Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $0.9 each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $90 million. That was the second largest lottery jackpot(积累奖金)in history.
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing. Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80. The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million. But that little chance certainly didn’t affect ticket sales. In the last few days before the drawing, tickets were selling at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second.
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action. Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people. It allows them to dream about wealth they’ll probably never have.
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized (合法化的)gambling. Some critics note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets. There are also many addicts who take the game seriously. They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets. Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice(恶习), under the name of social progress.
No matter whether you regard state lotteries right or not, you cannot refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans.The main idea of the passage is that __________.
| A．lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them |
| B．playing a lottery is just like investing in the stock market |
| C．a lot of people buy lottery tickets, but lotteries cause disagreement |
| D．lotteries are just legalized vice |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Politicians like lotteries because they don’t have to pay extra tax. |
| B．The popularity of lotteries in America actually is social progress. |
| C．Some critics don’t like lotteries because many poor people waste their money on them. |
| D．People love the lottery because it is a stock market. |
In just one hour in the last few days, the Pennsylvania lottery sold tickets totaling_______.
| A．$1.62 million | B．$90 million | C．$9.6 million | D．$87 million |
People who are addicted to playing lotteries should _________.
| A．join a club | B．kick the habit |
| C．win the Pennsylvania | D．save every cent |
B
Escaping a fire is a serious matter: knowing what to do during a fire can save life. It is important to know the way you can use and show them to everyone in the family, such as stairs and fire escapes, but not lifts. From the lower floors of building, escape through windows is possible. Learn the best way of leaving by window with the least chance of serious injury.
The second floor window is usually not very high from the ground. A person of average height, hanging by the fingertips will have a drop of about 6 feet to the ground. It is about the height of an average man. Of course, it is safer to jump a short way than to stay in a burning building.
Windows are also very useful when you are waiting for help. Be sure to keep the door closed before opening the window. Otherwise, smoke and fire may be drawn into the room. Keep your head low at the window to be sure you get enough fresh air rather than smoke that may have leaked into the room.
On a second or third floor, the best windows for escape are those which open onto a roof. From the roof a person can drop to the ground more safely. Dropping onto the cement might end in injury. Bushes and grass can help to break a fall.
69. Which of the following people seldom use when trying to escape a fire?
A. Windows. B. Doors. C. Fire escapes. D. Lifts.
70. How far from the ground to the second floor window?
A. About 12 feet. B. About 3 feet.
C. Nearly 10 feet. D. About height of an average man.
71. The writer tells us that ______.
breathing in smoke might not be harmful
smoke will enter the room by an open window
fresh air can’t reach the second floor
to keep your head low will help you escape a fire
Part B: Reading Comprehension 20%
A
Backpacks are convenient. They can hold your books, your lunch, and a change of clothes, leaving your hands free to do other things. Someday, if you don’t mind carrying a heavy load, your backpack might also power your MP3 player, keep your cell phone running, and maybe even light your way home.
Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., have invented a backpack that makes electricity from energy produced while its wearer walks.
The backpack’s electricity-creating powers depend on springs used to hang a cloth pack from its metal frame. The frame sits against the wearer’s back, and the whole pack moves up and down as the person walks. A mechanism with gears(传动装置) collects energy from this motion and transfers it to an electrical generator.
Surprisingly, the researchers found, people walk differently when they wear the springy packs. As a result, wearers use less energy than when carrying regular backpacks. Also, the way the new packs ride on wearers’ backs makes them more comfortable than standard packs.
The backpack could be especially useful for soldiers, scientists, mountaineers, and emergency workers who typically carry heavy backpacks. These people often rely on global positioning system(GPS) receivers, night-vision goggles(夜视镜), and other battery-powered devices to get around and do their work. Because the pack can make its own electricity, users don’t need to give up space in their packs to lots of extra batteries.
For the rest of us, power-generating backpacks could make it possible to walk, play video games, watch TV, and listen to music, all at the same time. Electricity-generating packs aren’t on the market yet, but if you do get one eventually, just make sure to look both ways before crossing the street!
