some Helicobacter pylori. |
| D．Barry Marshall’s experiment on himself confirmed that most doctors’ belief about gastritis |
was correct.The underlined word “gastritis” in Paragraph 5 probably means ______.
| A．a kind of bacteria |
| B．a kind of stomach disease |
| C．a new type of therapy |
| D．a large amount of stomach acid |
From the text, we can conclude that Ralph Steinman ______.
| A．discovered a new type of cancer cell called the dendritic cell |
| B．tried different therapies containing the dendritic cell on himself |
| C．had his request to experiment on patients denied |
| D．believed that he was better than doctors at treating cancer |
It’s not so surprising that US First Lady Michelle Obama has called Modern Family her favorite TV series. September saw the fun, heartwarming sitcom take home the Best Comedy Series award at the 2013 Emmys. This is the fourth year in a row that the series has won that title. The show features three families who move in and out of each other’s lives. The first one is a typical American family: the working dad Phil, stay-at-home mom Claire and their three children.
The second family is made up of Jay, his young Hispanic wife and her son Manny. Jay, 65, is the father of Claire. He is 30 years older than his wife and everyone mistakes the two for being father and daughter.
The third family is made up of a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron, and their adopted daughter Lily. Mitchell is Jay’s son.
On Sept 25, the show started its fifth season, in which Claire makes a big change – she returns to work. The other big storylines include Jay’s stepson Manny starting high school and Mitchell and Cameron looking for a primary school for Lily. Will things go right for the three families?
Modern Family has no spies, aliens or vampires (吸血鬼); it’s just about ordinary people. So what has made it such a hit?
According to the Los Angeles Times, its “presentation of contemporary US society” contributes to its success. The show presents what a typical “nuclear family” is like in the US: two parents, a big house and two or three children. When there’s a fight between their kids, Phil wants to be the “cool dad” while traditional mom Claire lives by the saying “an eye for an eye”. She always forces Phil to punish the troublemaker.
The show also touches upon developments in interracial relations in the US by focusing on Hispanic communities. This makes sense, as “by 2040, America will no longer be a majority-white country, with the fastest growth rate among Hispanics…” BBC pointed out.
In addition, according to BBC, 40 percent of Americans say they have a gay friend or relative. By including Mitchell and Cameron, Modern Family reflects the changing status of gay people in the US.
“The US is a melting pot … so the family has come to reflect that diversity.” commented The Hartman Group, a US research firm.Which of the following is TRUE about the characters in Modern Family?
| A．There are always fights between Phil and Claire because of their different ways of raising kids. |
| B．Jay, Claire and Mitchell make up a typical American family. |
| C．Mitchell and Cameron are a gay couple and they adopted a boy. |
| D．Jay and his wife are often not thought of as a couple because their ages are so far apart. |
What’s new in Modern Family’s fifth season?
| A．Lily is entering kindergarten. |
| B．Jay’s grandson Manny starts high school. |
| C．Phil loses his job. |
| D．Claire goes back to work. |
Why is Modern Family so popular?
| A．It reflects current US society. |
| B．It presents what a typical “nuclear family” is like in the US. |
| C．It includes developments in interracial relations in the US. |
| D．It reflects the changing status of gay people in the US. |
Which of the following best shows the structure of the article?
Every September in China, people love to talk about the overprotective parents following their children around everywhere during university enrollment.
Now, with more than 420,000 youngsters in the UK starting their new college school year, what is their first day like? BBC’s Sean Coughlan described it in a recent report.
According to Coughlan, at the very beginning it is not hard to spot something familiar to Chinese–a stream of parents arriving with their sons and daughters at the student village. Mothers, fathers and a teenager–now most likely taller than they are – stand together like the three might have done on the first day of primary school.
“The approach road to the student village is a long traffic jam of family cars, stuffed full with boxes, pillows and nervous families,” he writes. “The door closes on a student’s room and parents and children go their separate ways. For many families, if childhood has a final moment, this is it.”
But saying goodbye to parents is not the only similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China. In both cases, new arrivals most want to know about their Internet connections. “It’s their most urgent concern,” notes Coughlan.
Even on their first day, university in the UK won’t be an entirely lonely experience for some new students. “Before they arrive they have been using social networking to get to know their future roommates,” writes Coughlan.
Still, the first night is something no UK university student ever forgets. There are people they meet and then spend three years avoiding and people who become their friends for the rest of their lives. First week stories are all about over-partying, bad cooking and misguided clothing, Coughlan says.
As he concludes: “These new students are entering their own soap opera of romance, friendship and ambition. It’s a huge adventure that they’ve worked for years to achieve.”What is the author’s purpose in writing the article?
| A．To introduce how UK students prepare for college. |
| B．To show different challenges that college freshmen face in the UK and China. |
| C．To describe how UK colleges welcome newcomers. |
| D．To inform us about what the first day of college is like in the UK. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．On the first day of college, UK freshmen don’t know each other. |
| B．When the new semester begins, most UK freshmen drive to college by themselves. |
| C．For many freshmen, when they say goodbye to their parents, they are also saying goodbye to their childhood. |
| D．Most British parents stay around their children’s colleges for a few days at the beginning of the semester. |
A similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China is that ______.
| A．the approach roads to their colleges are packed with cars filled with nervous families |
| B．they have contacted their future roommates through social networking sites |
| C．once they get to the campus, they want to make sure that they have access to the Internet |
| D．they spend their first week getting to know their roommates and partying |
From the article, we can conclude that Sean Coughlan’s report is ______.
| A．descriptive | B．critical |
| C．sympathetic | D．bitter |
There was once a beautiful nymph called Echo. But Echo had one failing; she was fond of talking, and whether in chat or argument, would have the last word. As she was good company, she and Zeus became good friends. However, Zeus’ wife, Hera, became jealous. She followed Zeus to the earth to find out what he was doing and Zeus asked Echo to distract Hera until he could escape. Later when Hera discovered she had been tricked, she became very angry. She turned on Echo and said, “You shall lose the use of your tongue because you cheated me. You’ll have the last word, bur no longer have the power to speak first.” So from that moment on, Beautiful Echo was hardly able to hold a conversation because she could only repeat the last words of those around her. She became very embarrassed and hid herself deep in the woods.