65. The passage introduces a new kind of ______ backpack.
| A．electronic | B．electricity-producing |
| C．electron-generating | D．electricity-controlling |
66. The new backpack makes use of ______ to produce power.
batteries placed at the bottom of the frame
the motion of the pack while the wearer walks
energy the wearer consumes for carrying the pack
the collective motion of a mechanism and some gears
67. From the passage, we can infer that ______.
the backpacks of mountaineers may become smaller in the future
the new backpack can hardly be produced due to its potential danger
the new backpack will someday replace MP3 players and cell phones
the backpack will also provide electricity for lighting our houses
68. An enormous disadvantage of power-generating backpacks might be that ______.
they may stop working at any time
it takes quite a while to have the energy transferred
they may distract the wearer’s attention from road safety
they will be extremely heavy with the mechanism
D
Here's a scene：a village where the sun always shines，crops always grow and your friends drop by to sweep your yard to the sound of guitar music．Animals do what they are told，there is no disease，and lendin’ folks a helpin’hand makes you richer and wiser．Welcome to FarmVille—
Current population 69m and rising fast．
“It reminds me of my childhood，”says one player, Lia Curran，37，a nurse from London．“Right now I'm growing wheat and flowers. I've got a small garden, and I'm raising some chickens and some cows. I like having the animals. It's relaxing.” Curran's animals, however, is nothing more than a collection of cartoons. FarmVille is an online computer game built into the social networking site Facebook and is described by its players as “addictive”. Launched last June by Zynga Game Network, FarmVille now has many players—more than the population of the UK. The players are largely women over the age of 35.
FarmVille unites the worlds of social networking and gaming．Players are given a ground with six fields，“cash”，a few seeds and a plough and have to build up wealth，skills and neighbors to create bigger，better，richer farms．Inviting your online friends to play means you earn more and get flee gifts；you rise rapidly through the first levels but，once hooked，have to work harder and harder with no final level or goal in sight．
“Games like this draw people into a fantasy world that's separate from real life where there are no issues，and where things are simple and controllable，” Brian Dudley says．In November，he opened the UK's first computer games addiction clinic，treating online gamers who stayed at the keyboard for up to eight hours a day—“the tip of the iceberg”，he says．Two weeks ago，a group of US players launched a class action against Zynga and Facebook．“Most，if not all，of the online advertisements presented through Zynga are scams(骗局)，”the lawsuit states．“The advertisements are highly misleading and often result in users ordering goods or services that they do not want or need．”
According to Nick O'neill from the social media site All Facebook，Zynga is making $500，000(￡304，000)a day，from its Facebook games，in turn spending some $50m(￡30m)a year on Facebook ads．
If all that weren't enough，FarmVille doesn't even function like a proper farm：in FarmVille，wheat grows in two days—in real life，it takes months．But play continues nevertheless．
68．If you want to create a better and richer farm，you should do the following EXCEPT that ____．
A．you have to work harder and harder
B．you should pay real—world money to advance in the game
C．you should invite your online friends and neighbors to play
D．you should develop your skills and befriend FarmVille neighbors
69．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．Most young girls are fascinated by the farming game．
B．Money Zynga has made is mostly spent on advertising campaign．
C．There is potential threat to the players and some players are misled by the advertisements．
D．The UK's first computer games addiction clinic was opened to help treat online players．
70．The purpose of the class action against Zynga and Facebook was to_____．
A．show that Zynga has an extremely tight relationship with Facebook
B．try to stop Zynga and Facebook from putting advertisements
C．attract more people to FarmVille game to plant crops
D．appeal to the public to order more goods or services
C
The announcements by the NASA，in the form of several Web site postings and a video posted on YouTube，were in response to worries that the world will end on Dec．21，2012．
The doomsday(末日) rumour reached a high point with the release of the new movie “2012”，directed by Roland Emmerich．In th
e movie，Yellowstone blows up, showering the continent with black ash．Tidal waves wash over the Himalayas，where the governments of the planet have secretly built a ship which a select 400，000 people can ride out the storm．There are hundreds of hooks devoted to 2012，and millions of Web sites，depending on what combination of“2012”and“doomsday”you type into Google．All of it，astronomers say, is nonsense．“Most of what's claimed for 2012 relies on wishful thinking and ignorance of astronomy．”Ed Krupp， an expert on ancient astronomy，wrote in an article in the November issue of Sky＆Telescope．
“I get angry at the way people are being influenced and frightened to make money,” Morrison said．“There is no right to frighten children to make a buck．”suggested David Morrison，an astronomer at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field，Calif．He said he had been getting about 20 letters and e—mail messages a day from people as far away as India scared out of their wits．Morrison said he did n
ot blame the movie for all this，as much as many other supporters of the Mayan prediction．But then，he said，“my doctorate is in astronomy，not psychology．”
In an e—mail exchange, Krupp said：“We are always uncertain about the future，and we always consume representations of it．We are always attracted by the romance of the ancient past．”A NASA spokesman，D
wayne Brown，said the agency did not comment on movies，leaving that to movie critics．But when it comes to science, Brown said, “we felt it was careful to provide a resource．”
If you want to worry，most scientists say，you should think about global climate change or nuclear war．But if ancient prophecies(预言)get you going，here are some things Morrison and the others think you should know．
64．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Dr．Morrison blamed the Movie“2011”for the panic it aroused in the public around the world．
B．People who watched the movie were seared and firmly believed that the end of the world was coming．
C．In terms of science it was better to provide evidence and theory at the same time．
D．Dr．Morrison thought it was not right to make money by frightening people．
65．It can be inferred from the text that ．
A．astronomers think that doomsday is likely to happen in the near future
B．the reason why the NASA posted web site postings was to make people interested in astronomy
C．scientists think we shouldn't worry about doomsday but show concern about environment protection
D．most astronomers agree that the world is not ending—at least anytime soon
66．Which of the following would be the best title?
A．A New Movie“2012” B．Is Doomsday Coming?
C．End-of-the-World Stories D．Astronomers Comment on Movies
67．What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A．Evidence that the Mayans thought something special would happen in 2012．
B．What will really happen in 2012．
C．The reason why there is no need to worry about doomsday．
D．Ancient stories about the end of the world．
B
A popular saying goes，“Sticks and stones may break my bones，but words will never hurt me．”However，that's not really true．Words have the power to build us up or tear us down．It doesn't matter whether the words come from someone else or ourselves—the positive and negative effects are just as lasting．
We all talk to ourselves sometimes．We're usually too embarrassed to admit it，though．In fact，we really shouldn't be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit．
This“self—talk”helps us motivate ourselves，remember things，solve problems，and calm ourselves down．Be aware, though，that as much as 77％of self—talk tends to be negative．So in order to stay positive，we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves．We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back ．The next time you finish a project，do well in a test，or finally clean your room，join me in saying“Good job!”
Often，words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have．But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others．For example，when returning an item to a store，we might use warm，friendly language during the exchange．And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner．Or unkind and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．
Words possess power because of their lasting effect．Many of us regret something we once said．And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking，we should always ask ourselves：Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn't pass this test，then it's better left unsaid．
Words possess power：both positive and negative．Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively．We can offer hope，build self—esteem（自尊） and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things．Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours．
60．The main idea of the first paragraph is that________．
A．words have a lasting effect on us
B．inspiring words give us confidence
C．negative words may let us down
D．not sticks and stones but words will hurt us
61．It is unnecessary to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because______．
A．almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves
B．talking to ourselves always gives us courage
C．we can benefit from talking to ourselves
D．it does no harm to have“self—talk”when we are alone
62．The underlined part in the third paragraph m
eans that we should also occasionally_____．
A．remind ourselves B．make ourselves relaxed
C．praise ourselves D．give ourselves amusement
63．The author would probably hold the view that_______．
A．encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers
B．negative words may motivate us to make more progress
C．people tend to remember friendly words
D．it is better to think twice before talking to others
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