One day a handsome young man called Narcissus came into the woods. He had been hunting deer and lost his way. However, the moment Echo saw him, she fell in love with him. She followed him, wishing to tell him but unable to begin a conversation. Oh, how she wished she could speak first. Unfortunately, Narcissus was far too busy worrying about where his companions might be and how he could find his way home.
Eventually Narcissus, with Echo following behind along, came to a pool of water in the middle of the woods. Feeling thirsty, Narcissus bent down to drink. As he did so, he saw a beautiful creature in the water staring up at him. He immediately bent over and said to him, “I love you!” Echo, nearby, and seeing her chance, immediately responded “…. I love you!” But it was too late. Narcissus was already in love, with himself.
The stranger seemed to rise up closer to Narcissus who was so involved that he entirely failed to notice Echo. “I want to stay and look at this beautiful sight forever,” he whispered dreamily to himself.”… Forever,” repeated Echo sadly. “Come here,” called Narcissus to his reflection as he moved his head and the creature seemed to move away. “…Here.” responded Echo. Narcissus bent back down to see his reflection more clearly. “So beautiful! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!” “….So beautiful!” responded Echo truthfully.
Narcissus remained by the water refusing all Echo’s silent offers of food and drink until he died. Where he had been, a flower grew in his place, as beautiful as Narcissus himself. As for Echo, from that time forward, she also didn’t eat or drink till she turned to rocks and all that was left was her voice. Even now you can still hear Echo trying to attract Narcissus’ attention by repeating his words and still see Narcissus as a beautiful flower growing near a pool.Why was Echo unable to let Narcissus know she loved him?
| A．Because she had lost the ability to speak. |
| B．Because she was too shy to speak first. |
| C．Because Narcissus took no notice of her. |
| D．Because Hera had taken away her ability to speak first. |
“The stranger” in paragraph 4 refers to ______.
| A．Echo |
| B．Hera. |
| C．Narcissus himself. |
| D．a fairy in the woods. |
Which of the following kinds of person can be described as a “Narcissus”?
| A．A person who loves and admires himself or herself. |
| B．A person who loves to admire beautiful water flowers. |
| C．A person who is too shy to have a chat with other people. |
| D．A person who’s afraid of being separated from companions. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Echo’s sacrifice. | B．Echo and Hera. |
| C．Echo and Narcissus. | D．Narcissus’s self-love. |
Below is a selection from a popular science book.
If blood is red, why are veins(静脉) blue?
Actually, veins are not blue at all. They are more of a clear, yellowish colour. Although blood looks red when it's outside the body, when it's sitting in a vein near the surface of the skin, it's more of a dark reddish purple colour. At the right depth, these blood-filled veins reflect less red light than the surrounding skin, making them look blue by comparison.
Which works harder, your heart or your brain?
This question depends on whether you're busy thinking or busy exercising. Your heart works up to three times harder during exercise, and shifts enough blood over a lifetime to fill a supertanker. But, in the long run, your brain probably tips it, because even when you're sitting still your brain is using twice as much energy as your heart, and it takes four to five times as much blood to feed it.
Do old people shrink as they age?
Yes and no. Many people do get shorter as they age. But, when they do, it isn't because they're shrinking all over. They simply lose height as their spine(脊柱) becomes shorter and more curved due to disuse and the effects of gravity(重力). Many (but not all) men and women do lose height as they get older. Men lose an average of 3－4 cm in height as they age, while women may lose 5 cm or more. If you live to be 200 years old, would you keep shrinking till you were, like 60 cm tall, like a little boy again？No, because old people don't really shrink！It is not that they are growing backwards—their legs, arms and backbones getting shorter. When they do get shorter, it's because the spine has shortened a little. Or, more often, become more bent and curved.
Why does spinning make you dizzy(眩晕的)?
Because your brain gets confused between what you're seeing and what you're feeling. The brain senses that you're spinning using special gravity and motion sensing organs in your inner ear, which work together with your eyes to keep your vision and balance stable. But when you suddenly stop spinning , the system goes out of control, and your brain thinks you're moving while you're not!
Where do feelings and emotions come from?
Mostly from an ancient part of the brain called the limbic system. All mammals have this brain area—from mice to dogs, cats, and humans. So all mammals feel basic emotions like fear, pain and pleasure. But since human feelings also involve other newer bits of the brain, we feel more complex emotions than any other animal on the planet.What is the colour of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?
| A．Blue. | B．Light yellow. |
| C．Red. | D．Dark reddish purple. |
Why do some old people look a little shrunken as they age?
| A．Their spine is in active use. |
| B．They are more easily affected by gravity. |
| C．They keep growing backwards. |
| D．Their spine becomes more bent. |
Which of the following statements about our brain is TRUE?
| A．In the long run, our brain probably works harder than our heart. |
| B．When our brain senses the spinning, we will feel dizzy. |
| C．The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans. |
| D．Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain. |
What is the main purpose of the selection?
| A．To give advice on how to stay healthy. |
| B．To provide information about our body. |
| C．To challenge new findings in medical research. |
| D．To report the latest discoveries in medical science. |
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